The sleeves of Shinichi Atobe’s last two albums show us zones without people. On Heat, it was a beach resort populated by a single lonely Continue Reading
Music Dose
Activism Starts at Home: A Conversation with S.G. Goodman
When I called S.G. Goodman on FaceTime, the first thing I noticed was how calm she appeared on her back porch in a lawn chair, Continue Reading
Victoria Bailey's "Skid Row" Exemplifies the Bakersfield Sound (premiere + interview)
Jesus, Red Wine & Patsy Cline is a title perfectly indicative of what Victoria Bailey sets out to accomplish with the upcoming album. She’s classic Continue Reading
The 12 Best Brian Wilson Songs
12. “Surf City” from Surf City and Other Swingin’ Cities (1963) Written by Brian Wilson and Jan Berry The Beach Boys were the first band to give Continue Reading
Kent Russell Seeks the Soul of Florida on Epic Road Trip, on Foot
In his off-kilter adventure story/cultural history In the Land of Good Living, Kent Russell says he doesn’t want to pander to those who filter their Continue Reading
We the Commas Dish Out Summertime Magic with "Custom Made" (premiere)
Bands like the Beach Boys and Rivieras have long symbolized Southern Californian culture. For many, their classic surf music has come to define the region. Continue Reading
Jockstrap's 'Wicked City' Is an Unfolding of Boundaries
With a name like Jockstrap, you might expect the UK duo of Taylor Skye and Georgia Ellery to play facetious art-pop tunes. Well, they do, Continue Reading
How Aaron Sorkin and U2 Can Soothe the Pandemic Mind
While sheltering in place, many of us are dining on pop-culture comfort food. Though new and edgy fare stimulates the taste buds, songs, and stories Continue Reading
Country's Corb Lund Finds the Absurd in 'Agricultural Tragic'
Canadian country and western singer-songwriter Corb Lund is a funny guy. He’s also smart, good with wordplay, and knows how to tell a story. On Continue Reading
Irmin Schmidt Meets John Cage on 'Nocturne'
When it comes to Irmin Schmidt, we must expect the unexpected. From his groundbreaking days as a founder member of Can, through to his soundtrack Continue Reading
'Breathing Through the Wound' Will Leave You Gasping for Air
With the recent success of A Million Drops (2018), English readers are learning that Spanish author Víctor Del Árbol is one of the most captivating Continue Reading
The Cyclops and the Sunken Place: Narrative Control in 'Watchmen' and 'Get Out'
All art must be for the end of liberating the masses. A landscape is only good when it shows the oppressor hanging from a tree. Continue Reading
Buscabulla Chronicle a Return to Puerto Rico in Chic Synthwave on 'Regresa'
The general vibe of duo Buscabulla is a chic one, lead singer Raquel Berríos’ voice airy over partner and multi-instrumentalist Luis Alfredo Del Valle’s retro Continue Reading
Khruangbin Add Vocals But Keep the Funk on 'Mordechai'
Houston’s Khruangbin have gradually been building up a global audience over their young career. Their mixture of funk, R&B, psychedelia, and a grab bag of Continue Reading
Daniel Avery's Versatility Is Spread Rather Thin on 'Love + Light'
Daniel Avery’s greatest strength is, and has always been, his versatility. Since his 2013 full-length debut, Drone Logic, the Bournemouth producer’s had all the bases Continue Reading
'Perramus: The City and Oblivion' Depicts Argentina's Violent Anti-Communist Purge
From 1976 to 1983, the US backed a brutal, anti-communist coup and dictatorship in Argentina that disappeared thousands of so-called subversives in the name of Continue Reading
The Bobby Lees Strike the Punk-Blues Jugular on Jon Spencer-Produced 'Skin Suit'
What’s the opposite of rigor mortis, that stiffening of the joints that immediately follows death? Well, whatever it is, that’s the best way to summarize Continue Reading
Chewing the Fat: Rapper Fat Tony on His Latest Work From Hip-hop's Leftfield
Creeping in around the margins of hip-hop’s mainstream, though firmly situated on its flood banks, Fat Tony has made a curiosity of himself amongst the Continue Reading
Haux Compellingly Explores Pain via 'Violence in a Quiet Mind'
Woodson Black, or more commonly known as Haux, uses his music to explore deeply felt, sometimes inexpressible, emotion. His new album, Violence in a Quiet Continue Reading
Martin Green's Junkshop Yields the Gritty, Weird Story of Britpop Wannabes
Two years. Two measly years. That’s all it took for the very course of British rock music to change forever. In May of 1986, New Continue Reading