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. […]

We have arrived at the conclusion of our Favorite Albums of 2017 with Part 5. Today’s list is filled with legends – whether artists and bands who indeed exemplify the term or who channel some of music’s most influential songwriters. After reading through today’s ten LPs, revisit the other 40 in Parts One, Two, Three, and Four. Happy Holidays!   […]

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 […]

Another year of SXSW has concluded. It’s the largest music festival currently in the world, and if you have ever attended, it is quite daunting. Imagine any type of place where you can add a stage and a backline and pretty much every single place within a 20 mile radius of downtown Austin has a band playing in it for […]

There has been a trend among indie-rockers of using rainbow colors to signal youthful optimism and blissful psychedelic confusion. So maybe to new fans, the cover of Spoon’s new album might look like something synthy, fun, and perky. But the moment you dive into the multi-chrome skull, you realize you’re listening to the kings of lean, sinewy pop-rock. Any of the […]

It’s Thursday and narrowing down the who to see list is soooo hard. Thursday and Friday are the two days that almost seem overwhelming. The good news is that there is no shortage of talent the rest of the week. Here’s a list of official showcases to check out tonight. Just remember to be careful and make sure you have […]

Choosing our Most Anticipated Albums of 2017 is an extremely difficult exercise. We considered listing 100, but that was unmanageable; 25 would have been too few. So, we settled on 51 albums, many of which have been confirmed and others are simply wishful thinking. Alice Glass (TBA) After a messy departure from Crystal Castles and former bandmate Ethan Kahl, Alice Glass has […]

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 […]

Welcome to this week’s serving of new music cocktails. Today we’ve got an eclectic blend of sonic spirits from across the globe, from the deserts of the Algerian Sahara and the Scottish coast to London and Canada, plus three acts playing this week’s SXSW festival in Austin, Texas. Let’s kick things off with a tune that will boost your heart rate. Imarhan – “Imarhan” (Tamanrasset, Algeria) […]

It’s hard to believe we’ll be coming up on three weeks this weekend since we lost one of the greatest influences in music period. Although the Starman is gone, his legend will live forever. There are numerous covers and tributes that have come out since January 10th, and we are sharing one of our favorites from Austin’s own Spoon. It […]

The SXSW Festival is a music festival that is hard to describe if you have never attended before. It is quite massive. Over 2,000 bands descend upon Austin, TX, and it is a challenge to search and find all of the unofficial parties or events that are happening and to plan the almost week long schedule. It is overwhelming at times […]

We shared our top-20 SXSW picks two weeks ago, which is definitely a hard task with how many great bands are in Austin this week. Today, we look at some bands to see as well as some very awesome day and night showcases that you do not want to miss. We decided on a few choice bands in the evening to […]

The best music is cathartic. Each listener will have their own emotional reaction. This reaction might be sadness or joy; it might be the desire to go for a run or to just curl up in your room and be in the moment; or it might be to mix yourself a cocktail or poor a large glass of your favorite beer.  […]

Numbers 36 to 40 are up next and all five once again fall under the letter “S”. The previous albums can be found in the following posts: 1-5, 6-10, 11-15, 16-20, 21-25, 26-30, and 31-35.   SPOON, “THEY WANT MY SOUL” It is hard to believe that Spoon has been releasing truly outstanding music for over 20 years. What is not […]

Much like I did with Shaky Knees, today I’m going to talk about Governors Ball, which I attended this weekend.  It was an interesting festival, with a lot of unique acts, some of whom I suggested last week.  This was the fourth Governors Ball, and last years was a total rainy mess, this year was nothing but blue skies and […]