Listening is inevitably a subjective process. That said, I do my best to practice suspending or expanding my default filters in order to be more receptive to forms of aesthetic excellence that might not be congruent with my preferences. For […]
What is even wrong with you, 2017? I mean, I’d thought 2016 was rough. For one, my estranged dad died. He was a monstrous clod of a man, a selfish beast with awful habits like showing up at karaoke in […]
2017 is almost over, and I think we’re all breathing a collective sigh of relief. I know we all breathed one together last night at Apogee Studios for the KCRW Best of 2017 shindig, in the best way possible – […]
What if, Jerry Douglas asks us in the title of his latest album (see review in the slideshow) – and isn’t that such a great question in music? What if I try something no one’s ever done on this instrument? What […]
The War on Drugs’ fourth and latest release, A Deeper Understanding, is the band’s most cohesive and consistently evocative album to date. As with previous projects, debts to Dylan and Springsteen are transparent, in terms of songwriting and vocals; more […]
In 2013, Jason Isbell’s Southeastern was so stunningly fantastic, that it was impossible not to declare it as my favorite record of the year, even as Brandy Clark’s 12 Stories, Ashley Monroe’s Like a Rose, and Holly Williams’ The Highway all tied for a […]
