Music Reviews

Alex G's God Save the Animals careens between right and wrong, beauty and noise.

Music & Culture

The uneasy confessions of Alex G

5:01am September 21, 2022

by Hazel Cills

As a songwriter, Alex Giannascoli has long taken a mutating, playfully distorted approach. But on his new album, full of songs about morality, he astutely focuses every magic trick in his discography.

Following the Frigid Stars LP, slowcore trio Codeine went to Harold Dessau Recording studio in New York City in 1992. Pictured here, left to right: Stephen Immerwahr, Chris Brokaw and John Engle.

Music & Culture

Codeine's lost album 'Dessau' feels like a ghost

8:56am September 20, 2022

by Sarah Hennies

Scrapped and shelved until now, Dessau mirrors a particularly fraught moment for the slowcore band.

Music & Culture

Take a musical moment for singer Rina Sawayama's new album

5:38pm September 18, 2022

Laura Snapes, music editor for The Guardian, reviews Sawayama's "Hold the Girl."

On Hideous Bastard, Sim uses horror tropes in songs about celebrating what makes us monstrous.

Music & Culture

On 'Hideous Bastard,' Oliver Sim mines horror tropes to embrace queer identity

10:00am September 17, 2022

by Cyrena Touros

On his debut solo album, Sim — best known as a member of The xx — takes inspiration from horror movie villains on songs that look for humanity in the aspects of our identity that society rejects.

Each track on Rina Sawayama's Hold The Girl is extremely, outlandishly major, proceeding at an exhausting intensity.

Music & Culture

On 'Hold the Girl,' Rina Sawayama's stadium sound obscures her signature appeal

5:51pm September 16, 2022

by Laura Snapes

The pop singer has superstar ambition and a knack for clever genre collisions. But while her new album sometimes matches intensity with innovation, it more often grinds her nuanced story to a paste.

The songs on Quinn Christopherson's debut album, Write Your Name In Pink, try to make peace with the hand life has dealt.

Music & Culture

On Quinn Christopherson's debut album, stories of growth emerge in monumental details

9:00am September 16, 2022

by Marissa Lorusso

On Write Your Name In Pink, the Alaskan singer-songwriter turns a compassionate eye towards his memories, threading together small moments to reveal moving stories about love, addiction and growth.

Born Brittney Parks and nicknamed Sudan as a child, the artist is driven by her intense curiosity.

Music & Culture

Sudan Archives' vibrant music of exploration

12:14pm September 09, 2022

by Stephen Kearse

The self-taught violinist, producer, and songwriter doesn't just experience or consume global sounds; she interacts with them. Natural Brown Prom Queen feels like a world tour of her brain.

The Elephant Man's Bones gives the impression of two artists journeying at their own pace to meet a mutual musical summit.

Music & Culture

'The Elephant Man's Bones' is the culmination of two careers

10:28pm September 07, 2022

by Phillip Mlynar

Holed up on opposite coasts, Roc Marciano and the Alchemist, two key figures in underground rap, have been gradually moving toward a shared sonic goal, reaching an apex with their new album.

On his new album, Sean Shibe ditches his nylon-strung classical guitar for a Fender Stratocaster.

Music & Culture

Sean Shibe, a shape-shifting artist, redefines the idea of a classical guitarist

4:51pm August 29, 2022

by Tom Huizenga

The Scottish guitarist defies expectations, ditching his traditional nylon-strung instrument for a Fender Stratocaster to play a startling range of music – from Meredith Monk to Chick Corea.

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Music & Culture

This reissue proves Roger Miller was more than just a novelty act

1:52pm August 24, 2022

by Ken Tucker

Best known for novelty songs like "King of the Road," Miller was also a serious songwriter who wrote ballads for artists such as Ray Price. Miller's '70 album A Trip in the Country is newly available.

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