Music Reviews

Music & Culture

Salif Keita Gives His Blessing And Takes A Final Bow With 'Un Autre Blanc'

6:07pm March 20, 2019

by Banning Eyre

Salif Keita is among the best African singers of the past century. But, after some 25 albums over a 40-year career, Keita says he's retiring from recording.

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Music & Culture

Pianists Born 100 Years Ago Prove: There's No One Way To Play Jazz

1:25pm March 20, 2019

by Kevin Whitehead

Both Lennie Tristano and Herbie Nichols were active on the New York scene in the 1950s. Though worlds apart stylistically, their music demonstrates how the piano accommodates myriad personalities.

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The Cuban band Cimafunk performs onstage for NPR's Alt.Latino showcase during SXSW 2019.

Music & Culture

Alt.Latino's SXSW 2019 Wrap-Up

7:18pm March 19, 2019

The five nights of discoveries at SXSW 2019 served as a reminder that music can heal, challenge and change the world we live in.

Music & Culture

Pianist David Deveau Offers An Intimate Take On Works By Mozart And Beethoven

3:06pm March 18, 2019

by Lloyd Schwartz

Deveau and the Borromeo String Quartet perform piano concertos by Mozart and Beethoven as chamber music on a new recording. Lloyd Schwartz says the album is "full of feeling and discovery."

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Ex Hex's It's Real is due out March 22 on Merge.

Music & Culture

First Listen: Ex Hex, 'It's Real'

9:39am March 18, 2019

by Mike Katzif

The D.C.-based three-piece Ex Hex, in a word, rocks. For its new record, the band shakes up the frayed-but-taut tumult for which its known with some nods to '70s prog-rock and '80s hair-metal.

Jeremy Denk's new album c.1300-c.2000 traces seven centuries of classical music.

Music & Culture

Jeremy Denk's Musical Odyssey Through 7 Centuries Of Music

9:05am March 16, 2019

On his new album titled c.1300-c.2000, the pianist begins with a medieval song by Machaut and ends with an étude by Philip Glass.

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American Football's third self-titled LP is due out March 22 on Polyvinyl.

Music & Culture

First Listen: American Football, 'American Football (LP3)'

3:56pm March 14, 2019

by Rosemarie Alejandrino

The seminal emo band's latest builds the band's legacy as meticulously as the layered instrumental parts that constitute the album's songcraft.

Nilüfer Yanya's Miss Universe is due out March 22 on ATO.

Music & Culture

First Listen: Nilüfer Yanya, 'Miss Universe'

2:25pm March 14, 2019

by Joshua Bote

Given the stylistic twists and turns she's taken over the course of her brief career, it's hard to believe that the critically lauded Nilüfer Yanya is only just now poised to release her debut album.

Music & Culture

Trumpeter Steph Richards Follows Her Horn's Lead On 'Take The Neon Lights'

1:41pm March 12, 2019

by Kevin Whitehead

Richards is a musician who's attuned to her instrument's idiosyncrasies and pet sounds. On her new album, she's helped along by the collective sound environment created by her quartet.

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Music & Culture

First Listen: CHAI, 'PUNK'

1:30pm March 07, 2019

by Nina Corcoran

The sugar-coated experimental pop band works to redefine and undermine the concept of "kawaii" — the pervasiveness of delicate cuteness in Japanese culture.