There’s something immediately compelling about a song title like ‘The Boy You Love To Burn’. It suggests affection tangled with damage, desire sharpened by repetition and a relationship sustained partly by the very pain that should have ended it. And on his latest single, Seattle singer-songwriter Brian Noyes draws that tension into aContinue Reading

There’s something especially unsettling about a song that refuses to rush its anger. And on their latest release ‘WHAT YOU LOST’, Rome duo TOTAL REVERENDS build their tension slowly, allowing a descending guitar figure to circle with increasing menace while the rhythm section tightens around it. The result is a piece of heavy,Continue Reading

The organizing principle behind Lisa B’s ’60s Magic Now!: The Y-Verse began with wordplay. Every cover on the album has a title containing the letter Y: “Ruby Tuesday,” “Spooky,” “Windy,” “Everybody Get Together,” “The Times They Are A-Changin’,” and “Dear Mr. Fantasy.” From that simple observation, Lisa developed an entireContinue Reading

Heartbreak rarely respects the clock. It can remain manageable through the distractions of daylight, only to return once the room is dark, the phone is silent and there is nothing left to interrupt the mind. And on ‘Insomniac’, rising pop artist Zack Morris joins Caleb Hearn for an emotionally direct account of those hours whenContinue Reading

Country music has always been closely tied to place. Its strongest records tend to emerge from landscapes the songwriter understands instinctively, where weather, work and community shape not only the imagery but also the emotional character of the songs. While on ‘Northern State of Mind’, Rob Bellamy & The Rebel Hearts draw thatContinue Reading