Even if it didn't benefit a good cause, Graciously, A Gulf Relief Compilation contains enough interesting nuggets to be a worthwhile purchase no matter what. West coast alt-country rockers Richmond Fontaine contribute "The Gits", an ode to the seminal Riot Grrl band. The ringing slide guitar of Tony Furtado's "Waste Away the Night with You" is a beautiful roots rock plea to "let the whole world slip away / At least until we're through... I've nothing left to prove / Till we have to face the day." Amelia White's "Skeleton Key" is another star performer. Co-written with Furtado, this bluesy romp is complete with a Jimmy Page-riff and more rock-than-folk lyrics ("You're so bad that you're perfect / Like a two dollar bottle of wine / I wanna drink you all up, baby / Until you know you're mine"). Of course, there are some puzzlers in the mix. Although Howe Gelb and Scout Niblett turn in a medley of "I Want Candy / I Know What Boys Want / Who Do You Love / Not Fade Away" that confounds more than captivates, it does begin to stick in your head.
Great Peacock Stares Down Mortality With "High Wind" (premiere + interview)
Southern rock's Great Peacock offer up a tune that vocalist Andrew Nelson says encompasses their upcoming LP's themes. "You are going to die one day. You can't stop the negative things life throws at you from happening. But, you can make the most of it."
The 80 Best Albums of 2015
Travel back five years ago when the release calendar was rife with stellar albums. 2015 offered such an embarrassment of musical riches, that we selected 80 albums as best of the year.
Buridan's Ass and the Problem of Free Will in John Sturges' 'The Great Escape'
Escape in John Sturge's The Great Escape is a tactical mission, a way to remain in the war despite having been taken out of it. Free Will is complicated.
The Redemption of Elton John's 'Blue Moves'
Once reviled as bloated and pretentious, Elton John's 1976 album Blue Moves, is one of his masterpieces, argues author Matthew Restall in the latest installment of the 33 1/3 series.
Whitney Take a Master Class on 'Candid'
Although covers albums are usually signs of trouble, Whitney's Candid is a surprisingly inspired release, with a song selection that's eclectic and often obscure.
King Buzzo Continues His Reign with 'Gift of Sacrifice'
King Buzzo's collaboration with Mr. Bungle/Fantômas bassist Trevor Dunn expands the sound of Buzz Osborne's solo oeuvre on Gift of Sacrifice.
Jim O'Rourke's Experimental 'Shutting Down Here' Is Big on Technique
Jim O'Rourke's Shutting Down Here is a fine piece of experimental music with a sure hand leading the way. But it's not pushing this music forward with the same propensity as Luc Ferrari or Derek Bailey.
Laraaji Returns to His First Instrument for 'Sun Piano'
The ability to help the listener achieve a certain elevation is something Laraaji can do, at least to some degree, no matter the instrument.
Kristin Hersh Discusses Her Gutsy New Throwing Muses Album
Kristin Hersh thinks influences are a crutch, and chops are a barrier between artists and their truest expressions. We talk about life, music, the pandemic, dissociation, and the energy that courses not from her but through her when she's at her best.
The 10 Best Fleetwood Mac Solo Albums
Fleetwood Mac are the rare group that feature both a fine discography and a successful series of solo LPs from their many members. Here are ten examples of the latter.
Jamila Woods' "SULA (Paperback)" and Creative Ancestry and Self-Love in the Age of "List" Activism
In Jamila Woods' latest single "SULA (Paperback)", Toni Morrison and her 1973 novel of the same name are not static literary phenomena. They are an artist and artwork as galvanizing and alive as Woods herself.
The Erotic Disruption of the Self in Paul Schrader's 'The Comfort of Strangers'
Paul Schrader's The Comfort of Strangers presents the discomfiting encounter with another —someone like you—and yet entirely unlike you, mysterious to you, unknown and unknowable.
'Can You Spell Urusei Yatsura' Is a Much Needed Burst of Hopefulness in a Desultory Summer
A new compilation online pulls together a generous helping of B-side action from a band deserving of remembrance, Scotland's Urusei Yatsura.
Jess Cornelius Creates Tautly Constructed Snapshots of Life
Former Teeth & Tongue singer-songwriter Jess Cornelius' Distance is an enrapturing collection of punchy garage-rock, delicate folk, and arty synthpop anthems which examine liminal spaces between us.
Sikoryak's 'Constitution Illustrated' Pays Homage to Comics and the Constitution
R. Sikoryak's satirical pairings of comics characters with famous and infamous American historical figures breathes new and sometimes uncomfortable life into the United States' most living document.
South African Folk Master Vusi Mahlasela Honors Home on 'Shebeen Queen'
South African folk master Vusi Mahlasela pays tribute to his home and family with township music on live album, Shebeen Queen.
Planningtorock Is Queering Sound, Challenging Binaries, and Making Infectious Dance Music
Planningtorock emphasizes "queering sound and vision". The music industry has its hierarchies of style, of equipment, of identities. For Jam Rostron, queering music means taking those conventions and deliberately manipulating and subverting them.
'History Gets Ahead of the Story' for Jazz's Cosgrove, Medeski, and Lederer
Jazz drummer Jeff Cosgrove leads brilliant organ player John Medeski and multi-reed master Jeff Lederer through a revelatory recording of songs by William Parker and some just-as-good originals.
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