The 80 Best Albums of 2015
Travel back five years ago when the release calendar was rife with stellar albums. 2015 offered such an embarrassment of musical riches, that we selected 80 albums as best of the year.
kronos quartet
Terry Riley Shoots the Kronos Quartet into Space with the Beautiful, Moving ‘Sun Rings’
The decades-long partnership between composer Terry Riley and the Kronos Quartet continues – with a little help from NASA – on the brilliant new album, Sun Rings.
The 70 Best Albums of 2018
From forward-looking electronic and experimental to new approaches in the ever-evolving R&B scene, from hip-hop and punk to rock and pop, 2018 bestowed an embarrassment of musical riches upon us.
On Mishima, and Feeling That One Exists
Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters is a singular portrait of an artist's life lived so fiercely as to have left an indelible mark on an alienated world seeking affirmation for its own existence.
Partners in Dissonance: Michael Gordon and the Kronos Quartet Team Up for ‘Clouded Yellow’
On-and-off collaborators since 2001, the Kronos Quartet and Bang on a Can co-founder Michael Gordon present an arresting collection of their shared works.
Modern Music Icons Laurie Anderson and Kronos Quartet Collaborate with Heart-stopping Beauty
There's no mistaking that Landfall is an album heavy with gloom and grief. Nonetheless, it's beautiful and an excellent first collaboration between Anderson and Kronos.
Trio Da Kali and Kronos Quartet: Ladilikan
Trio Da Kali and the Kronos Quartet are musical soulmates on collaborative album Ladilikan.
“Mise en Abyme”: DJ Spooky on the Recursive Loops of Culture
DJ Spooky's Rebirth of a Nation is a "destabilizing" remix of D.W. Griffith's original propagandist film, performed by Kronos Quartet. Spooky (aka Paul D. Miller) shares the evolution of the film's relevance and his unique take on how life imitates art.
DJ Spooky with Kronos Quartet: Rebirth of a Nation
Did you ever get the urge to "remix" a movie? One that just really stuck in your craw like nothing else? DJ Spooky lives out an artistic wet dream on Rebirth of a Nation.
The Dissolution of War in ‘Beyond Zero’
A dream or collective memory mediated by dying nitrate into a mournful musical space.
Big Ears 2015 Was a Festival for Serious Artists and Listeners
From 27-29 March, Knoxville, Tennessee music fans were treated to a world of daring and avant-garde music at the latest installment of the Big Ears festival.
A Healthy Dose of Darkness: The Best Film Scores of 2014
The year 2014 saw classic composer/director teams hit new highs, as well as a considerable dark streak take over the world of film scoring.