For a lot of us, our relationship to music was re-evaluated this year. For us, the biggest change was losing live music. We had to dig even deeper into our album listening and work hard to find that mental space that live music occupied. For those of you who all of a sudden had some […]

For us Phoenicians, it’s the time of year where we start to come to terms with our personal involvement with the heat. The first part of the summer is spent complaining about the oncoming heat and lamenting the cooler days. But, we’re in the home stretch and now is the time for action. In July, […]

STAFF PICKS Kimber – Antibalas Lindsay – Willie Watson Dario – Hope Sandoval & The Warm Inventions THIS WEEK’S NEW RELEASES Antibalas – Where The Gods Are In Peace CD/LP (Daptone) Antibalas new studio album is an epic Afro-Western Trilogy searching for solace from American political opportunism, greed and vengeance. Through its battle cry of resistance against exploitation […]

STAFF PICKS Kimber – Soul Of A Nation comp Lindsay – War On Drugs, Together Pangea Dario – Oh Sees THIS WEEK’S NEW RELEASES Alex Chilton – A Man Called Destruction [Reissue/1995] CD/2xLP+MP3 (Omnivore) As lead singer of The Box Tops and co-founder of Big Star, Alex Chilton already had a place in rock history. But […]

STAFF PICKS kimber – tarentel lindsay – psychic ills, whitney, minor victories dario – steve gunn jeff – whitney THIS WEEK’S NEW RELEASES 10,000 Maniacs – Playing Favorites CD (Omnivore) Recorded before an adoring crowd in Jamestown, NY, Playing Favoritesfeatures 14 live tracks, including hits and fan favorites from the group’s storied and influential career. The […]

Kacy & Clayton – Strange Country (New West) There’s no contesting the enduring nature of folk music. Even in between “revivals” and “waves” of folk entering and exiting the zeitgeist, you can always find a wealth of artists carrying the torch for the roots of most modern songs. While it’s usually split between more traditional styles […]

STAFF PICKS kimber – nada surf lindsay – thao and the get down stay down dario – heron oblivion jeff – rob crow’s gloomy place, THIS WEEK’S NEW RELEASES The Coral – Distance In Between CD/LP (Ignition) After a five-year hiatus The Coral return with their eighth studio album. Recorded at Liverpool’s Parr Street Studio with co-producer Richard Turvey, Distance […]

STAFF PICKS kimber – diiv lindsay – lucinda williams, diiv dario – nap eyes jeff – porches, diiv THIS WEEK’S NEW RELEASES Beacon – Escapements CD/LP+MP3 (Ghostly Int’l) “Our very own 2011 Band To Watch honorees Beacon tinker with beat-driven, addictive electro-pop goodness that works just as well on the dance floor or in headphones, and their […]

STAFF PICKS kimber – bloc party lindsay – crooked fingers reissues dario – night beats jeff – basement THIS WEEK’S NEW RELEASES   Basement – Promise Everything CD/LP+MP3/Cassette (Run For Cover) “Ipswich band Basement went on indefinite hiatus in 2013, just after releasing their second recordColourmeinkindness. Accruing a dedicated posthumous following, the band came back […]

STAFF PICKS kimber – el vy lindsay – all them witches dario – sonny smith jeff – all them witches THIS WEEK’S NEW RELEASES EL VY – Return To The Moon LP (4AD) Finally available on LP. El Vy (pronounced like a plural of Elvis; rhymes with ‘hell pie’) is the musical collaboration between Matt Berninger, vocalist […]