In spite of not being a fan of heavy metal music, here are some nice things I have to say about two movies about heavy metal music.

The new music I liked best in 2009, available for you to listen to — and download.

A step by step look at my illustration for Hype Machine’s thirteenth-best band of 2009.

The newly relaunched Muxtape is a test case for extreme minimalism.

This cover for the second record from Swedish chanteuse Frida Hyvönen really shouldn’t work. Except it does.

A new mix courtesy of Opentape.

Paying a fee to rid purchased songs of digital rights management.

As digital music has become more pervasive, the ritual of attending the live performance of pop music seems more and more superfluous.

Muxtape and the pros and cons of minimalism. Plus, a Muxtape from me.

Old rock musicians should stop releasing new albums. Or new album covers, at least.

Man and myth in Anton Corbijn’s biopic of Joy Division singer Ian Curtis.

Heavy rotation says nothing in particular about me.

Getting burned by music recommendations.

Making mix tapes is good practice for graphic design.

One thing you didn’t know about me is that I like Phil Spector.

What do you listen to when you write in the blogosphere?

Looking back at some design work I did in the mid-nineties.

How fun is design when it’s just you? Lots.

Doomed to listen to whatever music you favored in your formative years.

With a sense of futility, I present my musical baton.

Subway thefts of iPods are up in New York City, sending me into the market for new earbuds.

The Perceptionists are everywhere, right before our eyes.

Something about music collections makes some people very, very fussy.

On the cusp of buying myself an iPod shuffle, it occurs to me that I really don’t like to shuffle.

What’s the name of that song that goes, “Doo de dum de doo… you know the one I’m talkin’ about?

A year and a week later, reconsidering Ted Leo/Pharmacists.

Dentyne has a vision for the future of music.

Let’s see what the NME has to say about Franz Ferdinand.

Don’t underestimate the attachment that one can form to a good pair of headphones.

You got your classic rock in my hip-hop!

The best ‘best of’ compilation CD that I’ve ever owned.

How I got rid of all my CD cases.

Jarvis Cocker is back on track with Relaxed Muscle.

iTunes for Windows brings the whole family together.

Why I could care less if musicians get paid.

The heights and limits of Ted Leo/Pharmacists.

Browsers are to blame for how bad BuyMusic.com is — partly.

In the battle for online music content, EMusic beats out the iTunes Music Store.

My iPod has instilled in me a disturbing insatiability for more music, more often.

Thoughts on my latest contribution to Squat.

Two anecdotes from my daily walk to the office.

Apple is getting serious about bringing indie music to the iTunes Music Store.

Six new additions to my music collection in one week.

The iTunes Music Store is dangerously easy to use, though it could do with some polishing.

The debut of Apple’s online music service is singularly elegant and overeagerly hyped.

The problem with the music industry is that the compact disc format itself has been completely devalued.

Richard Ashcroft’s new CD is a disappointment, and I hope that I am missing out on some great music.

Gigposters.com catalogs thousands of live performance posters for thousands of bands.

DJ Format’s “We Know Something…” is one of the most entertaining videos I’ve seen in a long time.

My third contribution to the Squat CD exchange club just went out in the mail. Whew!

Business Week calls the music industry’s piracy numbers — and credibility — into question.

The compact disc format turned 30 this week, and NPR’s “Morning Edition’ is running a series on the history of technological innovations in music.

Possibly being a charter member of the Squat CD swap club may or may not be a really cool thing.

More about “24 Hour Party People” and Trouser Press.

Man city likes to party all the time, party all the time.

A grab bag of links.

Take a look at Soundload.

Aping that System 6 aesthetic.

Bridget Cross needs your help.

Internet radio at risk.

Hollywood has re-imagined historical matters of national security as the province of seminal geeks.

“Star Wars” in museums.

Remember Shoegazing? Magnet Magazine does.

What I liked about “Scratch.”

The White Stripes a la Legos.

Goodbye, Aaliyah.

How do you talk about Gorillaz without sounding like a marketing sucker?

Why I can’t stop listening to Nina Simone’s rendition of “Just in Time.”

Vladislav Dely’s “Anima” will consume over an hour of your life.

Nina Simone at the Village Gate, 1961.

Media Unbound recommends music for you.

The new Warp Records site is pretty impressive.

A list of movies, books, magazines and other pop junk that came my way in the year 2000.

Sony has introduced MP3-capable CD players, to the dismay of its Sony Music division.

After 74 years, England’s Melody Maker music paper ceases publication.