Kenneth Partridge's work has appeared in such publications as USA Today, the Village Voice and the Hartford Courant, as well as online at MTV Hive and HowAboutWe, among other sites. He's helped to edit two encyclopedias -- one on Latin music, the other on reggae -- and penned biographies about Louis Armstrong and the opera singer Marian Anderson. He lives in Brooklyn, N.Y., with his beloved wife and slightly less beloved record collection.
Kenneth Partridge
Pixies Guitarist Joey Santiago Talks Chemistry, Surf Rock, Song Lyrics + the Reasons He’ll Never Quit the Band
For some fans, Pixies simply aren't Pixies without founding bassist Kim Deal, who left earlier this year during sessions for the handful of new tunes the group has dropped since June. Deal was a key member, for certain, but it's arguably even harder to imagine the alt-rock godheads continuing without lead guitarist Joey Santiago.
10 Best Songs of 2013
Our list of the 10 Best Songs of 2013 could have been all neo-Aaliyah chillwave R&B and noisy grunge redux, as plenty of artists partial to those strains of '90s nostalgia made great records this year. Heck, Arctic Monkeys combined the two and swung back with one of their finest LPs. But those sounds don't tell the whole story.
Pixies Singer Black Francis Longs for Chaos of Band’s Early Days, Calls for ‘Off the Grid’ Anti-Tech Revolution
Nearly three weeks before replacements Pixies bassist Kim Shattuck takes to Twitter to announce her dismissal, the band is in Copenhagen, and singer Black Francis is feeling uneasy.
Madness House of Fun Weekender 2013: U.K. Ska Legends Lively Up Sleepy Resort Town
The girl at the chip shop must be mad. Fair play: She's cute and cool and a Hogwarts wizard when it comes to frying up cod loin, but her excitement over finding a pair of Americans in her restaurant in Minehead, England, is very strange -- strange like Stonehenge or baked beans with breakfast.
10 Best Music Videos of 2013
The Internet may have killed music sales, but it saved the music video. Thanks to YouTube and its easy-peasy embeds, musicians once again have a reason to create visual accompaniments to their songs, and as this list of the Best Music Videos of 2013 attests, we're living in a new golden age -- arguably the format's most fertile creative period since the '90s, when MTV still played these things.
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Eagulls Drop ‘Tough Luck’ Single, Announce March Release of Debut Album
So much for youthful optimism. On 'Tough Luck,' the prickly lead single from their much-anticipated self-titled debut album, Eagulls do to post-collegiate hope and exuberance what seagulls do to cars after pecking on discarded burritos at the beach.
Diffused: What’s the Biggest Mistake You’ve Made as an Artist?
For the second installment of our weekly Diffused feature -- whereby we ask a diverse bunch of artists to email responses to a single question we (and hopefully you) find interesting -- we ask, "What's the biggest mistake you've made as an artist?" The blurbs below aren't as heartwarming or hilarious as the ones we got last week, when the topic was "What do your parents think of you
Dexys Mastermind Kevin Rowland Discusses New Album ‘One Day I’m Going to Soar’
Kevin Rowland already has a job -- two, depending on how you count -- so he'll kindly pass on doing yours, too. Thanks.
Acquaintance, ‘Nothing Undisclosed’ – Exclusive Song Premiere
On his forthcoming 'Parapsychology' EP, U.K. producer Chris Griffin, aka Acquaintance, sets a template with track one, 'Telepathic,' and then goes off on sonic tangents. The remaining three songs are "almost unrecognizable" versions of that opener, according to a press release, and Diffuser is proud to premiere 'Nothing Undisclosed,' the disc's penultimate variation.
HTRK Mess With Your Mind In ‘Poison (Mika Vainio Remix)’ Video
Modern life is a jumble of images, sounds and sensations, and try as we may to make sense of it all, there are times when it becomes overwhelming.