When J.D. Wilkes sings “Well it’s Johnny Cash for Johnny Rotten / Johnny Horton for Johnny Ramone / He’s swapping out his records / For something more down home” on Cockadoodledeux, a celebration of the various iterations of his band, […]
On the title track of Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats’ new album, steel guitar strains uncoil slowly, soaring over a counterpoint of punchy percussion. The country soul stomp lays the foundation for Rateliff’s growly, gravelly vocals that deliver the […]
Matt the Electrician’s warm rasp is like perfectly softened leather, enveloping you like a warm hug and getting better and better with time. Though it was recorded in the before times —October 2019 to be exact — his latest outing, […]
A couple years ago, Aimee Mann was brought on board to write the music for the theatrical adaptation of Girl, Interrupted, Susanna Kaysen’s 1993 memoir of her experiences living in a mental institution in the 1960s (you may remember the […]
Making art where identity features centrally and flies under the radar all at once takes a deliberate equilibrium: balance between buildup and payoff. Toronto’s Ahkinoah Habah Izarh, AHI to us, plots out his new album, Prospect, with that equilibrium in […]
I’m not sure how to take Houndmouth’s latest. That’s likely the intent. After weathering multiple lineup changes, asking existential questions, and waiting out a global pandemic, Houndmouth is back with a satisfying new album, Good for You. On the one […]
The fiddle and the banjo represent the most American of musical pairings, combining to form a uniquely American sound that’s been at the heart of old-time stringband music and, more widely, country music. The fiddle and banjo reflect the cultures […]
Country music’s lyrical lanes have long been paved by clever turns of phrase and brilliant puns, lived-in details, and grounded narratives. At this juncture, nearly 20 years after Flowers & Liquor first established his listener base, Hayes Carll has become […]
One of the highlights of Shame and Sedition, the Lula Wiles album released last May, was Eleanor Buckland’s unsettling “The Way That It Is,” a love lament so bitterly despairing it seemed like a genuine cry for help. Now, taking […]
With their latest album, Time in the Sun, SUSTO release their most pop-infused and rhythmically adventurous album to date. Replete with ebullient sounds, the project arrives at the onset of autumn, providing a reminder that lightheartedness and a sense of […]
