Archive: 2025

The film industry operates through complex financing, non-transparent revenue models, and numerous intermediaries. These inefficiencies create opportunities for disruption. Cryptocurrency offers innovative solutions for funding, distribution, royalties, and audience engagement. This technology, with virtual price fluctuations affecting investment strategies, presents benefits and challenges for an industry resistant to structural change. As blockchain evolves beyond speculation, […]

Wes Montgomery’s The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery is a masterclass in jazz guitar playing. What immediately sets Montgomery apart is his signature technique: instead of using a pick, he played with the soft pad of his thumb. This wasn’t just a stylistic quirk but a practical solution, he wanted to practice without disturbing […]

In the realm of bands that have always been perhaps underrated and worthy of bigger stages, Mercury Rev ranks close to the top. For over three decades, Jonathan Donahue and Sean “Grasshopper” Mackowiak, along with a rotating cast of talented musicians, have been conjuring the kind of grandiose, cinematic psych-pop sounds that can stir up […]

With Skin, his most intimate album yet, Nashville-based Sean McConnell mines his own demons, struggles, and insecurities for material. The result is sometimes dour, often emotional, but always genuine, as he deftly blends soul-baring lyrics with a moody but beautiful folk-rock soundtrack. Along with his own career as a musician, McConnell has made a name […]

It is hard to believe we’re already at the end of February, but what an eventful month it has been. This month has gifted music fanatics with some terrifically splendid albums and singles to help soundtrack the slow transition into warmer weather. February isn’t going out without one last statement piece, and that statement comes […]

Tipitina’s Record Club has done an excellent job releasing out-of-print albums and live sets, specializing in the music and culture of New Orleans over the last four years. Their newest vinyl offering (just in time for Mardi Gras) is a never-released live set of The Wild Tchoupitoulas featuring The Neville Brothers New Orleans ’77 that is […]

Badvril is a band that thrives on the tension between small-town isolation and the frenetic energy of city life. Originally from the backwoods of Washington, Badvril now calls San Francisco home. The contrast between these two worlds is central to their chaotic, narcotic grunge sound and visually arresting art. Led by Becket Schroeder and closely […]

Mads Gjetmundsen is a Norwegian singer-songwriter crafting heartfelt folk-pop, sung in his native Totning dialect. Inspired by Alf Prøysen, Mac DeMarco, and the rich songwriting traditions of the ’60s and ’70s, his music blends honest storytelling with warm, melodic soundscapes. After fronting the band Ma Jester, Gjetmundsen now steps forward as a solo artist with […]

Stereolab announces their world tour. Launching May 25th in Brussels, Stereolab will be hitting the road across Europe with dates in Berlin, Amsterdam, and Paris, among others. They’ll be kicking off the North American leg of the tour this coming October with shows across the United States before heading back to perform a string of […]

Sarah Shafey is a critically-acclaimed restlessly-creative artist who has been praised for her stylish and passionate music, her polished but vibey production aesthetic, and her singular artistry. She is also an in-demand mix engineer for artists across genres who works out of her own Squeaky Clean Records studio. Shafey’s production and mixing work have been […]

Longevity is an interesting concept when looked through a punk rock lens. On the outside looking in, seeing bodies flying across the stage and into a crowd of slam-dancing fanatics, it would appear to the ignorant that the most hardcore punks weren’t worried about the next day, let alone a sustainable career. Thankfully, punk is […]

For a band whose music often feels like an emotional storm passing through a city at night, Constellations For The Lonely finds Doves at their most fragmented and, at times, their most triumphant. The Manchester trio has always excelled at painting grand, melancholic landscapes, and their sixth album continues that tradition, albeit under unusual circumstances. […]

Mdou Moctar released one of the best albums of 2024 with Funeral for Justice, a blisteringly swirling cumulation of all their righteously loud Tuareg guitar-rocking talents. Now, the outfit follows up that offering with this companion piece, Tears of Injustice, an acoustic re-recording of the original album.  While the resulting album isn’t as loud as the original, […]

Trilogy 3 is the third and likely the last installment of live shows with Chick Corea’s legendary trio of bassist Christian McBride and drummer Brian Blade.  The 2-LP set includes just eight lengthy tracks, five of which are from Paris in 2020, one from Spain, and 2019 dates from Japan and Burlington, Vermont. Streaming will […]

Rounding out our tribute to Stax Records this week, today we’re paying tribute to perhaps the label’s most entertaining artist, the late great Rufus Thomas. Granted, Stax had plenty of raw, talented, and “entertaining” artists, but Rufus certainly stood out from the pack thanks in large part to his notoriously animated and comedic flair that […]

“Hot damn” might be used to describe the first few minutes of Boston-based Autumn Hollow’s “Wooden Wire,” a trembly rocker that combines the vulnerable essence of Jason Molina with the cosmic improvisational charm of Zuma era Neil Young & Crazy Horse. Frontman Brendan Murphy brings a commanding presence to the vocals, and an aura of […]

The Devil Makes Three has never been accused of making light, vapid music. Across seven albums, the Santa Cruz-based trio has melded Blues, folk, Americana, and even influences of punk with often deeply personal, occasionally dark lyrics for a deeply satisfying gothic folk sound. Like Johnny Cash fronting The Cramps, the band has cleaved out […]