Posts by Nathan Rodriguez

Good Light succeeds in flashes of minimalistic beauty, but falls short of delivering a knockout punch. The simplest explanation is the lyrics leave little to the imagination (See “I love you, I do”). By avoiding imagery and metaphor almost entirely, Holcomb does a fine job describing where he’s at, but falls short of transcending a particular context. This saccharine, heart-on-the-sleeve style of songwriting is kind of like a stick of gum: nice, kinda refreshing, but of fleeting resonance.

While there are moments that it’s convenient to say “Hey, this kinda sounds like _____,” enough counterexamples emerge to acclaim the quartet on their own accord. These guys can write a catchy tune with meaningful lyrics while keeping the music interesting—no small feat.  If Atlas Genius qualifies as pop music in 2013, bring it on.

Centralia is mood music, perhaps enjoyed best as a palate cleanser in a music library shuffle, or in certain settings—with a nice pair of headphones, during a yoga or meditation session, or as a soundtrack to the television during a 3am post-party.

With a name like Moon Taxi, the casual music fan might expect an electronica untz-fest that sounds better after midnight. Being so wrong rarely feels so right.

Following  Booker T Jones' 2009 Anti- release Potato Hole which won the Grammy for “Best Pop Instrumental Album,” the B-3  legend returns with The Road From Memphis. Produced by Jones with The Roots' ?uestlove and Rob Schnapf (Beck, Elliot Smith), Memphis was recorded by Daptone Records mastermind Gabriel Roth with backing by The Roots.

First, the good news: Bob Dylan Revealed features an abundance of anecdotes certain to satisfy some of the most hard-core Dylan fans.

With its fifth release, Garage a Trois has crafted an album destined to go down as one of the best instrumental releases of the last couple decades. That may sound a tad hyperbolic, but Always Be Happy but Stay Evil showcases the extraordinary range of four musicians at the top of their respective games. 

Live Forever is the 40th posthumous Bob Marley-related release.  Fortunately, it’s one of the better efforts, thanks to generally pristine audio quality and the significance of the show itself – Marley’s final concert, in which nearly all his utterances seem imbued with a prophetic quality.

He’s cultivating legions of fans through word of mouth and a reservoir of replay-worthy YouTube clips.  Glide goes overtime with unsigned phenomenon Wax, whose third album dropped in May.In Good to Great:  Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don’t, Jim Collins discusses what he terms the Flywheel Effect to explain traits of successful businesses.  In essence, it’s a blend of common sense and karma where equity from solid decisions accumulates over time – a classic case of the whole exceeding the sum of its parts.  At a certain point the momentum becomes a self-sustaining cycle and success is cemented.  It seems like Wax is nearing that sweet spot where escalating word of mouth yields enough traction to get a foothold in the music industry.  After his six-piece band dissolved a few years back, the Dunkirk, Maryland, native sat in his Nissan Sentra, flipped on a video camera and jumpstarted his solo career.

Add Charles R. Cross to the short list of authors that can seemingly produce definitive biographies at will.

Indie fans will naturally flock to Youth Group for their sensible chord progressions and thoughtful lyrics, but this is a band with the potential to attract fans of all types.

Legs to Make us Longer, showcases not only King’s mastery of the guitar, but also her ability to expand traditional boundaries of solo artistry.

Hawthorne, California’s dios malos has garnered esteemed press from the BBC to Rolling Stone, while being pegged as a “band to watch.” With their compelling Beach Boy harmonies, they’ve managed to remain as one of today’s best-kept secrets in music.