Ben Chasny's restless intellect has regularly guided the progress of his creation. A lyrical mastery of acoustic finger-picking would be enough to build a body of work for most musicians; this is just the stepping-off point for Ben. From the earliest days of private-press psych home recordings, Six Organs of Admittance has sought out alternative spaces in which to make music and challenge audiences to keep up with his rapid advances into new terrain. Over the last two years, Ben assembled a comprehensive... (read more)

Since its September release, Laetitia Sadier's Something Shines has illuminated listeners worldwide with bright sounding, pop sonics: songs of love, life, class and socio-economic issues melding and fusing like hot metallics in an otherwise concrete world. Who says music can't tear down a wall or two, like it does in "Release From The Centre of Your Heart?" Certainly not Laetitia, who brings her guitar, her band, and her unrivaled voice and presence to stages all across Europe next month. Ah, the music stage... (read more)

The early 1970s was a good time to be The Source Family. They were all together in one big house in LA, they had their restaurant, and best of all they had their Father! But they also had a comet to inspire them and the ever-expanding universe of the spirit to meditate upon and be one with. This was, like, THE TIME for gettting together in a  big group and doing such meditations - the Source Family were grooving on a vibrational plane... (read more)

America's most potent botanical product, Black Bananas, is on export! The time is ripe to ship Black Bananas to salivating, European eyes and ears and so, after a long gestating period, a European TOUR is nigh! Finally, rabid fans and rabid press alike can get an authentic mouthful, fuck yeah! Jennifer Herrema, photomagentic and genetically engineered to spawn tabloid-style gossip, is ready to lead her futuristically inclined funk-bunch in the Euro-breach. It's public demand that bring the cultivators of  2014's deepest grooves -... (read more)

Ahhh, the 90s - Clinton, Jordan, Berman...  the days of Twin Peaks and Surge soda, of flannel shirts and irony somehow look quite comforting in the rearview mirror! Yep, the ‘90s gave birth to the legendary Silver Jews, whose star only glistens brighter each time we check in with them. What happens to the Silver Jews in the future? We have no way of knowing. But they're so heavily ingrained in our collective conscience, it's as though David Berman is lurking upstairs, right... (read more)

Have you forgotten so soon? It was summer in America. The music was hot and rays were long. The air was alive with the sound of bitter discontent. It lies below the surface of everything we do in this cursed nation - but we'll stay here or die fighting! Now as winter threatens to ice us over, Dope Body is bringing back the heat with the first video from their droppin'-now third album, Lifer. Simmering and smoldering before the invariable - and actually, super-dope... (read more)

Jessica Pratt's self-titled 2012 debut has been much-murmured about in the time between yesterday and today. People respond to the austere, pristine clarity of the performances, the gentle strength, marvel at how much comes from so little: just a voice and a guitar or two! They speculate on just who is the personality behind this Jessica Pratt? It is hard not to respond to the sound of her music, to not want more right away. Now, two years on, Jessica's very new... (read more)

THE ZOUNDS OF MUSIC

You can hear it! You've got it in you! It makes the world go round! Face it. Follow it. The hills are alive with the sound of it! It's for the masses! It sounds better with you! It chose you. Let's face it and dance! It comes from the Body! It comes from the Spheres! It comes from Big Pink! It comes from Metal Machines! It comes from "The Elder." It comes from... (read more)

On November 18th, Drag City re-aquaints the world with Japan’s greatest (yeah, we said it) pop export—Eiko Ishibashi! The American release of Car and Freezer combines both the Japanese and English versions of the record, with Eiko’s delicate vocals sweeping through both languages. Car and Freezer has a swinging openness, with loose, rolling rhythms suitable to the exploritory mood and introspective nature of Eiko's songs. Consisting of Toshiaki Sudo, Hatano Atsuko, Yamamoto Tatsuhisa and Jim O’Rourke (who also produced... (read more)

Limbo as the space between heaven and hell where unblessed babies float, sighing; limbo as the supple-spined Calypsonian dance craze: here twists Elisa Ambrogio’s solo debut The Immoralist! The bewitchery and bewilderment of Magik Markers are often obscured by their ability to flash into xprmntl/noise/improv mode, but for her solo debut, Elisa Ambrogio delves into pop sounds, holding them inquisitively like fragile antiquities and crafting bedroom window ballads out of their ashy remains.

Flashes of youthful innocence and playful conceit glimmer... (read more)