The first of this week’s firecrackers comes from The Mountain Goats, led by singer-songwriter John Darnielle, who have built a prolific and influential career since the early 1990s, earning a loyal following with their storytelling and literary lyricism. Through This Fire Across from Peter Balkan expands the band’s sound with lush orchestration and welcoming arrangements…
The first of this week’s smashers is Chronicles of a Diamond, the hotly anticipated second album from Black Pumas. When the Austin-bred duo made their self-titled debut in 2019, they set off a reaction almost as combustible and rapturous as their music itself. Along with earning a career total of seven Grammy Award nominations (including…
We kick off this week’s round-up with a record to bring solace to anyone who has experienced loss. Over six months spanning the end of 2019 and early 2020, American Aquarium’s B J Barham lost his grandmother and mother, and watched as the world fell into a more than 2-year pandemic that decimated businesses, relationships…