DIIV : Deceiver

DIIV’s leader and main songwriter Zachary Cole Smith stated that the band’s 2016 record Is The Is Are was an album about addiction and getting sober at the time of the record’s release. Though it turned out that was not the case, as Smith stated in an interview a year later. Smith was still very […]

VVV : Spreading Primrose

Shawhin Izaddoost, aka VVV makes music that while hypnotic feels deeper than just the typical dance track. He works in dense soundscapes while locking into tight grooves and connective rhythms which allow the listener to fall into a sonic world deeper than just a club beat. His music mixes elements of 2-step, ambient, techno, and […]

Wilco : Ode To Joy

It feels that for the last decade Wilco have been struggling to find their footing. That sounds rather ridiculous to say given the powerful unit of musicians that have occupied the space within the Chicago band since 2004. They’re like this band of wizards backing one of our generations greatest songwriters, Jeff Tweedy. But as […]

Dan Smyth : I Can’t Wait

Singer/songwriter Dan Smyth is a music machine. Not only does he lend his guitar and vocal skills to Fort Wayne’s The Legendary Trainhoppers, but Smyth is a veritable human jukebox covering over 50 years of pop and rock&roll music in local clubs. Seriously, the list of songs this man covers is staggering, and wholly impressive. […]

GRÜN WASSER : Not Ok with Things

Coming from the Chicago underground music scene, GRÜN WASSER makes music that pulsates and taunts. The duo of vocalist Keely Dowd and producer Essej Pollock use the electronic/industrial tradition of Chicago’s storied Wax Trax Records as a jumping off point for their minimalist pulse. A mixture of Meat Beat Manifesto techno heart with the subversive […]

Bambara Drops New Single “Serafina”

New York-based post-punk band Bambara have just released their new single “Serafina”. This is the first single release from their forthcoming album Stray, which arrives February 14, 2020 via Wharf Cat. This will be a follow-up to the band’s last album, the critically-acclaimed Shadow on Everything. “Serafina” is a dizzying mix of post-punk and noise […]

Wojciech Golczewski : relay:sat:black_sun

Composer and synth wizard Wojciech Golczewski came onto my radar with his score for the haunting and understated We Are Still Here. His score for Ted Geoghegan’s slow burn ghost story was just what the film needed, and made the film’s emotional center that much more effective. From there I deep dived into Golczewski’s work. […]

Moon Duo : Stars Are The Light

Moon Duo have always had a disco side. Even back in the beginning, their Suicide vibes and psychedelic motorik grooves hinted at simple four-on-the-floor rhythms and dance floor abandon. The driving sound has always been Ripley Johnson’s fuzz guitar, Sanae Yamada’s keys, and their voices melding together into one soothing, melodic drone. With each successive […]

Crystal Myslajek : Cove

There is something quite transcendent and utterly beautiful about Crystal Myslajek’s exquisite Cove. At times light and airy while at other times heavy and foreboding, the album feels like a true work of emotional and artistic depth. Sparse arrangements intertwine and coalesce like chamber music performed for just a handful of onlookers. Life and light […]

Wilco’s “Everybody Hides”

In just a little over a week Wilco will release their new album, the grandly-titled Ode To Joy. It’s been a few years since a new Wilco album was something I was hotly anticipating. I’d say Wilco(The Album) was the last record of theirs where I was chomping at the bit and waiting by the […]