Dream-Pop Heaven: Jeff Runnings on For Against’s Landmark ‘Coalesced’ at 20
For Against’s Coalesced is an undeniably mature work, softer and less angular than prior efforts, and a culmination of everything they were aiming to accomplish.
For Against’s Coalesced is an undeniably mature work, softer and less angular than prior efforts, and a culmination of everything they were aiming to accomplish.
The Haunted Youth’s Dawn of the Freak sports dream rock veering from thoughtful to Autobahn-kinetic while cultivating a background mood ideal for moping.
Low’s minimalist sound and orchestration depended on the voice and steady drumming of Mimi Parker, which provided an essential heartbeat for the band.
Sobs’ Air Guitar is a jubilant, unapologetic salute to dynamic pop-rock for listeners who prefer their bubblegum with a bit more fortitude and viscosity.
On Midnights, Taylor Swift reflects on the ghosts of the past and maps the rarely straightforward journey of fully becoming one’s self with pristine popcraft.
GADADU’s music has always been a balm for the dreariness and anxiety inherent in everyday life. With The Weatherman Is Wrong, they continue to confound and fascinate.
Canadian dream popsters Living Hour capture grief with sluggish tempos, minor key chord progressions, and numbing moments of disassociation on Someday Is Today.
Goon’s Hour of Green Evening is seductive, willowy music with a surreal edge, like Skygreen Leopards’ hallucinatory indie folk, but without the shrill chord changes.
With Disney deep in her past, pop star Hayley Kiyoko’s Panorama navigates queer relationships with self-assuredness, packaged in accessible pop hooks.
Astragal reincarnate what made 1980s post-punk so compulsively listenable, helping them stand out in a fascinating genre with precious little competition.
Field Guides’ Ginkgo derives from a profoundly organic, indie-folk space that encourages a stream of consciousness and unique melodic lines seemingly plucked out of thin air.
Noah Deemer’s art-pop debut, The Sleepwalker, seeks to access deeper consciousness. Dreamy and off-kilter songs seek to unearth deeper emotions.