We’re off and running! And we’re ready to share our 20 Most Anticipated Albums of 2014 for January through March. Kill the Christmas music and get these selections on your radar! Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, Wig Out at Jagbags (1/7) Bruce Springsteen, High Hopes (1/14) Lanterns on the Lake, Until the Colours Run (1/14) Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, Give the … Read more
Photo by Dusdin Condren Let us escape for a nightBreathe the silence.I am aloneBut I am alone in this room with you. Sharon Van Etten released Tramp in February, which will soon be released as a deluxe edition, and while it’s certainly a demanding, emotional listen, it’s well worth your precious time. Van Etten just … Read more
Photo by Sarah Jurado Broken bells I don’t hear you ringing There is a certain creepiness that exists in this song. I don’t exactly know what it is — the bluntness of the lyrics, maybe (or is it the way he sings them?). Or maybe it is that children’s (?) choir. Whatever it is, Damien … Read more
Photo by Sarah Jurado With its psychadelic guitars and haunted, echoing vocals, “Nothing Is The News” opens Damien Jurado’s Maraqopa with five and a half minutes of the bleakest, loneliest landscape possible. It’s a track for watching the sun rise over a barren but beautiful desert alone, a song that sets the tone for Jurado’s masterpiece … Read more
Day Two: Friday Hacienda Still amazed at how unattended the Friday day shows are at Hopscotch, I entered a half-full Slim’s around 1:30 to catch San Antonio’s Hacienda — immediately falling in love with everything that surrounded me. The music was energetic, tight, and had just a smidge of TX skin over a full indie-rock … Read more
Artwork credit: Alyssa Shapkoff Well, here we are again. To say we’ve listened to every release in 2012 would be a lie. We probably haven’t even listened to every genre. But, still, we feel lists are important because of discovery, and not because of what we think is best, or what you think is better. … Read more
That, my friends, must be the saddest album cover of 2012. And Glen Hansard: I love you, man, but you’re a sad bastard. And so am I. But let me clarify: sad music makes me happy. I have heard your calls to not listen to sad music when I am down. But I ask you … Read more