Category: ESSENTIAL NEW MUSIC

In its native Portugal, the decades-old the Gift is a moody marvel of alt- art-pop: an electronically induced ensemble led

Chicago’s Flatfoot 56 continues to defy odds. For 17 years, the band has thrived playing faith- based, traditional, instrument-accented Celtic

Arto Lindsay sings in a delicate, narrow range inspired by Caetano Veloso, João Gilberto and other Tropicália stars he heard

What an odd, creakily compelling record this is. Irish new-folk singer Fionn Regan, heretofore largely content to work in acoustic-guitar-and-voice

Onstage, Mac DeMarco is a goofball imp, good-natured if slightly asinine; on record, he’s a serene, sincere, soft-pop balladeer. Those

In 2006, Canadian Elizabeth Powell transitioned from pretty pop solo project Ele_K* to anthemic riot grrrl-tinged Land Of Talk, cranking

There was a time when Juliana Hatfield played coy, but the toxic muse behind Pussycat’s bittersweet melodies and crunchy guitar

Like  their  instro-rock  forefathers  the  Ventures, Nashville’s Los Straitjackets have never shied away from a good gimmick. The guys wear

Pond’s most endearing and admirable quality is also one with the potential to drive listeners nuts. The Perth, Australia, quartet’s

In 1975, Suicide Commandos were Minneapolis’ version of something that was festering independently in every locale worldwide: They were the

Since its 1999 formation, the Octopus Project has evolved from raw, 8-bit thrift-store electronic experimentalists to more sophisticated 8-bit avant-garde

After almost two decades of silence, Blondie reunited in 1999, and this fifth post-reunion project tips its hat to the