Cast into a moment of tumult and discovery, Pearls Before Swine contributed a uniquely earthy strain to the arc of sound that defined the time and place of the later 1960s, via exotic instruments, electronic oscillation or pure, simple intent as communicated by Tom Rapp's erudite, yet humane songs. There was proto-punk in the mix, rife with humor, aloft with the pastoral acoustics of the banjo; music of the people of the world, all in the service of  Rapp's visceral, unblinking lyrics.

YOU BETTER BELIEVE…THIS IS HOW IT IS

Hoy! It's just another brave new day in America, and wherever else - so don't start with that "How Did I Get Here?" stuff. Shit, how DIDN'T you? You made your choices, backed your horses, cast your ballots, chose whether or not to call the authorities, took the law into your own hands, occupied a moral free-zone with a capacity of one....and hey, on an entirely lighter note, you decided what music to listen... (read more)

Sapropelic Pycnic, Ka Baird's very fresh Drag City debut, harkens otherworldly sounds and brings them back down to earth. Evoking rhythms and chants of the tribes, Ka reaches down into the mud of time immemorial to present something that never goes out of style - a catharsis of soul and an expression of devotion that comes from within, touching the eternal.  "Metamorphoses" is a sharp and focused amalgamation of all sounds found on Sapropelic Pycnic-- synthesized elements with bursts of electrifying intensity. Directed... (read more)

Ty Segall reaches deep down into his deep bag of rocks and pulls out an uptempo dance number, an armload of guitars and a hardcore jam, urging us ultimately to jailbreak from the self-imposed thought prison we've all been raised in. No, tonight's not the night, do it now! Denée Segall's lead vocals hammer home "Meaning" with unbridled strength: "I see fear in freedom..." Is this what's holding us back? Ask yourself, man! Listen here:

It's 2017 (still? -ed.) and we've finally got what we've all been waiting for - a new piece of work from Mayo Thompson! No, Krayola-heads, it isn't a new record for year eagerly awaiting ears: it's actually time to get out your reading glasses and enjoy the debut tome from one of the most creative geniuses of the past 50 years!  In Art, Mystery, a disgraced former footballer, now export agent specializing in chrome, accepts an unusual commission from an odd... (read more)

Fresh off the release of Plum, an album deemed "psychedelia in the truest sense of the meaning - coltish, dark, invigorating and endlessly curious," (Uncut - hey, when did these guys become experts? - ed. ;)), Wand are currently deep in the heart of America's back roads and highways, bringing their unparalleled, empathetic rock to stages big and small.  The maturation of Wand from fuzz-warlords to progressively moody and dark song-writing powerhouses is striking - their heaviness unwavering, their urgency ever-present, yet somehow beyond... (read more)

Haley Fohr is one of the most distinctive voices of our time, with its incisive, brooding, four-octave range. Her latest Circuit des Yeux album (and Drag City debut), Reaching For Indigo, is a welcomed and tangible exercise in growth and transformation. Surrounded by accordant collaborators Cooper Crain, Rob Frye, Whitney Johnson, Ryley Walker, Ka Baird and Tyler Damon (among many others), Haley's vision comes to fruition with a striking strength and ease. Reaching For Indigo attains a transparent spirit,... (read more)

With the world around us bruised and bloodied with teeth already dug into the concrete curb, we find ourselves with the shadow of a large boot looming overhead. What better time for No Age? They know how to ecstatically rage & power on thru pain, because what else are you gonna do? The future belongs to the cockroaches, and this record is made for the disparate band of misfits who 2017 couldn't kill.  

Snares Like a Haircut sounds like the good... (read more)

By the end of '73, Chris Gantry had cut one of the weirdest records ever - on or off Music Row. A songwriter, storyteller and original Nashville outlaw, Chris started (and startled!) the wild new wave of young talent in town a few years before Kristofferson, Mickey Newbury, Tony Joe White, Dan Penn and dozens more followed suit. At The House Of Cash showcases not only Gantry's enviable songwriting talents, but also his visionary creativity, for which the world may not... (read more)

The rain may fall in Spain, but not as hard as Spanish audiences will fall for Laetitia Sadier& The Source Ensemble as her intercontinental tours supporting Find Me Finding You continues! Next week, Laetitia embarks on a 9 date tour form Bilbao to Zaragoza, and just about everywhere in between! Yeah, she's got Barcelona and Madrid covered, but Laetitia is a woman of the people, dedicated to bringing some of the best songs about humanity, love and political poignancy to everyone, in cities big... (read more)