Upon first glance, Decemberists' frontman Colin Meloy doesn't exactly look like a metalhead. In fact, with his librarian specs and swooping hairdo, he more closely resembles a record-store clerk (though those meaty muttonchops do hint at an inner hesher). But looks aren't everything.
See, on his band's new album, The Hazards Of Love, Meloy get's seriously heavy, swapping sludgy riffs with fellow guitarist Chris Funk (see, the muttonchops don't lie). It's pretty amazing ... he certainly rocks harder than most librarians I know.
But, had he made Hazards a decade ago, things probably wouldn't have turned out this way. As a slightly lanky student at the University if Montana, he didn't have the faintest clue about metal (though he was aware of a tiny band called Metallica), preferring the far more, uh, sensitive work of acts like Morrissey.
Though that would eventually change ... and Hazards is the proof. But it didn't happen overnight. To hear Meloy's tale of metal redemption, keep reading after the jump Read More...
The Decemberists closed Wednesday night at SXSW with a note-for-note recreation of their new album, The Hazards Of Love at Stubb's. Seven people on the stage. Two ethereal female singers. Hectic drummers. Gratuitous organ solos. And, of course, tons and tons of riffs.
While Peter Bjorn and John may not be the most imaginative name for a band consisting of Peter, Bjorn and John, in a way that's part of the trio's beauty. They're just three Swedish songsters who love to make music — no glitz, no glam, no frills. Their names may not ring a bell, but you'd know them as soon as you heard the first couple of bars of their infectious hit "Young Folks." The catchy whistled chorus was all it took for this band to jump from 10 years of relative obscurity to international success.
Starting today, and continuing throughout the week, we're bringing you a look at rock music in 2009. Today, we kicked off Rock Week by taking a look at some of the 
