Jazz, art-rock, punk, and synthpop are just a few of the styles Alexander Noice and his exceptionally talented band explore on an album where the energy level never flags.
In 1969, the deeply strange musician known as Captain Beefheart released an album that is still ahead of its time a half-century later. PopMatters spoke with musicians and writers about this landmark work of art and why it continues to fascinate.
The Flaming Lips' King's Mouth couples spacey cinematic passages with driving rhythms to create a sombre and thoughtful musical whole.
Arcade Fire's Richard Reed Parry discusses his latest album, Quiet River of Dust Vol. 2, and the ties that a musical life creates.
If/When is stunning, proving yet again why the Tea Club should be celebrated by admirers of any—if not all—of their sundry genre classifications.
Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke's third solo album ANIMA offers relatively peppy music to accompany his unsurprisingly bleak lyrical worldview, but it all works rather wonderfully.
Amidst a tour opening for Beck and Cage the Elephant, Spoon will release a greatest hits collection in August that's a wonderful overview of their music.
Pere Ubu's The Long Goodbye is an amazing achievement that accomplishes its mission of encapsulating a 45-year career with wit and aplomb.
The Tea Club's latest single finds the quintet evoking classic folk rock artists in the midst of maintaining their knack for evocative songwriting and arrangements.
Jambinai's ONDA finds cross-cultural influences from traditional Korean music, post-rock, and atmospheric metal, but their ethos is certainly more complex than a fusion or hybrid project.
Damon Albarn's "third official band" is bittersweet, endearing, and profoundly moving during an intimate, politically-charged gig in the German capital.
The National's eighth album is not as easy to locate or to live with, as its title suggests, but it contains passages of sublime beauty and grace.
Olden Yolk's second album, Living Theatre, is phenomenally impressive and powerful, while it explores small moments with great concision and ambition.
From a 35-piece orchestra to a lean, five-person ensemble, These New Puritans are always changing. That continues with the new album, Inside the Rose, says George Barnett, "The pop bits are more pop and the extreme bits are more extreme."
Inspired by their collaboration on Mike Mills' film I'm Still Here, the National are releasing I Am Easy to Find in May.
Chris Cohen's self-titled third solo album is as unassuming as it gets, yet it is unequivocally quality work by an extraordinarily skilled artist. Plus there are sax solos.
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