pop Archive
18 Feb 2019
Kat Edmonson’s Vintage Pop for Now Listeners
Though a relative youngster at age 35, Kat Edmonson makes music that’s rooted in another era. Her vintage pop approach draws form the style of vocal jazz and the Great […]
15 Feb 2019
Active Bird Community: Birds of a Feather Still Flocking Together
The four members of Active Bird Community are only 24 years old, but the Bedstuy-based indie rock group is already releasing its fourth collection of new music. The title of […]
01 Feb 2019
Hundred-word Reviews for February 2019
I’ve been doing these hundred-word reviews for many years now; they’re a handy way to communicate my enthusiasm for new and newly-reissued albums without taking the time for a deep-dive […]
22 Jan 2019
Steven Wilson: Expect the Unexpected (Part Two)
Continued from Part One… For the title track of To the Bone, Wilson wrote the music, leaving the lyric composition to Andy Partridge, formerly of XTC. “If I’m going to […]
21 Jan 2019
Steven Wilson: Expect the Unexpected (Part One)
In some ways, the 2017 album To the Bone introduced a more user-friendly Steven Wilson. Certainly, Wilson’s fifth solo full-length features a good deal of the musically ambitious progressive rock […]
19 Jan 2019
Album Review: Heather Gruber – Dance into the Desert
A collection of songs designed to convey a narrative of the artist’s sojourn from East Tennessee to Los Angeles, Dance into the Desert is shimmering pop. Gruber has a lovely […]
19 Jan 2019
Album Review: American High – U.N. Article 14
For a quick bit of context, “Article 14” refers to a section of the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights stating that people should be free from persecution. (It’s […]
18 Jan 2019
Lake Street Dive: We Want Them Back
Lake Street Dive has come a long way since the 2012 debut of its YouTube video, a cover of the Jackson Five’s “I Want You Back.” With 9 albums and/or […]
17 Jan 2019
Asheville’s Top 10 for 2018
2018 has brought forth a bumper crop of superb albums in every genre from artists local (or with strong connections) to Asheville and the surrounding region. Any of these 10 […]
12 Jan 2019
Album Review: Bobbie Morrone — Lonely St.
In many ways, the current resurgence in pop-soul is not surprising. A significant segment of today’s listeners is always in search of something new. But at the same time they […]