With the extreme ease of availability of music — thanks largely to the Internet, and to a lesser degree television, commercials, movies and of course MTV and its cronies — it is easy for the average listener to become complacent with what he or she chooses to listen to. Thanks… Read more »

In the ongoing war on music piracy, music labels have taken another step in the form of streaming music services. The question is: Is it a step too far? Aside from the threat of piracy, labels have been drawn to streaming music services by people’s embrace of digital music acquisition… Read more »

This column, at the behest of both readers and editors, is all about lists. Five songs that obliquely reference the Cold War? Got it. The six songs Elvis Costello requested at his friend’s bar mitzvah? No problem at all. Four songs for that feeling you feel when it’s rainy outside but… Read more »

This is my fifth column. I’ve already done one eulogy for one of my favorite bands. And now LCD Soundsystem is breaking up. Not breaking up. They’re doing something. James Murphy refuses to be specific about it, but whatever the case, it sounds like there won’t be that much more… Read more »

Spring break is a gigantic tease. If you’re lucky, you go somewhere warm and exciting where you can sip drinks with funny little umbrellas in them and whoop as loud as you want about how great spring break is, all the while representing the best America can be to the… Read more »

The sudden onslaught of political energy in Madison has brought forth something that’s not often so visible in the city of eternal gray winter, at least not outdoors: passion. People are excited, angry, shouting, smiling and congratulating each other on identical politics. It’s a cool thing to be a part… Read more »

On Feb. 2, a day that doesn’t have a very good chance of living in infamy but probably should, The White Stripes announced they were breaking up. It was a bad thing. I was upset. But I don’t want to seem ungrateful. Jack and Meg have given their fans six… Read more »

Let’s face it, I hit the jackpot. For the past week, I’ve been brainstorming ideas that might make for a noteworthy first column. A soundtrack to match the frostbite-inducing cold of the past few days? It’s been done. Summery girl-group pop-punk to distract from the depressing realization that summer is… Read more »

It isn’t always easy to distinguish between literature and song lyrics. Many would consider any set of lyrics to be a form of poetry and expression. There is image-inducing poetry, and then there are narratives. Not that the two are mutually exclusive, but they are distinct. For this playlist,… Read more »

Whenever a holiday comes around, it’s fairly easy to tack a theme on anything. Just look at any new episode of your favorite TV show this week. I promise there will be some form of turkey worship in sitcoms across the board. It was no different for Halloween, and the… Read more »

It’s starting to feel a lot like Wisconsin outside. I don’t know why the coming of fall is always such a shock to my senses; I’ve been a Midwesterner practically my whole life. There’s just something about the rapid transition from sauna to tundra that gets me every year. What… Read more »

Every week, a certain day calls forth a feeling of relaxation unmatched by any other. Perhaps the opposite of a Monday, and sweeter than a Saturday, it’s the best time to step into slow gear and wallow in laziness, succumbing to a week-long fatigue. The last couple of “Paper Radio”… Read more »

Is it just me, or is this semester going by faster than a bullet train to Vegas? We’ve already reached the point of no return, where the first (and second) onslaught of midterms form the bread around a homecoming sandwich. And it’s not slowing down. Grab hold of something sturdy,… Read more »

As the familiar tagline goes, “In space, no one can hear you scream.” I’m inclined to think the same is true at the bottom of an abandoned well. It’s gloomy down there, but the protagonist in Murakami’s book “The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle” doesn’t seem to mind. After his wife leaves… Read more »

Another semester at UW means another season of Paper Radio, bringing more soundtracks for your everyday life. New readers, listen up. The idea here is pretty simple, and it is something you’ve probably done before when putting together a playlist or mix CD. Nearly every scenario you could possibly encounter… Read more »

This is it, folks. The 2010 spring semester is almost at an end. That means the Herald is about to do the student thing and take a summer hiatus. It also means that for a while, “Paper Radio” will be off the air. Coming up with an appropriate playlist isn’t… Read more »

It’s time for a reality check, Badgers. Spring Break is finito and these last few weeks of the semester could be brutal. But just because leisure week is over, it doesn’t mean you have to dive right back in. Well, maybe it does for some, in which case I’d… Read more »

Like most undergrads here, I have a long wait until my 10-year high school reunion. But from what I’ve heard, or at least seen on TV, reunions aren’t all they’re cracked up to be. Unfortunately, the same can often be said about band reunions. Even when all the former… Read more »

A few columns back, I dedicated a playlist to the comforts of indoor winter living. As of last week, Madison forecasts started to hint at spring aesthetics. Needless to say, I was about ready to ditch the cold list for something warm and breezy, but alas — I jumped the… Read more »

The big game is over, and the results are in: Saints: 31, Colts: 17. The Who: awesome. Since this is a music column, I’ll leave the play-by-play to the sports writers. But it still seems necessary to crank out some sort of ode to the pigskin. How about a Super… Read more »

I don’t know about you, but a new year, a new semester and fresh responsibilities have been somewhat of a reality check. Menial tasks demanded of school and work feel like running a marathon when you’ve spent the past month in a state of gluttony. But just think�— a month… Read more »

What’s in a playlist? Everyone has that mix that hits the spot at the right time. I know I have a few. In fact, the existence of this column depends on them. MP3 players and digital music have made playlists easier to make and obtain than ever before, but… Read more »