The sounds that Hungarian musician Gábor Lázár can pull out of state-of-the-art synths and programming are often fascinating and can result in a highly entertaining Continue Reading
Music Dose
Willie Nelson Surveys His World on 'First Rose of Spring'
Willie Nelson completed a trio of mortality-focused albums with last year’s Grammy-winning Ride Me Back Home. These records focused on Nelson’s collaborative songwriting with Buddy Continue Reading
Chris Stamey Paints in "A Brand-New Shade of Blue" (premiere + interview)
A Brand-New Shade of Blue is the new release from Chris Stamey and the Fellow Travelers. Omnivore Recordings release the digital album on 17 July. Continue Reading
Punk Rock's WiiRMZ Rage at the Dying of the Light on 'Faster Cheaper'
The joyfully bombastic quartet WiiRMZ hail from the same city that defined (and arguably invented) post-rock in the 1990s with bands such as Slint and Continue Reading
'Dancing After TEN' Graphic Memoir Will Move You
I’m always intrigued when I see two authors listed on a graphic memoir. I know what that usually means for a graphic novel: the first Continue Reading
LA Popsters Paper Jackets Deliver a Message We Should Embrace (premiere + interview)
The mascara running down the fabulous face of singer-songwriter Aimee Proal might best represent what she and her fellow members in Los Angeles-based alternative pop-rock Continue Reading
Why I Did Not Watch 'Hamilton' on Disney+
Why are 12-year-olds running around singing about bastards and whores? And grown people paying up to $2k for tickets to see men in wigs sing Continue Reading
Nazis, Nostalgia, and Critique in Taika Waititi's 'Jojo Rabbit'
Contemporary culture finds itself caught between two antagonistic poles: a fascination with nostalgia and an obsession with the new. Art, music, and literature are at Continue Reading
'Hex' Drinks Deeply from the Poisoned Chalice
Rebecca Dinerstein Knight’s second novel, Hex, is a portrait of ennui. The character Nell Barbar is a former doctoral student in botany from Columbia University. Continue Reading
Indie Pop's Fuller Delivers Moment of Levity With "Crush Me" (premiere)
Fuller is the vision of Los Angeles-based musician, J.P. Welsh. The musician’s new release EP, Crush Me, will arrive on 25 September. In the meantime, Continue Reading
Braden Lam Teases New EP With “Habit of My Heart”
Habit of My Heart from Braden Lam is Lam’s fairy tale ending. It all began when he was celebrating his home-recorded album ‘Driftwood People’ at Continue Reading
The World Comes to Johannesburg on Phenomenal Collaboration 'Keleketla!'
In Sepedi, one of South Africa’s 11 official languages, “keleketla” is a phrase that refers to a response, often one given to a storyteller’s traditional Continue Reading
Bibio Discusses 'Sleep on the Wing' and Why His Dreams Are of the Countryside
“I often get asked about touring and playing live, and although I have traveled to many countries around the world in the past to do Continue Reading
Luke Cissell Creates Dreamy, Electronic Soundscapes on the Eclectic 'Nightside'
Luke Cissell is a musician who seemingly can’t sit still. His music bounces back and forth between genres, resulting in a discography that is dizzyingly Continue Reading
Counterbalance 23: Bob Dylan – 'Blood on the Tracks'
Klinger: All right, Mendelsohn, I know that in the past you’ve been somewhat, shall we say, lukewarm to our man Bob Dylan here. I’ve just Continue Reading
Pottery Take Us Deep Into the Funky and Absurd on 'Welcome to Bobby's Motel'
Before we even consider Montreal five-piece Pottery’s musical exploits on their debut album, the elephant in the room must be addressed. Who is Bobby, and Continue Reading
IYEARA Heighten the Tension on Remix of Mark Lanegan's "Playing Nero" (premiere)
To say it’s been quite a busy year for Mark Lanegan is something of an understatement. With his painfully honest autobiography Sing Backwards and Weep Continue Reading
'Switched-On Seeker' Is an Imaginative Electronic Reimagining of Mikal Cronin's Latest LP
Last year, singer-songwriter Mikal Cronin released his latest LP, Seeker, to widespread acclaim. Full of top-notch songwriting and wide-ranging approaches, it was a satisfying return Continue Reading
Coronavirus and the Culture Wars
Science fiction as adverb, instead of genre shorthand for our uncanny present-day reality. A run to the grocery, a moonwalk down the block, quick errands Continue Reading
Journalist Jonathan Cott's Interviews, Captured
Jonathan Cott’s Listening: Interviews, 1970 – 1989, is a welcome companion for challenging times. Cott, author of 20 books and a contributor to The Washington Continue Reading