The Black Keys : Ohio Players

The Black Keys are an American music institution. They’ve been making their own brand of Midwest duo delta blues now for just a little over 20 years, starting with 2002s The Big Come Up. The duo of Dan Auerbach(guitar, vocals) and drummer Patrick Carney(drums) started out recording their albums in a basement with concrete walls, […]

St. Vincent : All Born Screaming

If ever there was a proper heir to the throne of our beloved David Bowie it would be Annie Clark, aka St. Vincent. From the Texas native’s beginnings as a member of the Polyphonic Spree to a stint in Sufjan Steven’s band to her debut album Marry Me in 2007, Clark has shown a need […]

SOMAFREE INSTITUTE : Exit Signal

SOMAFREE INSTITUTE, the heavy synth trio of Andrew Crawshaw(keys), Justin Thomas Kleine(keys), and Tim Call(drums) have been honing their skills as songwriters and musicians for a few years now. Combining the sonic explorations of 70s electronic titans Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze and Vangelis with the more modern sound worlds of Zombi and Sinoia Caves. Over […]

Cloud Nothings : Final Summer

Cloud Nothings arrived seemingly fully formed in 2011. The punk rock swagger, post-punk indifference, and songwriting prowess of singer/guitarist/songwriter Dylan Baldi was already in place. His bedroom solo project became an actual rock trio, and after releasing two albums written and performed by Baldi the trio recorded Attack On Memory with Steve Albini at Electrical […]

Vampire Weekend : Only God Was Above Us

Vampire Weekend are one of those bands that you either love or loathe. They have charm about them, but also a preciousness that turns off curmudgeonly old hipsters that don’t think they’re actually hipsters. On the other hand the band has songwriting chops and intellectually inviting lyrics thanks to singer/songwriter Ezra Koenig. Koenig can make […]

Zombi : Direct Inject

The prog/synth duo Zombi, which consists of keyboardist/bassist/composer Steve Moore and percussionist/keyboardist AE Paterra, have notched out a very specific sonic corner in electronic music. Influenced/inspired by horror scores and films, as well as 70s prog and more thoughtful metal of the 70s and 80s, these two Pittsburgh-raised musicians have rewired the idea of the […]

The Black Crowes : Happiness Bastards

Sibling rivalry in rock bands is a long-standing tradition in the pantheon of rock and roll. The Kinks, The Jesus Mary Chain, Beach Boys, The Breeders and Oasis are just a few examples where siblings in a band had issues with each other from time to time. Something about that sibling rivalry, it would either […]

Kurt Vile : Back To Moon Beach

Leave it to Kurt Vile to release a 52-minute album and call it an EP. Vile never seems to be in a hurry to get to the end of a song. He rambles and sways through 7 or 8 minutes of jangly guitar riffs, slow motion vocals, and richly-layered compositions that live and die by […]

Ivan The Tolerable Returns With ‘Under Magnetic Mountain’, Out 10/6; Listen To “Three Of Pentacles”

Oli Heffernan, aka Ivan The Tolerable, is a force to be reckoned with. His brand of droning psych rock and hallucinatory vibes can be heard on a prolific discography that runs the gamut between psychedelic electronic swirls to hazy ambient to guitar-driven jams. Heffernan makes the kind of music you feel in a visceral kind […]

Feu Follet Returns With ‘Lost Locust’, Out 10/6; Listen To New Single “Fluid Bodies”

French multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Alban Blaising is readying a brand new Feu Follet album called Lost Locust, out on 10/6. The one-man electronic/post-punk project has been quite prolific, releasing 4 albums since 2019 on German label Blackjack Illuminist. Lost Locust will make number 5, and once again Blaising is releasing on Alexander Donat’s fantastic label. […]