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Both being a teen and dreaming can be disorienting, strange, and something from which you might soon want to flee; both can be a terrifying nightmare. But the title of Baltimore-duo Beach House’s third album also suggests…

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Andrew Kenny is the master of a particular kind of subtlety, creating songs that aren’t sparse, but sheepish; they’re polite and contemplative no matter how many bass lines or guitar parts might sneak in. This could describe his work with American Analog Set, whose more droney and exploratory sound simmers at inoffensive tones, but on [...]

San Francisco’s Adam Balbo is at his best when he’s making a particular kind of fun of himself, mocking his own lyrical and metaphoric choices as he considers the greater “purpose” of singer/songwriters.

Say Hi (no longer to your mom, or anyone in particular), is the moniker of basement recorder Eric Elbogen, the contemplative dreamer whose sixth album is the first to come out on the Barsuk label. Oohs & Aahs carries the musician’s signature homemade feel, not due to random background noises or lack of recording quality, [...]

When considered without any contextual information, it’s difficult to group Fleet Foxes immediately within the tumultuous Seattle music scene from which they’ve emerged. With their long beards, country guitar sound, and tale-telling lyrics, one imagines rather that their self-titled debut is the result of its members spending several months strumming strings ‘round a camp fire. [...]

As a longtime fan of Radiohead who’s well aware that their albums take a number of listens to really come together in my mind, I’ll admit that writing a review three days after getting the new album isn’t an easy thing. I know it’ll be a while before I can really form an opinion, but [...]

With each release, Sam Beam, the man and beard behind Iron & Wine, does theoretically what every lasting musician should: he expands the breadth of the sounds, instruments, and recording options available to him in order to allow that much more discovery and possibility. This is in one sense due to his simply being allowed [...]

Just because something turns out to be not quite what you’d expected, does this mean it’s no good? Of course the answer is “certainly not,” but often in these cases one’s surprise can come with a slight tinge of disappointment, if not for the overall result, for what you had hoped to be getting into. [...]