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Kathleen Edwards Finds 'Total Freedom'
Kathleen Edwards is back making music after a five-year break, and it was worth the wait. The songs on Total Freedom are lyrically delightful and melodically charming.
07 Aug 2020
Music
JOBS Make Bizarre and Exhilarating Noise with 'endless birthdays'
Brooklyn experimental quartet JOBS don't have a conventional musical bone in their body, resulting in a thrilling, typically off-kilter new album, endless birthdays.
06 Aug 2020
Music
Nnamdï' Creates a Lively Home for Himself in His Mind on 'BRAT'
Nnamdï's BRAT is a labyrinth detailing the insular journey of a young, eclectic DIY artist who takes on the weighty responsibility of reaching a point where he can do what he loves for a living.
06 Aug 2020
Books
Graphic Novel 'Cuisine Chinoise' Is a Feast for the Eyes and the Mind
Lush art and dark, cryptic fables permeate Zao Dao's stunning graphic novel, Cuisine Chinoise.
05 Aug 2020
Music
Max Richter's 'VOICES' Is an Awe-Inspiring and Heartfelt Soundscape
Choral singing, piano, synths, and an "upside-down" orchestra complement crowd-sourced voices from across the globe on Max Richter's VOICES. It rewards deep listening, and acts as a global rebuke against bigotry, extremism and authoritarianism.
06 Aug 2020
Music
Alanis Morissette's 'Such Pretty Forks in the Road' Is a Quest for Validation
Alanis Morissette's Such Pretty Forks in the Road is an exposition of dolorous truths, revelatory in its unmasking of imperfection.
05 Aug 2020
Music
The Chad Taylor Trio Get Funky and Fiery on 'The Daily Biological'
A nimble jazz power trio of drums, tenor sax, and piano, the Chad Taylor Trio is free and fun, funky and fiery on The Daily Biological.
05 Aug 2020
Books
John Lewis, C.T. Vivian, and Their Fellow Freedom Riders Are Celebrated in 'Breach of Peace'
John Lewis and C.T. Vivian were titans of the Civil Rights struggle, but they are far from alone in fighting for change. Eric Etheridge's masterful then-and-now project, Breach of Peace, tells the stories of many of the Freedom Riders.
04 Aug 2020
Music
Porridge Radio's Mercury Prize-Nominated 'Every Bad' Is a Wonderful Epistemological Nightmare
With Every Bad, Porridge Radio seduce us with the vulnerability and existential confusion of Dana Margolin's deathly beautiful lyricism interweaved with alluring pop melodies.
03 Aug 2020
Music
Beyoncé's 'Black Is King' Builds Identity From Afrofuturism
Beyoncé's Black Is King's reliance on Afrofuturism recuperates the film from Disney's clutches while reclaiming Black excellence.
03 Aug 2020
Music
With 'Articulation' Rival Consoles Goes Back to the Drawing Board
London producer Rival Consoles uses unorthodox approaches on his latest record, Articulation, resulting in a stunning, beautiful collection.
31 Jul 2020
Music
'The Upward Spiral' Is Nicolas Bougaïeff's Layered and Unique Approach to Techno
On his debut album for Mute, Berlin-based producer Nicolas Bougaïeff applies meticulous care and a deft, trained ear to each track, and the results are marvelous.
30 Jul 2020
Music
Taylor Swift Abandons Stadium-Pop for a New Tonal Approach on 'Folklore'
On Taylor Swift's Folklore, the omnipresent, world-conquering princess of self-mythology embraces a brooding post-pop texture that strikes a balance between lusty exuberance and indie-folky introspection.
29 Jul 2020
Music
Lou Barlow's 'EMOH' Is Another Quiet Triumph in a Long History of Humble Genius
Re-released on vinyl to celebrate its 15th anniversary, Lou Barlow's EMOH offers a wide array of indie rock charms.
29 Jul 2020
Music
Lori McKenna Is 'The Balladeer' We Need Right Now
The Balladeer will only help cement Lori McKenna's reputation as one of America's finest musical artists. These 10 songs will bring a tear to your eye and remain stuck in your brain.
28 Jul 2020
Film
The Conception of Morality in Éric Rohmer's 'Six Moral Tales'
Éric Rohmer isn't interested in a pure critique of misogyny; his moral tales are mere observations on how we use other people to serve our interests and how we invent narratives from our relationships through which we define ourselves.
27 Jul 2020
Music
Jessy Lanza Relinquishes Control on 'All the Time'
Jessy Lanza's All the Time is a lush and spacious collection that shows a hard-fought mental clarity, a deliberate effort to resist the instincts on display on "VV Violence" in pursuit of digging deeper into oneself.
24 Jul 2020
Music
Gregory Uhlmann's 'Neighborhood Watch' Is a Mesmerizing Art Rock Album
Acclaimed guitarist and composer Gregory Uhlmann charms and confounds with his gorgeous, layered sophomore solo album, Neighborhood Watch.
23 Jul 2020
Music
Steve Cardenas' 'Blue Has a Range' Is Steeped in Blues Tradition and Expressed with Elegance
Jazz guitarist Steve Cardenas' Blue Has a Range sports modern but vintage jazz guitar at the center of a gorgeously balanced group of composer and players.
22 Jul 2020
Music
Electronic Producer Nahash's Debut Feels Handmade for Revolution
The most impressive thing about Nahash's Flowers of the Revolution is that it's so unabashedly political despite being almost devoid of vocals. The politics come through in the struggle of contrasting elements.
22 Jul 2020
Music
The Naked and Famous Go All-Out Pop on 'Recover'
The Naked and Famous' first album since 2016, Recover, eschews the idea of a rock band. They have gone and hard-boiled their sound into something resembling modern day pop forms.
22 Jul 2020
Music
Thin Lear's 'Wooden Cave' is Chamber Pop Perfection of the Highest Order
The latest album from Queens-based singer-songwriter Matt Longo, aka Thin Lear, is an impeccably crafted ode to loners, death, and alienation.
21 Jul 2020
Books
Isolation Resonates in Tomine's Ode to Loneliness
Tomine's talent in communicating the intimate, minute details of his life only serve to make them universal, even moreso in these times of COVID-19. The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist is his isolationist memoir.
20 Jul 2020
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