Modest Mouse’s ‘An Eraser and a Maze’ Is Pleasantly Imperfect
The seminal indie band Modest Mouse go independent for their eighth LP, delivering some stimulating statements alongside undercooked ideas.
music review
‘Ayam El Disco’ Highlights the Diversity of Egyptian Dance Music
Ayam El Disco celebrates and beautifully frames some of the music that kept people stepping lively in Egypt during the 1970s, 1980s, and even the 1990s.
Alone Together: Mike Richmond’s ‘Without an Audience’
Mike Richmond doesn’t leave us entirely in the dark. The almost hopeful moment arrives with “You Are Not Alone”, which reframes solitude as a shared condition.
Death Cab for Cutie Look Backward and Forward
Death Cab for Cutie’s first release for their new label, I Built You a Tower, is a full-circle collection that still adds new layers to their signature sound.
For Bleachers, the Past Is Prologue
On his fifth album as Bleachers, everyone for ten minutes, Jack Antonoff uses a comfortable sonic space to make a new statement about fame.
Gun Outfit Reach Higher Ground on ‘Process and Reality’
Gun Outfit’s Process and Reality imbues a cosmic existentialism in which celestial instrumentation coils and twists, like a serpentine trail in a canyon.
Sharada Shashidhar Broadens Her Horizons on New LP
Vocalist and composer Sharada Shashidhar experiments with style and instrumentation, resulting in an exciting hybrid of spiritual jazz and alternative R&B.
RAYE’s Meaningful Maximalism
By repurposing sounds of a bygone era, Raye reminds us that the past’s freedoms are the constraints of the future. The only consistency is the desire to make art about them.
Tony Rice’s 1977 Album Marks a Key Moment in Bluegrass
Tony Rice was an epochal guitarist, and his work with the likes of David Grisman, and Ricky Skaggs has long held a special place in the hearts of bluegrass lovers.
Aaron Wyanski Boldly Rearranges Arnold Schoenberg
Composer and pianist Aaron Wyanski transforms the notoriously difficult Pierrot Lunaire by Arnold Schoenberg into lounge jazz.
Pharmacist’s Thrash-Leaning of Their New Album Is Powerful
For Pharmacist, thrash is not solely defined by the frenzied lead work and lightning-fast approach of the 1980s. They are closer to a more modern interpretation of the genre.
Asake’s ‘M$NEY’ Is a Victory Parade and Quiet Prayer
Four years in, Asake is no longer arguing. He is content, and content, on a record this carefully made, turns out to sound like something close to grace.