Posts by Joey Willis

For nearly two decades, The Antlers have occupied a rare space in indie music: crafting hushed, emotionally charged records that balance intimacy with atmosphere. With Blight, their first full-length in four years, Peter Silberman sharpens his lyrical focus outward, channeling ecological unease and collective fragility into a set of stark but deeply human songs. Recorded largely […]

Released in 1965, Farewell, Angelina marked an important step forward for Joan Baez. By her fifth studio album, she had already established herself as the defining voice of the folk revival, but here she began to expand her sound and repertoire. For the first time, Baez included electric accompaniment, courtesy of Bruce Langhorne’s subtle guitar […]

When A Perfect Circle released Mer de Noms in 2000, the band immediately stood apart from the crowded rock landscape of the era. Formed by guitarist Billy Howerdel, with Maynard James Keenan stepping outside of his role in Tool to provide vocals, the group fused heavy riffs with atmosphere and restraint in a way that […]

First released in 1956, Kenny Drew’s self-titled Kenny Drew Trio has long been one of those records that says more than its reputation suggests. Drew, who would later settle in Copenhagen and build a life in European jazz circles, is heard here in New York with bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Philly Joe Jones, two […]

Mason Lindahl has always been an artist who thrives in spaces between clarity and abstraction. His 2009 release Serrated Man Sound introduced his austere, fingerpicked style, while 2021’s Kissing Rosy in the Rain brought his music to a wider audience, praised for its intimate, gothic beauty. With Joshua / Same Day Walking, Lindahl delivers his […]

When Milo Goes to College landed in 1982, it didn’t just mark the debut of the Descendents, it redrew the lines of American punk. While the hardcore scene of the time often leaned into aggression, nihilism, and politics, the Descendents broke the mold by writing songs about coffee, boredom, awkward crushes, and suburban frustration. The […]

Kenny Burrell’s 1957 self-titled album is a short, inviting set that shows off why he’s considered one of jazz guitar’s greats. Backed by baritone saxophonist Cecil Payne, pianist Tommy Flanagan, bassist Doug Watkins, and drummer Elvin Jones, Burrell leads with warmth, clarity, and effortless style. At just over 36 minutes, it’s a tight collection, but […]

Frank Wess, John Coltrane, Paul Quinichette, Mal Waldron, Doug Watkins, and Art Taylor’s Wheelin’ and Dealin’ is a compact but thrilling snapshot of hard bop energy from 1958. Clocking in at just over 35 minutes, the session feels more like a live club set than a polished studio date, which gives it an immediacy that’s […]

When Jon Wurster left Superchunk in 2023, it felt like the end of an era. His three-decade tenure had been central to the band’s chemistry, and few groups survive that kind of change intact. But instead of folding, Superchunk welcomed drummer Laura King, leaned into their scrappy instincts, and made Songs in the Key of Yikes, a […]

Cass McCombs’ eleventh album, Interior Live Oak feels like a homecoming that’s less about nostalgia and more about reconnection. Named for a hardy tree species native to Northern California, the album finds McCombs returning to the Bay Area, where he first honed his craft, with some of his earliest collaborators, including Jason Quever and Chris Cohen. The […]

When Stax Records took its roster on the road in 1965, it wasn’t just a concert; it was a showcase of soon-to-be legends. Stax Revue: Live in ’65 captures two such moments from that year: a charged two-night stand at Los Angeles’ 5-4 Ballroom and a looser, homegrown showcase at Memphis’ Club Paradise. Together, they […]

At the dawn of the 1960s, the jazz world stood on the edge of bold transformation, and Looking Ahead is a snapshot of that moment, bristling with experimentation, yet grounded in the tradition both its leaders had mastered. Released on the New Jazz label, this collaboration pairs 24-year-old Ken McIntyre, fresh from the Boston Conservatory […]

By the time Benny Golson recorded Gone With Golson in 1959, he had already carved out a strong reputation as both a formidable tenor saxophonist and a gifted composer. With roots in bands led by Lionel Hampton and Dizzy Gillespie, Golson’s résumé was as rich as his tone. Gone With Golson marked his fifth release […]

When Now That I’ve Found You: A Collection first arrived in 1995, Alison Krauss was already a rising force in the bluegrass world. But few could have predicted just how profoundly this compilation would alter the course of her career and the perception of bluegrass itself. Compiled when she was just 23, the album works […]

By the time Héctor Lavoe released El Sabio in 1980, he had already established himself as salsa’s most captivating figure: a gifted vocalist with impeccable phrasing and charisma who brought vulnerability, humor, and fire to every performance. El Sabio may not be his most commercially celebrated album, but it stands as one of his most […]

By the time Metiendo Mano! hit shelves in 1977, salsa was already becoming a dominant force in Latin music, but this album marked a subtle yet powerful turning point. It was the first collaboration between Willie Colón and a then-rising Rubén Blades. While their next project, Siembra, would become a commercial juggernaut, Metiendo Mano! is […]

Released in 1995, the Clueless soundtrack captures a specific moment in pop culture when alternative rock was crossing into the mainstream, and teen movies were starting to reflect a broader range of sounds and moods. Like the film itself, the soundtrack balances bright surfaces with more thoughtful undercurrents, pulling together a mix of guitar-driven pop, […]

25 years after its original release, Elliott Smith’s Figure 8 returns on deluxe vinyl—restored, remastered, and more emotionally immediate than ever. Long considered his most sonically expansive album, this new edition doesn’t just honor the legacy of Smith’s final studio effort—it sharpens it. Previously only available digitally, Figure 8 (Deluxe Edition) marks the first time […]

Norman Greenbaum’s 1969 debut solo album, Spirit in the Sky, often gets distilled down to its one iconic single, but there’s more to explore beneath that fuzzed guitar riff. Produced by Erik Jacobsen (known for his work with the Lovin’ Spoonful), this record blends raw rock energy with subtle gospel and psychedelic leanings. Although Greenbaum […]

With Early Waves, Chicago drummer and composer Peter Manheim emerges not just as a sideman with range, but as a sonic architect capable of designing entire musical ecosystems. A follow-up to 2023’s In Time EP, this debut full-length expands his vision into something vast yet intimate, drawing from his roots in jazz and global percussion […]