What If They Had a Folk Festival and Nobody Protested?
What if they had a folk festival and nobody protested? Evanston, Illinois hosted its first folk festival without politics from its stages.
Music Reviews
The The’s ‘Ensoulment’ Is Pithy and Perceptive
Life is hard, and the world is a dangerous place. The The’s Matt Johnson has never shied away from these realities. He’s as pithy and perceptive as ever.
Enumclaw Do Some Soul Searching on ‘Home in Another Life’
Enumclaw’s sophomore LP, Home in Another Life, again delivers 1990s alternative sounds but is confessional in nature and speaks to what ails us.
Tryp Tych Tryo Debut with a Splendid Album of British Jazz
British jazz is a multicultural melting pot merged with the jazz tradition. The variety of sounds has lacked the Slavic element so far. Enter Tryp Tych Tryo.
Cursive Soundtrack Your Existential Dread on ‘Devourer’
Devourer‘s songs are the best Cursive have released since 2003, balancing a noisy attack and withering lyrics with some of their prettiest, accessible tracks.
Brazilian Hip-Hop Artist Laíz Makes Bold Moves on ‘Ela Partíu’
Throughout Ela Partíu, Laíz makes clear just how much more she is: strong, tender, and an outstanding new figure in globally-minded hip-hop.
Electronic Rockers Fat Dog Go ‘WOOF’
Fat Dog’s combination of live instruments and rock influences with a more modern dance sound seems like a winner for finding an audience in 2024.
MJ Lenderman Finds the ‘Fireworks’ in Everyday Life
MJ Lenderman creates sounds that somehow cut into his listeners’ heads and hearts, even when the songs’ sonics resemble that of the garage band next door.
Overthink Dance-Punk’s the Dare at Your Own Risk
The Dare’s What’s Wrong With New York? is euphoric, massive, funny, blissfully unironic, and finally real male pop. I wouldn’t overthink it.
The Jesus Lizard Return With the Uncompromising ‘Rack’
Rack is another thrilling chapter from the Jesus Lizard, one of the most significant noise bands ever and whom many groups claim as a heavy influence.
Ambient Composer Jon Hopkins Shares His Latest ‘RITUAL’
British ambient composer Jon Hopkins creates dark, intimate landscapes of analogue and electronic sound on his new “ceremonial” album RITUAL.
Claude Fontaine Wafts in Tropical Dreamscapes on ‘La Mer’
From the first notes of her sophomore album La Mer, it’s clear that singer-songwriter Claude Fontaine is a chanteuse, and it’s not a role she takes lightly.