Laibach Coat Their ‘Musick’ in Pop-Colored Gloss
Laibach’s Musick has its moments, but ultimately it’s a reminder that there is plenty of good pop music that skewers itself without being so belabored about it.
Unwed Sailor Float on Ambient, Post-Rock Bliss
Unwed Sailor mine a sense of adventure from their relatively uncomplicated sound. It’s music in which one can get beautifully, blissfully lost.
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Twenty 1990s Songs That Time Forgot
Here’s a salute to the 1990s songs that stopped “mattering” once the calendar flipped to the year 2000, and some that were forgotten much, much sooner.
The Terrible Force of Kim Nguyen’s ‘Saigon Story’
Kim Nguyen’s Saigon Story revisits Eddie Adams’ iconic execution photograph and follows the families still living with what the Vietnam War (aka the American War) – and that image – exposed.
Broken Social Scene’s Return to Their Roots Pays Off
Broken Social Scene’s Remember the Humans takes time to develop but celebrates their wonderful convergence of sounds.
Modern Woman Feel the Rage in ‘Johnny’s Dreamworld’
Modern Woman’s operatic Johnny’s Dreamworld offers a range of sounds, from post-punk to art rock to chamber pop.
Kinuyo Tanaka’s Films About Women in Japan’s Evolving Postwar Society
Kinuyo Tanaka remains more famous for acting in other directors’ films, but Kinuyo Tanaka Directs demonstrates her command of the qualities needed to marshal major productions under her own baton
Chicago’s Body Shop Will Make You Sweat and Think
Body Shop’s sound blends danger and wit and a reputation for confrontational live shows. The music drips with danger and sex, but isn’t just empty provocation.
Kneecap’s Remarkable Sound of Righteous Fury
That Kneecap can move between righteous fury and profound tenderness without losing coherence is a measure of how much they have grown.
Thundercat’s Humor Undermines an Otherwise Radiant LP
By not fully letting his guard down, the genre-bending bass virtuoso Thundercat fails to harmonize with the profound beauty of his songs.
Radiohead’s ‘A Moon Shaped Pool’ Is Gorgeous and Moving
Radiohead operate in an entirely different dimension than anybody else in music. They don’t bother with arbitrary boundaries or definitions about what rock should be.
Vocalist Gabrielle Cavassa Molds Moody Jazz Atmosphere
Gabrielle Cavassa’s voice balances on a knife-edge between jazzy nostalgia and indie originality. Blue Note knows she is something special.