Arcade Fire’s ‘Funeral’ Still Amazes As a Conceptual Statement
On Funeral, Arcade Fire found catharsis in music while processing grief for the loss of loved ones. As a result, they shifted the course of indie rock.
chamber pop
Susanna Distills Life with ‘Meditations on Love’
Norway’s Susanna aims to distill the world and bring it down to a set of uncomfortable truths on this album. Love will tear us apart again and again.
Alex Izenberg Makes a Grand Statement with His Exiles
Alex Izenberg & the Exiles sees the artist take another step in his evolution as a songwriter, and his supporting cast helps him reach that next crest.
Taylor Swift: The Great American Poet?
It’s not literary devices that make something poetry or the analysis we perform, but the emotion it elicits through them, which is why Taylor Swift is a poet.
Baroque Pop Songstress Margo Guryan Immortalized in New Boxed Set
With her keen feel for tone, phrasings, tension, presence, and lyrics that cut, Margo Guryan is synonymous with the most sophisticated 1960s songcraft.
Thin Lear Reveals an Uncanny Ear for Melody
Thin Lear’s EP is a unique and instantly lovable combination of indie folk and chamber pop and a superb showcase for Matt Longo’s immense songwriting abilities.
Curtis McMurtry Takes on Spring with ‘The Pollen & The Rot’
In The Pollen & The Rot, folk singer-songwriter Curtis McMurtry casts spring as the season as when sex and longing overwhelm the senses and turn us into beasts.
Beth Gibbons Ventures Out on ‘Lives Outgrown’
Lives Outgrown seems like an outgrowth of where Beth Gibbons’ mind and talents have taken her in the past decade, which is to ruminate on how life is a vapor.
Camera Obscura Find That Life Goes On No Matter the Direction
Earlier, Camera Obscura contrasted their mocking pessimism of adult life with innocence. The group may still be twee, but their sneer has become more of a frown.
The High Llamas Embrace Their Past, Present, and Future
Long-standing art pop collective, the High Llamas take big risks on their latest LP, redefining their sound with hip-hop, R&B, and a lot of Auto-Tune.
Julia Holter Goes Underwater to Find Room to Move
Julia Holter drips her semi-conscious thoughts on the musical canvas to access her artistic sensibility, but she seems a bit unsure of the process.
Laura Wolf Brings Emotional Resonance to Glitches and Samples on ‘Shelf Life’
Laura Wolf takes us on a true sonic adventure, marrying glitchy samples with emotional execution. It makes you want to hear more from this unique voice.