May 16, 2023 Music Paeans by Aarktica (Review) Aarktica’s eleventh album is characterized by a peaceful, contemplative interplay between guitar, cello, and viola.
Mar 31, 2023 Music Really Early, Really Late by The Declining Winter (Review) The Declining Winter’s latest album is their finest yet, a stark-yet-lush affair filled with haunting arrangements and lyrics.
Sep 23, 2022 Music The Upper Air by Fred Baty (Review) These eight songs are effortlessly pretty, weaving delicate guitar melodies together with dreamy atmospherics.
Aug 5, 2022 Music LN’s Monkeys & Spoons Is a Masterpiece of Mood and Atmosphere (Review) LN’s first album in almost a decade uses haunting lyrics and arrangements to explore loss and sorrow.
Oct 17, 2020 Music Promise by SUSS (Review) The New York outfit’s music conjures up wide-open spaces and desert vistas perfect for a pandemic-inspired getaway.
May 20, 2020 Music We Were Never Here by Epic45 (Review) The duo’s latest collection of nostalgia-soaked songs contains some of their most abstract and affecting music to date.
Feb 16, 2020 Music Cave Vaults on the Moon in New Mexico by Tan Cologne (Review) This is music for ambling through wide open spaces that aren’t encumbered by the detritus of urban sprawl.
Dec 10, 2019 Music Phantom Lights by Memory Drawings (Review) Hanson’s dulcimer often takes the lead in these songs, but in ways that are consistently beguiling.
May 4, 2019 Music Heavy Age by Unwed Sailor (Review) Johnathon Ford’s instrumental rock outfit enters its third decade with its heaviest and most assured album to date.
Nov 21, 2018 Music The Appearances by Ester Drang (Review) The band’s first release in a dozen years boasts a heavier, more expansive sound.
Sep 23, 2018 Best of Opus Music Low Tear Their Music Apart on Double Negative, with Stunning Results (Review) Some of the most challenging music of Low’s career, but also some of the most daring, intriguing, and rewarding.
Sep 2, 2017 Music Cloakroom’s Time Well Is an Otherworldly Blend of Shoegaze Bliss & Metal Riffs (Review) These songs move in directions that are more interesting than the simple “shoegaze + metal” equation implies.
May 10, 2017 Music Take a Minute by Unwed Sailor (Review) Unwed Sailor’s latest EP is particularly ambitious in scope and sonic diversity.
Mar 6, 2017 Music On Monumenta, Valerinne’s Fiery Post-Rock Will Destroy You, in a Good Way (Review) The Romanian trio will beat you down one massive riff at a time, but they’ll also build you back up, stronger than before.
Mar 2, 2017 Music Grails’ Chalice Hymnal Blends Numerous Genres to Create Cinematic Soundscapes (Review) Post-rock, electronic music, film scores, modern classical, and jazz figure into Grails’ graceful, sublime music.
Apr 23, 2016 Music Settlers by Western Skies Motel (Review) Leave it to a guy from Denmark to compose the perfect soundtrack for driving across the Nebraska prairie.
Mar 31, 2016 Music Oh! by The Big Eyes Family Players (Review) A chilled, challenging psychedelic album that will reward the patient listener.
Oct 4, 2014 Music There is No Perfect Place by Memory Drawings (Review) The sort of meandering instrumental music that makes you yearn for autumn to paint the leaves and bring a sharp edge to the air.
Sep 26, 2013 Music Sanctuary by Infinity Shred (Review) If you’re expecting subtlety and restraint from a band calling themselves Infinity Shred, then you’ve got another thing coming.
Jul 15, 2013 Music Kveikur by Sigur Rós (Review) Kveikur makes me feel like I’m listening to Sigur Rós for the first thrilling time, and after nearly fifteen years, that’s a true pleasure.