Belle and Sebastian Share New Song - “We Are Beautiful”

Jul 27, 2017 Christopher Roberts

Belle and Sebastian have shared a brand new song, "We Are Beautiful." Right now it's just a standalone single, there's no word if the song is from an upcoming album or EP. The band just embarked on a North American tour, so it could be in honor of that. 

Father John Misty - The Under the Radar Cover Story Bonus Q&A

Jul 26, 2017 Issue #60 - Father John Misty

There's a moment toward the end of Pure Comedy, Josh Tillman's sprawling third album as Father John Misty, that feels just a little different from all of those that come before it. As all of the swirling strings and pianos drop out near the end of "The Memo," digital voices arise and tangle around his. 

Father John Misty - The Under the Radar Cover Story

Jul 25, 2017 Issue #61 - Grizzly Bear

Josh Tillman is nervous. In five days he'll perform  "Total Entertainment Forever" on Saturday Night Live, but he can already see the headlines from Monday morning from his hotel room in New York City. 

Middle Kids

Jul 21, 2017 Issue #60 - Father John Misty

The band name chosen by Sydney, Australia trio Middle Kids also describes the upbringing of singer Hannah Joy and multi-instrumentalist Tim Fitz. "Tim and I are both middle kids," Joy explains. "I think it's common to find middle kids being a little bit unsure of their place in the family.

Under the Radar’s Top 50 Albums of 2017 So Far

Jul 13, 2017

In the past we've avoided posting midyear best albums lists. It seemed somehow impatient and premature to evaluate the year's albums halfway through. And how do you decide which period the list covers, which arbitrary release date do you work out is the cut off point, as every midyear list seems to cover a different period? But 2017 is a year that demands a partial evaluation. The first half of the year has already produced enough strong albums to easily fill a Top 50, but also the second half of 2017 is stacked with so many high profile releases that threaten to overshadow some of the gems released so far. For example, we've already heard some August and September releases that we're certain will make the upper echelons of our final best albums of 2017 list come December.

To make this list an album had to be released for the first time (no reissues) somewhere between January 1, 2017 and last Friday, July 7. That means there are some good albums out tomorrow (such as Waxahatchee, Japanese Breakfast, and The Dears) that may made this list had we extended the period that far. Fourteen of our writers and editors (including myself and my co-publisher/wife Wendy Redfern) each submitted a list of their 20 favorite albums released this year thus far. Their number one album was worth 20 points, their number two worth 19 points, and so on until their number 20 album and any honorable mentions were worth one point each. All of that was calculated into the final list. By the way, this year we've interviewed 38 of the artists in the Top 50 and reviewed almost all these albums, so continue reading Under the Radar, both in print and online, for further proof that in-depth music journalism is far from dead. By Mark Redfern

Bob Dylan at Montreal Jazz Festival

Jul 02, 2017 By Laura Studarus

My only real argument with my mother happened when I was sixteen. It was over Bob Dylan—specifically the fact I wanted to go see his show at the fairgrounds and she wasn’t keen on the idea of her teenage daughter hanging out with NPR hippies. Her response upon finding out I’d see him perform at Montreal Jazz Festival?

Soundtracking the Resistance - Six Months Down

Jul 21, 2017 By Stephen Mayne

It's the half-year Trump anniversary so we're leading with that this week. Mix in a little summary of his various misdeeds, and a collection of protest tracks the man has inspired and we've got ourselves a column.