Everett True poses 10 Questions for Vivian Girls, and then, of course, proceeds to kind of answer most of them himself:

1. The first pressing of your album earlier this year sold out real fast—do you have tons of friends?

Katy: "Ha ha. We wish!"

Vivian Girls lift their influences from the right direction—the Wipers, Nirvana, the Shangri-Las—but of course sound nothing like... well, the first two. Indeed, Vivian Girls are so naive about their musical heritage—Fizzbombs, Shop Assistants, Talulah Gosh, especially Girls At Our Best!—that they describe their sound as "shoegaze." Um, the Brit shoegazers of the early '90s never jarred. And to call My Bloody Valentine shoegazers is like saying Sonic Youth are a pretty good noise band. True, but missing the point.

Sam McPheeters considers the newness, oldness, and sub-primeness of the New Kids on the Block:

More to the point, what is the current formula for the Middle-Aged Man Band? Who's the Remorseful Guy? Which one is the Gum Disease Guy? Guy Struggling With an Addiction to Online Pornography? Guy Who Lost Money in a Bad Restaurant Investment?

Dave Segal pieces together the puzzle that is Lucky Dragons:

Luke Fischbeck and Sarah Rara move quickly and smartly. The core of the prolific project known as Lucky Dragons, they make music (19 albums and counting) and art (they host a weekly collaborative drawing society called Sumi Ink Club) as if there were no tomorrow; they squeeze the day with their prodigious creative energies. The world—at least the minuscule portion of the populace aware of them—is richer for it. Oh, and Lucky Dragons also run Glaciers of Nice, "a small press and internet community." Feeling lazy yet?

And we help you get shit-faced with the Hold Steady (like you need help):

Plus, there's a ton of Album Reviews, this week's Up & Coming shows, and much, much more.