The pioneering alternative rock band R.E.M. officially disbanded in 2011, after more than 30 years making music that defied description. Allegedly, singer Michael Stipe chose the band’s name in 1980…
Critics have described indie singer-songwriter Natalie Prass variously as “stunning,” “sublime,” “charmingly delicate,” and also, bizarrely, as a Disney princess. The Nashville-based former Berklee College of Music student offers up a…
By now Miles Davis has become a cornerstone of modern music. We can’t get rid of him, which is good, because we would never want to. Miles Davis is inside us;…
Producer/songwriter duos depend on so many factors for their success, so when a great one comes along, we seize it and refuse to let go. Grab hold of “Colours,” by…
Merry Christmas baby You sure do treat me nice Soul icon Otis Redding’s short career was remarkably prolific. The highlights from his electrifying catalog are varied and buoyant, even in…
The aptly dubbed neo-blues duo The Black Keys have made a name for themselves by giving an old and hallowed genre a fresh sheen. Since forming in 2001, the hard-touring…
“Post-punk revivalists” Interpol have been likened to predecessors Joy Division and Echo and the Bunnymen, though the stamp of Jim Morrison and The Doors is also audible in their unapologetic,…
A standout record in Mark Kozelek’s long career is the critically-lauded 2014 release, Benji. The presence of everyday tragedies permeates the record and propels the keening voice of Kozelek, aka…
According to the experimental folk artist Mike Cooper, there is a tree in Almuñécar, in Southern Spain, that used to attract hundreds of birds. It inspired him to write the “avante…
The expert lyricism in the music of Conor Oberst, founding member of Bright Eyes, is not often rivaled. Bright Eyes’s 2005 album, I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning, peaked at #2 on the…
Some artists demand our respect right away, and others earn it over time. Justin Timberlake made a big splash as a cast member of The Mickey Mouse Club in the…
Lizzie Karr’s influences range from Ani DiFranco to James Brown. The Godfather of Soul’s funkiness is apparent in Karr’s latest single, “Run Like A Girl,” which trades DiFranco-style staccato verses…