Kristi Kates | Author
Nick Lowe – Love Starvation – Yep Roc
June 8, 2019
Over five decades in to his music career, whip-sharp singer and lyricist Lowe hasn’t lost a beat, as evidenced by this new EP, which also includes the musicianship of his backing band, Los Straitjackets. Three distinctive Lower songs — “Love Starvation,” “Tro...
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The Hot Sardines – Welcome Home, Bon Voyage – Eleven Records
June 1, 2019
Playing a hot mix of traditional jazz, showy swing, and a hint of pop, The Hot Sardines recorded this impressive live collection of tracks in two sessions, one at Joe’s Pub in New York City, and the other at Koerner Hall in Toronto, Canada. But these aren’t laid-back lounge-y ...
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Catching Up with Josh Groban
June 1, 2019
Has it really been eight months since Josh Groban’s latest album,Bridges,hit outlets? That time’s flown by even for Groban himself, although, for fans, it was a long wait for those new tunes.
“I did have the Br...
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Bruuuuuuce is Back
June 1, 2019
The legendary classic New Jersey rocker — and subject of the howling greeting in our title this week (heard being bellowed from the crowd at pretty much every Bruce Springsteen concert ever) — is making a surprise return with his first studio album in nearly a...
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Cage and Beck Team Up for Tunes
June 1, 2019
Hip ’90s hitmaker Beck is back, having teamed up with band Cage the Elephant for a collaborative single tune called “Night Running,” which can be found on the band’s current album, Social Cues. Directed by Jennifer...
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May 25, 2019 Thought of as the “cheerful one” (aka Baby Spice) of ’90s girl group The Spice Girls, Bunton was the first to break out of the band, so to speak, with three well-reviewed solo albums of neo-soul tracks. Now, 13 years after her last effort, she returns with this set, eigh...
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May 25, 2019 Singer-songwriter (and The Hold Steady frontman) Craig Finn, fresh from an appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers and an interview on CBS This Morning, has a new solo album out. The new set, I Need a New War, is a follow...
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May 18, 2019 The follow up to the Weekend’s 2013 set, Modern Vampires of the City, is produced by band founder Ezra Koenig and wraps 18 tracks into an album that shifts the band into a new age (not the music style, thankfully). Now minus member Rostam Batmanglii (who left for other inte...
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May 18, 2019 More acts have been added to the lineup for the Buttermilk Jamboree 2019, happening June 14–16 at the Circle Pine Center in Delton, Michigan. In addition to previously announced Michigan singer-songwriter May Erlewine and East L.A. band Las ...
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May 11, 2019 Recorded entirely on a 16-track analog recorder, Norgren, who brought in some pals to fill in on bass (Anders Grahn), guitar/banjo (Andreas Filipsson), and drums (Erik Berntsson), presents a warm, recognizable sound while still keeping the tunes fresh and intriguing. Mixing his singer-son...
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May 4, 2019 Seventeen tracks in all make up Khalid’s latest, a set that expands upon his ’80s-influenced 2017 debut album, which established him as a chart-friendly R&B-pop singer who can veer easily into other genres. Sometimes, though, it seems like it would be better if he took a l...
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May 4, 2019 More Michigan music festival news keeps rolling in, with the latest lineup announcements coming from the 2019 Hoxeyville Festival (Aug.16–18 in Wellston Woods, just west of Cadillac). Headlining the event: Chris Robinson (The Black CrowesRead More >>
April 27, 2019 While much of Tuttle’s work to date has focused on her guitar skills and bluegrass sensibilities, this album leans more toward her songwriting and alto vocals, both enhanced by the production work of Lumineers/Avett Brothers cohort Ryan Hewitt. This isn’t old-school Nashville ...
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April 27, 2019 The lead single from the upcoming album of Seattle band The Head and the Heart, “Missed Connection,” is out this week. The album, Living Mirage, hits outlets May 17, and the band is set to bring its latest in indie-folk rock to over three dozen cities...
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April 20, 2019 A bubbly, bouncy stir-up of a set, this collection from The Strumbrellas also proves to be a little illusory; behind those zippy tunes are lyrics that are often far less than happy. It’s interesting seeing how the band balances those two components on tracks like “The Party,&r...
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April 20, 2019 Childish Gambino and Twenty One Pilots will headline the 2019 Outside Lands Festival in San Francisco (taking place in the city’s Golden Gate Park Aug. 9–11.) But it’s a three-day fest, so who’s the third featured performer? None o...
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April 13, 2019 AF’s third album is the latest happening in a long list of ups and downs for the band, from a critically acclaimed debut to a band breakup, to a reformation, and the subsequent loss of the band’s house in a resale. Still soldiering on, AF released first single “Silhouett...
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April 6, 2019 Blake’s been zipping around on a pile of side projects over the past few years, including collaborations with Kendrick Lamar and Future (on the Black Panther soundtrack), Chance the Rapper, and Bon Iver. But now he returns with his third album, which both continues his long...
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March 30, 2019 From Norway hails the avant-garde indie-experimentation outfit Pom Poko, which snagged its name from a popular Japanese anime. Expect influences galore in Pom Poko’s music; the band includes everything from math-rock and West African beats to punk and groovy funk. Opener “Them...
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March 30, 2019 The Chainsmokers has a brand new song that pays homage (well, kind of) to one of its fellow indie bands, dream-popsters Beach House. The Chainsmokers’ new single, “Beach House,” sings about the protagonist waking up while listening to &m...
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Emma Bunton – My Happy Place – BMG
Craig Finn Needs a New War
Vampire Weekend – Father of the Bride – Columbia
Bring On the Buttermilk
Daniel Norgren – Wooh Dang – Superpuma
Khalid – Free Spirit – RCA
Chris Robinson May Erlewine Set for Hoxeyville
Molly Tuttle – When You’re Ready – Compass
The Head and the Heart and a Living Mirage
The Strumbrellas – Rattlesnake – Glassnote
Gambino, Pilots, Simon Lead Outside Lands
American Football – American Football – Polyvinyl
James Blake – Assume Form – Republic
Pom Poko – Birthday – Bella Union
The Chainsmokers Get Their Own Beach House