Like the ball drop at Times Squares in New York City, the fireworks igniting from the Sydney Harbour Bridge, and the annual rite of hundreds of million of people making resolutions they cannot keep, we once again share some of our favorite songs from the past 365 days. The Mega, Mega Playlist of 2018 is another doozy. Specifically, it features […]

Yesterday, we shared the first 25 of our Favorite 50 Albums of 2018. Here are the remaining twenty-five, which is littered with some of the very best singer-songwriters of our time. Click on the individual albums to be read the short descriptions and hear a few songs from these tremendous LPs. We’ve also included a Spotify playlist for your listening […]

Be the Cowboy by Mitski Whether it is sitting behind the piano, ratcheting a distorted electric guitar, or scratching a synthesizer, Mitski Miyawaki – or simply Mitski – has repeatedly demonstrated the ability to make personal vulnerability sound bold and, thus, something to not fear. As she showed on Puberty 2, she wore it like a badge of honor, revealing […]

We’ve created about 200 playlists in our five-year existence. All of them are great, but if we’re honest there are some that are exceptional, and we continue to spin them. The Weekend Showcase 4.33 edition is one of those truly outstanding compilations, and trying to figure out the order was difficult. At least two dozen were considered to kick things […]

Whether it is sitting behind the piano, ratcheting a distorted electric guitar, or scratching a synthesizer, Mitski Miyawaki – or simply Mitski – has repeatedly demonstrated the ability to make personal vulnerability sound bold and, thus, something to not fear. Instead, as she showed on Puberty 2, she wore it like a badge of honor, revealing to the world she […]

Hard to believe that the summer is almost over, but the music is still scorching. The Weekend Showcase 4.31 edition has 39 such tunes. Some are outrageous rockers, others are groovy dance tunes, and many are spine-tingling or breathtaking. The artists and bands represent twelve countries. They include: Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Iceland, Norway, South Korea, Sweden, […]

It’s Friday, and usually we offer anthemic fare. However, for The Matinee ’18 August 10th edition, there’s a bit more melodic numbers in order to ease in to the weekend not to mention to calmly beat the summer heat. Oh, there are still some raucous numbers that will get the adrenaline rushing. Happy weekend everyone! The Dodos – “Forum” (San […]

It’s Canada Day long weekend, which means a jaunt up to the cottage, barbecues, camping, or a big road trip. It also means music must be played, and the Weekend Showcase 4.25 edition is the place. This week’s mega-playlist is a doozy, featuring upbeat fair and some dark, titillating numbers. Artists and bands represent 11 countries, including: Australia, Canada, England, […]

Expect the unexpected on The Matinee ’18 June 28th edition. There are rockers and blissful dream-pop. You will also find some tunes that echo bygone eras. Be forewarned, however – don’t judge a book by its cover. Or in this case, just because a song sounds pleasant, its meaning may allude to something completely different. We kick things off with […]

It’s the long weekend in Canada, and the Weekend Showcase 4.19 edition is just the playlist for the road trip of the lazy days at the cabin. Find 46 songs on the Showcase, featuring artists from 12 countries, including: Australia, Canada, England, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, Sweden, Ukraine, and the United States. The playlist and tracklisting, as […]

The Matinee ’18 May 15th – North American Edition features four of our long-time favorites plus two “newcomers”. The latter will be releasing their debut albums later this year. We kick things off, however, with one of the great artists of this decade.   Mitski – “Geyser” (Brooklyn, USA) Be the Cowboy by Mitski RIYL: St. Vincent, Japanese Breakfast, Lykki […]

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 […]

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 […]

Happy Holidays everyone. If you’re finished unwrapping gifts, possibly too stuffed from all the turkey, ham, and other goodies, or maybe trying to avoid the Christmas cake, take a moment to review the full list of our Favorite 50 Albums of 2016. A playlist is also provided that could be spun on Spotify (no Thee Oh Sees) or SoundCloud (Go […]

The countdown continues with our Favorite 50 Albums of 2016 – Part 4. The ten albums featured include a spellbinding combination of jazz, soul, and R&B; a trip through 19th Century Western Australia; mandolin folk-rock; the year’s most emotional LP; and the return of one of music’s great bands. The previous 30 albums can be reviewed in Parts 1, 2, […]

Happy July 17th everyone! We hope your weekend has been fantastic, and hopefully we can add a bit more flair to this Sunday. Our playlist this week is terrific, featuring a handful of known artists and plenty of rising stars. Specifically, 50 songs occupy the Weekend Showcase 2.27 edition. The artists are originally from 10 countries/regions, including: Australia, Belgium, Canada, […]

For the past couple of months, I’ve been photographing soldout shows hosted by large venues, so I was delighted that Mitski’s show at SideWinder had a small-scaled crowd and intimate setting. The two opening acts were Jay Som, a soft spoken singer-songwriter who performed with just her electric guitar set to a clean tone and sang “cute” songs that had […]