Premiere: Drop Electric’s Intense ‘Rival Churches’
Lost In Decay might be the most focused work yet from D.C. post-rock band Drop Electric — and album cut “Rival Churches”…
Category: Sounds
Even After Its 10th Release, D.C. Punk Label Sister Polygon Is Still Stoked
When a band gets stamped with the label “DIY,” that usually means it’s got independently released music on Bandcamp and…
Review: Brown Bird, ‘Axis Mundi’
David Lamb of the folk duo Brown Bird died of leukemia in 2014. One year later, his musical and life partner Morgan Eve Swain is set to release the pair’s final album together.
First Listen: Jackson Scott, ‘Sunshine Redux’
If the psych-rock practitioner’s goal is to disorient, he’s succeeded. But Scott accomplishes it with the tuneful exuberance required to bring so many elements together.
Review: Bill Fay, ‘Who Is The Sender?’
Now on a tear after a decades-long hiatus, the cult songwriter mixes plain, uncomplicated humanist charm with a more questing cosmic aim.
Review: Paul De Jong, ‘IF’
The cellist and audio collagist unabashedly embraces and refines The Books’ sound on his solo debut, which contains some of the most resonant and beautiful music of his career.
First Listen: Braids, ‘Deep In The Iris’
Where the band’s last album used prickly electronics and cavernous arrangements to hold humanity at arm’s length, Deep In The Iris turns those elements into lulling hymns to cleansing and redemption.
First Listen: Mew, ‘+-‘
Six years after its last full-length album, the Danish progressive-pop band has morphed again, this time into a more streamlined, potent, startlingly evolved version of itself.
Meet Tal National’s Almeida, A Judge By Day And Electrifying Bandleader By Night
Hamadal Issoufou Moumine works as a judge by day. By night, he plays guitar with his Afropop dance band Tal…
Viking’s Choice: Pygmy Lush, ‘On A Plain (Nirvana Cover)’
Pygmy Lush doesn’t stray too far from the version of the song heard on MTV Unplugged. But then it brings the Crazy Horse-punk chaos.
Premiere: Clones Of Clones’ Gritty New Single, ‘Monster Heart’
For a band that’s usually hewed closer to uptempo, pop-punky anthems, Clones of Clones‘ new single sounds surprisingly grungy. The opening…
First Listen: Speedy Ortiz, ‘Foil Deer’
What makes the band’s second album truly crackle is the way Sadie Dupuis’ words interlock with her band’s barreling energy and turn-on-a-dime arrangements.
Rob Watson Of Pure Disgust: ‘I Couldn’t Care Less What White People Think Of My Lyrics’
The last two years have felt like a renaissance for D.C.’s once-legendary hardcore scene. Bands like Protester, Red Death and…
Viking’s Choice: Red Death, ‘Strategic Mass Delirium’
One of the pit leaders of today’s stellar D.C. hardcore scene is Red Death, a band that more than lives up to its name.
Kane Mayfield Mocks Mainstream Rappers On ‘Cars Jewels Clothes’
Warning: Explicit lyrics. It’s easy to call Kane Mayfield a “rappity-rap” lyricist if you’re not paying attention. A big guy…
Listen: An Extremely Funky Mix For The Funk Parade
News arrived Friday that the second annual Funk Parade, the daylong event that reportedly attracted more than 25,000 people to…
Premiere: Punk Band Dudes Accidentally Copies Kendrick Lamar With ‘My Vibe’
Warning: explicit lyrics. Francy Graham didn’t mean to create an homage to Kendrick Lamar with “My Vibe,” a previously unreleased…
First Listen: Wire, ‘Wire’
Even after nearly 40 years of making records, Wire still sounds like itself — contrary, obtuse, thoroughly cool but oddly soulful, and full of wit.
Review: Villagers, ‘Darling Arithmetic’
Once a bandleader with a flair for complex orchestration, Conor O’Brien sings and plays every instrument on Darling Arithmetic himself, for an album that feels surprisingly muted.
Review: Calexico, ‘Edge Of The Sun’
Though the scenery of the American Southwest remains largely unchanged, the band’s sense and understanding of it continues to deepen and grow.