Two days ago, we shared our Favorite 20 EPs of the year. Today, we commence our look back at our Favorite 50 Albums of 2018, counting down the first 25. As we always do, the list is in alphabetical order. As a reminder, we have not ranked the LPs nor use the term “Best” since both imply that we have […]

First Aid Kit released Ruins earlier this year – actually at the beginning of the year. This might be the first time we’ve included a favorite album and a favorite EP by the same artist/band. Tender Offerings is also one of our favorite EPs. Ruins is a beautiful release by the Swedish duo of sisters Klara and Johanna Söderberg. The […]

A truly great EP is one that sounds like a full-length album, where during its brief duration the listener is either challenged or taken somewhere beyond reality. Our Favorite 20 EPs of 2018 features extended players that took us to well beyond the stars and into fantasy realms. They made us dance and cry, lifted our spirits, and made us look […]

First Aid Kit released their stellar album Ruins in January. While recording, they had to cut a handful of songs from the record, as is all too common. Instead of throwing four of those tunes into the dustbin, Klara and Johanna Söderberg opted to release them as Tender Offerings, and they are some of the prettiest songs the sisters have […]

The music scene has become “girly” in Bono’s opinion. The U2 frontman bemoans the lack of “rage” in rock in this month’s Rolling Stone cover story: “I think music has gotten very girly. And there are some good things about that, but hip-hop is the only place for young male anger at the moment – and that’s not good. When I was […]

Today we share our 61 Most Anticipated Albums of 2018, a list that includes long-awaited debuts, returns of some legends, and plenty of emerging talents destined for superstardom. Some of the LPs listed have definite release dates; others are based on substantiated rumors. Then there are a few that are just us desperately hoping for a new record. Let us […]

It’s almost been two weeks since Weekend Two of the Austin City Limits Music Festival came to a close, and it was once again another stellar year. It was still a bit warm in Austin, but luckily it started to cool off on Sunday. The Festival made a few layout changes from last year, which proved very successful. The new […]

Weekend Two of The Austin City Limits Festival kicks off today and in case you haven’t planned your schedule yet, we have a list of 20 bands you need to see. We all know why we are going because of the headliners (Foster The People, Ryan Adams, The XX, RHCP, Spoon, GORILLAZ, etc.), but it’s always fun showing up earlier […]

The Weekend Showcase 3.09 edition is our longest playlist of ever – not including our year-end Mega, Mega Playlist of course. This week, we have 55 excellent songs for your listening pleasure. The scary thing is that we could have easily shared another 50 songs. This is further evidence regarding how much the indie music scene is flourishing, and just […]

The Saturday Sampler March 11th edition features voices from around the globe (including Canada, England, Netherlands, Sweden, and the US), but with a twist. Since the world celebrated International Women’s Day earlier this week, our focus today is on strong women musicians. Seven of the artists on this playlist include talented female vocalists, because women deserve recognition every day of the year, not […]

As the world breathes a collective sigh in the wake of the U.S. elections, we turn to music to help us process our spectrum of emotions. Whether you’re in the heartland of America, a bustling European capitol, or on a tranquil beach in New Zealand, you probably share the world’s “WTF?!?” feelings of surprise, dismay, or relief. This playlist features […]

The first two days of the Newport Folk Festival have been wonderful. It’s the most memorable NFF that I’ve attended. Roger Waters supported by My Morning Jacket, G.E. Smith, and Lucius plus appearances by Amy Helm and Sara Watkins made for a special Day 1. Yesterday’s surprises weren’t as dramatic, although to see Gillian Welsh join The Decemberists along with […]

We start day three of ten of our 50 Favourite Albums of 2014, heading towards letters “D” through “H”. Here are Days One and Two. Now on to the list.   DREAM BOAT, “THE ROSE EXPLODES” There are bands that attempt to create albums that are hypnotic and dreamy, but few succeed like Dream Boat. The Athens, Georgia duo of […]

In early April, we listed our favourite fifteen albums of the first quarter, and we thought we had a chore in choosing among some great LPs. Fast forward to the present day, and we find an even more daunting task in front of us, as the quality of albums from April 1 to the last week of June has been extraordinary. […]

If you’re lazying around on the weekend and excited to hear new albums before their official release dates next week, here are some you might wish to check out. The great Americana, folk, blues singer-songwriter, Mary Gauthier, is releasing her 10th studio album, Trouble & Love. You can listen to it on CBC Music and NPR. First Aid Kit, the […]

First Aid Kit, the pair of sisters from Sweden, Johanna and Klara Söderberg released their second album, the stunning The Lion’s Roar in 2012 which was received quite well by critics and music fans alike, and was a pretty bug hit. They’re back this year with Stay Gold, which will be released tomorrow, June 6 in Europe, and next week in […]