Pick 6: Overlooked Albums From the First Half
I can’t recall another year from this decade that has been this consistently good, across the board, among all genres in music.
Dinosaur Jr: Give a Glimpse of What Yer Not
They’ve put together four albums since the now legendary reunion, and in my opinion it is their latest, Give A Glimpse of What Yer Not, that is the crowning achievement on top of a massively influential catalog.
Owen: The King of Whys
Lyrically, Kinsella has always had a knack for finding insightful, hard-hitting personal plateaus, and The King of Whys is absolutely one of his best outings as a writer.
Essential Albums Turning 20
Some, none, or maybe all of these may widely be considered noteworthy records from the class of 1996, but they are most certainly the most essential choices from my personal canon of appreciation.
Moonface & Siinai: My Best Human Face
If I was forced to pick a specific lineup of my favorite Canadian singer/songwriters since the turn of the decade – a “Mount Rushmore”, if you will – then I would find it impossible to keep Spencer Krug off the list.
Andy & Rob talk Joanna Newsom
In the first installment of the garrulous and altogether decent “Rob & Andy Talk…”, your two music editors discuss, ad neauseam, Joanna Newsom’s impact on modern film, art, and record making.
Whitney: Light Upon The Lake
The biggest reason they should emerge as one of the most exciting current bands is because they aim for – and actually pull off, with flying colors – the ability to form a sound that is simultaneously an homage to the great folk/pop artists of old, and a stampeding charge in the direction of the future.
Jessy Lanza: Oh No
It is in a three song stretch, starting with the true banger “It Means I Love You”, that we’re not only witnessing a vocalist and artist finding herself, but one who is charging ahead with energy and gravitas.
Anohni: Hopelessness
It’s almost a weirdly timed shame that this album released during the whirlwind of surprise drops from Beyonce, James Blake, and Radiohead, because it is every bit as good (and really, better) than all of them.
Pick Six: Memorable Songs in TV & Film
There are certain moments when watching any kind of entertainment, whether it be on the big or small screen, that tend to make a permanent, moving imprint on the memory of its specific viewer.