MJ Lenderman comes on slowly. It’s partly the drawl he developed from living for 25 years in Ashville, North Carolina, and his laid-back music style. The singer-songwriter’s fourth solo album, Manning Fireworks, is emblematic of […]
Tag: alt rock
Brittany Howard Answers ‘What Now?’ In Her Latest Album
“What Now?” That question was invoked by the title and the 12 tracks within the latest album by singer-songwriter and guitarist Brittany Howard. In 2012, I first fell in love with Howard’s voice as the […]
J. Mascis Has The Answer With ‘What Do We Do Now’
It’s intriguing how memories imprint themselves in our brains. I distinctly remember my introduction to Dinosaur Jr. through a T-shirt worn by one of the most significant people in my life — Anthony Ventura. In […]
Claud Shows A New Side On ‘Supermodels’
One of the true joys of following musicians is witnessing their creative progression, like nurturing the trust in a budding friendship, hoping for an enriching journey and maybe getting a good recommendation for a satisfying […]
Black Belt Eagle Scout Takes Listeners Home on ‘The Land, The Water, The Sky’
For some reason, I’m drawn to singer-songwriters that take on monikers that make them sound larger than themselves. Dashboard Confessional, Little Boots and of course The Tallest Man On Earth come to mind. Now, I’m […]
Belle and Sebastian Stay True To Form On ‘A Bit Of Previous’
Call it a combination of the Covid-era, old age and the 90s holding steady in pop culture but I’ve been feeling nostalgic lately. It doesn’t take much to send me down the rabbit hole of […]
Pinegrove Sees Through The Trees On ’11:11′
The tremendous amount of snow still outside after a blizzard blanketed the east coast has me thinking warmly about my time in upstate New York. There is a pastoral quality to the region that provided […]
Pandemic Forces Elbow To Be Flexible In Launching ‘Flying Dream 1’
I think the whole pandemic has made me appreciate the quiet. It could have been the stay-at-home orders for nearly a year. It could also have been the year-and-a-half of construction in my apartment building […]
The War On Drugs Sound At Home On ‘I Don’t Live Here Anymore’
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is the definition of resiliency. Growing in Atlantic City, I grew up in the shadows of the big city. Before my time, bootleggers would send booze to the coast for not only America’s […]
Orla Gartland Takes Her Own Advice With ‘Woman On The Internet’
I have always loved a good dark comedy. It could be a result of being a child of the 90s or maybe it’s any shred of Irish heritage that I have in me. Besides being […]