What is America? This question has been posed by sociologists and comedians with varying degrees of seriousness and sarcasm for decades. With such a large, diverse population, it can be hard to see a unifying concept beyond the English language. However, music and culture often bridge these gaps. South CarolinaContinue Reading
Australian artist Bradley Murray has been releasing sprawling instrumental music under the moniker The Finch Cycle since 2020. Having released two EPs, Murray has taken the leap to a full-length debut, collaborating with drummer Michael Evans-Barker and trombonist Brendan Bartlett on Mt. Pilot. The album leans into a shady, atmosphericContinue Reading
Photo by Samura Silva Manatee Commune – Simultaneity Soft and luscious sounds abound on “Love Tone”, the opening track on Simultaneity, the recent album from Seattleite Manatee Commune. This beatless introduction is not without rhythm but is mainly a layering of vocalises and ambient synths. It sets off an album ofContinue Reading
“Welcome to the deal of the century,” sings Londonite Jem Doulton on the opening track of his recent album Deal of the Century. It’s a clever narrative hook that draws the listener into the burning matters of the present. The subtly political, glaringly philosophical, and often sarcastic lyrics (“Tory, Tory,Continue Reading
Earlier this year, by the banks of the Avon River, English songwriter Jody Prewett entered a studio and recorded the songs he had been working on for a year and a half between Bristol and Bath. There wasn’t much nitpicking—no multiple takes or elaborate double-tracking. Prewett channelled the rough-and-tumble immediacyContinue Reading
Popular music critic Anthony Fantano once quipped, “In music, trends are always rising and fading in popularity, but nostalgia never dies.” His statement is supported by Comedowns, the fourth album from Bedford-based Luna Waves, the celestial stage name of Rob Muir. Muir’s songs are as heavenly as they are groundedContinue Reading
The phrase “ignorance is bliss,” coined by 18th-century poet Thomas Gray, seems to be an undeniable truism. However, bliss needn’t always be the end goal. One could make the case that it’s more interesting, exciting, and human to illuminate what terrifies you. One proponent of this idea is the rockContinue Reading
Photo by Pin Han Lim Nicholas Skalba – (circadian) ambience and soundscapes ambient Nicholas Skalba is a multi-instrumentalist composer from Chicago now based in Los Angeles. Having earned a master’s degree in scoring music for film and television from Columbia College Chicago, Skalba’s work is emboldened by theoretical know-how andContinue Reading
LA surf rockers Strawflower make a convincing argument for leaving it all behind in the name of debaucherous pleasures on their debut album “Greetings from the Stardust Motel”. Featuring a classy and mostly laid-back sound, the group flits between chillaxed beach vibes and darker forays into alternative rock, unanimously deliveredContinue Reading
The dulcet folk stylings of British-American folk songwriter pb, stage name of Phoebe Workman, are on full display across her debut album neither prose nor poetry. Through personable writing, up-close-and-personal performances, and fully-fleshed-out arrangements replete with sweeping orchestral strings, classy percussion, and stellar production, the album features songs collected fromContinue Reading