‘Pet Sounds’ Definitive Sound Series Presents Original Mono Mix on 60th Anniversary of Legendary Beach Boys LP (ALBUM REVIEW)
Few albums carry the weight of Pet Sounds, and even fewer have been reissued this many times with as much scrutiny. For its 60th anniversary, The Beach Boys’ landmark release returns as part of Interscope-Capitol’s Definitive Sound Series, cut from All-Analog tapes sourced from the highly regarded 1972 Brother Records pressing. Long thought lost, these […]
60 Years Later: Brian Wilson & The Beach Boys Craft Timeless Masterpiece ‘Pet Sounds’
Among his many other distinctions as a songwriter and recording artist, Brian Wilson is responsible for not just one, but two, of the most famous albums in rock and roll history, Pet Sounds and Smile. With the release of the former in 1966, which originally met with a tepid critical and commercial response in America, […]
Surfing The Tube: Don Was Plays NPR Tiny Desk; Nas & AZ Perform On Fallon; Will Ferrell & Paul McCartney Take On SNL This Weekend
Don Was and the Pan-Detroit Ensemble: Tiny Desk Concert Detroit native and legendary president of Blue Note Records, Don Was, takes the NPR Tiny Desk stage with his Pan-Detroit Ensemble and plays a smattering of covers, from Hank Williams to Grateful Dead. AZ & NAS: Life’s a Bitch/So High Medley | The Tonight Show Starring […]
Jon Batiste Commands The Boston Pops With Swagger & Soul at Symphony Hall (SHOW REVIEW)
For the third night in a row, Jon Batiste demonstrated to a capacity crowd at Boston’s Symphony Hall that he’s more than just a singer, songwriter, pianist, and award-winning composer. He’s a genuine National Treasure. Before the NOLA native and his quartet joined the orchestra, Conductor Keith Lockhart led the Boston Pops through a smooth-as-silk […]
LISTEN: Dusker’s “Pissing in the pool” Is Warping Post-Punk With Cartoonish Melodies
After years of playing and touring in multiple bands in close-knit DIY scenes, the members of Dusker formed in Leicester in 2019 and quickly set about a string of high-profile shows with the likes of Kagoule, Petrol Girls, Fresh, and Peaness. Quickly developing a reputation for raucous, energetic shows. Debut release EP 1 marries wide-open, […]
LISTEN: Jahan Nostra & Samir Combine Forces With Killah Priest On Hypnotic “Godz Building”
Jahan Nostra is an award-winning Emcee/Hip Hop Artist from Stamford, CT, and Mount Vernon, NY. He has songs with the legendary Smif-N-Wessun, Masta Ace, Killah Priest, and REKS. He has performed and toured throughout the U.S., Canada, and Europe, and he has been featured in Hip Hop DX, EarMILK, and the Huff Post. Samir, an […]
ALBUM PREMIERE: Carly King Steps Out with Poignant Indie Folk Lyricism on Debut LP ‘Loving You Is Easy’
There’s a restless sense of motion running through the music of Carly King — the kind that comes from a life shaped equally by grief, wanderlust, and the search for meaning in ordinary moments. On her debut album, Loving You Is Easy, due May 15 via First City Artists, King introduces herself as a songwriter […]
CAUSTIC COMMENTARY: Genesis Owusu, Mad Honey, Jeff Parker, Shakey Graves, Tank and the Bangas & More
It is another bright, sunny, beautiful day down here on Caustic Avenue, the home of the Old Caustic Factory. Located just outside of the city limits, the Old Caustic Factory has never operated at this level, as we continue to revamp our machinery to keep up with the busy year we’ve been facing. Busy, in […]
‘Shaping Sounds’ Biography Follows Robert Margouleff’s Human Career In The Synth Revolution (INTERVIEW)
On May 19th, Robert Margouleff’s autobiography, titled Shaping Sounds: Stevie Wonder, Devo, The Synth Revolution and My Life Behind The Music, arrives on Jawbone Press, chronicling his life in music so far. It’s arriving in print, digitally, and even as an audiobook. With a career spanning about seventy years, Grammy Award winner Margouleff is best […]
40 Years Later: Run-DMC Shifts Hip-Hop Trajectory With Daring Fusion On ‘Raising Hell’
