Smashing Pumpkins' Double Album 'Cyr' Fails to Match Billy Corgan's Ambitions

Published Nov 25, 2020

For myriad reasons, it's best to approach each post-millennium Smashing Pumpkins album with as little backstory as possible. With that being...

Petr Cancura, Charlie Hunter and Geoff Clapp Channel Collaborative Joy on 'Don't Let It Stop!'

Published Nov 17, 2020

Born in the Czech Republic and raised in Ottawa, saxophonist Petr Cancura brings a world of influence to his craft. After a sojourn in Brook...

AC/DC Are Back to Their Former Glory on 'POWER UP'

Published Nov 10, 2020

In 2017, it looked like AC/DC, a band synonymous with resilience, was far too fractured and vulnerable to carry on. Within a two year span,...

AC/DC Got "Back in the Groove Again" Thanks to New Technology and Old Friends

Published Nov 09, 2020

AC/DC are consummate professionals — and that's where most people, even hardcore fans, seem to get it wrong. Despite all the bawdy lyrics, s...

Suuns Experiment with Sound on 'FICTION' EP

Published Oct 29, 2020

"Discovering this lost jam and its power felt like a reminder to keep in the moment and to trust ourselves —you just have to keep moving for...

Actress Nimbly Balances Many Ideas, Moods and Collaborators on 'Karma & Desire'

Published Oct 20, 2020

There was reason to worry when Darren Cunningham (a.k.a Actress) released 88, his 48-minute mixtape, this past July. Consisting of a fluid j...

Parallel Play: The Story of How '90s CanRock Blew Up in Detroit

Published Oct 14, 2020

For the millennials waiting to snatch a J Dilla picture disc or the latest Father John Misty 7-inch on Record Store Day 2015, it must have b...

Thurston Moore Is a Pale Imitation of His Former Self on 'By the Fire'

Published Sep 28, 2020

Throughout his 38 years as a recording musician, Thurston Moore has lived numerous lives: no-wave pioneer, experimental drone musician, MTV...

Osees' 'Protean Threat' Keeps John Dwyer's Hot Streak Impossibly Alive

Published Sep 15, 2020

In an era of rampant hyperbole and fake news, there's one singular truth; John Dwyer has never made a bad album under his Thee Oh Sees varia...

Tricky Brings Raw Emotion to His Classic Trip-Hop Sound on 'Fall to Pieces'

Published Sep 03, 2020

Upon first listen, Tricky's 14th LP sounds like one of those mid-career back-to-basics affairs, rife with crackling low-end bass, looped pia...

Kelly Lee Owens's Emotional 'Inner Song' Is About the Journey, Not the Destination

Published Aug 25, 2020

While many musicians have created works thematically based on their environment, it's almost always presented as a self-serving expedition,...

Jaga Jazzist Can't Find Their Focus on 'Pyramid'

Published Aug 06, 2020

Since the release of their debut LP in 1996, Jaga Jazzist always felt like the most forward-looking members of the Scandinavian jazz scene,...

The Rentals' 'Q36' Proves That Matt Sharp Is More Relevant Than Weezer Have Been in Years

Published Jul 02, 2020

Since Weezer and Matt Sharp parted ways in 1998, the two could not have taken more different musical paths. As the former has released a ste...

Emo Hero Mike Kinsella Shows Off His Range on Owen's 'The Avalanche'

Published Jun 16, 2020

From beginning his 31-year career playing drums with emo pioneers Cap'n Jazz through to his current stint as vocalist/guitarist for cult fav...

Daniel Carter, Matthew Shipp, William Parker and Gerald Cleaver Make Free Jazz Modern on 'Welcome Adventure! Vol. 1'

Published Jun 08, 2020

In addition to collaborating with El-P, Thurston Moore and Yo La Tengo, multi-instrumentalist Daniel Carter is mostly known for his works wi...

Madchester Great Tim Burgess Channels the Past While Pushing Forward on 'I Love the New Sky'

Published May 21, 2020

The best-case scenario for a veteran artist is to make music that recaptures what originally made their art great while also moving their cr...

Jim White and Marisa Anderson Pack Adventurous Sounds into a Small Package on 'The Quickening'

Published May 11, 2020

Aside from his work with the instrumental trio Dirty Three, Jim White is one of indie rock's great go-to drummers, working with artists like...

Songs of Tales' 'Life Is a Gong Show' Weaves a Worldly Web of Jazz

Published May 07, 2020

From the moment lead-off track "Traure" transforms from Afrobeat funk to Celtic jam, it's clear that Life Is a Gong Show isn't your standard...

Fire-Toolz Builds a 'Rainbow Bridge' of Disparate Sounds

Published May 05, 2020

When someone talks about "shapeless" music, they're usually referring to the ambient or noise genres. But on Rainbow Bridge, the fifth LP in...

Matmos Spinoff the Soft Pink Truth Offers an Emotional Response to Dark Times

Published Apr 30, 2020

Through his work as one half of experimental shapeshifters Matmos and under the solo moniker the Soft Pink Truth, Drew Daniel has crafted a...