Pocket Moon Records The Sounds Of “Good Animals”
I’ve been waiting most of this year to encounter any recording of Philadelphia’s synth and cello duo, Pocket Moon. They played at Comet Ping Pong in D.C. last January, in a tiny room behind the pizza parlor portion of the venue, which they filled with a spaceship’s worth of synth rhythms and the alien voice […]
Michael Kiwanuka Continues His Dreamy Soul Journey on “Floating Parade”
Michael Kiwanuka’s self-titled album from 2019 got a lot of praise. It took some surprising musical twists and turns through its award-winning runtime, but it had a consistently soulful sound pinned down by Kiwanuka’s voice. On “Floating Parade”, that authentically soul-inflected sound continues, even more so than his previous work. As a sweet harmonising guitar […]
slimdan Serves an Ace with “Wimbledon White”
There are two types of music fans: those who like “cheerful” music and those who like “miserable” music. Is that a huge sweeping generalization? Of course. For my own part, I know I veer to the ‘sad/melancholy/miserable’ side more often. But there’s a lot of examples of songs that drag me back to the sunny […]
Linda Dunnavant Shines on “Meet Me There”
Nashville-based Americana artist Linda Dunnavant has a great new album called Hidden Lake. Songs like “Meet Me There” and “Me Against Me” are haunting and richly melodic, reminding me a lot of Kacey Musgraves. Dunnavant grew up in Moultrie, Georgia, a region of the South that has given us (among others) Tom Petty, Ethel Cain […]
When Was Steve Forbert at His Peak?
Steve Forbert hit the New York City scene just as I was finishing high school. Although originally from Mississippi, he felt like one of us Jersey guys. That he ended up living for many years at the Jersey Shore confirmed it. For those new to this, we’re looking at retrospective in a unique way – […]
Welcome Autumn with Tyson Motsenbocker’s “Someday I’ll Make It All Up To You”
In Nashville where I live, the first autumn leaves have fallen. They’re a little premature, of course – it’s supposed to be back up near 100 degrees this week. But the last two weeks were cool enough to fool a few leaves into dying early, and my yard is lightly scattered with them. Group that […]
You Need to Know About slimdan’s “Second Dinner”
“How have I never heard of this guy?” That’s what I said to my friend after I had listened to slimdan’s Second Dinner front to back on his recommendation. Danny Silberstein has his fingerprints all over some beloved music. As a producer and writer, his credits include songs all over the map of pop and […]
When Was R.E.M. at Their Peak?
I was always jealous of the older guys who could remember when particular Beach Boys songs came out. But when REM came along, I had that pleasure. The band emerged as college radio darlings just as I started, releasing the Chronic Town EP and their five LP’s on the I.R.S. label, all while I was […]
How to Use Spotify Playlists to Grow Your Fanbase
Love it or hate it, Spotify isn’t going anywhere. For as long as they’ve been around, playlists have remained at the top of most musicians’ priorities, often attached to stories about overnight success and skyrocketing to fame. While playlists aren’t the whole strategy, they are a significant piece of it. Any artist wanting to make […]
Imogen Clark Masters “The Art of Getting Through”
(Photo by Michelle Grance Hunder) I’m not sure about a lot of things. Not sure if the Middle East is heading for an all-out war. Not sure if the stock market is teetering. But I am sure that Imogen Clark’s The Art Of Getting Through is the best album of this decade so far. The […]
