A Place for Owls Build Strength Upon Strength on ‘All Thieves, Vol. 1’
A Place for Owls’ new album demonstrates the fruitfulness of collaborating with others, whether that looks like leaning on them or borrowing from them.
Thomas Britt
Thomas Britt is a Professor of Film and Video Studies at George Mason University.
Friko Bring the Noise on ‘Something Worth Waiting For’
It’s the moments of calm and quiet that work best on Friko’s Something Worth Waiting For, which is front-loaded with loud and crowded songs.
The Kyle Sowashes Resist Defeat on ‘Start Making Sense’
The Kyle Sowashes’ Start Making Sense stacks up so many satisfying classic rock moves that the concept of being out of options grows more ironic.
Debra Fotheringham Looks Inward on ‘Valley of Annihilation’
Valley of Annihilation is Debra Fotheringham’s boldest step as a solo artist due to its more dynamic production and newly uninhibited lyrical approach.
múm Are Better Than Ever on ‘History of Silence’
History of Silence is a revelation from start to finish, because múm are back, and their adventurousness yields such compelling results. It’s their best album to date.
PUP’s Stefan Babcock Discusses the Joy and Conflict of His Band
The lead singer and songwriter of punk group PUP talks about the band’s new album, getting older, touring, and the influence of the Hold Steady’s Craig Finn.
Richard Dawson Discovers His Way Home on Captivating New LP
End of the Middle is a more streamlined Richard Dawson album that’s no less engaging and perhaps more accessible than his previous work.
There Are No Accidents on David Lynch’s ‘Mulholland Drive’
David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive unfolds in a series of desires and warnings often made under duress by unseen malevolent forces or motivated by darkness within.
Digging Deeper with Denver Emo Band A Place For Owls
Denver’s A Place For Owls discuss their new album, their relationship to emo, and the dual forces of suffering and hope in life and creative work.
Beth Gibbons Ventures Out on ‘Lives Outgrown’
Lives Outgrown seems like an outgrowth of where Beth Gibbons’ mind and talents have taken her in the past decade, which is to ruminate on how life is a vapor.
MGMT Love You to Death on ‘Loss of Life’
MGMT’s Loss of Life culminates with a run of songs about sleep, love, and death so deeply felt that it doesn’t matter if they are still joking on some level.
Grandaddy Overlay the Past on ‘Sumday: Excess Baggage’
Grandaddy’s Sumday: Excess Baggage is worthwhile for its temporality, arriving two decades removed from Sumday and being all the more affecting as a result.