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Espers, existing in between places, were a part of a flow of idealization that has as much to do with revelations from the 70s or 60s - with all the decades of the last century, really - as it does with the current expressions in favor of self- hood and safety that are struggled over today. Their music has retained a mysterious, unknowable vitality that, in the name of their original intention, continues to express Espers' individualism, optimism and deeply empathetic soul.

Espers'self-titled... (read more)

Papa M makes mood music both instrumental and vocal. The M-leader, David Pajo, is a caretaker of the darkest feelings found underneath the six strings of an guitar, acoustic or electric (he does both, yo). Most recently, this beautiful and occasionally frightening sound manifested as A Broke Moon Rises, an acoustic record of music without words that is meditative and at times medicating, ripe for those in need of a lifeline. Before it came Highway Songs, which was very electric, a bit... (read more)

Stardate: January, 2020. Can't friggin believe it? It IS a miracle we all still exist - though you agree, no doubt, that there's naught that miraculous about the present view, what with all the dystopian shit obstructing it (and justice and everything else). Still the only way to get through the storm is straight down the middle - and since that type of fiery ingenuity isn't Ty Segall's middle name, he should consider changing it! Fully rested from a fall spent NOT on the road,... (read more)

Bonnie 'Prince' Billy's long-awaited "next" missive, I Made a Place, which is be released digitally on January 31st - reveal that the 'Prince' is using his considerable powers for good. Honestly, since he's spoken on the influence of songwriters John Prine and Tom T. Hall of late, and the inspiration of the state of Hawaii too, why then wouldn't he be all about projecting sunshine-infused truth-music for the benefit of all?
 
It might hinge on your definition of 'good': on "This... (read more)

Fresh off the release of their live double 10", BBC Radio 1, OM are ready to rumble through Europe for the first time in the new decade! The record features two songs each from Advaitic Songs and God Is Good, ever evolving and laid down with a pristine quality you'd expect from a band in its prime! Deep, meditative rhythms and patterns stir the pot when OM cook up their bitch's brew, a recipe that continues into 2020 and beyond with their live... (read more)

Remember last year? Big things happened for Wand in 2019! With the release of their magnum opus, Laughing Matter, the band pursued a social democratic ideal of what Wand could become - and in the process, showed us what we could all be. Caught inextricably between personal and political, Laughing Matter felt and still feels like a band firing on a multitude of cylinders. For the majority of last year, the band did just that, with live shows around the world.

With so much... (read more)

At last! An astonishing new creature from the Six Organs sound-lab is ambulatory, and upon us! On Companion Rises, Ben Chasny mixes synths and digital processing techniques with spacey guitar folk to lift his signature song-craft further out, while bringing it strangely full circle at the same time. Exquisitely arrayed and rich with harmonic exploration, the album presents a handful of cosmic folk-tales whose theme can best be stated as "Stellar-Gnostic."

With "Haunted and Known", the second single from the forthcoming... (read more)

Hamerkop's forthcoming debut, Remote, is a fully immersive sonic experience with elements of electronica, pop and field recordings combining to a danceable, dazzling degree.
 

Consisting of Bachelorette's Annabel Alpers and drummer/engineer Adam Cooke, Hamerkop exudes equal parts romance and ennui. On "The Splendour That Was Rome", they synthesize disco, electro and kraut in an immaculate pop sensibility. A longing to share the good old days and sweet old world scenes with... (read more)

Corky's Debt To His Father is a solo album by Mayo Thompson, a founder of the Red Krayola. It was recorded and released in 1970 on the independent label Texas Revolution. The record is an experiment in the genre of solo singer-songwriter format and as Thompson says, it "embraces the personal and treats the instrumental power of music for the sake of expression."

Thompson will perform at the Hammer Museum on January 9th in Los Angeles, California at 7:30PM. After a sold out... (read more)

Emmy Award Winning Comedian John Mulaney aims to recapture the magic of that bygone television era when children sang songs about their feelings with celebrity guests on funky outdoor sets with John Mulaney & The Sack Lunch Bunch, running on Netflix just in time for the holiday season. What's this got to do with Drag City? Well, we've long aimed to recapture the magic of that bygone recording industry era, when funky ad-hoc groups of kids singing topped the charts - this is... (read more)