Local Natives (Frenchkiss Records, 2013) If Martin Mull is right and “writing about music is like dancing about architecture,” then there...
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Low (Sub Pop Records, 2013) The release of a new Low album often feels like an unexpected gift. Not that all of their albums are unqualified masterpieces, but...
Dropkick Murphys (Born and Bred, 2013) Notre Dame didn’t quite win the college football championship in January, but this new album from the Dropkick...
The Coup (Epitaph, 2012) First, a warning: The lyrics on this album feature the usual hip-hop profanity, and there is no edited version. For many that is...
Sing the Delta Iris DeMent (Flariella Records, 2012) At 51, Iris DeMent is no spring chicken, but her music can seem like a time capsule from someplace long...
Kendrick Lamar (Aftermath, 2012) A warning to our readers: This album uses explicit language standard in the hip-hop vernacular. On his major-label debut...
Mumford & Sons (Luna Park Records, 2011) Here’s the elevator pitch on Mumford & Sons: U2 meets Old Crow Medicine Show at Bruce...
The Citizens Band (Press Hear Records, 2012) Pop music and musicians have long been an integral part of our presidential election circus. The non-partisan...
O' Be Joyful Shovels and Rope (Dualtone Music Group, 2012) The band name suggests a Western movie scene of hanging and burial while the album title sounds...
Rodney Crowell, Mary Karr, et al. (Vanguard, 2012) Over the past 16 years as I’ve read Mary Karr’s three memoirs, I’ve always heard Rodney Crowell’s music as...
