Regina Spektor - Soviet Kitsch
Far from being just another coy title from a member of New York’s anti-folk scene, Soviet Kitsch is the third release from the classically trained, Moscow-raised Regina Spektor... read more
Ann and Phil Case - Why Should We Be Lonely?
Before Hank Williams and Patsy Cline, before the manic instrumental workouts and high nasal yelps of Bill Monroe or The Stanley Brothers, country music existed in its purest form in places like Bristol, Tenn.... read more
Sam Phillips - A Boot and a Shoe
Sam Phillips’ career arc would confound the most eclectic music fan. She’s ventured from formulaic Christian schmaltz to some of the least formulaic music imaginable... read more
Lou Reed - Animal Serenade
Almost 40 years removed from the start of his tumultuous career, Lou Reed has garnered the potentially dubious distinction of “living rock legend"... read more
Jon Cleary & The Absolute Monster Gentlemen
Move over Jelly Roll, Fats, Professor Longhair and Doctor John. There’s a new Crescent City piano master in town... read more
Mahalia Jackson - The Essential Mahalia Jackson
I’m not sure of many things in life, but of this I am certain: There is truth in Mahalia Jackson’s vibrant contralto. Joy. Beauty. Strength. Sadness. Spirituality and redemption... read more
Jolie Holland - Escondida
Jolie Holland’s voice is a gorgeous, ancient thing, round and dulcet as Satchmo’s muted trumpet, distinct and self-assured like an antique bell in a church window... read more
Lori McKenna - Bittertown
Massachusetts native Lori McKenna’s fourth album explores territory that will be instantly familiar to fans of Bruce Springsteen or John Mellencamp... read more
David Mead - Indiana
David Mead’s third record, Indiana, shows he’s one of the best solo crooners since Jeff Buckley, albeit possessing a mere fraction of Buckley’s dark charisma... read more
Jens Lekman - Maple Leaves EP / Rocky Dennis EP
Given the relative influx of stylishly innovative artists roaring out of Scandinavia in recent years, it’s easy to forget that, not too long ago, places like Sweden were fairly obscure locales on the pop music landscape... read more
Patti Smith - Trampin'
Former punk iconoclast Patti Smith once said the older she got, the more she appreciated beauty in the mundane... read more
Weezer - Weezer (Deluxe Edition)
Looking back on the bands dominating radio station playlists in 1993, it’s not hard to understand why so many labels passed on Weezer before the four-piece eventually signed with Geffen... read more
The Damnwells - Bastards of the Beat
While a young band clawing its way to the top of the club circuit is far from a given, the question of what to do once the stars of chance have aligned is often too difficult for its members to answer... read more
Jay Farrar - Stone, Steel & Bright Lights
Some things catch you off guard when you really stop and think about them. Consider, for instance, the fact that it’s taken Jay Farrar no less than 14 years to find himself party to a proper live album... read more
The Saw Doctors - Live in Galway
It’s difficult to capture—or even describe to the uninitiated—the ephemeral, magical, people-pleasing essence of a Saw Doctors concert. Once you’re there, lifting your Guinness pint... read more
Tortoise - It's All Around You
Having delivered post rock’s landmark release (1996’s Millions Now Living Will Never Die) and single-handedly making prog rock fashionable for a generation of indie-rock fans... read more
The Faces - Five Guys Walked Into a Bar
In a perfect world, the notion behind compiling a box set by a seminal artist from the rock ’n’ roll canon is as follows: to present the argument for why that artist is truly essential... read more
James McMurtry & The Heartless Bastards
“I used to think I was an artist … come to find out I’m a beer salesman,” croaks James McMurtry to a lively Nashville crowd in his dry-as-dust deadpan... read more
Rachael Yamagata: Rachel Yamagata - Happenstance
If ever a recording’s title belied its contents, Rachael Yamagata’s Happenstance would be it. Through 14 exquisitely crafted, meticulously plotted pop gems... read more
Jesse Skyes and The Sweet Hereafter: Jesse Sykes and The Sweet Hereafter - Oh, My Girl
Leave it to a band called The Sweet Hereafter to discover musical reincarnation. The late, great Sandy Denny might be my favorite female vocalist... read more
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Download Harper Blynn's "Centrifugal Motion"
Blind Pilot - One Red Thread
B.O.B. - Put Me On
Punch Brothers - Punch Brothers at CMJ
David Bazan - Hard To Be
