Alysia Kraft on “Cold Mountain,” Queer Identity, and Live Music
Alysia Kraft’s magnetic voice cuts through crisp air in a bittersweet serenade of imperfect love and loss in “Cold Mountain”. The shimmering, indie-folk-pop song paints time and place with a clear brush, sharing mesmerizing vignettes of her homeland. The place Kraft describes is one of an opaque, sometimes harsh beauty. Coming from a small cattle […]
Ethan Luce on “Airplane Mode,” Music During the Pandemic, and Having Fun
“Airplane Mode” by Ethan Luce blends surf rock with indie pop, sending you into a delicious, summery haze where funk is on cruise control. Upbeat and playful, the splendid track substitutes the head noise of incessant news media with something more delightful. “Airplane Mode” opens with just soft, naked guitar plucks shadowed by a subdued, […]
Veronica Everheart on “time and time again” and Her Learning Experiences
The travel song is a classic part of the American road trip. The radio helps to create this mood of change and wonder. A sense of exploration and metamorphosis. Memories are made on these trips, and later on when those memories are hazy, the songs we associate with them bring those oft happier memories into […]
Jackie West on “Amelia,” Her Musical Family, and Working on Farms in Massachusetts
“Amelia,” a new song by the New York-based singer-songwriter Jackie West, is a rich, soothing piece of music. West plays jazz-inflected folk, and on “Amelia” she takes the coziest elements of both genres and knits them into a warm sweater. The mellow guitar strum isn’t far removed from Jessica Pratt, but while Pratt’s strange, elfin […]
Eileen Gogan and Sean O’Hagan on “Wave,” The Art of Arrangement, and Lucid Dreaming
When a singer-songwriter starts folding complex arrangements into their music, there’s always the risk of the music becoming too neat or too fussy: a Ferrero Rocher that’s all wrapper and no chocolate. Eileen Gogan’s collaborations with Sean O’Hagan avoid that pitfall, largely because, well, she’s Eileen Gogan and he’s Sean O’Hagan. Gogan has become a […]
The Moon Caravan on Collaboration, Process, and “Brand New Age”
To really review a song, you tend to leave it on repeat. You open up an empty document, start researching the band, and let the song soak in. Leaving it on as you pace around and try to bash out an outline while the song settles around you. The Moon Caravan’s “Brand New Age” did […]
Erika Wester on “Novelty,” Songwriting, and Human Connection
“Novelty” feels like it was plucked from the past. It has a sepia tone over the flowing, expressive lyrics and dream pop atmosphere. It’s like a few dusty photographs in the attic, depicting the past of a relationship that just didn’t happen. Erika Wester explores these ideas inside this West Coast, dreamy style. The song […]
Remy Boccalatte on “Kodama,” Songwriting, and Nature Hikes
Lonely. “Kodama” starts out lonely. It feels empty and bitter and cold, and the track stretches out before you in a way that feels daunting. Remy Boccalatte’s other work is similarly contemplative. It’s music that offers questions, occasionally provides answers, but mostly wanders. “Kodama” takes a contemplation on the natural world and communication and gives […]
Catey Esler on “Amnesiac,” Production, and Her Influences
There are certain songs where the artist’s influences jump out at you. That’s not necessarily a bad thing: in fact, it offers an opportunity to see whether the artist has taken the right lessons from their influence. In the case of “Amnesiac,” an intriguing, evocative song recently released by Catey Esler, it’s safe to say […]
Trentemøller on “In the Gloaming,” “Dead or Alive,” and His New Post-Punk Sound
(Photo by Karen Rosetzsky) There have always been post-punk influences in Trentemøller’s music, but two of the singles preceding his upcoming Memoria really bring them to the forefront. While the Danish musician started out making dark, Knife-esque electronic music, his ear for repetition and textures brought to mind certain gothic rock groups: the foreboding, jagged […]
