Broken Bells (Columbia Records, 2014) In the 2004 dramedy Garden State, Natalie Portman’s character hands Zach Braff’s Andrew a pair of headphones...
Music
Sam Baker (Self-released, 2013) Say Grace is a collection of rough-hewn jewels honoring the people Sam Baker calls “everyday heroes.” There is the flagman on...
Chuck Mead (Plowboy Records, 2014) Chuck Mead began his musical life as a punk rocker in his native Lawrence, Kansas; then he got the itch to play country and...
Damien Jurado (Secretly Canadian, 2014) Even if you’ve never heard Damien Jurado’s music before, you might know him by name. Since the ’90s...
Some of America’s best-known musicians have come from its least-known places. “I Never Loved a Man (The Way That I Love You)” by Aretha Franklin. “Land of...
Various Artists (Nonesuch, 2013) The songwriter is dead. Long live the songwriter. The Inside Llewyn Davis soundtrack comes from the 2013 film of the same name...
Can you enjoy a song or movie without supporting the person who created it? Let your conscience be your guide. Last summer I found myself in a Twitter debate...
Whether the sound of music has them singing to the mountains or running for the hills, U.S. Catholic readers agree that Mass to the sounds of silence would...
Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings (Daptone Records, 2014) If what the people want is music with deep roots, honest emotions, and spiritual fire, then this album...
Arcade Fire (Merge Records, 2013) What do you do after you’ve splashed onto the music scene with a monumental indie-rock sound that sparked boisterous...
