Reviews

Escapism is a fickle beast to control. When used properly, it can serve as a meditative retreat in your day-to-day life when a minute is all you need, but when it overtakes you, you become distracted and detached from your sense of reality. For Rachel Lime, the singer/songwriter/producer, time seems to be suspended in her […]

Cass McCombs has long been something of a shapeshifter. Over more than two decades, he has continued to evolve his sound while always occupying a niche in the indie rock scene. Case in point is Interior Live Oak (REVIEW), which was surely one of the better albums of 2025 and finds McCombs moving toward a […]

This past Saturday, April 4th, Zakk Wylde’s Berserker faithful infiltrated Boston’s MGM Music Hall as if it were a Viking war party, turning the room into a pressure cooker of sweat, BLS T-shirts, and denim. This wasn’t just another stop on the circuit; it was a scorched-earth revival. Black Label Society was back, hauling their […]

Springtime in the Pacific Northwest tends to feel like the scene in the film Pleasantville when everything goes from black and white to color. The months-long gloom is replaced by blossoming and new life, the feeling of fresh energy and awakening. Here in Portland, Oregon, the crowds were out on an absolutely stunning Saturday, April […]

Joe Pernice has been playing an uncompromising brand of indie music for more than three decades now. He dug into alternative country with the Boston-based Scud Mountain Boys before switching to a more indie rock/pop sound with the Pernice Brothers. But it’s his latest—and first—solo studio effort, where he strips it all down for a […]

Charley Crockett has always been a prolific artist, stretching the limits of his imaginative approach to country, which toes the line between tradition and the lofty. Recently, though, the long-standing troubadour has been releasing distinct, genre-altering releases, starting with 2025’s Lonesome Drifter and Dollar A Day, which arrived a few short months later. These two […]

The long-running, Seattle, Washington-based drone metal act Sunn O)))))) returns with their first new music in seven years, as their tenth album is a self-titled offering and their first for new label Sub Pop.  The duo of Stephen O’Malley and Greg Anderson has been performing for over thirty years, pushing avant-garde metal and noise rock […]

There has always been a warm, welcoming familiarity to Thundercat’s voice. The innovative contemporary multidisciplinary artist expresses a charming humanity through his dream-like falsetto, and more of the world takes notice as time goes by. The artist’s jovial approach to the harshness of reality and expert jazz fusion work has led him to A-list collaborations, […]

Keyboardist, vocalist, and bandleader Cory Henry won a Grammy in 2025 for his Church album, which contains a collection of songs inspired by his church upbringing and experiences in Brooklyn, NY. He has created a monthly concert series based on that musical inspiration. The series takes place on the last Sunday of each month at […]

The 2026 edition of Big Ears Festival once again turned downtown Knoxville into a dense, choose-your-own-adventure listening experience spanning four days, dozens of venues, and a lineup of almost 250 performances that leaned heavily into contrast. Across the sets from Flying Lotus to David Byrne, Reggie Watts to Dirty Three, John Scofield Trio to MJ […]

Bruce Hornsby didn’t want to record this album. After a five-year run of musically intrepid and critically acclaimed studio LPs – Absolute Zero, Non-Secure Connection, ‘Flicted, Deep Sea Vents – as well as entire albums’ worth of still-unreleased material, the virtuoso pianist suddenly found himself “creatively fried.” Despite his best, well-intentioned efforts to step away from songwriting […]

Maria Taylor started working on Story’s End—her latest LP—six years ago, beginning with a handful of quiet, stripped-down demos in her home studio. There was no real rush to follow up her 2019 self-titled effort, but fractures in both her marriage and a close friendship found her leaning back into these songs once again. The […]

On March 27, the Free Jazz Collective Irreversible Entanglements released Future Present Past, their moving and daring new LP. The spellbinding ten-song album successfully balanced the band’s dark experimentation and refreshing takes on spiritual jazz traditions with an urgent message meant to uplift and alarm, featuring a tracklist that ranges from risk-filled cacophonies, like the […]

Following so closely on the heels of the January 2026 concert piece One Moment in Time – Live In The USA, the re-release of Robin Trower’s 1975 Live! might seem a bit suspect. Instead, it serves as a template for such expansive archival projects (not just for this artist’s discography). Issued in an elaborate two-CD […]

On Thursday, March 26, LANY was met with a sea of iPhones in a half moon of red fluorescent light, nothing visible except the silhouette of lead vocalist Paul Klein’s body and the microphone cord dangling below him. The lights emerged to reveal his hair, sopping wet, and his dark tattoos, the guitar humming as […]

The Lumineers brought their Automatic World Tour to Legacy Arena at the BJCC on March 25, 2026. For a band built on simple acoustic textures, earnest lyrics, and communal energy, the challenge of filling a nearly 10,000-seat venue could have diluted their charm. Instead, the night proved why they remain one of the most reliable […]

Forget the sanitized, corporate-sponsored “rock shows” you’re used to; Gogol Bordello just blew the minds and tore the collective throats out of the sold-out Royale Night Club’s attendees in Boston this past Wednesday, March 25th. The undisputed kings of gypsy punk didn’t just show up; they staged a hostile takeover crowd with the momentum of […]

Third Man Records is re-issuing Connie Converse’s only known collection of songs on vinyl, cassette and CD so that a new generation can learn her story and sounds. How Sad, How Lovely is an atmospheric collection of folk songs that contain a lingering sense of what could have been.   Her backstory is fascinating as she […]

Meditation is an ancient practice that allows one to enter a deep state of blissful solitude. There are the practices of Shamatha, which stabilize the mind, and Vipassana, which help one uncover a path to understanding the true nature of reality. Meditation requires an all-encompassing focus on the present moment, clearing the mind to enhance […]

The past year has been something of a comeback for The Barr Brothers, who have long been one of the most underrated bands of the indie folk scene. Late last year, the Brothers released Let It Hiss, their first studio album since 2017 and a collection of songs that come from a place of mental and […]