It’s fairly common knowledge that Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” music video was inspired by John Landis’ movie An American Werewolf In London. After watching the film, Jackson contacted Landis, who agreed to direct the video. In the video above, Landis talks about the conceptualization of “Thriller,” his experience…

Open Mike Eagle’s new album, Brick Body Kids Still Daydream, is heavily influenced by the legacy of the Robert Taylor Homes, a former public housing project on the South Side of Chicago, which was unceremoniously torn down in 2007. (Today, all that remains at the site is a barren field.) Mike grew up in Chicago and…

Earlier this year, pop-rock trio Hanson embarked on the Middle Of Everywhere: 25th Anniversary Tour to commemorate the anniversary of the formation of the band. Hanson’s debut album Middle Of Nowhere also turned 20 earlier this year. In a sneak peek from an upcoming AVC Session, Isaac, Taylor, and Zac talk to us…

Destroyer comes back strange, Bully channels ’90s fuzz, Jessie Ware evokes Whitney and Mariah, and doom duo Bell Witch turns in a moving eulogy to its late drummer. These plus Lindstrøm, Margo Price, and Makthaverskan in this week’s notable releases.

Faux Fir was a great Milwaukee band I saw frequently when I was in college; it wound down around the time I left and has since disbanded, with two members gone to other states. There was talk of making another album via long-distance collaboration, and I hope that materializes someday. In the meantime, I return to…

Welcome back to AVC Sessions, our series where we bring in an artist, band, musician, singer, rapper, etc. to perform three of their own tracks. For this round, we welcomed to the studio Canadian punks Metz, who are fresh off releasing their well-received third studio album, Strange Peace. In the final performance…

Welcome back to AVC Sessions, our series where we bring in an artist, band, musician, singer, rapper, etc. to perform three of their own tracks. For this round, we welcomed to the studio Canadian punks Metz, who are fresh off releasing their well-received third studio album, Strange Peace. In this performance from the…

Welcome back to AVC Sessions, our series where we bring in an artist, band, musician, singer, rapper, etc. to perform three of their own tracks. For this round, we welcomed to the studio Canadian punks Metz, who are fresh off releasing their well-received third studio album, Strange Peace. In the first performance…

Judd Apatow’s film and TV catalog all share carefully curated soundtracks with spot-on song choices, whether it’s the rebellious opening of Freaks And Geeks or in the James Taylor/MySpace party scene from Funny People. In the video above, Apatow details his five favorite musical influences, which include The Who,…