Jon Foreman’s “In Bloom” is a Song for Spring
In Nashville, spring always surprises us. I think it’s because winters here are especially bleak. We get all the bad parts of winter – freezing temperatures, harsh winds, and a sun setting early in a sky that’s been gray for weeks. We rarely get snow, and when we do, it cripples the city for a […]
Donovan Woods is Back with “Rosemary”
“Well then, RosemaryIn your pretty eyes, darlin’I am always in the way of what you’re wanting” Donovan Woods self-deprecates like it’s an Olympic sport. Not one of the main ones, like swimming or track and field. I’m talking about one of those weirdly gravitating ones that you didn’t know someone could be so good at, […]
“So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright” is Simon and Garfunkel’s Break-up Song
On what turned out to be their last album together, Simon and Garfunkel created what some regard as a masterpiece. The album contains some iconic songs, not least the title track, “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” Some of these are lodged in my marrow, songs that feel like I’ve known them forever that recall distant times, […]
Kinn’s “25 On 22nd Street” is as Intimate as It Gets
Imagine you’ve just walked into a club. You heard the music as you walked through the door, so you go past the bar and down the stairs, passing posters and objects that reflect little personal pockets of taste and cultural favorites. You walk into the small but spacious room to find three people singing the […]
Mon Rovîa Finds a Way Back with “Don’t Lose A Good Thing”
Change is the heart of Mon Rovîa’s “Don’t Lose a Good Thing.” The song pleads, “Change with me, baby.” Mon Rovîa sings the line with as much intensity as any more standard love song plaint, like “Kiss me” or “Don’t leave.” There’s room for those, too, sometimes you do have to beg. But acknowledging that […]
Imogen Clark is Iconic on “Big One”
I’m gonna go out on a limb here and proclaim that Imogen Clark is destined to be an international star with the release of her new album The Art Of Getting Through in May. Everything about this Australian artist screams “charisma.” Her songwriting, singing, production wizardry and everything else. Imogen’s latest single “Big One” is […]
Katy Kirby’s “Blue Raspberry” is Cubic Zirconia in the Rough
Katy Kirby’s new album is a languorous, poetic ode to artificiality and imperfection. Chronicling the end of a relationship and the bright, sparkling discovery of a new one, Kirby warbles, trills, and serenades over somber piano, understated guitar, and the occasional soaring strings. The album drawls in slow and almost hymnal with the syllabic, chantlike […]
Talker Finds It Impossible to Be “Easygoing”
In advance of her debut album, L.A. artist talker (Celeste Tauchar) has a new single called “Easygoing.” The song is an exploration of how her personality-type (earnest and all-in) has been a detriment in her relationships. The blood-soaked video for the song captures her anger and anguish when a five-year relationship ends. We can only […]
Vampire Weekend is Back with “Capricorn” and “Gen-X Cops”
For a long time, I deliberately avoided Vampire Weekend. I had my reasons, unfair as they were. From a distance, they seemed like the incarnation of every dream that went to East Nashville to die. They were a group of young Ivy League white guys with big shirts and no record label, cool because a […]
“The Last Great American Dynasty” is Taylor Swift’s Mirror, Confession, and Best Song
Like the rest of the world, I exclaimed “There she is!” every time the camera cut to Taylor Swift during Super Bowl LVIII. Some of us said it angrily, peeved that we can’t even watch professional sports without her showing up like an IRS agent to ruin the fun. Some of us said it with […]
