Dave Scanlon’s ‘Taste Like Labor’ Is Quietly Intense
Dave Scanlon’s Taste Like Labor straddles a line between dark folk and fractured indie pop on his first solo album in more than two years.
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.
Ervin Omsk Unleashes the Deeply Odd ‘Schmalster Point’
Ervin Omsk’s Schmalster Point is deeply odd, emotionally moving, and sonically rich such that it suits anyone who revels in richly rewarding experimental music.
Gregory Uhlmann’s ‘Again and Again’ Is Quirky, Sophisticated Pop
Again and Again sees Gregory Uhlmann in a constant state of growth and maturity, finding ways to put it all into a coherent, beautiful artistic statement.
Mike Keneally’s New LP Is a Typically Odd Twist on Lockdown Albums
Mike Keneally has released his first album in nearly seven years. He discusses how he managed to eke out a startlingly coherent solo record during the pandemic.
Maggie, What Have We Done: Pink Floyd’s ‘The Final Cut’ at 40
The final album of the Roger Waters Pink Floyd era is a difficult, challenging meditation on war and death. The Final Cut is undeniably ambitious and moving.
Erik Hall Creates Minimalist Compositions with Warm Beauty on ‘Canto Ostinato’
Composer and multi-instrumentalist Erik Hall shares his second installment of a trilogy with a tribute to Dutch composer Simeon ten Holt on Canto Ostinato.
Brad Mehldau Draws Inspiration from the Beatles
Jazz pianist Brad Mehldau is at the peak of his powers, paying tribute to the music of the Beatles on Your Mother Should Know.
Stephanie Lamprea Creates a Fearless Interpretation of an Avant-Garde Song Cycle
Colombian-American soprano Stephanie Lamprea brings a spectacular amount of vocal technique to a challenging, unique, and weirdly playful piece of music.
Anne H. Goldberg-Baldwin Interprets Bespoke 21st-Century Compositions on ‘Permutations’
Composer Anne H. Goldberg-Baldwin tackles 15 contemporary pieces for solo piano on her deeply felt and surprisingly varied album, Permutations.
Joan Kelsey’s Grief Inspires the Astonishing ‘Standing Out on the Grass’
Joan Kelsey’s Standing Out on the Grass is a minor miracle, with unforgettable melodies and unique arrangements colliding softly into a dreamlike gem.
Pulse Emitter’s ‘Dusk’ Sports Lush Synthesizer Experiments
Pulse Emitter’s Dusk possesses a keen sense of melody, as arpeggios and melodic lines cross over each other, creating a lushness that washes over the listener.
Ian Wayne Combines Gorgeous Melodies with Experimental Touches on ‘I Can’t Sleep’
The third solo album, I Can’t Sleep, from Ian Wayne is a low-key masterpiece that embraces classic pop with plenty of odd, disarming musical gestures.
