The situation of pianist Joe Castro seems like it came out of one of those low-budget black and white film noir movies about jazz musicians during the mid-20th century. It’s kind of a twist on the Pal Joey plot, the… Read More
Few musicians have succeeded in manipulating and shaping atmosphere as well as Coil. The duo founded by musical (and life) partners John Balance and Peter “Sleazy” Christopherson in 1982 produced 18 astonishingly innovative studio albums (plus dozens of singles, EPs,… Read More
In the 1960s, there was a band that changed the way popular music was made forever. They challenged conventional ideas regarding harmony, form, and instrumentation in pop music. They innovated the way the recording studio could be used as an… Read More
Kelsey Waldon said she feels a special responsibility as a Southerner to improve the human rights of people living in America. She has cited racial injustice and the marginalization of the poor as causes that need to be addressed. That’s… Read More
The synthpads come in, slowly and calmly. You are at peace. It sounds like a Windham Hill record, even. Soon, you are greeted by a calming, deep voice. It’s the voice of Katya, a Boston-born drag queen who has a… Read More
Europe – “The Final Countdown” (Sony, 1986) What better way to start the countdown than with “The Final Countdown”? Originally envisioned as the opening music for Europe’s concerts, it opens our very own list rundown. A song, a career, and a… Read More
15. “Face Up” – Low-Life (1985) Bernard Sumner has claimed he never quite grew comfortable in the role of frontman, and nowhere is that uneasiness more gloriously apparent than “Face Up”. No, Sumner’s voice is nowhere near as distinctive or intuitively strong… Read More
“Your book is brilliant, darling. Fucking gorgeous. I don’t know how you did it” says Stanley Hyman (Michael Stuhlbarg) to his wife, the writer of supernatural stories, Shirley Jackson. He’s referring to her second novel, Hangsaman (1951). She replies, “It… Read More
From the circus sideshow to the examination room at the London Hospital to the society page’s headlines, Joseph Merrick—known popularly as the Elephant Man—lived his entire life in front of the wide eyes and gaping mouths of other people. Born… Read More
Yo La Tengo are full of surprises, aren’t they? Hot on the heels of summer’s We Have Amnesia Sometimes EP, which consisted of five ambient instrumental pieces, recorded on one microphone while adhering to New Jersey’s social distancing regulations, we… Read More