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The Jazz Butcher’s Indie Pop Genesis
Very long ago, in the mists of the early 1980s, “indie” and “pop” had not yet conjoined to become a compound word. There was the pop that inhabited the charts, and there was everything else. But the...
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Album of the Day: Ian Chang, “Spiritual Leader”
Even if you don’t recognize Ian Chang’s name, you’ve likely heard him drumming somewhere before. The Brooklyn-based, Hong Kong-born percussionist is best known for recording and touring with outfits...
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On “Kalenda,” The Lost Bayou Ramblers Blend Cajun Music With Dance & Psych
Photo by Zach Smith. “You don’t just stop at one point and say, ‘This is where the tradition ends,'” says Louis Michot of Lost Bayou Ramblers. “Tradition has to keep growing and keep breathing to...
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Portico Quartet on the Future of Art in the Modern Age
Photo by Duncan Bellamy. Ever since they formed in 2005, the London-based Portico Quartet have been difficult to define. They were labeled a jazz band following their 2008 Mercury Prize nomination for...
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Pierre Kwenders’s Pan-African Pop
Pierre Kwenders—born José Louis Modabi—has one of the most excellent press photos you’ll see this year. What looks like a cool and calculated shot of him relaxing on a rug with a lustrous poodle...
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Album of the Day: Talibam!, “Endgame of the Anthropocene”
A churning, 34-minute cover of “When the Saints Go Marching In” (from 2006’s Buns and Gutter). A gratuitously goofy rap LP (2012’s Puff Up the Volume). A brain-scrambling remix of the latest My Bloody...
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Discover the World of Australian Psych
Beaches by Darren Sylvester. While AC/DC, the Bee Gees, and INXS are probably Australia’s most famous musical exports, the country has long had an outstanding psychedelic rock scene. But even though...
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Creative Control: A Guide to Rapper O.C.’s Essential Catalog
The intro to O.C.’s 1994 album Word…Life, one of New York’s most fully realized rap debuts, gave listeners fair warning: “Get your ears ready for creative control / ‘Cause no one’s gonna tell me how...
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Pierce Freelon: The M is for Mayoral, the C is for Candidate
Photos by Kennedi Carter. The Reverend Curtis Gatewood moves with purpose and determination toward the microphone. He’s impeccably dressed—clean cut, dark suit—and he strides through the standing room...
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Album of the Day: Havah, “Contravveleno”
Italian post-punk group Havah are no trend-hoppers, though their crisp darkwave sound might come as a surprise if you were a fan of Michele Camorani’s previous bands, La Quiete and Raein—messy,...
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Wolves in the Throne Room Return to Black Metal on “Thrice Woven”
Photos by Chona Kasinger. “Making this record almost killed me.” That’s Wolves In The Throne Room drummer and co-founder Aaron Weaver talking about the band’s latest album, Thrice Woven. He’s...
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From Night Bus to Worldwide with Hush Hush Records
“I feel like a label is like raising a child—you got to feed it,” says Alex Ruder. The founder and sole proprietor of Seattle’s Hush Hush records has kept his label alive and well, using it to release...
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Sludge Metal: Doom’s Filthier Sibling
Melvins Sludge metal is an oozing, bulbous hybrid of doom metal and lo-fi, messy punk. Where doom bands like Skepticism or Esoteric adopt a slow, grandiose, unearthly sound, sludge is more visceral and...
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This Week’s Essential Releases: Afrobeat, Glam Pop, Experimental Synth & More
Welcome to Seven Essential Releases, our weekly roundup of the best music on Bandcamp. Each week, we’ll recommend six new albums, plus pick an older LP from the stacks that you may have missed. Alex...
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Album of the Day: Daphni, “Joli Mai”
Is there a way to make a musical virtue of understated ecstasy? That’s the question that Daphni, the dance music-minded alias of Caribou’s Dan Snaith, seems to be asking. While his main outfit has...
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Don’t Call it Synthwave: Navigating Necro Deathmort’s “Overland”
Photo by Eleanor Short. Necro Deathmort’s music defies categorization as fiercely as David Lynch’s nonlinear narratives defy any single “correct” interpretation. Formed by Matthew Rozeik and AJ Cookson...
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Album of the Day: Common Holly, “Playing House”
On “If After All,” the opening track of Common Holly’s debut album Playing House, Brigitte Naggar repeats the mantra “Let’s take this one day at a time,” her words echoing gently over a staccato...
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Bell Witch Turn Personal Tragedy Into a Doom Metal Opus
Photo by David Choe. At first pass, the third full-length from Seattle doom metal duo Bell Witch seems designed to test its audience’s resolve. Mirror Reaper consists of a lone track of the same name,...
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Better Know a College Radio Station: Save KUCR!
For many obsessive fans who grew up in the pre-Internet era, a passion for music was sparked in the dingy basements and dark booths of college radio stations. Despite sound boards that are decades...
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Petra Glynt Brings People Power to Her Experimental Pop
Photo by Kate Young. This summer, Petra Glynt posted a message to her Instagram account, its floral-printed background belying the seriousness of its message. It read, “I want this to be known to the...
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