Dirty Three Prove the Theory That Love Changes Everything
Dirty Three continue their long career of making organic, meditative post-rock jazz that always humbly approaches a single moment, without pretense or distraction.
Avery Gregurich
Jim Lauderdale Is at Peace in ‘My Favorite Place’
Jim Lauderdale is one of the last true country troubadours, and on My Favorite Place, he continues his Americana story with reliability and grace.
Swamp Dogg Goes Bluegrass and Americana on ‘Blackgrass’
On Blackgrass: From West Virginia to 125th St, Swamp Dogg interprets soul, funk, and jazz themes through the lens of bluegrass and Americana forms.
Mary Lattimore and Walt McClements Create Order with the ‘Rain on the Road’
Call it experimental or ambient: harpist Mary Lattimore and accordionist Walt McClements sonically ruminate on their repetitive cycle between life and music.
Rosie Tucker Wants ‘Utopia Now!’
Rosie Tucker’s Utopia Now! effortlessly counterbalances its pop tendencies with broader cultural critique, wry intellectualism, and lots of melancholic humor.
John Craigie Preaches Up at the ‘Pagan Church’
Combined with TK & The Holy Know Nothings, Americana/folk artist John Craigie finds that new kind of redemption on Pagan Church.
Beirut Returns to His Baroque Pop Origins on ‘Hadsel’
Beirut has turned inward on Hadsel and it’s an affirming, warm kind of music to serve as a soundtrack for the next valley surely coming for us all.
Jim Lauderdale and the Po’ Ramblin’ Boys Create Bluegrass Alchemy
Even if bluegrass isn’t your thing, don’t let this new Jim Lauderdale LP slip by without a listen. He’s a true master of the songwriting craft at work.
David Dondero Confronts the Present With ‘Immersion Therapy’
On Immersion Therapy, David Dondero elegizes those moments of melancholy ever-present in our shared modern times. It’s music for desolate days and hidden optimism.
Talking Heads’ ‘Speaking in Tongues’ at 40
Speaking in Tongues captures Talking Heads at the zenith of their funk freakout and just before a big gray suit would change everything. It’s an art-pop funk masterpiece.
Tom Waits’ ‘Closing Time’ and the Myth of the Eponymous Debut Album
Tom Waits’ Closing Time serves as the “Swim at Your Own Risk” sign hanging above his musical swimming pool. There’s a whole world waiting beneath that water.