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The Hold Steady Return to Form on 'Thrashing Thru the Passion'
The classic rock-inspired Hold Steady sound revitalized on their latest, Thrashing Thru the Passion, with keyboardist Franz Nicolay back and a horn section in tow.
19 Aug 2019
Music
Mark Mulcahy's 'The Gus' Is an Elusive and Mysterious Delight
Taking inspiration from the short fiction of George Saunders and featuring guest appearances from Rain Phoenix and J. Mascis, Mark Mulcahy condenses ten brilliant and baffling short stories into barely a half hour of music.
07 Aug 2019
Music
Jack and Diane: A Little Ditty about Generation X
John Cougar Mellencamp’s "Jack and Diane" provided the soundtrack to GenXers growing up in nowhere towns that were expected to adapt to a world that pretty much dismissed them.
09 Jul 2019
Music
Bruce Springsteen's 'Western Stars' Grows More Satisfying with Repeated Exposure
Deeply moving, inventive and even a bit risky, Western Stars will take its place among Bruce Springsteen's solo gems.
03 Jun 2019
Music
Nils Lofgren Celebrates Love, Loss, Friendship Via 'Blue With Lou'
Bruce Springsteen and Neil Young collaborator, Nils Lofgren's Blue With Lou is a career high that frequently recalls his early work with Grin, while rising to new, majestic heights.
23 May 2019
Books
On Warren Zevon, the "Kurt Vonnegut of Rock Music"
Author C. M. Kushins talks with PopMatters about the complicated legacy of Warren Zevon, from crack-up to recovery and back again, and his research for Nothing's Bad Luck: The Lives of Warren Zevon.
07 May 2019
Music
With 'Ain't No Storm', Tony Lucca Brings Nashville Influence to His Sound (album stream) (premiere)
Singer-songwriter Tony Lucca's first full-length album following a "self-imposed time-out" offers a refreshing look outward as he expands his musical boundaries.
25 Mar 2019
Music
Dan Hubbard's "Run Towards the River" Represents a New Beginning (premiere)
Having written the song after a difficult discussion with his wife about living with abuse, Dan Hubbard's latest single is "a really earnest conversation about getting out".
22 Mar 2019
Music
Andrew Leahey & the Homestead Cover Echo & the Bunnymen's "Lips Like Sugar" (premiere)
Andrew Leahey & the Homestead give Echo & the Bunnymen's hit single "Lips Like Sugar" a lick of heartland paint.
31 Jan 2019
Music
'Springsteen on Broadway' Is Springsteen Fully Owning the Myth of the Working Class Hero
Springsteen on Broadway is a powerful audio document of Bruce Springsteen's 14 month one-man performance run at Broadway's Walter Kerr Theater.
09 Jan 2019
Music
The Effortless Charm of John Hiatt Is Alive and Well on 'The Eclipse Sessions'
Legendary singer/songwriter John Hiatt's 23rd studio album, The Eclipse Sessions, is a sharp, eclectic collection of songs.
15 Oct 2018
Music
Tom Petty: An American Treasure
Tom Petty's An American Treasure is a total win. Its showcase of b-sides, leftovers, outtakes, and live performances keeps a tight focus on the fact that Petty left this world plenty of excellent material.
12 Oct 2018
Music
Ike Reilly's "Clean Blood Blues" Captures Attitude, Artistic Grit (premiere)
Ike Reilly continues exploring the tradition of artist as outlaw in latest track "Clean Blood Blues", and you know he means it.
20 Sep 2018
Music
Will Courtney May Be "Too High Now" (premiere)
Will Courtney gives listeners a reason to anticipate his upcoming album with a blazing new track that rivals Neil Young with and without Crazy Horse. Ragged glory? Galore.
30 Aug 2018
Music
Sarah Borges & The Broken Singles Deliver Love Song With a Sweet Twist Via "House on a Hill" (premiere + interview)
Sarah Borges' songs remind us that simplicity and clarity can be more impactful than clever metaphors and the complicated machinery that accompanies most pop singles today.
27 Jul 2018
Music
Jason Heath and the Greedy Souls Tell the Story of "In Love With My Gun" (premiere)
There are some who have had enough of handgun violence. Roots rockers Jason Heath and the Greedy Souls engage the gun debate in "In Love With My Gun".
25 Jul 2018
Books
Zevon Never Dies: 'Accidentally Like a Martyr' Epitomizes That Wonderful Feeling of Being a Zevon Fan
James Campion's touching, personal study of Warren Zevon's music serves as a reminder of the lasting intimacy of Zevon's songwriting.
24 Jul 2018
Music
American Aquarium's 'Things Change' Is a Solid Critique on the Intersections of Life and Society
BJ Barham assembled a new line-up for American Aquarium's seventh album Things Change to reflect and share thoughts on changes in his personal life and the American landscape.
27 Jun 2018
Music
Yesterday's Jukebox: John Hiatt - 'Bring the Family' / 'Slow Turning'
Legendary singer/songwriter John Hiatt's groundbreaking pair of late '80s albums have been reissued on vinyl. Fire up your turntable and get ready for this thing called love.
26 Jan 2018
Music
Butch Walker: Stay Gold
Butch Walker gives his greatest performance to date on heart-filled album.
Jedd Beaudoin
11 Sep 2016
Music
Waco Brothers: Going Down in History
The omnipresent and perhaps omnipotent Waco Brothers give us a much needed boost of energy that marries the old with the new. That's predictable. What they do with it ain't.
23 Feb 2016
Music
Counterbalance: Uncle Tupelo - No Depression
Fear the hearts of men are failing. These are latter days we know. The great depression now is spreading. God's word declared it would be so. I'm going where there's only the 2,839th most acclaimed album of all time. An alt-rock bellwether is this week's Counterbalance.
10 Apr 2015
Music
John Hiatt: Here to Stay: Best of 2000-2012
John Hiatt is a master, a genius at his art, and here’s hoping that the title of this collection is tellingly prescient in its choice of title.
15 Jan 2014
Music
Cass McCombs: Humor Risk
On his second LP of 2011, McCombs adds to the year's growing list of great, unorthodox takes on the heartland rock formula.
11 Dec 2011
Music
Jim Bryson and the Weakerthans: The Falcon Lake Incident
From the album cover depicting a starry night sky right down to the lyric sheet, there is an infatuation with the heavens that gives the record an underlying dreamy theme.
14 Nov 2010
Music
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Mojo
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers certainly got back their MoJo working on this new album. It has some of the most well-written songs he's released since at least as far back as 1985's Southern Accents.
16 Jun 2010
Music
The Hold Steady: Boys and Girls in America
From bar band to arena-ready rockers, the Hold Steady reach near-Springsteenian heights on their third album, Boys and Girls in America.
09 Nov 2006
Music
John Hiatt: Crossing Muddy Waters
Like Bruce Springsteen on his excellent breakup-tinged song cycle Tunnel of Love, John Hiatt the songwriter and consummate musician still manages to coax some powerfully stirring music out of whatever heartache he might be suffering.
Kevin Oliver
25 Sep 2000
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