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It’s fair to say Charlie Fink, frontman of London indie-folksters Noah And The Whale, hasn’t had the best run of luck. First, he endured a painful relationship split from former band member – and now accomplished artist in her own right – Laura Marling, an event that seems to have provided much of the inspiration for the band’s second album, The First Days Of Spring. Then, not long into the tour to promote the second album, the band had thousands of pounds worth of irreplaceable equipment stolen after a gig in Manchester. It’d be enough to make even Tony Robbins…

The rain let up over Boston just in time to spare the fans queuing up for a night of great music. The House Of Blues sits in the shadow of Fenway Park, and happy rockers lined up noshing bratwurst from street vendors, extolling the virtues of the Sox, and waiting for one of the rare U.S. performances of Porcupine Tree, one of only 12 North American shows on this tour. (This was a sold-out show so the venue was packed, a testament to their growing popularity). Opening the show were veteran rockers Kings X (Doug Pinnick – bass/vocals, Ty Tabor…

Here are another 5 quick picks for you, the loyal reader:MUSIC: Father Dude – The brainchild of Harlem, New York-based Mitch Conwell, Father Dude is an R&B/soul throw-back -- but in an entirely fresh and exciting way. Sonically somewhere between Nick Ashford (of Ashford & Simpson fame) and Maxwell, Conwell fronts a four-piece band that can not only do funky, but also guitar-based heavy. Check out Father Dude’s website for tracks from the new EP, in addition to a cover of Edgar Winter’s “Dying To Live.” (fatherdude.com)   BOOK: Mike Sacks / And Here’s The Kicker – Subtitled “Conversations With…

Here are another 5 quick picks for you, the loyal reader:MUSIC: Bird Of Youth – Fronted by noted music journalist Beth Wawerna, Brooklyn-based Bird Of Youth has come onto the New York scene strong. Produced by Will Sheff of Okkervil River, Bird Of Youth’s debut is full of interesting and soulful (yet laid-back) alt-country. Fans of Lucinda Williams ought to check out the brilliant album-opener “The Sound Of One Name Dropping.” (myspace.com/birdofyouthmusic)   BOOK: Geoff Colvin / Talent Is Overrated – Read regularly in Fortune Magazine and heard daily on CBS Radio, Geoff Colvin is known as an authority on…

Here are another 5 quick picks for you, the loyal reader: MUSIC: As Tall As Lions / You Can't Take It With You – The band’s third full-length release, You Can’t Take It With You, finds New York-based As Tall As Lions creative as ever. Few tracks you’ve ever heard, if any, sound like the dynamics-heavy and string-enhanced album opener “Circles.” Altogether, the collection goes all over the map sonically and stylistically -– somewhere between Dredg, Radiohead and Death Cab For Cutie, perhaps -- yet is the group’s first to crack the Billboard Top 100. See ATAL on the road…

[Editor's note: Cover images of albums previously reviewed on the DV have been linked to the review.]I’m gearing up to head back to school, which means yet another five hour flight across the country. I’m not terrified of flying, but it can be pretty miserable, especially if you don’t have some good tunes to make the journey a little more enjoyable.  Whether you’re flying back home, to work, or to a sunny tropical island (and if so, please take me!), this playlist makes for a good distraction for when you get bored of cloud-watching, crying babies, and free peanuts. So…

Here are another 5 quick picks for you, the loyal reader: MUSIC: Maplewood / Yeti Boombox – Self-described as “canyon rock from Brooklyn,” Maplewood is a New York quartet comprised of members of Nada Surf, Champale and Koester. Their first new album in five years, Yeti Boombox, brings more of the familiar Bread and America-influenced sounds that fans heard on their debut. In fact, not only did America opt to cover Maplewood’s “Indian Summer” on their 2007 comeback album, but America’s Gerry Beckley can be heard on Yeti along with Sparklehorse’s Alan Weatherhead. A lot of name-checking, sure, but of…

[Editor's note: Cover images of albums previously reviewed on the DV have been linked to the review.]First love: it’s one of those things, like death and taxes, that none of us are immune to. It’s messy and fleeting, but it’s enduring, too, carving out a slice of your heart in such a way that you can never be made whole again, not quite. Or, as author Joyce Carol Oates wrote in her 2002 novel I’ll Take You There, “Your first love you’ll never outlive. After that first love you will never love another in that way.” It’s more bittersweet than…