More than 2,500 songs shared, some 200 LPs and EPs reviewed, thousands of photos from concerts and festivals, and dozens of premieres later, we’ve arrived at our annual tradition of sharing our favorite songs of the past 52 weeks – also known as The Mega, Mega Playlist of 2017. This year’s playlist is the biggest yet. The 2015 version had […]

2017 has been another fabulous year for music. Numerous bands and artists made triumphant returns, dozens of newcomers took music to new heights, and some established stars aged like fine wines. With the holiday season upon us, it’s the perfect time to review the year that was. For the last five days, we shared our Favorite 50 Albums of 2017. […]

Eight of the best singer-songwriters, an electronic band re-defining the term cinematic, and an indie giant of a band are among today’s Favorite Albums of 2017 – Part 3 edition. All of them released heart-stopping songs and show-stopping records that we kept on repeat because they were simply captivating. Take a moment as well to revisit the first two albums […]

As we enter the final two months of 2017 and the arrival of cooler weather, the Weekend Showcase 3.42 edition provides some welcome relief with its 53 songs. It’s one of the best playlists of the year in our humble opinion thanks to the diverse groups of bands and artists. They represent thirteen (13) countries, including: Australia, Canada, Colombia, England, Iceland, […]

There are nine Grade A selections on offer on The Matinee October 26th edition. Most of the numbers are fun and even a bit outrageous. A few are gentle nods to the past, musically and lyrically. Then there is one song that sticks out for being, well, odd. Enjoy the songs and hopefully you’ll find one if not nine new […]

This year’s Hopscotch festival kicks off on Thursday in Raleigh, North Carolina, and it brings one of the year’s best lineups to the table.  There are tons of great artists and bands from around the country, representing the Brooklyn DIY scene, Philly punk scene, and even a headlining show from Solange Knowles. While the big headlining shows by Solange, Big […]

We have arrived at our favorite time of year and one of our top two festivals. There is nothing like Newport Folk Festival, now in its 58th year! The Festival’s longevity is a testament to its influence and impact on music, such as when Bob Dylan went electric in 1966 or as recently as last year when Kris Kristofferson made […]

Humans of New York is one of the internet’s most captivating websites, sharing stories about the people born in the Big Apple and those who moved there to start new lives. From the heartbreaking to the inspiring, from successes to those struggling to survive, the site puts a human face to one of the world’s most chaotic and exhilarating metropolises […]

Another week and another great seven days of new music from around the globe. The Weekend Showcase 3.11 edition has decidedly international flavor with three-fifths of the artists coming from outside the USA. Fifty-two songs occupy the mega-playlist, and the artists represent 14 countries, including: The playlist and tracklisting, as usual, follows the list of articles from the past week. […]

The Matinee March 23rd once again features nine songs, and each one will intrigue you in different ways. Some will make you laugh while others will have you thinking about your place in the world. Whatever you’re feeling like today, hopefully the mini-playlist will satisfy your mood.   Perfume Genius – “Slip Away” (Seattle, USA) RIYL: Arcade Fire, Future Islands, […]

As is tradition on the last day of the year, we share The Mega, Mega Playlist of 2016. After featuring more than 2,500 songs through The Matinee, Melodic Tonic, Saturday Sampler, album reviews, photo essays, and premieres. We’ve reduced that list to 120 songs just in time for New Year’s Day. These songs aren’t a complete representation of what we’ve […]

On this final weekend of October, the Weekend Showcase 2.42 edition will get you in a Halloween mood or warm you up as the weather gets cooler. Find 48 songs by artists originally from or based in 12 countries, including: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Congo, England, France, Ireland, New Zealand, Scotland, Sweden, and the United States. The playlist and tracklisting, […]

The Saturday Sampler October 29th edition offers a balance of American and European artists whose 10 songs cover a variety of genres. We’ve got indie pop, old-school psychedelic folk and modern folk-rock plus African beats from Belgium and dazzling electronic. Dive into this playlist to discover the hidden gems that await you!   Anna Renee – “Dali” (Los Angeles, USA) RIYL: Skott, […]

On this final weekend of summer, we offer the Weekend Showcase 2.36, our weekly playlist featuring new music from around the world. Find 50 songs on this week’s edition. Old favorites can be found as well a couple of dozen newcomers. As usual, the playlist features a bevy of countries and regions – seventeen to be exact. The listed places […]

With so much great music the past couple of weeks, The Matinee September 13th edition has been extended to include nine songs. Unfortunately, there aren’t any “exotic” countries represented, but England, Canada, Iceland, Australia, and the USA are still pretty great. Archive – “Bright Lights” (London, England) RIYL: Massive Attack, Phoria, Mt. Wolf Before there was Röyksopp, Mt. Wolf, and Phoria, […]

April has arrived and the music is starting to match the weather, as evidenced by the numerous albums, singles, videos, and concerts we covered this past week. The full list of features is below, and individual songs have been taken to populate the weekly Weekend Showcase 2.12 edition. The full tracklist follows the SoundCloud playlist as always. The countries represented […]

Welcome to another week of new music cocktails! Normally we focus on groups from across the globe, but today the spotlight is solely on North American artists. We’re serving up some Canadian indie disco-inspired pop along with two double shots of American ambient progressive, indie rock, and Americana.   o’brother – “Time Is a Length of Rope” (Atlanta, USA) The opening strains of […]

SXSW 2016 was a gauntlet of good times and surprises. Especially surprises. My daily schedule would change (usually for the better) despite how much time I spent researching who was playing where and when. There would be times I would be riding my bike to a venue only to get word that the waiting line to get in extended down […]

It’s Friday. We have today and tomorrow left with tons of music and bands still to see. It might possibly rain today so bring a raincoat or umbrella if you are going to be at any of the outside shows, and also keep watch on twitter handles and Facebook pages in case anything has to be canceled. DAY SHOW Almost […]

We had an extremely busy week and, as a result, we have our longest mega-playlist of the year. We had the pleasure of sharing three premieres, looked at seven albums, shared six remixes, one great cover song, and 41 new singles. That all adds up to 57 songs on the Weekend Showcase 2.07 edition. Twelve countries are represented: Australia, Brazil, […]