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The Top 100 Emo Songs of All Time

A bummer ... but in an awesome way
Emo is a lot like pornography ...

By PHOENIX STAFF | February 09, 2012

A punk phenomenon grows up

Punk is dead, right?
It's time we faced it: the vanguards of rock have gotten really old.

By DANIEL BROCKMAN | February 08, 2012

All emo is local

Five scenes that grew organically
Remember the years before blog-rock, when scenes and sounds developed geographically?

By LIZ PELLY | February 08, 2012

Emo: it might as well be a four-letter word

De-evolution
Back in 2001, when Bleed American was exploding all over modern-rock radio, I sat down with Jimmy Eat World guitarist Tom Linton and frontman Jim Adkins and asked about the emo label with which their group had been saddled.

By MICHAEL CHRISTOPHER | February 08, 2012

Inside the theatric folk appeal of You Won't

Willing Participants
"It's about trying to let things come without judgment," says You Won't frontman Josh Arnoudse.

By RYAN REED | February 07, 2012

Davis Square gets a new venue

Play Spaces
Play Spaces

By EUGENIA WILLIAMSON | February 08, 2012

From nukes to necro with Toxic Holocaust

Thrash and glow
Once in a while, a name can conveniently give you an accurate sketch of what a band sounds like.

By REYAN ALI | February 07, 2012

Creaturos spin in the center of a creative orbit

Sum of their Parts
Boston is a city built on pride. Our music, our sports, our accents: whatever it is, good or bad, it is ours .

By P. NICK CURRAN | February 02, 2012

Spreading once again, The Darkness are back

Rendezvous
I don't remember where I was the first time I heard "I Believe in a Thing Called Love," but I do know that I hated it.

By REYAN ALI | January 31, 2012

Cate Le Bon stars in her own folk reality

Life vérité
There is a trend among critics to describe the songs of Welsh performer Cate Le Bon as something new, but with a bit of listening the music of the 28-year-old songwriter is actually pleasantly familiar.

By JONATHAN DONALDSON | January 31, 2012

Have you heard of Lana Del Rey?

A promising new voice
Once in a while, an editor will ask you to review an album by someone you've never heard of — just as a favor.

By DAN WEISS | February 01, 2012

Ladyfest is coming!

. . . and it's not just for ladies!
Chris Strunk was 15 years old when he experienced the "fairly life-changing" momentum of the early-'90s riot-grrrl movement, escaping the conservative suburbs of Philadelphia for Huggy Bear and Bikini Kill shows in the city.

By LIZ PELLY | January 25, 2012

Powering up with the Smith Westerns

Bye-bye lo-fi
Sometimes when we settle into the tattered sofa of lo-fi pop music, it's easy to imagine that the artists intended for it to be made this way.

By JONATHAN DONALDSON | January 25, 2012

Thurston Moore moves on

Demolition man
When Thurston Moore takes the stage at Somerville Theatre on Tuesday, he will no doubt stroll through the wispy cloud-spires of last summer's Beck-produced solo effort, Demolished Thoughts (Matador).

By DANIEL BROCKMAN | January 25, 2012

For Coyote Kolb, the roots come together

State of mind
Johnny Cash's baleful self-portrait "Ain't No Grave" oozes into my skull through a Sailor Jerry haze.

By BARRY THOMPSON | January 24, 2012

50 shows to get you through the long freeze

Get off your ass and out the door
Ward off the winter doldrums with Boston Fun Shit’s top 50 reasons to bundle up and get the eff out on the town.

By ALEXANDRA CAVALLO | January 24, 2012

Interview: Talking with Mission of Burma's Roger Miller

Reformation
This weekend (January 20-21) brings a two-night stand at Brighton Music Hall for post-punk godfathers Mission of Burma, who have somehow morphed into a band that's equal parts internationally renowned throwbacks and prolific local underdogs.

By MATT PARISH | January 18, 2012