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Why the Beach Boys' 'Sail On, Sailor' Pointed to So Many Unrealized Triumphs

Why the Beach Boys’ ‘Sail On, Sailor’ Pointed to So Many Unrealized Triumphs

Released 50 years ago, “Sail On, Sailor” was a highlight of a Beach Boys era marked by seismic change, both musically and visually. It wouldn’t last.

David Ake - 'Green Thumb' (2023)

David Ake – ‘Green Thumb’ (2023)

Pianist and composer David Ake continues to make his infrequent releases count. ‘Green Thumb’ is plenty good enough the savor until Mr. Ake is ready to make another quality collection of modern and mainstream jazz.

How David Bowie's 'The Next Day' Stripped Away All of the Artifice

How David Bowie’s ‘The Next Day’ Stripped Away All of the Artifice

‘The Next Day’ found David Bowie making a surprise return 10 years ago this month, but without the old theatrics and an artsy agenda.

Buckfever Underground - 'Voortvlugtend' (2022)

Buckfever Underground – ‘Voortvlugtend’ (2022)

‘Voortvlugtend,’ from South African cult-favorite Buckfever Underground, simply begs for repeated listening – preferably wearing big, scruffy earphones.

Vincent Meissner Trio, "Young Folks" from 'Wille' (2023): One Track Mind

Vincent Meissner Trio, “Young Folks” from ‘Wille’ (2023): One Track Mind

The Vincent Meissner Trio found a perfect moment that covers youth and European, turning a brisk cover of “Young Folks” into an appealing jazz song.

Andrea Ward - 'Ribbon of Water' (2023)

Andrea Ward – ‘Ribbon of Water’ (2023)

The music on ‘Ribbon of Water’ is delicate, yet woven through with a lyrical strength that comes from the experiences Andrea Ward clearly taps into.

Kaze + Ikue Mori - 'Crustal Movement' (2023)

Kaze + Ikue Mori – ‘Crustal Movement’ (2023)

Seven albums in, the Kaze concept shows no sign of going stale. Every time out they freshen that concept in ingenious ways and ‘Crustal Movement’ with Ikue Mori returning is their most audacious undertaking yet.

Five Must-Hear Deep Cuts from the Beatles' 'Past Masters'

Five Must-Hear Deep Cuts from the Beatles’ ‘Past Masters’

Songs that didn’t make the Beatles’ original U.K. albums and the ‘Magical Mystery Tour’ LP were collected 35 years ago today on ‘Past Masters.’

Why 'Out of Time' Finally Settled the Rolling Stones vs. Beatles Debate for Me

Why ‘Out of Time’ Finally Settled the Rolling Stones vs. Beatles Debate for Me

In the age-old question of Beatles or Rolling Stones, I’ve spent much of my life quite firmly in the Beatles camp. Then everything changed.

How King Crimson Defined an Unsettled Post-9/11 Landscape on 'Power to Believe'

How King Crimson Defined an Unsettled Post-9/11 Landscape on ‘Power to Believe’

Released 20 years ago this week, King Crimson’s turbulent ‘Power to Believe’ felt like an innocent’s view of war as it started right before his eyes.