Album Reviews

Over the last few years, the Dublin, Ireland-based Inhaler has been touring the world, opening for some heavy hitters like Harry Styles, Arctic Monkeys, Pearl Jam, and Kings of Leon. Now, with their third album, Wide Open, the band seems to have taken successful aspects of all of those acts and filtered them into their arena-ready, pop-rock sound, crafting their strongest record […]

Over the past decade, Maribou State has carved out a unique space in electronic music, blending warm, organic textures with deep, intricate production. The UK duo—Chris Davids and Liam Ivory—first gained attention with their 2015 debut Portraits, which fused downtempo electronica with live instrumentation, followed by 2018’s Kingdoms in Colour, an album rich with global […]

Progressive metal powerhouse Dream Theater is back with a new album of epic, expertly crafted melodic metal. With Parasomnia, the Boston rockers that helped pioneer the prog-metal scene reunite its best lineup for the first time since 2009. Founding drummer Mike Portnoy returns alongside founding guitarist John Petrucci, founding bassist John Myung, and James LaBrie, […]

Two decades into their run, Seattle-based Americana band Massy Ferguson can’t be accused of writing the same album over and over again. On You Can’t Tell Me I’m Not What I Used To Be, their seventh record, the band that has built a loyal fan base around their ability to deftly walk that line between […]

Even the most knowledgeable jazz fans might be surprised to learn that saxophonist James Brandon Lewis (JBL) has issued 16 albums. Yet, since his widely lauded 2021 Jesup Wagon, most of us approach his albums with great expectations. The beauty of JBL is that each of his albums is very different, though linked by his […]

When first viewing this title, “Hopium,” it seemed appropriate in today’s climate. While half the country, the side that lost the election, tries to be hopeful, most are just so disillusioned that it’s as if they are in a drug-induced stupor with silenced voices. Saxophonist and composer Dayna Stephens plies this emotional pendulum of hope […]

For the past several albums since the pandemic, Joe Ely has pored over the material in his hefty archives for hours on end, and now we have the fourth album from that effort, Love and Freedom. This one is bit different in a few ways. Ely found these rough track demos, but the multi-track aspect disappeared. No […]

The members of Horsebath may all be born and bred Canadians, but their record collection is clearly crammed with musicians well south of the border. Their 10-song debut, Another Farewell, is slathered in Cosmic Country, Tex Mex and Americana, bringing to mind everyone from Gram Parsons to Doug Sahm. But they also manage to sneak […]

Since the shooting star that was their 2021 debut, Squid has been hellbent on changing rock music standards. Their first two albums established them as art-rock-connoisseurs, morphing the rules of the genre until they were left in unrecognizable, melodic heaps. The five-piece thrives in the unconventional, but their unrelenting trust in each other is where […]

David Quinn emerged as a recording artist in April of 2019 with his debut album, Wanderin’ Fool, a Dylan-esque record reminiscent of The Band era, with a turn-of-the-century vibe featuring Boogie-woogie shuffles alongside country ballads. Quinn became known for his authentic storytelling and traditional sound, which continued to resonate on follow-up recordings.  2020’s Letting Go was characterized by […]