Dec 15, 2017 By Frank Valish Issue #62 - Julien Baker

It has been six long years since Emil Svanängen released his last album as Loney dear, 2011’s Hall Music. In the interim, Svanängen has endured much change, suffering ends to relationships both personal and professional and ultimately finding himself at an artistic crossroads, one that informs Loney dear’s seventh album, the self-titled Loney dear.

Dec 14, 2017 By Matt Fink Issue #62 - Julien Baker

Though much of the press Archy Marshall has received over the past five years has focused on the contrast between his boyish appearance and his mature, baritone voice, ask about the title of his new album and the 22-year-old Londoner becomes a kid again.

Dec 14, 2017 By Laura Stanley Issue #62 - Julien Baker

Alex Lahey is honest on her debut album I Love You Like a Brother. “I’ve gained weight and I drink too much, maybe that’s why you don’t love me as much,” she speculates on “I Haven’t Been Taking Care of Myself.” “Am I scared of losing you or am I scared to be alone?” she asks on the biting “Lotto in Reverse.”

Dec 13, 2017 By Matt Conner Issue #62 - Julien Baker

Torquil Campbell, founder and co-vocalist for Stars, points to the band’s common affection for and connection to Morrissey and company as the fuel for their purposeful pop approach. It’s the reason Stars songs linger long after their three minutes are up; they’re musically synthetic but lyrically authentic.

Dec 12, 2017 By Matt Conner Issue #62 - Julien Baker

On his new album, Prince of Tears, Baxter Dury takes on a persona named Miami, and the results aren’t pretty. “Miami,” the four-and-a-half minute album opener, finds the British avant garde rocker (and son of the late, iconic 1970s/1980s singer/songwriter Ian Dury, of Ian Dury and the Blockheads fame) cursing, insulting, and grandstanding to no end against a nameless antagonist, sounding like id unbound, all over infectious, dancefloor ready beats and synths crafted by him and co-producer Ash Workman.

Dec 11, 2017 By Austin Trunick Web Exclusive

Equal parts action and comedy, the upcoming Amazon series Jean-Claude Van Johnson – debuting on December 15^th – feels like a gift from Jean-Claude Van Damme to his fans. In the show, the Belgian martial arts superstar plays a version of himself, Jean-Claude Van Damme. The series supposes that the master of high kicks and wide splits was recruited by a top secret black ops unit early in his career, and that the movies he made over the last 30 years – often filmed in far-off countries – were actually a cover for dangerous, James Bond-like espionage missions. His operative name? The not-suspicious-sounding-at-all “Jean-Claude Van Johnson.”

Dec 11, 2017 By Laura Studarus Issue #62 - Julien Baker

Since 1996, Dan Bejar has released a large number of albums, both with his solo project Destroyer and as part of The New Pornographers and Swan Lake. Still, the Vancouver-based singer/songwriter doesn’t see his extensive output as some kind of superlative accomplishment, his matter of fact descriptions of the process implying that making music is hard-baked into his daily life.

Dec 08, 2017 By Matt Fink Courtney Barnett

A strange sort of math seems to underlie the chemistry of creativity. Any time two great artists are added to each other in equal measures, the product of their union almost always yields something less than what either of them could create on their own.

Dec 07, 2017 By Ed McMenamin Issue #62 - Julien Baker

A sophomore slump can be a self-fulfilling prophesy, or deliberate subterfuge by a band looking to reframe expectations, or often just a lazy way for rock critics to build narrative around a band’s second release. The idea is so engrained that following up a well-received debut can understandably cause jitters.