We frequently regard Hendrix in terms of his instrumental prowess; however, he was deeply aware that in the rock idiom, songs carry the day. “Purple Haze,” “Stone Free,” and “Foxy Lady,” as well as the 12-bar “Red House” and the […]
0
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 […]
On his latest release, Scarlett Roses, Grayson Capps offers acoustic-based ballads, love tunes, and anthems replete with driving rhythms and distorted guitars. While the melodies on his current set are not, perhaps, as consistently enrolling as on previous outings, Scarlett […]
Robert Plant’s new release, Carry Fire, is the latest iteration in the singer’s exploration of ’80s-era balladry, world music, and the Big Sound. The majority of the work here is compelling, an iconic frontman and versatile band forging a project […]
The Clientele’s latest, Music for the Age of Miracles, marks a return to the more casual production, folkish instrumentation, and atmospheric soundscapes introduced on the band’s debut, Suburban Light (track 3 of which, “Reflections after Jane,” I’d include in my […]
Over the course of a decade plus, Eilen Jewell has drawn eclectically from the folk, country, rock, and alt Americana traditions, forging compelling hybridizations, her sensitive songwriting and vocal skills resulting in a multifaceted oeuvre: from the austere debut, Boundary […]
With Sleep Well Beast, The National distinguishes itself from other acts mining the dream pop, post rock, and Americana/folk lineages — Sufjan Stevens, From Indian Lakes, Arcade Fire, War on Drugs, and Fleet Foxes, among others — a leap comparable, […]
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 […]
The Sweetback Sisters’ latest release, King of Killing Time, features the velvety vocals of Emily Miller and Zara Bode. Grounded in phrasings, melodies, and instrumentation endemic to country music, the singers and band draw tastefully from other genres and subgenres, […]
Lana Del Rey’s fifth album, Lust for Life, finds the songwriter and chanteuse furthering the trajectory established via 2015’s Honeymoon. While her well-crafted integration of the doomed innocent and hetaira archetypes (think Ophelia and Circe) continues to serve her, she’s […]
SPOTIFY PLAYLIST
AVAILABLE NOW
AVAILABLE NOW
