King Hannah Deliver Another Satisfying Set of Songs
Liverpool’s King Hannah reference indie rock contemporaries on Big Swimmer but advance their sound through unique soundscapes that stand on their own.
alternative rock
Wilco’s ‘A Ghost Is Born’ Marked an End to Their Greatest Era
A Ghost Is Born was Wilco’s fearless attempt to surpass ‘Yankee Hotel Foxtrot’ and move beyond the narrative that could have defined the band.
A Reflective Hauntology: On the 2024 Reissue of Manic Street Preachers’ ‘Lifeblood’
Manic Street Preachers’ oeuvre indicates that one can only keep preaching manically if one lets oneself be haunted by the past to show the cracks in capitalist realism.
Girl and Girl’s Debut ‘Call a Doctor’ Is a Lively Outing
Girl and Girl’s Call a Doctor nearly delivers as a concept yet still captivates with its jangle pop charm. They should be a band we follow for years to come.
‘1967’ and Robyn Hitchcock’s Quest to Stay High for Eternity
Robyn Hitchcock’s memoir 1967 taps into the music high that untethered the restraints of boarding school and shaped his life and music for eternity.
The Ophelias Want to Devastate You
The sad queer folk rock anthems of Ohio’s the Ophelias have pierced through the noise, and now, no matter how unusual the venue, they’re road-testing new tunes.
Sunny Day Real Estate’s Emo Classic ‘Diary’ Turns 30
When Sunny Day Real Estate released Diary 30 years ago, they inadvertently cemented the personalized and sympathetic elements of emo.
Hana Vu Revels in ‘Romanticism’
Romanticism emerges as a whole, as Hana Vu’s space to ask some big questions, though the answers she’s receiving are mostly ambivalent at best.
Arab Strap Still Clearly Give a Fuck on Their Latest LP
Once again, Arab Strap have done a grand job worthy of broad smiles, screens off, and the stereo turned all the way up. Get outside and hear the birds sing.
Disorientations ‘Echo’ Chameleons and Bunnymen Post-Punk
Antwerp Belgium’s Disorientations completely revamp their “Chameleons/Echo and the Bunnymen” post-punk sound on this impressive sophomore effort.
Les Savy Fav Stretch Their Sound on ‘OUI, LSF’
Les Savy Fav’s OUI, LSF is an energetic blast of post-punk that makes many of the newer bands in that scene sound pale in comparison.
Why Steve Albini Mattered So Much to Music
The death of artist and recording engineer Steve Albini leaves popular music bereft of one of its staunchest defenders against corporatized greed and conformity.