Popular Music

Festival Review: Ten for Ten at Big Ears in Knoxville

April 10, 2023
Posted in , , ,

In honor of Big Ears’ tenth edition, here’s a look at ten of my favorite festival moments.

Concert Review: Le Vent du Nord — Five Formidable Quebecois Voices

April 9, 2023
Posted in , , ,

Touring to support their 20th anniversary CD, 20 Printemps, Le Vent du Nord delivered  a master class in musicianship.

Music Remembrance: Burt Bacharach — Stealth Pop Composer

February 10, 2023
Posted in , , , ,

Without us even knowing it, Burt Bacharach opened up our ears.

Folk Album Reviews: Hearing The Real Thing — Field Recorders’ Collective’s Commitment to Traditional American Music

February 8, 2023
Posted in , , , ,

The Field Recorders’ Collective is dedicated to preserving and distributing non-commercial recordings of traditional American music that are not available to the general public. In January, took three gems out of the archive and made them available to stream and download.

Electronic Music Review: Macroblank’s ANALOG レアリティ– Plenty of Scarcity to Go Around

January 5, 2023
Posted in , , ,

A commentator on Macroblank’s Bandcamp page makes this telling assertion: “AI is Macroblank. Macroblank is AI.”

Film Feature: Best Music Documentaries of 2022

December 31, 2022
Posted in , , , ,

2022 in music documentaries: Ten worth streaming, plus a disappointment.

Music Feature: 20 Moments That Made Us Glad Live Music Returned in 2022

December 30, 2022
Posted in , , , , , , ,

Still, for all the gloom and doom, there’s no question that a bountiful amount of live music was finally on offer throughout the year as musicians and presenters continued to defy the odds.

Arts Feature: The Best in Popular Music 2022

December 21, 2022
Posted in , , , ,

Our music critics pick some of the standout albums and performances of 2022.

Chiptune Album Review: YMCK’s “Family Innovation” — 8bit Cynicism Toward Web 3.0

December 3, 2022
Posted in , , ,

In its ninth album, YMCK shows that it is becoming self-aware. They are no longer just avatars we are to identify with, but also (satirically) the corporate entity behind them, a corporation preoccupied, like all others, with innovation.

Country Album Review: Robin Lane’s Current and Cathartic “Dirt Road to Heaven”

October 26, 2022
Posted in , , , ,

Channeling equal parts Lucinda Williams and Levon Helm, the album features Robin Lane’s rich, earthy voice supported by sparse instrumentation.

Recent Posts

Popular Posts

Categories

Archives