In the sports world, a head coach takes pride in their “coaching tree”. Similar to the family version, at the top is the one who started it all and below are the disciples or “lineage” – previous assistants who became head coaches. Although no such term exists in music, there should be one, as some great bands have evolved into […]

 After Emily Cross and Dan Duszynski of Cross Record opened for Shearwater on their 2016 tour, front man Jonathan Meiburg approached them with the idea of working together. Meiburg had spent the whole tour listening to Cross Record’s opening sets, which is something he hadn’t done with previous opening bands. Entranced by Cross and Duszynski’s songs, he knew they […]

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 […]

We’ve come to the conclusion of our Favorite 50 Albums of 2016 with Part 5. This final group is the most diverse. Transcendent country, fantasy orchestral pop, classic rock, Big Band soul, and far-reaching indie rock are all featured today. Take a read, take a listen, and celebrate these wonderful artists and bands. Then afterwards, rewind with Parts 1, 2, […]

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 […]

A year ago when the numerous festivals were announcing their lineups, we were joking around and exchanging names on the artists and bands we would invite if we could curate our own event. This little brainstorming session resulted in us sharing RevueFest, our make-believe, three-day festival. Like what we aimed to do here, the focus was on those hidden gems […]

The Weekend Showcase 2.03 takes a look back at the week in music, specifically from the period between January 25th to January 30th. Each article is listed below, and you can click on the title to read more about what we had to say about a particular album, single, gig, artist, etc. And of course, we’ve included our very popular […]

I discovered Shearwater in 2008, when I asked my good friend Ryan (now lead singer of Seattle’s Sister Girlfriend) to send me some new cool music. He sent me Shearwater’s 2006 album, Palo Santo (Expanded Edition), and warned, in the way that cooler friends often do, that I probably wouldn’t like his voice and that his songwriting would be a little […]

Yesterday, we shared 25 of our Most Anticipated Albums of 2016. Here’s the other 25. Some are merely speculative (and one would say wishful thinking), but many have been confirmed. The list also features some of the most influential and creative minds in music today. Others are making comebacks after a brief hiatus, which only heightens the anticipation. As always, […]

While we wish we could say this is a “spooky” playlist (and there are a couple of spooky tracks), it was made more with the idea of sharing great music with fellow enthusiasts. That said, it’s still a playlist worth spinning at any weekend party no matter the theme or holiday. As always, 28 singles from artists across the globe, […]

Welcome to a new week of new tunes to tantalize your ears! Normally we feature only new music singles here on the Melodic Tonic, but this week we’re making an exception because some of our favorite artists are releasing live albums featuring some killer classic songs. Let’s kick it off with those tracks before getting into the new new tunes.     […]

Over the weekend, I happened to catch two of my favorite acts, Jesca Hoop and Shearwater. I wrote about both bands in the past, but those articles were more about their most current releases, an album of covers by Shearwater, and a re-imagined and stripped down version of Jesca Hoop’s fantastic 2009 album Hunting My Dress. Neither of which are the […]

In today’s Mundo Musique, I take a look at 3 great bands, and a look back at one of my all-time favorite bands that may have played their last show ever last week. WAXAHATCHEE On Monday, Ben posted about a great band named Swearin’.  Today, I am posting about Waxahatchee, the project of Katie Crutchfield, twin sister of Allison Crutchfield, […]