The Rhombus faithful may recognize Chuck Klosterman from his large library of work as a columnist (for Esquire, Spin, The New York Times, The Washington Post, etc.), one of his four non-fiction books (Fargo Rock City; Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs; Killing Yourself to Live; Chuck Klosterman IV), his appearances on ESPN’s “The B.S. Report [...]

There are many things that I love in life and very few that rank above college football. More specifically, I am a diehard BYU football fan.  Before you start to make any judgments, please understand that diehard, in this case, does not equal irrational. As much as I love BYU football, there is nothing I [...]

Regina Spektor, “Us” Regina Spektor has recently taken on added significance in light of the release of her second album, Far, and prominent positioning on the critically acclaimed soundtrack to the latest indie darling, Rhombus-approved (500) Days of Summer. This Russian songstress was greeted with open arms by critics on her debut album, embodying a [...]

Welcome back to the second part of a discussion that has been a bit philosophical and has taken somewhat of a religious turn. I’ve appreciated the comments and arguments presented in response to my previous article. It’s interesting to see the differences of opinions and the valid reasoning behind them. After discussing the case of [...]

Animal Collective, “Who Could Win A Rabbit?” Rhombus loves Animal Collective. You should love Animal Collective too. These Brooklyn psych-folkers have made one of the three best (if not the best) albums of 2009 in Merriweather Post Pavilion. However, Animal Collective has been making great music for much longer than that, beginning with 2004′s Sung [...]

With the swearing in of Jon Huntsman, Jr., as U.S. Ambassador to China, the governorship of Utah is changing with Gary Herbert of Family City USA (Orem, Utah, for those of you not familiar with the token) is taking over. Even though both Huntsman and Herbert promised a smooth transition with the change, there are [...]

The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart, “Come Saturday” Welcome to one of indie rock’s most exciting young bands: The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart. Chances are you haven’t heard of this New York fuzz-pop band — and you are missing out. Comprised of four overly polite anti-rockers in their early-20s, the Pains are [...]

In previous articles, I have confessed my love for Star Trek. I admittedly have not always been a Star Trek fan, however. This is a recent development. As soon as I heard the Star Trek franchise would be reborn under the direction of J.J. Abrams, I became an immediate fan, knowing the Lost creator brings [...]

The Avett Brothers, “I and Love and You” You may be skeptical at first, but you just need to embrace the country harmonies of the Avett Brothers. Okay, so only two of the three “brothers” are actually Avetts, but the way these boys’ voices blend, you wouldn’t know the difference. (Definitely better than the Brothers [...]

Grizzly Bear, “Two Weeks” Now that Covers Week has come to a close here at Rhombus, it’s back to the original stuff — and music doesn’t get a whole lot more original than Grizzly Bear. No one’s quite sure what genre these Brooklyn boys fit in, but whatever it is, it’s good. Blending folk rock [...]