Armbruster Finds Beauty in Noise on the Adventurous ‘Can I Sit Here’
New York-based violinist and composer Armbruster explores drone, distortion, and melody on his excellent new album Can I Sit Here.
Chris Ingalls
Chris is a Massachusetts native who spent seven years as a broadcast journalist in the U.S. Navy and was also a videotape editor for a CBS affiliate TV station, a newspaper editor at a military public affairs office in Naples, Italy, and a videographer for a cancer research institute. His currently works as an internal communications manager for a large Boston hospital. He was born in 1969 and has been a rabid music fan since at least 1970, thanks to his three older siblings. A PopMatters writer since 2016, Chris is also an occasional guest on the music podcast "Losing My Opinion," and is on Bluesky, Instagram, and X @Ingalls1969. He lives in the leafy suburbs outside of Boston with his wife, son, dog, two cats, and lots of records.
Nailing Down the Varying Concept of Concept Albums
All 25 of the wide-ranging albums in Fifty Years of the Concept Album in Popular Music are placed under the microscope with equal, respectful scrutiny.
I Get So Mean Around This Scene: Joe Jackson’s ‘Look Sharp!’ at 45
With his 1979 debut album Look Sharp!, Joe Jackson joined the league of UK artists who fused sophisticated pop songwriting with a punk snarl.
Mary Halvorson’s ‘Cloudward’ Is a Sophisticated Ensemble Composition
Mary Halvorson’s Cloudward is a shimmering, deeply satisfying example of a jazz sextet firing on all cylinders. Prepare to be astonished.
Marika Hackman Breaks Out of a Creative Dry Spell with ‘Big Sigh’
Marika Hackman’s first album of original material in more than four years, Big Sigh, is a moody slab of enticing synthpop and folk.
Joseph Branciforte and Theo Bleckmann Create a Stunning Experimental Soundscape
The sophomore collaboration from experimental musicians Joseph Branciforte and Theo Bleckmann comes four years after their debut, and builds on it.
Bill Evans Catches Lightning in a Bottle on ‘Sunday at the Village Vanguard’
Bill Evans Trio’s classic 1961 jazz album, Sunday at the Village Vanguard, is part of a lovingly assembled vinyl reissue series from Craft Recordings.
Wes Montgomery Is at His Peak on ‘The Complete Full House Recordings’
An expanded reissue of the late guitarist Wes Montgomery’s classic 1962 live album is a sheer delight, complete with stunning restored sound quality.
Matt DeMello “Carries That Weight” of an Ambitious Beatles Tribute
New York-based composer and multi-instrumentalist Matt DeMello talks about his new Abbey Road covers album, as well as his own idiosyncratic compositions.
Samuel Goff’s ‘Diminished Borders’ Is a Manic, Introspective Free Jazz Trip
Drums and dual saxophones create an atmosphere that invites frenetic pacing and meditative peace on Samuel Goff, Camila Nebbia, and Patrick Shiroishi’s Diminished Borders.
Nicolas Cage Biography ‘How Coppola Became Cage’ Focuses on Methods and Cooperation
Zach Schonfeld’s compulsively readable, well-researched book on Nicolas Cage, How Coppola Became Cage, gets to the heart of the unique, multitalented actor.
Animal Hospital’s ‘Shelf Life’ Is Intense, Layered Maximalism
Under the moniker Animal Hospital, Kevin Micka unspools a potent mix of instrumental tension and experimentalism on his first full-length album in three years.