by Mark Saleski There are guitarists with “chops,” and there are guitarists with “feel.” These are not mutually exclusive categories You May Also Like: Prezens [David Torn, Tim Berne, Craig Taborn + Tom Rainey] – ‘xFORM’ (2020) David Torn with Tim Berne + Ches Smith – ‘Sun of Goldfinger’ (2019)Read More

I have a confession to make: Metal fan that I have always been, I’m not particularly a Black Sabbath fan. I know, I know: You’re all black-listing me right now. You May Also Like: Why Black Sabbath Went Out on a High Note With ’13’

by Mark Saleski Back in the mid-1980s, the arrival on the jazz scene of a trumpeter named Wynton Marsalis marked the start of the so-called “young lions” period. You May Also Like: Marcin Wasilewski Trio feat. Joe Lovano – ‘Arctic Riff’ (2020)

by Tom Johnson I fell hard for Sheik’s highly developed melodic sense on Phantom Moon, a moody, dark, mostly acoustic album of songs about the psyche written by a friend and playwright. I stepped back through his small catalog to Humming and found the album almost as beguiling, and onlyRead More

I’m sure you’re familiar with that cliché about a voice so beautiful, you wouldn’t mind hearing it sing the phone book. Well, sometimes there’s a whole lot of truth in that concept. When I heard her take on “You Don’t Know What Love Is,” I temporarily forgot who I was.Read More

by Mark Saleski When R.E.M. toured on the Murmur record, they were the darlings of college radio. That’s certainly where I first heard them. “Radio Free Europe” and “Catapult” were getting a lot of airplay, and the band received some enthusiastic press reports You May Also Like: Why R.E.M.’s ‘LiveRead More

by Tom Johnson Cohen works a kind of outsider-art aesthetic in his unusual pop-songs. Like Dylan at his most uncomfortably nasal, this is not for everyone, but the rewards for patient, open-minded listeners are great. Cohen’s a bit of a mystery; finding information on this guy is pretty tough. He’sRead More

by Tom Johnson Can a band mature and continue to challenge themselves and listeners? Rather Ripped answers yes. Sonic Youth may not wail away with walls of squealing distortion like they used to but Rather Ripped‘s lyrical focus on relationship troubles is backed by their trademark angular pop that willRead More

by Mark Saleski Elliott Sharp does two things very well: construct very thought-provoking compositions and make scary, scary noise in the realization of those compositions. Larynx is a reissue from 1988. You know, the holiday season is in full swing. Maybe you need some music to block out the stress?Read More

by Mark Saleski Singaporean singer Jacintha (full name Jacintha Abisheganaden) takes on the songbook of the Hollywood of my youth: “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head,” “Que Sera Sera,” “California Dreaming,” “Windmills Of Your Mind.” It’s funny, I hated these songs back in the day. Now? The concertina/acoustic guitar introductionRead More