There’s no easy shorthand for James Brandon Lewis’ musical M.O. Ever since his early releases — 2010’s Moments, 2014’s Divine Travels — the saxophonist has balanced a deep, gospel-informed spirituality with free-jazz abandon and hard-hitting funk-meets–hip-hop underpinnings. “Sir Real Denard,” a track from his new album An UnRuly Manifesto, shows …
Read More »
With an acoustic guitar flourish suggesting a Tommy outtake and a snaky Mars Hotel groove, Cass McCombs steps into the great 20th century tradition of the train song, paying tribute to a railroad heist that actually occurred a century ago in Middle-of-Fucking-Nowhere, California. McCombs narrates it as a written confession by a man hoping …
Read More »
It is generally bad news whenever a pop star decides to bless us with an earthy, strummed version of their new club anthem. So here’s a surprise: Rita Ora’s electropop song “Let You Love Me” set to acoustic guitar is a delight. Without all the clutter, it’s a folk-pop song …
Read More »
From Elvis’ “Blue Christmas” to Diamond Rings’ “Christmas in a Chinese Restaurant” to Merle Haggard’s “If We Make it Through December,” the holiday season has long served as a perfectly-fitting template for songs of the sad-sack variety. “I don’t mean to hate December,” Haggard sang on the latter, “it’s meant …
Read More »
If you’re a filmmaker who’s just talked a member of Radiohead into scoring your next movie, go ahead and celebrate. If it’s Jonny Greenwood, you’re in for a major avant-garde monument (There Will Be Blood) and/or a delightful set piece (Phantom Thread). (There’s also a good chance you’re Paul Thomas …
Read More »
Mitski’s power is in her extremes. Vulnerability so delicate it makes porcelain look like steel, often mixed with raw, raging musicality to make for searing, gut-wrenching moments. Be the Cowboy, released last Friday, finds Mitski steadily spiraling into her most tumultuous, painful inner thoughts while honing in on that aforementioned …
Read More »