New Music From Leif Vollebekk
“Hot Tears” and “Blood Brother” are the first singles from New Ways, Leif Vollebekk’s follow-up to 2017’s critically-acclaimed Twin Solitude. Twin Solitude was a breakthrough album for the Montreal-based artist, landing a spot on the Polaris Music Prize shortlist and a Juno nomination. Garnering more than 23 million streams, the record was praised by NPR […]
Devendra Banhart Performs Songs From Ma For KCRW’s MBE
Graham had the distinct privilege earlier this week of being invited to travel out to the KCRW studios in Santa Monica to witness Devendra Banhart‘s intimate and gorgeous performance on Morning Becomes Eclectic. According to the station, Banhart’s “colorful musical palette was on full display during a recent session for Morning Becomes Eclectic. Blending languages […]
New Music From Bootstraps
Bootstraps is the moniker of singer and songwriter Jordan Beckett, who learned to play guitar after an injury interrupted his college baseball career. Originally from Portland, Beckett’s first steps into songwriting and recording were influenced by the rich indie backdrop of the Pacific Northwest. Beckett eventually moved to Los Angeles to pursue screenwriting, but turned […]
SLUG Says Fruit Bats Expand On Gold Past Life
In a review of Fruit Bats’ Gold Past Life, SLUG Mag explains that the band has “added a lot to their sound in this release by featuring lots of keyboard driven elements that help to blur the lines between rock, folk and pop.” According to SLUG, the record sounds like Dr. Dog, Blitzen Trapper, Phoenix, […]
Tinariwen – #1 At NACC World For Five Straight Weeks – Is Reviewed By The Times Argus
The Barre Montpelier Times Argus reviewed Tinariwen's Amadjar in advance of the collective's Burlington performance last month. According to the Times Argus, "Tinariwen’s ninth album marks a return to a stripped-down sound that harkens their musical roots of playing outside around campfires as political exiles living in refugee settlements. It’s a beautifully subdued album that […]
The Latest Noise Converses With Particle Kid
Micah Nelson, who recently released a new LP Window Rock under the Particle Kid moniker, spoke with The Latest Noise on the eve of its release. The conversation touches on all aspects of Nelson’s craft, which extends beyond the noisy, experimental art-rock he creates as Particle Kid and includes work with Neil Young, Sunny War, […]
New Music From Gregory Ackerman
LA-based singer-songwriter Gregory Ackerman’s Stresslove EP is made of “love songs meant for those who had fallen out of love” and was produced by Pierre de Reeder, the former bassist of Rilo Kiley and the engineer of recent recordings with bandmate Jenny Lewis, M. Ward, She & Him, and other notable songwriters. De Reeder adds […]
Mxdwn Premieres “Cashmere” By TENTS
TENTS released a new video for “Cashmere,” one of the songs on their huge-sounding new release Medicine. The song premiered last week via Mxdwn, which says the LP is “filled with lovable indie pop gems.” The Cashmere clip, created by the band, combines old-looking video clips with kaleidoscopic images of TENTS. Enjoy it here. TENTS […]
Pitchfork and Paste Place Nérija On Lists
Nérija‘s Blume is one of the best albums you may have overlooked over the summer, according to Pitchfork. The site calls the record “both familiar and refreshingly new,” writing that it “allows space for all their members’ distinct voices.” See the full list here. In its feature on notable vinyl releases from August 2019, which […]
World Cafe Broadcasts The Bird And The Bee
Tune in today to hear The Bird and the Bee play songs from their newest album Interpreting The Masters Volume 2: A Tribute To Van Halen on World Cafe. You can hear the WXPN Philadelphia stream today at 2pm EDT (11 am PDT) at XPN.org by choosing WXPN from the ‘Listen Live’ drop-down at the top […]
TENTS Go For Adds
TENTS is a family band consisting of vocalists Amy and Brian Hall, who are partners and parents, along with guitarist/producer Chris Hall. Recently, they’ve been joined by Joe Greenetz (Sherwood) on drums and Matt Taylor (Motion City Soundtrack) on bass. Based in Portland, OR, the band serves up neighborhood nostalgia with a slant. TENTS has […]
Take Effect Says Sunny War Has Hit A New Career High
Take Effect says Sunny War has hit “a career high” on her 2019 album Shell Of A Girl. The LP, according to the review, “touches on many of the darker sides of the status quo with a lyrically upfront delivery that musically borrows from folk, blues, country and rock, yet with a biting edge leftover […]
Devendra Banhart Tells American Songwriter About The Making Of Ma
In a recent interview with American Songwriter, Devendra Banhart explains how his songs have changed on his new album Ma. About the lyrical content, Banhart says, “I noticed that there weren’t any characters. I wasn’t really writing as somebody else, which is something I always do. Every record there’s about three or four character songs, […]
GoPride Talks With Inara George Of The Bird And The Bee
GoPride has an interview with Inara George, one half of The Bird And The Bee, from a Chicago stop the band made on their tour behind Interpreting The Masters Volume 2: A Tribute To Van Halen. The wide-ranging interview touches on that album, as well as the band’s history of recording – and finding success […]
Devendra Banhart Preps For Ma Tour, Which Begins Next Week
Devendra Banhart‘ is gearing up for a tour behind Ma, his new album available now from Nonesuch. The album has been a critical success; Uncut called it “his most focused work,” while Pitchfork says it’s “a record rich with takeaways.” Read a roundup of reviews, via Metacritic, right here, and catch Banhart on the road […]
The Vinyl Anachronist Gets Behind the New One From Sunny War
Part-Time Audiophile’s Vinyl Anachronist calls Sunny War “a prolific artist, the kind who keeps releasing quality albums because there’s so much she needs to say.” The site lovingly reviewed her 2018, With The Sun, and now it has thrown its weight behind her new offering Shell Of A Girl. Comparing War To Tracy Chapman, to […]
Arts Fuse Recommends Tinariwen Live
We’re elated over the success of Tinariwen‘s Amadjar. The record has topped the NACC World chart for a month, and it’s also reached the top of the Earshot International and Transglobal World Music charts. One of the most magical aspects of the record, however, is how well it captures the live energy of the Tuareg […]
KUTX Shares Fruit Bats In-Studio Session
Fruit Bats‘ summer release, Gold Past Life, is still getting lots of radio play and charting high at the NACC Radio 200. A big reason for this is the album’s quality, but another has been a relentless tour schedule that has put the band in front of ravenous fans throughout the US and Canada. As […]
New Music From Mount Eerie with Julie Doiron
Over the past couple of decades, Phil Elverum – who initially released music as The Microphones before transitioning to the Mount Eerie moniker – has developed a cult-like following amongst listeners for his sonic adventurousness, prolific creation, wry lyricism, and relentlessly DIY ethos. Yet his last few years have been a whirlwind of change. A […]
The Absolute Sound Explores The Sonic Universe Of The Flaming Lips’ King’s Mouth
The Absolute Sound says the new King's Mouth LP from The Flaming Lips is "yet another lofty chapter to the Lips’ keen catalog of wide-eyed aural head trips." The review specifically mentions the album's stunning sound design, writing that "the cinematic nature of King’s Mouth comes across in full-bore exploratory Lips style, challenging stereo soundfield […]
