Music
Rachael & Vilray Update Swing-Era Music on Their Debut
Rachael & Vilray is an absolute reflection of the jazz era while also firmly integrating the sound and energy into the contemporary moment.
02 Dec 2019
Recent
Music
Terry Riley Shoots the Kronos Quartet into Space with the Beautiful, Moving 'Sun Rings'
The decades-long partnership between composer Terry Riley and the Kronos Quartet continues – with a little help from NASA – on the brilliant new album, Sun Rings.
18 Oct 2019
Music
On Her U.S. Debut 'Maria', Fado Singer Carminho Finds Beauty in Melancholy
Maria finds Carminho at her most intimate and personal, a collection of original tunes that honor the past while still defining her own voice as a trailblazing vocalist.
30 Sep 2019
Music
Devendra Banhart Finds His 'Ma' in Everything
Devendra Banhart's latest album, Ma, is a tender, beautiful meditation on the bonds that ties us together.
10 Sep 2019
Music
The Black Keys Celebrate the Electric Guitar on 'Let's Rock'
The Black Keys loudly rock out with Let's Rock, an album celebrating the directness and enjoyment of the electric guitar.
09 Jul 2019
Music
Rhiannon Giddens Understands That 'there is no Other'
MacArthur genius grant winner Rhiannon Giddens' new album, there is no Other, invites us to do more than share our misery. It asks us to see ourselves as part of something bigger.
07 Jun 2019
Music
William Brittelle's Non-Religious 'Spiritual America'
Composer William Brittelle's "electro-acoustic song cycle", Spiritual America, attempts to capture non-religious spirituality in musical form.
06 Jun 2019
Music
Brad Mehldau Spans Many Musical Forms on 'Finding Gabriel'
Jazz pianist Brad Mehldau creates another hybrid project built on a layering of keyboards, drums, woodwinds, voices, and strings—with a gloss of politics and religion along the edges. Occasionally brilliant.
05 Jun 2019
Music
"It's Not About Genre, It's About Emotion": Composer William Brittelle on Faith, Music, and Identity
Composer and New Amsterdam Records co-founder William Brittelle discusses his latest work, Spiritual America, with PopMatters and talks about faith, genre, and his genre-fluid electro-acoustic music.
31 May 2019
Music
Joshua Redman Quartet's 'Come What May' Is an Essential Jazz Album
Joshua Redman Quartet's Come What May is not just a strong contender for 2019's best jazz album, but also one of the year's essential releases overall.
07 May 2019
Music
Mountain Man Travels on a 'Magic Ship'
The beauty of Mountain Man's three voices singing together will seduce many listeners on Magic Ship. Unaccompanied human expressions have a powerful impact when artfully combined.
18 Sep 2018
Music
Gabriel Kahane's 'Book of Travelers' Offers Glimpses of the American Psyche After the Trump Election
Gabriel Kahane creates a musical travelogue that seeks to capture the fractured and fragmented psyche of America following the 2016 election.
30 Aug 2018
Music
​Olivia Chaney Takes 'Shelter' Wherever She Can Find It
Olivia Chaney's Shelter is a purposely intimate record. She uses the sheer beauty of her vocals and the wood and wire instruments to create reflective and spiritual music.
18 Jul 2018
Music
'All Ashore' Shows That the Punch Brothers Know Fully Who They Are Now
On their fifth studio outing, Punch Brothers sound more assured in their identity than ever -- which isn't necessarily a good thing.
18 Jul 2018
Music
Lake Street Dive Gets Loose, Collaborative With 'Free Yourself Up'
Lake Street Dive wanted to capture the energy of its live shows as well as its unique at its finest. So the quartet went into the studio without a producer and leaned on each other instead.
Jedd Beaudoin
15 Jun 2018
Music
'Seymour Reads the Constitution!' is Brad Mehldau's 2018 Victory Lap
Reunited with drummer Jeff Ballard and bassist Larry Grenadier, Brad Mehldau dives back into the trio format with gusto.
21 May 2018
Music
The 15 Best Americana Albums of 2017
In Americana music the present is female. Two-thirds of our year-end list is comprised of albums by women. Here, then, are the women (and a few men) who represented the best in Americana in 2017.
08 Dec 2017
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