Thomas Dollbaum Launches Impressive Debut with Folky, Textured ‘Wellswood’
New Orleans singer-songwriter Thomas Dollbaum fuses vivid lyric imagery with eclectic musical choices on his impressive debut album, Wellswood.
Chris Ingalls
Chris is a Massachusetts native who spent seven years as a broadcast journalist in the U.S. Navy, serving in overseas locations such as Keflavik, Iceland and the Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia. He was also a videotape editor for a CBS affiliate TV station, a newspaper editor at a military public affairs office in Naples, Italy, and spent 14 years as a videographer for a Boston-area cancer research institute. He was born in 1969 and has been a rabid music fan since at least 1970, thanks to his three older siblings. A PopMatters writer since 2016 and a contributing editor since 2019, Chris also contributes to the experimental music website Tome to the Weather Machine and is on Twitter @Ingalls1969. He lives in the leafy suburbs outside of Boston with his wife, son, hyperactive dog and ornery cat.
Jessica Pavone’s ‘…of Late’ Is a Bold, Tense Contemporary String Ensemble Composition
Composer and violist Jessica Pavone continues to explore the tactile and sensorial experience of music as a vibration-based medium on ...of Late.
Sharon Van Etten Carries the Weight of the World on ‘We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong’
Sharon Van Etten grapples with love and parenthood in pandemic times in the ten deeply felt songs on We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong.
Erica Eso’s ‘192’ Is a Weird and Lovable Mishmash of Art-pop
Erica Eso’s 192 sports classic pop and vintage soul elements, but surprises abound at nearly every turn. It’s full of skittish, multifaceted earworms.
Primer’s ‘Incubator’ Is Catchy and Moody Textured Synthpop
Singer-songwriter Alyssa Midcalf’s second album under the Primer moniker, Incubator, addresses hard truths under irresistible synthpop beats and melodies.
Chicago Artist Lia Kohl and the Art of Experimentation
Experimentalist Lia Kohl thrives on the spirit of collaboration, but her striking new album shows a propensity for creating compelling art in a solo environment.
Scree’s ‘Slow Bloom’ Is a Brief, Delightful Gem of an EP
The latest release from the Brooklyn-based jazz trio Scree, Slow Bloom, is a ruminative exercise in low-key jazz dynamics.
Barry Levinson’s 1982 ‘Diner’ Is a Film About Nothing That Still Means Something
Would Larry David’s “show about nothing”, Seinfeld, have been created if Barry Levinson’s film about nothing, Diner, hadn’t preceded it?
Father John Misty Creates Timeless Beauty on ‘Chloë and the Next 20th Century’
Father John Misty’s Chloë and the Next 20th Century is filled with deeply imaginative arrangements and sophisticated, textured songwriting.
Caylie Staples Explores Time, Space, and the Choices We Make with ‘Future Memory’
Eclectic Canadian singer-songwriter Caylie Staples embraces ethereal electropop on her stunning new solo album, Future Memory.
Allegra Krieger’s ‘Precious Thing’ Is Calm, Focused, and Low-Key Brilliant
Folk singer-songwriter Allegra Krieger offers up a more ethereal, introspective approach on her second album, Precious Thing.