Brandi and the Alexanders View Present Through Past on ‘REFLECTION’
Whether the songs concern racism, family matters, or dancing, one feels the music as well as hears it in Brandi and the Alexanders’ REFLECTION.
All
Call for Papers: All Things Reconsidered – September 2022
We are seeking essays for our September 2022 All Things Reconsidered series. These essays analyze classic albums in music history.
Guided by Voices Are Subversively Uplifting on ‘Tremblers and Goggles by Rank’
Guided by Voices’ lasting power stems from Robert Pollard’s poetic observations, but on Tremblers and Goggles by Rank, the highlight is the hard-hitting and capricious music.
Penelope Isles’ Genre-Hopping Rarely Rises Above Pastiche on ‘Which Way to Happy’
Penelope Isles love a lot of different music, and they spend much of Which Way to Happy approximating those influences and not quite establishing their sound.
Eight AmericanaFest Best (and Not So Great) Moments
There were hits and misses at AmericanaFest 2021 in Nashville, but organizers made a valiant effort to ensure the festival allowed us to hear live music again.
Amy Helm’s Band Bond with Dad Levon Stirs a ‘Flood’ of Memories on Third Solo Album
Carrying on a family tradition of folksy musicality with joie de vivre, Amy Helm rambles on as a performer enriching the same stomping grounds where her father firmly planted his roots.
Afrobeat’s El’Vee Celebrate the Love of Football on New Single “Balotelli”
British-Nigerian twin sisters El’Vee bring thrilling Afrobeat textures to UK electronic club music on their latest single, “Balotelli”.
Swedish Dream-Poppers ViVii Deliver a “Smackdown”
Swedish pop trio ViVii play the dreamiest of dream pop with pristine melodies, gossamer harmonies, and enthralling textures.
Samantha Crain Settles Down on ‘I Guess We Live Here Now’
On Samantha Crain’s I Guess We Live Here Now, the four tracks are possessed by soothing ghosts weaving in and out of the musical lines to comfort the listener.
Singer-Songwriter Evie Sands Offers a Powerful Single “The Truth Is in Disguise” (premiere)
Evie Sands’ first full-length album in two decades is giving the storied artist a new lease on life. The soulful, gritty, and hard-hitting lead single makes the case.
‘Coming 2 America’? Sure, Why Not?
Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall’s unasked-for sequel, ‘Coming 2 America’, clears its very low bar and reminds that Wesley Snipes is a damn movie star.
When Civil Rights, the Vietnam War, and a Presidential Election Converged on Notre Dame
In One Week in America, Patrick Parr guides readers through several earth-shattering events and their impact on the 1968 Notre Dame Literary Festival.
