Music Reviews

Music & Culture

Music Review: 'Poison Season,' Destroyer

6:24am October 20, 2015

by Will Hermes

With a name like Destroyer, you might expect a heavy metal band. Led by musician Dan Bejar, the band's latest album, Poison Season, has a lighter sound with interesting, uniquely delivered lyrics.

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Music & Culture

Poetry Is Set To Melody In Iris DeMent's 'The Trackless Woods'

2:30pm October 19, 2015

by Ken Tucker

Poems by the Russian writer Anna Akhmatova form the basis of singer Iris DeMent's new album. Critic Ken Tucker says Akhmatova and DeMent share an urge to articulate "sorrow, sacrifice and gratitude."

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Joanna Newsom's fourth album, Divers, will be out on Friday, October 23.

Music & Culture

One For The Ages

10:46am October 19, 2015

by Ann Powers

Joanna Newsom's new album, Divers, is novelistic, with recurring musical themes, memorable characters and a preoccupation with the change brought on by passing time.

Music & Culture

Music Review: 'St. Germain,' St. Germain

6:12pm October 15, 2015

by Tom Moon

The DJ known as St. Germain has waited 15 years to release a following to his highly successful breakout record. Critic Tom Moon thinks it's a surprisingly creative return.

Music & Culture

Revisiting The Soul-Stirring Sounds Of Decades-Old Gospel Music

1:33pm October 15, 2015

by Ed Ward

Post-war black gospel music shaped soul sounds through the mid-1970s, but it's increasingly hard to find today. Rock historian Ed Ward discusses a few recent gospel reissues.

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Music & Culture

Music Review: 'Children Of The Light,' Children Of The Light

6:42pm October 14, 2015

Children of the Light is two-thirds of the iconic Wayne Shorter Quartet. On their new self-titled album, Michelle Mercer says the trio's lively group improv is like a family dinner where everyone's talking at once yet somehow everyone's being heard.

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Music & Culture

An Under-The-Radar Musician Slips Into The Spotlight With 'Oh My Goodness'

4:22pm October 14, 2015

by Ken Tucker

Veteran songwriter Donnie Fritts has mixed blues, rock, soul and country throughout his long and winding career. Ken Tucker says Fritts' new solo album showcases the musician's "shrewd ruminations."

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Music & Culture

'Tomeka Reid Quartet' Offers A Tightly Synchronized Mix Of Cello And Guitar

1:34pm October 13, 2015

by Kevin Whitehead

Cellist Tomeka Reid was headed toward a career as a classical musician, but was drawn to jazz. Critic Kevin Whitehead says her band's new album, The Tomeka Reid Quartet, has good chemistry all around.

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Music & Culture

Album Review: 'III,' By Bixiga 70

4:04pm October 12, 2015

by Banning Eyre

Bixiga 70 is a 10-piece band from Sao Paulo, Brazil. The eclectic set of musicians seamlessly fuses cumbia, afrobeat and funk. NPR's Banning Eyre says their instrumental dance songs have earned them a global reputation.

Neon Indian's new album, <em>VEGA INTL. Night School</em>, comes out Oct. 16.

Music & Culture

First Listen: Neon Indian, 'VEGA INTL. Night School'

8:24am October 12, 2015

by Andy Battaglia

On the band's new album, old and new technologies come together in a sly but seemingly sincere way, with throwback results that keep the prospect of a party in mind.