Norwegian musician Susanna Wallumrød — you can call her Susanna — offers a subdued, elegant track of art-pop on her latest single “Hole.” A veteran recording artist of some dozen albums, Susanna sounds remarkably alert on this track to the artistic possibilities of fusing acoustic and electronic into a highly personalized expression. “Hole” hints at […]
For the review of the new album by Neil Michael Hagerty & The Howling Hex, I’m joined by psychedelic lifer and professional moocher Funky Donny Fred. FDF: Hey man, thanks for sharing your bagels and letting me give my two cents about this killer record. You know we go way back with Neil Hagerty, beginning […]
Out of nowhere, a new album is pushing all the buttons that MTV’s “120 Minutes” once did back in the 1990s. Tancred play the relentlessly catchy alt-rock that was once the province of so many college-radio bands fronted by smart, ambitious American women. No need to name those bygone groups here — bandleader Jess Abbott […]
It’s the end of March–are you ready for it to be summer already? If you’d like to skip the blooming crocuses, flash freezes, and everything else that goes along with Mud Season (a.k.a., Spring), you can either book a ticket to Tucson or just put Britta Phillips‘ new cover of The Cars’ “Drive” on repeat. […]
Not too long after I’d moved to NYC, there was a lot of talk about an East Coast / West Coast rivalry, and although the flavor of the debate had more to do with The Notorious B.I.G. vs. Tupac and got downright bloody in its hip-hoppity hoo-haw, I too had a sense of left coast, […]
I’ve been listening to the new Kevin Morby record incessantly for days now – mostly because it’s great, but also to try and figure out how it differs from albums we’ve all heard a million times. Sure, these are atmospheric songs about wanderlust and truth-seeking, and yeah, you will easily recognize Morby’s influences throughout, but the music […]
Some of us remember traveling in the backseats of family cars on long road trips, leaning over to punch the radio pre-sets and dial in a goldmine of early 1970s soft rock. “Jackie Blue,” “I Want to Make It With You,” “Give Me Love (Give Me Peace),” “Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head”: the playlist […]
The acronymic (yes, I did just use that word) meaning of this song title is becoming my mantra: Some Things You Gotta Get Over. And especially during this time of crazed election crap-assery, I’ve been searching for something to latch onto or breathe through or what have you. More than that, though, this tune—the second […]
Reader, are you crushing it? If you gave a half-hearted “woot” from your chair, I’m guessing you’re not crushing it right now. I’ll offer my case as an example. For the past week some virus has left me feverish like a baby, aching like an old man, and dripping snot like a leaky hose. Apologies […]
The Screaming Eagle of Soul has landed — Charles Bradley is back! This man sings with such total commitment, and his backing group the Menahan Street Band executes with such creativity and finesse, that the decades since the template for this style of soul music was first laid down seem to wash away when these […]