Category: ESSENTIAL NEW MUSIC

If you adhere to the rule of thumb that the right cover compels you to purchase a record, take a

Monoliths can blot out the sun, but they can also give you something to shoot for. The monolith that looms

Outer and inner space converge in the music of Thomas Ankersmit. His early work took its cues from figures like

We've championed Finn's Motel for years, and they've rewarded us—and you—with the outstanding new Fireworks Or Lightning (Victory Over Gravity).

If you don’t immediately recognize the name Jeffrey Alexander, you might still have crossed his path. Currently based in Philadelphia

“Pretty soon, the whole world is gonna go crazy.” Judging from the sample’s sound quality, those words, which usher in

Perhaps the most common running line about Godspeed You! Black Emperor is that its mighty, caustic brand of rock music

The New Bums aren’t that new. Singer/guitarists Donovan Quinn (Skygreen Leopards) and Ben Chasny (Six Organs Of Admittance, Comets On

One moment, Zöe sounds like it’s beaming in from a time when you could still buy rotary phones in stores.

The second law of thermodynamics is invaluable when you want to understand why things keep coming apart. But if you

Future Times was born of a dire present. Plankton Wat is the solo project of guitarist Dewey Mahood (ex-Eternal Tapestry, Galaxy

Not many people have yearned less for success than Fred Neil. Plenty of beatniks, folkies and hippies from the 1950s

The COVID virus may have owned 2020, but 2021 is the year of Don Cherry. The Oklahoma-born trumpeter, whose curious

People make records for a lot of reasons, and who are we to judge? Music lovers, that’s who we are,

Forty years ago, Flying Nun Records released its first single. The Pin Group’s “Coat” imagined a world of sound and

Loren Connors has dueted with many guitarists over the years, but he always presents them with the same challenge. The

How much does an album really matter? That all depends on who you ask. If you’re Neil Young, you have

Photo by David Zukauskas This album may be a first encounter, but it’s by no means a first impression. Guitarist