Part diary, part travelogue, and part social science study, Abdallah Saaf's A Significant Year examines Morocco's 2007 elections with a perspective on all modern democracies.
João Moreira Salles's melancholic documentary, In the Intense Now (No Intenso Agora) stitches together amateur footage of the riots of 1968 to create a riveting rumination on the glee and disillusionment of idealism.
The women of ethereal Patagonian trio Fémina team up with Iggy Pop and Quantic on exquisite third album Perlas & Conchas.
The Yawpers give themselves a big head start as contenders for best rock and roll record of the year with Human Question.
Guitarist/composer Bryce Dessner's latest album El Chan is an ambitious series of sweeping, deeply moving classical works
Sunn O)) return with a magnificent beast, Vaura fully embrace their experimental new wave tendencies, and Dead to a Dying World solidify their position in the extreme metal pantheon, among more exciting new works. And a few announcements regarding the column.
From Sulphur English's all-encompassing reverie to the LP's themes of the arcane, Inter Arma are most certainly in their wheelhouse, continuing to redefine what it means to be a modern-day metal band.
While Manuele Fior's Red Ultramarine is far from abstract expressionism, it is a pleasure to find an artist-writer who regards the art of his images to be equal to the narrative they convey.
While Charlie Chaplin's music may have been meant as accompaniment to his movies, it can stand alone and provide solace today.
Documentarian Penny Lane challenges you to leave behind your preconceptions and give the Devil his due in this irreverent, entertaining look at the Satanic Temple, Hail Satan?
Guitarist Ben Monder has created a quiet stunner: one disc of inventive solo guitar arrangements of standards, and then a second disc for his trio playing pop hits of the '60s and '70s in wonderful ways.
It's Real proves that Ex Hex can draw influences from different eras of rock music and spin them into something that sounds like only them.
Drummer and composer Kendrick Scott has kept a finely balanced band together, pulling together many lovely strands of American music to create jazz that is easy to hear but also complex and compelling. A reason to believe.
Strut Records celebrates its 20th anniversary with a brilliant new installment in its funk-centric Nigeria 70 series.
As a vast collective of collaborators joins for spoken word, orchestral ballads, and nostalgic trip hop cuts, UNKLE's The Road: Part II (Lost Highway) compiles as many ideas as it does features.
Weyes Blood (a.k.a. Natalie Mering) conjures up a beautiful, cinematic world through with her insightful songwriting on Titanic Rising.
Daniel Rosenthal's illuminating collection in Dramatic Exchanges brings together some of the letters, postcards, telegrams, and emails exchanged by actors, playwrights, directors and other creatives involved in the National Theatre's story.
As the album title suggests, Lissie has stripped down the songs to their essence. It's just her voice and piano. It's like putting a lion in a cage and calling it a cat. She should let herself out.
Singer-songwriter Sam Swinson's raw honesty and Ohtis' musical creativity will win you over even as Curve of Earth is not an easy listen.
Social Cues is easily one of Cage the Elephant's best efforts. Aside from a few uninspiring entries, every inclusion offers something valuable, be it fetchingly catchy radiance or notably moving self-reflection.
Israeli pianist Anat Fort and her trio, formed in New York and recorded in the past by ECM, create a lovely and somewhat more adventurous outing on a new label.
Exploring the charms and rituals believed to safeguard WWI soldiers makes A Supernatural War a fascinating read.
Exploiting Fandom brings together mainstream sports fandoms and speculative media fandoms, often finding strong correlations between the two.
The Flaming Lips' King's Mouth is full of bold musical cues, weird science fiction themes… and Mick Jones.
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