25 Years of Tom Waits’ ‘Mule Variations’
With Mule Variations, Tom Waits tamed his vaudevillian guises and showed that he was aging gracefully, while retaining his integrity towards his artistry.
With Mule Variations, Tom Waits tamed his vaudevillian guises and showed that he was aging gracefully, while retaining his integrity towards his artistry.
Aaron Lee Tasjan often goes for a laugh with broad puns and subtle references to pop culture. Yes, he is funny, but he is also serious, seriously funny.
The Eagles’ On the Border (1974) signified the crossing of a musical boundary, as they progressed from country to rock, ensuring future mainstream success.
John Moreland’s gift to listeners is rooted in his alienation, as on his latest album, Visitor. We visit his world as a way to find ourselves.
Charlie Parr remains aware of his blues tradition, but he mostly moves into his own space, building on his roots background with creativity for Little Sun.
Revelator captures Phosphorescent’s endeavor to encounter life as it is, practicing vulnerability, empathy, and a degree of self-effacement.
Rosali’s Bite Down is a deceptively smooth ride that threatens to pull you under at any moment. Its classic sound draws from Fleetwood Mac and 1970s music.
After breaking through with a lockdown-inspired set of songs, the Ratboys’ “post-country” stylings find a new audience, opening for the Decemberists.
The Wandering Hearts’ music evokes blue skies and slow road trips with friends, train rides, and walks in the country. It’s solitary and reflective.
The Jaynett’s ’60s pop single “Sally Go ‘Round the Roses” is equal parts all surface and inscrutable depth, which is why a range of artists cover it to this day.
Fleetwood Mac and Humble Pie were a part of the progressive 1960s ethos that carried successfully into the 1970s and beyond. These 1969 albums tell the story.
Polaroid Lovers, the seventh studio LP by Grammy-winning songwriter Sarah Jarosz, finds the songwriter capturing a new energy with her take on American music.