Sharp Pins’ ‘Radio DDR’ on Vinyl Is a Rewarding Lo-Fi Listen
Sharp Pins’ aesthetic feels like an attempt to keep analog alive in a digital world: get your hands on a zine, fill out a form, send cash, and receive a tape in return.
jangle pop
The Tubs Explore Love and Loss on ‘Cotton Crown’
The Tubs’ Cotton Crown deals with darker themes about love, loss, and failure despite their penchant for sunny jangle pop sounds.
Otis Shanty Make Jangle Pop Magic ‘Up on the Hill’
With Up on the Hill, Otis Shanty have taken the guitar-based, dream pop template and reinvented it beautifully for a new era.
Girl and Girl’s Debut ‘Call a Doctor’ Is a Lively Outing
Girl and Girl’s Call a Doctor nearly delivers as a concept yet still captivates with its jangle pop charm. They should be a band we follow for years to come.
‘1967’ and Robyn Hitchcock’s Quest to Stay High for Eternity
Robyn Hitchcock’s memoir 1967 taps into the music high that untethered the restraints of boarding school and shaped his life and music for eternity.
Dehd Take Yet Another Step Forward on ‘Poetry’
Dehd exude a youthful charm that is hard to replicate on Poetry. They are infectious and their sunny melodies and sincerity make their music compelling.
New Album Takes the Lemon Twigs Into Pop’s Golden Years
The Lemon Twigs’ A Dream Is All We Know displays scholarly mastery of the complex techniques their forbears invented. The sheer musicality is prodigious.
Real Estate Go Back to Basics on ‘Daniel’
Daniel‘s “brand-new old-fashioned” version of Real Estate is totally workable but is also a reminder that the old-fashioned stuff was better.
Ducks Ltd. Use Music to Stay Out of ‘Harm’s Way’
Ducks Ltd. aren’t pessimists as much as realists. Harm’s Way serves as evidence of the power of music to redeem and bring us together.
‘Up’ Is R.E.M.’s ‘OK Computer’ Moment Remastered and Recontextualized
Albums like Radiohead’s OK Computer signaled a change in the world of alternative rock. R.E.M. rose to the challenge to evolve or die with Up.
Teenage Fanclub on Life, Death, and Remaining Seated
The simple joys of writing songs and sharing them remain the driving forces for indie pop veterans Teenage Fanclub. Norman Blake and Raymond McGinley discuss.
The 13 Best Songs of the Smiths
The Smiths changed the face of rock music and inspired a cult of fandom nearly unmatched since Beatlemania. These are their 13 best songs.