Eminem, Outkast, and Biggie are three of the best-selling, critically acclaimed Hip-hop artists of all time. In recent years, we have seen Hip-hop reach new heights in terms of commercial success, thanks to some contemporary artists pushing the boundaries of the genre to include more digestible pop elements, opening the door for commercial placement and […]
50 Years Later: Steve Miller Band Evolves From Blues Roots to Enduring Radio Rock On ‘Fly Like An Eagle’
Hindsight certainly helps to appreciate Steve Miller’s reflections upon his initial forays into sequencing the tracks he eventually separated into his two biggest-selling albums. Taken together, the collection of recordings that would eventually take shape as Fly Like An Eagle and Book Of Dreams seemed like a ‘gothic nightmare’ to the artist. From a more […]
25 Years Later: Michael Franti & Spearhead Convey Urgent Social Messaging Atop Soothing Grooves On ‘Stay Human’
A good concept album is hard to come by, and one with any staying power is even rarer. Like close-up magic, an album surrounding a single narrative is a much more difficult achievement than it looks on paper, and everyone seems to point to the same three or four examples when discussing why these daring […]
Modest Mouse, Spoon, Durand Jones & The Indications, Kevin Morby, LA LOM Lead My Morning Jacket’s One Big Holiday 2027
My Morning Jacket will return to Riviera Maya, Mexico, for One Big Holiday 2027, the revered destination concert vacation, at Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya from January 14-18, 2027. The four-day event will see 3 headline performances from My Morning Jacket as well as an all-star lineup featuring some of their closest friends and favorite artists, including Modest Mouse, […]
25 Years Ago Today- Tool Releases ‘Lateralus’ Album
Surfing The Tube: Ziggy Marley Shares Reggae History; Foo Fighters Play NPR Tiny Desk; The Black Keys Perform On Fallon; Weird Al Joins Howard Stern
Surfing the Tube is a daily recap of recent must-see YouTube happenings, from music videos and live performances to interviews and everything in between. Ziggy Marley Teaches Us How to Listen to Reggae Ziggy Marley sits down with Jack Coyne to listen to reggae hits from throughout the history of Jamaican music, including tracks by […]
On ‘Happy Today,’ Jeff Parker Reconvenes Lauded ETAIVtet for Joyous, Bright Set of Improvisations (ALBUM REVIEW)
Guitarist and composer Jeff Parker returns with an exhilarating live set from his ETAIVtet on Happy Today (International Anthem/Nonesuch). Blame it on Parker or give him his kudos, depending on your attraction to this growing brand of immersive improvisational music that no one has yet conveniently labeled, but many are gravitating to. It has become […]
Golden Age Thursday Samples: Sly and the Family Stone’s “You Can Make It If You Try” (1969) Becomes Heavenly Hip-hop Percussion Via Jungle Brothers (1988) & Ice Cube (1992)
In 2025, music lost one of its most beloved innovators. The passing of Sly Stone, the forward-thinking funk-fusion artist and mastermind behind Sly and The Family Stone, sent a wave of grief and memories through the music world when the news hit the internet on June 9. Stone left behind an incomparable legacy, one propelled […]
Kevin Morby Builds Haunting Americana Soundscape on ‘Little Wide Open’ (ALBUM REVIEW)
For his eighth studio album, Little Wide Open, Kevin Morby opened his ears to his midwestern upbringing, inhaling everything from insects to tornado sirens. Those sonic influences are exhaled in a mix of tense/fluid Americana altered by his current Los Angeles surroundings and the Upstate New York studio where he recorded. Working with A-list producer […]
Ghalia Volt Channels Grit, Groove & Southern Heat on ‘Burn The House Down’ (ALBUM REVIEW)
Ghalia Volt’s sixth album, Burn The House Down, was recorded in Nashville as Volt expanded her sound from her previous one-woman band style. Returning to the raw blues sound that first brought her attention, Volt sings with fire and plays with confidence on the satisfying record. Working with producer JD Simo, the album is focused […]
