Category: ESSENTIAL NEW MUSIC

The North Mississippi Allstars have been rollin’ and tumblin’ since 1996. Upholding an earthy tradition carved out by their badass

Alison Moyet’s husky alto can dominate any landscape, from the perky synth-pop of her youthful collaboration with Vince Clarke in

The first song Will Oldham (aka Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy) ever sang onstage was a Merle Haggard cover. He repays the

Armed with an Epiphone and the raspy voice of a grizzled rock veteran, 25-year-old Benjamin Booker released a debut in

As the promotional material for Paul Weller’s 12th solo album reminds us, it’s been nearly 40 years since the debut

Musician/composer Ryuichi Sakamoto has been on the creative scene and making records since the late 1970s. A godfather of synth-pop,

“How did I get here?” “Do you ever dream about what it’s like to give up?” “I wanna feel like

A lot can happen in 21 years. A newborn can legally drink; a community organizer can become president; and a

Only Todd Rundgren—wizard, true star, avatar of vocal blue-eyed soul—would execute something as trendily popular as a duets album. And

Justin Townes Earle used his first six albums for a good deal of self-examination, to document his alcohol and substance

With bands such as Beach House, Fear Of Men and Purity Ring rediscovering the effects pedals of the dream-pop era,

The late Tony Conrad grew up trying to learn classical music while listening to bluegrass on the radio. These elements