John Mayer and the Nothing Search
John Mayer wants to sell out and still retain his street cred, a foolhardy goal that you must at least credit him for trying.
Now Hear This
Deep Soul Diving: Jahshua Smith Deconstructs ‘The 4th Wall’
Smith's music is balanced on a sagacious tip, where he examines the rigmaroles of daily life through the Afrocentric prism of dialogue and debate.
Black Milk Gives ‘Em ‘Hell’
Much of If There's a Hell Below's themes relay anxieties buried deep, manifested as sound when they are unearthed.
Now Hear This!: Hoops
The guitars ring with lo-fi charm and some would easily compare Hoops to the basement pop madness of Ariel Pink. This band has something to say and one of the catchiest albums of the year.
Callback to the Future: Maestro Gamin on the Miracles and Medicines of His Latest EP
Maestro Gamin’s latest venture with producer Books One, Miracle Work Medicine, sees a return to Daisy Age hip-hop.
The Second Time Around: An Interview with Tuxedo
With soul-pop vocalist Mayer Hawthorne and hip-hop producer Jake One makin' sexy lounge-funk music, perhaps we shouldn't be surprised Future and Drake are coppin' tracks from the side-project.
Person You’d Be Proud of: An Interview With Cataldo
Time to put away the Ben Gibbard comparisons, even as Gibbard himself ended up DJ'ing the record release party for Cataldo's fifth indie-pop opus.
Woman – “Marvelous City” (video) (premiere)
Swelling with sonic panic and anxiety, "Marvelous City" overflows like a cauldron of anti-romantic synthpop.
Astrid Williamson: Requiem and Gallipoli
Returning to her formative classical music training, singer-songwriter Williamson releases a set of orchestral compositions exploring musical grounds traversed by such composers like Górecki and Pärt.
Here Comes the Bloom: Timothy Bloom Takes Hip-Hop to the Sock-Hop
More sock-hop than hip-hop, soulster Timothy Bloom does a stunning '50s revamp on contemporary R&B.
Maestro Gamin and Books One – “Future Calling” (audio)
Alongside producer Books One, rapper Maestro Gamin offers yet another dose of speaker medicine with "Future Calling".
Coming in to Land: Pigeon John Inducts Hip-Hop Into the Twilight Zone
Hip-hop’s most loquacious jester forges ahead into a twilight zone of skewed and jacked up hip-hop.