Hiss Golden Messenger Find Reasons to ‘Jump for Joy’
Hiss Golden Messenger’s Jump for Joy switches up the mood considerably, offering a bouncy set of tracks of youthful enthusiasm and maturing gratitude.
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The Clientele Compose Their Masterpiece With ‘I Am Not There Anymore’
In this extensive interview, The Clientele’s Alasdair MacLean discusses the indie band’s new masterpiece, I Am Not There Anymore, and their lengthy career.
Wye Oak Reinvent Themselves (Again) on ‘Every Day Like the Last’
Wye Oak speak to PopMatters about their experiment-or-die perspective and what it means to make music at their stage of career and life more generally.
The New Pornographers Embrace Mid-Career with ‘Continue As a Guest’
After delaying comeback tours and moving labels, power pop icons the New Pornographers could’ve gone anywhere. Instead, A. C. Newman found a new sense of peace.
Fruit Bats Rest Easy on ‘A River Running to Your Heart’
At their best, Fruit Bats tap into the SoCal world and song tradition of Joni Mitchell, Aimee Mann, and Warren Zevon. This LP has a few of these moments.
The New Pornographers Tone Down the Hooks on ‘Continue as a Guest’
Continue As a Guest is a more delicate and less hooky version of the New Pornographers, the most reflective they’ve been since 2007’s underrated Challengers.
‘The Collected Works of Neutral Milk Hotel’ Are Newly Re-Issued
Essentially a re-issue of a 2011 box set with Neutral Milk Hotel’s recorded work, their legacy remains unparalleled even if there’s not much new to exhume.
Fucked Up Are Just Fine on ‘One Day’
Fucked Up’s One Day possesses a brightness and sense of happiness that’s addictive and optimistic, even if the lyrics at times insinuate the opposite.
H.C. McEntire Finds the Poetic in ‘Every Acre’
H.C. McEntire seeks salvation on Every Acre, but these songs suggest it can be found in how one approaches the world rather than in some supernatural entity.
Archers of Loaf Sound More Mature Than Ever on ‘Reason in Decline’
Archers of Loaf’s Reason in Decline is an excellent record from a great band that has been on a recording hiatus for the better part of two and a half decades.
The Mountain Goats Expose the Limits of Escapism on ‘Bleed Out’
The Mountain Goats’ Bleed Out is a fascinating homage and a meta-commentary on the action film genre and how it soothes our unease in a world on fire.
Ibibio Sound Machine Bring the Electrofunk with Hot Chip-Produced ‘Electricity’
Ibibio Sound Machine hit new heights as they draw on the power of musical currents flowing between Lagos and London on the Hot Chip-produced Electricity.