Popular Music
Charli packages existential angst and heartache in sly, self aware pop performances that manage to deftly fuse self-conscious artificiality with earnest passion.
This is the quintessential Club d’elf album, smartly arranged and surprisingly accessible without losing any of the group’s improvisational edges or exotic breadth.
Crooked Tree is the Molly Tuttle record we’ve been waiting for, one that is firmly rooted in bluegrass, but imbued with her own sharp style as a guitarist, singer, and songwriter.
To always be listening more and to therefore always be listening differently is of course the very nature of fandom, and to call What’s Good the work of a fan is not a putdown.
All three are singer/songwriters whose individual gifts mesh seamlessly with soaring harmonies and a like-minded empathetic view of the world.
Where Roadrunner goes from here remains to be seen, but Billy Strings did his part to open the room with a bang of a blessing.
Regardless of what’s to come, Ants From Up There represents a dizzying creative apex for Black Country, New Road.
Both experimental and welcoming, the double album proves more spontaneous in feel and expansive in style than past Big Thief outings.
David Bowie’s Toy is a solid, enjoyable, and buoyant effort from an artist who never failed to stay interesting and vital well into his later years.
For prog fans who consider that the proof of the pudding is long, complex songs with virtuosic solos and exotic instrumentation, no fear: To The Far Away is multi-textured and musically exciting.
Arts Commentary: These Goose Steps Don’t Lie — Shakira in El Salvador and the “New Security” Aesthetic