Music Reviews

Beach Slang's new album, A Loud Bash Of Teenage Feelings, comes out Sept. 23.

Music & Culture

First Listen: Beach Slang, 'A Loud Bash Of Teenage Feelings'

7:00am September 15, 2016

by Stephen Thompson

On its new album, the Philly rock band rattles the rafters with grace, power and concision. These are songs by and for the alienated, out-of-place, searching and otherwise disconnected.

The new collection Jack White Acoustic Recordings, 1998-2016 includes unreleased songs, B-sides and album tracks.

Music & Culture

In 'Acoustic Recordings,' Jack White Winks At Tradition

6:18pm September 12, 2016

by Tom Moon

White's new retrospective compilation, Jack White Acoustic Recordings, 1998-2016, highlights his delightfully scrambled, playful approach to American roots music.

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Music & Culture

Country Singer Kelsey Waldon Reaches Back To An Earlier Era In 'I've Got A Way'

1:26pm September 12, 2016

by Ken Tucker

Waldon puts a distinctive spin on classic country with her new album. Critic Ken Tucker calls her singing, which avoids excessive emotion or embellishment, "the musical version of hard-boiled prose."

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Keaton Henson's new album, Kindly Now, comes out Sept. 16.

Music & Culture

First Listen: Keaton Henson, 'Kindly Now'

9:31am September 08, 2016

by Mike Katzif

The English singer-songwriter's new album is a collection of stark, beautiful chamber-pop ballads that run him through the emotional wringer.

Dawes' new album, We're All Gonna Die, comes out Sept. 16.

Music & Culture

First Listen: Dawes, 'We're All Gonna Die'

7:00am September 08, 2016

by Jason Heller

Through travelogues, story-songs and a literary quality that's been honed to a cutting edge, Taylor Goldsmith and his band have crafted their most ambitious record to date.

Against Me!'s new album, Shape Shift With Me, comes out Sept. 16.

Music & Culture

First Listen: Against Me!, 'Shape Shift With Me'

7:00am September 08, 2016

by Jason Heller

On the band's follow-up to Transgender Dysphoria Blues, the personal and political dovetail into an inseparable tangle of anxieties and fuel for protest.

Kishi Bashi's new album, Sonderlust, comes out Sept. 16.

Music & Culture

First Listen: Kishi Bashi, 'Sonderlust'

7:00am September 08, 2016

by Stephen Thompson

Throughout his third solo album, K. Ishibashi broadens his palette, rendering his sound ever more frantic, unpredictable, digital and danceable.

Pretty Yende's new album, A Journey, comes out Sept. 16.

Music & Culture

First Listen: Pretty Yende, 'A Journey'

7:00am September 08, 2016

by Tom Huizenga

Follow the young South African soprano's fairytale rise to fame in a travelogue of classic arias and scenes by Rossini, Delibes and Bellini.

Amanda Shires' new album, My Piece Of Land, comes out Sept. 16.

Music & Culture

First Listen: Amanda Shires, 'My Piece Of Land'

7:00am September 08, 2016

by Ann Powers

The singer and fiddler has mastered craft and structure in order to communicate the nuances of a richly responsive internal life.

Cymbals Eat Guitars' new album, Pretty Years, comes out Sept. 16.

Music & Culture

First Listen: Cymbals Eat Guitars, 'Pretty Years'

7:00am September 08, 2016

by Andy Battaglia

Catharsis comes heavy and often in the Staten Island band's raucous-yet-refined rock sound, which reflects a new generation's willingness to look back on the '80s and '90s with fresh eyes and ears.