17th century England: King James II (Sam De Grasse) enjoys being entertained by his court jester, Barkilphedro (Brandon Hurst), who is a cruel and Machiavellian Continue Reading
Music Dose
Wolf Parade's 'Apologies to the Queen Mary' Turns 15
Wolf Parade’s debut album, Apologies to the Queen Mary, is an indie rock classic. It is a testament to how creative, vital, and exciting the Continue Reading
South Africa's Phelimuncasi Thrill with Their Gqom Beats on '2013-2019'
The first beats of “Ngavele Ngagaxela” are crisp and bare; the vocals atop them nimble and bold. Such straightforward musical bones are the foundation of Continue Reading
NYFF: 'American Utopia' Sets a Glorious Tone for Our Difficult Times
When David Byrne, still reedy and diffident as a silver-haired 68-year-old, says to the audience at the beginning of American Utopia, “Thank you for leaving Continue Reading
Landowner's 'Consultant' Is OCD-Post-Punk With Obsessive Precision
Landowner’s second LP, Consultant, is a beautiful bundle of chewed-raw nerves, with intensely geometric post-punk motifs providing the razor to scrape back and forth over Continue Reading
The Band of Heathens Find That Life Keeps Getting 'Stranger'
We are currently living in unusual times. The only sane response is to get strange. The Band of Heathens understand this and have taken things Continue Reading
Blues' Johnny Ray Daniels Sings About "Somewhere to Lay My Head" (premiere)
Music Maker Relief Foundation has announced a new album, Hanging Tree Guitars, out 25 September, which explores America’s history with racism and racial violence. It Continue Reading
Laraaji Takes a "Quiet Journey" (premiere +interview)
“Quiet Journey” is the new single from Laraaji’s upcoming LP, Moon Piano, out 9 October via All Saints Records. The record is the second in Continue Reading
David Lord Salutes Collaborators With "Cloud Ear" (premiere)
Guitarist David Lord’s newest LP is Forest Standards Vol. 2 and finds the guitarist teaming with the rhythm section of Jeff Parker (bass, Tortoise) and Continue Reading
David Lazar's 'Celeste Holm Syndrome' Appreciates Hollywood's Unsung Character Actors
It’s hardly by accident that David Lazar mentions legendary character actress Thelma Ritter within the first sentence of this wonderfully incisive, reflective collection of essays Continue Reading
PM Picks Playlist 1: Rett Madison, Folk Devils + More
Rett Madison – “Kerosene” Photo: Courtesy of the artist West Virginia’s Rett Madison possesses a powerful voice laden with emotional heft, and she deploys it Continue Reading
Fire in the Time of Coronavirus
We in California are at the vanguard of things to come; climate change brings us years of record-breaking drought, waves of excessive heat and unprecedented Continue Reading
Blitzen Trapper on the Afterlife, Schizophrenia, Civil Unrest and Our Place in the Cosmos
At one point on Blitzen Trapper’s tenth studio offering, Holy Smokes, Future Jokes, bandleader Eric Earley sings, “Let’s do the world a favor, yeah / Continue Reading
Hear the New, Classic Pop of the Parson Red Heads' "Turn Around" (premiere)
Lifetime of Comedy is the new release from the Parson Red Heads. The collection will be released on 13 November via Portland, Oregon’s Fluff and Continue Reading
Rodd Rathjen Discusses 'Buoyancy', His Film About Modern Slavery
Buoyancy (2010) is a powerful story about the plight of 14-year-old Chakra (Sarm Heng), who is sold into slavery and is trapped at sea, where Continue Reading
Fransancisco's "This Woman's Work" Cover Is Inspired By Heartache (premiere)
Kate Bush’s “This Woman’s Work” sets a soundtrack to the unthinkable, telling of a crisis in the midst of childbirth, as told from a father-to-be’s Continue Reading
Literary Scholar Andrew H. Miller On Solitude As a Common Bond
As a literary scholar, Andrew H. Miller is deeply immersed in the worlds created by authors. Fictitious worlds, and the people who populate them, often Continue Reading
Godcaster Make the Psych/Funk/Hard Rock Debut of the Year
Godcaster’s debut album is a swirling, sloppy mess of guitars, drums, flutes, synths, and apparently whatever else the band had on hand in the Philadelphia Continue Reading
Sally Anne Morgan Invites Us Into a Metaphorical Safe Space on 'Thread'
There are a number of ways to approach Sally Anne Morgan’s Thread. One could hear it as an LP influenced by 1970s-era fold-rock hybrids. Its Continue Reading
Chris Smither's "What I Do" Is an Honest Response to Old Questions (premiere + interview)
Chris Smither’s latest LP, More from the Levee, will be released on 2 October. Produced by David “Goody” Goodrich, the collection is material primarily culled Continue Reading