There is an unbelievable clarity of sound and vision to Veckatimest: vocals (a duty shared by all band members) are sharper and more complex, arrangements are tighter, production is more venturous...

Fantasies was written mostly in exile in Argentina with only a piano and guitar, recorded mainly at the band's own Giant Studio in Toronto and mixed at the legendary Electric Lady in NYC. It's gilded...

The Courage of Others is the lusted after follow-up to Midlake's 2006 cult classic The Trials of Van Occupanther. Existing outside the plane of trends and even time, Midlake has once again conjured a...

Street Date: 2/9/2010 Somewhere in Time is the next installment in the legend of Reckless Kelly. The last, the inimitable Bulletproof, careened into the Billboard 200 and on up to the top 25 on...

Phantogram's music sounds like it's made by a band from the city. Electronic loops, hip-hop beats, shoegaze, soul, and pop each find its way into their songs. Unexpectedly, the band doesn’t live...

Laura Veirs' seventh album July Flame, which Colin Meloy calls "the best album of 2010," explores the emotion of mid-summer. Drenched in wood smoke, sunlight, pollinators, and pastoral dales, her...

Rocky Votolato writes graceful, understated, unpretentious songs,demonstrating that simplicity is still a viable option for accomplished songwriters. His last two releases, "Makers" (2006, Barsuk)...

Sometimes you can judge a book by its cover. The artwork for 100 Days, 100 Nights is unabashedly steeped somewhere in the early ‘60s. It is this era that the Dap Kings and their bodacious...

The Heavy have toured the world and, where the first record was sample-based, the new one is much more a product of working as a band. Like the early rock 'n' roll, blues and rhythm and blues which...

The two biggest constants throughout Xiu Xiu's catalog are honesty and evolution. This remains true with "Dear God, I Hate Myself" as it delivers a look at responsibility, fear, healing, and...

Quasi (Sam Coomes, Janet Weiss, Joanna Bome) has been rocking the sticky floored graffiti scrawled dimly lit trenches since '93, & "American Gong" is their eighth album. It will be released on their...

In these recent heady days, hype spreads like digital swine-flu and new artists are subjected to the sea change of an entire career before ever developing their sound. So to exist outside of the...

Their amazing debut album. "Rawboned blues duo the Black Keys hail from Akron, Ohio, but a listen to The Big Come Up suggests the Keys may have been raised by Mississippi ridge-runners. While Dan...

Magical, haunting melodies are Grizzly Bear's mainstay. A band that won't jilt you; they always craft their songs from start to finish--and meticulous instrumentation and arrangements are their...

The Decemberists know that the psychology of a culture at war is complex; that historical archetypes can inform the masses on current events far better than the evening news; and, perhaps most...

Heart sewn firmly to his sleeve, Elliott continues his tuneful dissection of life & what makes it difficult.

"Live! Beg, Borrow & Steal" showcases the PLIMSOULS at the height of their power, tearing the roof off and on the verge of starting a riot on the old Sunset Strip. Recorded on a multi-track at the...

Since their 2006 formation in Syracuse, NY, quintet Ra Ra Riot has quickly gained a devoted following. Extensive touring in North America and abroad supporting Tokyo Police Club, Editors and others,...