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Young Galaxy suggests the realm of synth pop is one far off galaxy of sounds and styles

When Young Galaxy sings, “We work the mine till the break of dawn” during “Fall for You,” you either need to suspend disbelief or laugh your backside off. It’s a little like believing Ben Stiller’s male model…

Brown Bird flies brilliantly between genres

Brown Bird is a Rhode Island based duo comprised of David Lamb and MorganEve Swan, which just released a brainy, self-produced album titled Fits of Reason. The act recently performed at Stagecoach, a festival featuring mainstream country…

A Nasty Left Turn from Deerhunter

Monomania, the latest Deerhunter LP, practically belches into quasi-consciousness with opener “Neon Junkyard”. After a few disorienting seconds of instrumental and vocal fumbling, Bradford Cox seems to offer this album’s mission statement: “Finding the fluorescence in the…

Alpine's dreamy pop earns international appeal

Alpine‘s Lou James says that the Australian band is not an overnight sensation, but it sure seems that way from our perspective. The strong international response to the band’s debut album has brought them acclaim at home…

Citadel's Justin Chapman spins plates on all sides of the industry

Justin Chapman gets it. The Philadelphia songwriter and entrepreneur is tuned into the changing tides of the music industry and, consequently, is spinning the necessary plates to be successful. Whether it’s the band he “curates” in Citadel…

Anything goes as The Phoenix Foundation aims big

On their fifth album, New Zealand vets The Phoenix Foundation offer up one of the year’s biggest, most ambitious rock albums. On early listens they come off a tad schizophrenic, trying to fit in as many sounds…

A Haunting Culmination for Colin Stetson

If there’s a story behind the three New History Warfare albums that Colin Stetson has released over the past six years – and, according to Stetson, there is – it seems clear from the music that we, as the…

The toil and trouble of Joshua Powell

Joshua Powell is changing things up. Unlike his band’s debut Traveler, which was an upbeat rock ‘n roll record, his new album entitled Man is Born for Trouble will incorporate a stripped down folk sound paired with painful…

Mark Lanegan finds his ideal blues partner

For someone who’s released exactly one solo album since 2004, Mark Lanegan sure stays busy. At this point, he’s known as much for his endless series of diverse collaborations as for his old day job fronting grunge-era…

Introducing the cinematic rock of The Earth and Everything In It

With an over-thetop name like The Earth and Everything In It, a category of “cinematic rock” is right in line. Yet the beautiful soundscapes built by Yishai Mags, the solo artist behind The Earth, match the reach…