On the Record
Songwriter, producer, guitarist, and one of the hardest-working men in modern music, Prince, this week released two powerhouse albums, the solo Art Official Age (reviewed in a companion piece) and Plectrumelectrum, with his band 3RDEYEGIRL. …
The dichotomy of Prince’s sensual, yet electronically futuristic solo album Art Official Age reflects the artist’s inner search for happiness as he tries to adapt to a changing world. The opener, “Art Official Cage,” is …
Some of the righteous ones, this season, hurt to listen to. Barb Jungr’s been threshing splendor out of Dylan, Cohen, and a few others, many seasons now, and so this one comes acutely calibrated. She …
After hearing the catchy, upbeat song “Riptide,” fans of Vance Joy have been awaiting the Aussie’s debut album. Dream Your Life Away will please followers of his four released songs that have been circling the …
Using equal measures of psychedelia and sonic breathlessness, Bay Area–based singer/songwriter Ty Segall evokes a new California dream with Manipulator. At 17 tracks, Manipulator is massive, yet light as air with an effervescent ’60s vibe. …
“He’s not a metronome,” volunteered one of my resident jazz experts on Billy Hart, age 73, who’s logged time with Wes Montgomery, Stan Getz, Chico Freeman, and three of Miles Davis’s straightest-up hardest-rockin’ sets. And …
After some bumps in the road, Millsted, a noise-punk band from Brooklyn, have hit their hardcore stride with this year’s Harlem. Vocalist Kevin Uffre is at full throttle here, and his manic shredding is matched …
The misogyny trilogy still rankles, lyric-wise anyway, although “All the Girls Love Alice,” which can’t even decide if Alice’s customers rank with the young girls or “middle-aged dykes,” seems to have grown some cred of …
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ 13th studio release is a hard-rocking, well-written gem. Petty’s first (ever!) number-one-selling record on the Billboard charts. Though a seasoned veteran, Petty’s voice sounds as fresh and rebellious as it …
Curtis Harding's neo-soul debut is multi-faceted — complex yet easygoing. It sounds as if Harding's been a successful solo artist for decades, not a man whose recent gig was as backup for CeeLo Green and, …
The verdict is in: synth-pop is here to stay. We Are Only What We Feel, the debut album from Stockholm based NONONO, does it wisely. The album features crisp, polished melodies and enticing beats. Given …
Lana Del Rey is an enigmatic figure, unable to be imitated, and befitting someone on their own, she’s lonely. Ultraviolence threads that feeling — a seedy, hyper-romanticized sense of isolation and loss — inflating it …
After five years away from the spotlight, Lily Allen has a lot to catch up on. For her homecoming record, Sheezus, the U.K. pop star spends a good time getting reacquainted with the current pop …
Ian Anderson’s second solo album since quietly deep-spacing the Jethro Tull band moniker, and to boot his third excursion into his avatar Gerald Bostock, a child prodigy turned troubled adult. Only this time Bostock mostly …
Brooklyn-based band the Antlers have developed in their meticulous way. After incubating as a solo recording project in Peter Silberman’s bedroom, they are now a lush, orchestrated group with melodious layering. Silberman crafted the Antlers’ …