Indie-rock guitar hero John Reis has had his hand in so many projects over the last two decades — most recently, last year’s returns of post-hardcore innovators Drive Like Jehu and big-band punk aesthetes Rocket From The Crypt — you’d think the guy might take it easy for awhile. Instead, he dives into another new […]
One of the more skilled young practitioners of deep house, Fort Romeau, returns with a new single and forthcoming album that showcase his growing craft. His achievement might be hard to notice at first, as he works in the sub-genre of house music least concerned with novelty or catchiness — a formula that admittedly can […]
A bold left turn here from Ghostpoet, the London MC with the distinctive sleepy, restless flow. His 2011 debut album introduced the compelling, easy-on-the-ears blend of grime and UK bass that earned a nomination for Britain’s prestigious Mercury Prize. Having drawn from this musical well for several years, Ghostpoet moves in an unexpected direction on […]
This tasty morsel of delicate laptronica marks the return of below-the-radar indie popstar Emmy the Great. Hong Kong-born, London-bred and now Brooklyn-based, Emma-Lee Moss hasn’t released any music under her Emmy the Great stage-name since 2011, when her introspective anti-folk seemed primed to capture the attention of listeners attuned to Laura Marling, Regina Spektor and […]
Seasonal music here: a bitter wind howls outside a creaky house at dusk, rattling crispy, frozen leaves against a front door. The gusts dying down, an old piano is heard in the distance, its ascending chordal figure evoking a familiar happiness now lost. A young woman sings in a low, plaintive vibrato of love’s suffering: […]
Was it your new year’s resolution to ease off the “dad rock” in 2015 and embrace louder, more paint-peeling sounds? Then grab your earplugs, because A Place To Bury Strangers has a new album and tour coming. The New York City trio uses analog electronics and homemade guitar effects to turbocharge a bracing fusion of […]
Maybe you know the feeling: it’s not even new year’s eve yet, you haven’t had a sip of alcohol all day, but 2014 has you feeling hung over. More than aspirin, brunch, a nap, or any other go-to cure, you need a restorative music that doesn’t deny our self-medi(c)ating virtual hyperreality but embraces it. Time […]
As I write this, I’m wearing thermal underwear beneath Dockers and a button-down work shirt. The evening’s forecast is for snow showers, freezing rain, and a tricky drive home. I’ve removed about half a foot of snow from my driveway before December even rolled around. In short, my Family Man (Winter Edition) lifestyle is a […]
Here are Sound it Out writer Leonard Nevarez’ favorites from 2014…in alphabetical order! Check out all of our 2014 year-end lists here. Nicole Atkins – Slow Phaser A sassy, keen songwriter, this woman’s voice just slays me. Courtney Barnett – The Double EP Droll and unassuming, Courtney Barnett won me over like everyone else. This […]
Is it too soon to talk about the best albums of 2014? Because with Manipulator, which came out at the end of the summer, Ty Segall turned in this year’s most valuable reminder that you can still get your kicks from rock’n’roll. Its high-octane distillation of MC5/Stooges-style Detroit mojo, T. Rex boogie, and Nuggets frenzy […]