Jessie Ware On World Cafe
The British singer and songwriter’s voice fills subtle, muted arrangements with color.
Category: Sounds
Kali Uchis Channels ’70s Latin Soul On ‘All Or Nothing’
Alexandria vocalist Kali Uchis has always burrowed deep into American soul and funk: She toyed with doo-wop on her debut…
Father John Misty, ‘Bored In The USA’
Father John Misty’s new song is a scathing takedown of mindless materialism and overmedicated emptiness in America.
Theo Parrish, ‘Be In Yo Self’
A funky tour de force from one of the world’s most revered techno artists.
Viking’s Choice: Cretin, ‘Ghost Of Teeth And Hair’
Cretin returns with a ferocious grindcore chug-a-lug that hits like a steel-toe boot to the shins, complete with guitar and bass solos that blast it wide open.
Song Premiere: SZA, ‘Sobriety’
The singer-songwriter has been resisting the R&B label, but on her new song — ostensibly about a breakup — she sounds like she might be wavering.
Track Work: The 1978ers, ‘Sacreligious’
“God is good,” rapper yU proclaims at the beginning of “Sacreligious” (sic), a standout from his exceptional new album with…
Track Work: Big Hush, ‘Wholes’
After churning through three drummers and losing a guitarist who split for Japan, D.C. band Big Hush has only recently…
Track Work: Misun, ‘Eli Eli’
If the first few bars of Misun’s “Eli Eli” remind you of The Rolling Stones’ “Under My Thumb,” you aren’t…
World Cafe Next: The Twilight Sad
Download two songs by the Scottish trio, whose thick-accented rock can be rousing, bleak or both.
Track Work: More Humans, ‘Mt. Oblivion’
“Oblivion” makes us think of mass destruction. But the word’s most basic meaning describes little more than the state of…
J Mascis On World Cafe
Dinosaur Jr.’s singer-guitarist shows his quieter side in songs from his new album, Tied To A Star.
More From Katinka Kleijn, Brainwave Duet Cellist
Perhaps you heard WAMU’s piece about the “duet for cello and brainwaves” via a link on social media. It’s fascinating….
Premiere: ‘Masking,’ A Throbbing Industrial Track From Br’er
About 45 seconds into “Masking,” the title track from Br’er’s forthcoming LP, things get uncomfortable. “I feel dizzy, I can’t breathe,”…
Annie Lennox On World Cafe
The pop singer’s new album finds her covering vintage jazz standards. Hear “Georgia On My Mind” and “Strange Fruit.”
Flower Power: How GIVE Is Planting New Seeds In D.C.’s Hardcore Scene
As the sun dipped behind the Fort Reno towers on a July evening, John Scharbach pounced around the grass, jumping…
First Listen: Deerhoof, ‘La Isla Bonita’
Deerhoof has always toyed with the whimsical, but its 12th album feels like its most playful work yet. More relaxed than its predecessors, it retains the long-running band’s capacity to thrill.
Listen: Fugazi’s Demo Version Of ‘Merchandise’
On Nov. 18, Dischord Records releases the first demo from D.C. heavyweights Fugazi, recorded in 1988. It promises to be…
Track Work: Anthony Pirog, ‘The New Electric’
Bbbbbbrrrruuuuummmmmmm! About halfway through “The New Electric,” one of the centerpiece songs on Palo Colorado Dream, Anthony Pirog’s debut album…
Scott Walker + Sunn O))), ‘Brando’
Soused matches Walker’s spellbinding compositions and voice with Sunn O)))’s metallic abyss. Like the album, Gisèle Vienne’s short film is bewildering and fraught with terror that’s unspoken.