Kristi Kates | Author

Various Artists – Trip Hop Vibes Vol. 1– Wagram

Sept. 28, 2019

Whether you’ve long wondered what “trip-hop” exactly is — or you’re already a longtime fan of the genre — this is an exceptional overview of it, with some of the mainstays of the sound bringing their best tracks. Moby’s catchy “Natural Blues... Read More >>

Jawbreaker, Unbroken

Sept. 21, 2019

Post-hardcore/emo band Jawbreaker is the subject of a new documentary you can stream on Amazon Prime or purchase on Google Play or iTunes. The doc, titled Don’t Break Down, follows the band’s road from when it formed in New York City in 1986 and relea... Read More >>

Dude York — Falling — Hardly Art

Sept. 21, 2019

The Seattle band returns with another set of pop-punk tracks that will bring to mind teenaged late nights on suburban sidewalks, sneaking just one more cigarette before curfew. Vocals alternate between Peter Richards and Claire England, with standouts including the dark ’60s feel of... Read More >>

Fall Restaurant Roundup

Sept. 14, 2019

Please be seated for these abbreviated versions of the restaurant reviews we’ve featured since our last RestauranTour issue. Bon Appetit!

THE TRIBUNE ICE CREAM AND EATERY – Northport
Just a stone’s throw away from the shores of Northport ... Read More >>

Iggy Pop Chills Out

Sept. 7, 2019

Detroiter Iggy Pop has a new solo album out: Free, which arrived last week on Loma Vista Records. The album’s first single, “James Bond,” is a good indicator of the rest of the album’s direction, a surprisingly jazzy-meets-ambient effort t... Read More >>

Mike McGear – McGear – Esoteric

Sept. 7, 2019

Paul McCartney might have the looks and the major fame, but his twin brother, Mike McCartney, who uses the pseudonym McGear professionally, is no slouch. This is a re-release of McGear’s 1974 sophomore solo album, which was produced by his Beatles brother and also featured Linda McC... Read More >>

Mini Mansions – Guy Walks Into a Bar – Spinefarm

Aug. 31, 2019

Michael Shuman of Queens of the Stone Age, plus longtime pals Zach Dawes and Tyler Parkford blend their rock heritage together to form Mini Mansions, a rollicking old-school rock project that careens through its tunes like a teenager on Jolt Cola skateboarding down a hill. The problem is ... Read More >>

Citizens Go Global For Charity

Aug. 31, 2019

Music fans who seek a better world, mark your calendars for Sept. 28. That’s the day for this year’s Global Citizen Festival, which will draw attention to a range of charitable causes via a massive music concert in New York’s Central Park, with featured ... Read More >>

Hydro – Lateral Thinking – Utopia Music

Aug. 24, 2019

It takes an inimitable talent to take dance music and craft it in a way that works outside of the club, too, but that’s exactly what Hydro does with his first full-length debut album. The DJ has been releasing standalone tracks and other projects for years, but now he’s bringi... Read More >>

MTV VMAs Nominating Swift, Jonas Bros, Eilish

Aug. 17, 2019

The 2019 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) are coming up fast. Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande lead the nominations with 10 each, followed up by Billie Eilish, who has nine. Nominees for the big Video of the Year award are SwiftRead More >>

School of Language – 45 – Memphis

Aug. 17, 2019

You might have heard of School of Language — aka David Brewis — before; he’s best known for Field Music, his duo with his brother Peter. But Brewis teams up with some very, er … different album partners on this set, namely soul music and politics. These tracks pul... Read More >>

Dylan Returns to The Canyon

Aug. 10, 2019

Singer-songwriter Jakob Dylan, son of the legendary Bob Dylan and best known for his work as frontman of the ‘90s band The Wallflowers, is host of a new documentary film on the music scene of Laurel Canyon, California, in the ’60s. The film, <... Read More >>

We Were Promised Jetpacks – These Four Walls – FC Records

Aug. 10, 2019

WWPJ fans will find a lot to like about this set, a special expanded anniversary edition of the band’s debut album, which is celebrating 10 years this year. The new version includes all of the original material, plus eight previously released tunes, one of which is the rarely heard ... Read More >>

Yuna – Rogue – Verve

Aug. 3, 2019

Blending the ’80s tones of Sade (“Soldier of Love”) with a more earthy-voiced Sia (“Chandelier”), Yuna’s unique R&B sound on this set finds her collaborating with a long list of peers, from Jay Park and Masego to Little Simz, as well as trying out s... Read More >>

Sigrid Misses Her Own Video Shoot

Aug. 3, 2019

Musicians often know how to improvise well — and sometimes, that particular skill or ability extends even beyond the music itself. When Norwegian pop singer-songwriter Sigrid wasn’t able to make it to her music video shoot with director Max Siedentopf<... Read More >>

Various Artists – For the Throne – Columbia

July 27, 2019

While most of the definitive music from HBO's Game of Thrones series has been of the instrumental/orchestral variety (most notably, the show’s main title theme by Ramin Djawadi), there are plenty of music celebrities among GoT’s massive fan base, so it’s a worth... Read More >>

Sheeran is Back with a Stack of Friends

July 27, 2019

Ed Sheeran’s latest album, No. 6 Collaborations Project, finds the English singer-songwriter bringing in a host of friends and musical colleagues for a 15-track set of team-ups with nearly two dozen musicians. The album was released last week and includes f... Read More >>

The Raconteurs – Help Us Stranger

July 20, 2019

The Raconteurs — White Stripes frontman Jack White, along with Brendan Benson, Jack Lawrence, and Patrick Keeler — haven’t released any studio music in a decade, but it feels like the band never really left the scene, such is its skillful hold on current soundscapes. Mix... Read More >>

Clark Gets Psychedelic

July 20, 2019

Singer-guitarist Gary Clark Jr. has borrowed the likenesses of a shortlist of well-known cultural icons — including John Lennon, Nelson Mandela, Bruce Lee, James Brown, Bob Marley, ... Read More >>

Madonna – Madame X – Interscope

July 13, 2019

Madonna has brought in a shortlist of collaborators (Maluma, Swae Lee, Quavo) to help bring her focus back into dance music. Fans will especially appreciate “Batuka” and “Medellin,” as Madge — by turns a secret agent, dancer, head of state, and housekeeper, a... Read More >>