The following offers an admittedly long-winded retrospective on a band that personifies the term underrated: Centro-Matic. My original intention was to shine a spotlight on the 2006 release, Fort Recovery. For my money, the album represents the band’s high-water mark and a perfect point of entry for the uninitiated.
Like many gen-xers, MTV was both a gateway and conduit to all things music for yours truly. Still, by the late ‘80s, the channel had gotten pretty stale. Which is probably why I so vividly remember the first time I saw Nine Inch Nails.
Featuring members of Dredg, Far, and The Trophy Fire, Black Map has evolved into something far more compelling than a side project. Across three solid albums, the Bay Area trio steadily refined their blend of post-hardcore muscle and melodic rock sensibility. But with HEX, their fourth LP, they sound like a band that’s finally arrived.
These two songs feel like more than just another one-off gaming soundtrack contribution–they represent a fascinating full-circle moment for Poe. After two decades of relative silence, she's returned with music that feels both fresh and familiar, a perfect point of re-entry for artist and fanbase alike.
Not only did the Bristol-based trio make an immediate and formative impact on ‘90s trip-hop, I’d argue they transcended the genre, resulting in a body of work that sounds pretty timeless.
Somewhere along the way, Beak> became more than just ‘another side-project’ for Portishead’s Geoff Barrow.
Love ‘em or hate ‘em, Led Zeppelin certainly left an indelible mark on music history. The band's story is quite literally the stuff of legend if not the template for virtually every 'rock 'n roll' act that followed.
The story of Steve Perry, ‘The Voice,’ is the stuff of legend. Plucked from relative obscurity by a desperate manager and paired with a fiery young band desperately in need of a hit, Perry might not have been Journey’s first choice, but the results were undeniable.
More than a decade removed from deciding to call it a day, R.E.M. seems content to quietly fade into the annals of rock history. Why the band hasn’t enjoyed the same critical reappraisal bestowed upon so many of their peers is hardly a surprise. After all, from the get-go, R.E.M. showed little interest in ‘playing the game.’
Who would’ve guessed that the band behind ‘I’m a creep, I’m a weirdo’ was just a few years away from all that Grammy-nominated ‘redefining rock’ business? Sure as hell not me.
I LOVE The Beths. To my ears, they are the missing link between Cheap Trick, The Pixies, and, well, any number of ‘90s power-pop bands.
For the majority of his career, Gregrory Alan Isakov has quietly flown below the proverbial radar, all the while dutifully assembling a catalog of timeless classics.
To those who know her work, Sarah Jarosz is a multi-talented singer-songwriter and instrumentalist who has captivated audiences with her unique blend of contemporary folk, Americana, and bluegrass music for the better part of fifteen years (and counting).
Throughout her career, Beth Gibbons has personified the idea of quality over quantity. Fortunately, as is the case with all of Gibbons’ work, the album was well worth the wait.
For longtime fans, Liveforms is a worthy successor to L-1VE—a richer, more complete representation of what Haken has become. For newcomers, it’s a perfect point of entry: a three-hour masterclass in modern progressive metal.
To those still listening, Diamond City is just another entry into an ongoing renaissance. For the other ninety-nine percent of people attending the next Isbell tour, Johnson remains the "guy behind the kit." If only they knew what they were missing out on–this album would be a perfect place to start.
Wunderhorse might have started as a solo vehicle for the former Dead Pretties singer Jacob Slater, but the decision to assemble a live band and hit the road has resulted in a sophomore release that is anything but a retread.
Dream Theater possesses a surprisingly diverse catalog—one where no two releases sound identical.
For my money, 1999’s In Loving Memory Of remains the band’s high water mark and the point from which I continue to measure Thornley’s output–an unsung classic indeed.
The Smile has fully embraced the notion of progress through refinement. And in the case of Cutouts, that means The Smile have delivered tightest batch of songs yet.
Lemon Parade is a cover-to-cover masterclass in songwriting and a hidden gem from the post-grunge era.
It’s pretty amazing that, after all these years, Pearl Jam can deliver an album as strong as Dark Matter.
in an era where ‘quantity over quality’ seems to be the name of the game, Thomas Dybdahl’s Fever is not only an instant-classic, it’s downright refreshing.
Wall of Eyes is everything I didn’t even know I wanted from The Smile.
Will Johnson has quietly assembled a stunning run of releases since putting the indie-rock institution Centro-matic to rest back in 2014.
Few bands can lay claim to having actually been there ‘from the beginning.’ In the case of alt-rock, however, R.E.M. not only spearheaded the genre, they managed to outlast nearly all of their first-wave contemporaries.
Nearly ten years removed from her breakthrough novel-turned-feature-film (The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry), Gabrielle Zevin has once again struck proverbial gold with Tomorrow, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow.
Ratboys' latest album, The Window, marries indie-rock aesthetics with impeccable songwriting, showcasing their continued development.
Appaloosa Bones, the highly anticipated new album from Gregory Alan Isakov, is yet another stunning collection of songs from the Denver-based singer-songwriter.
Poe's album "Haunted" is a genre-bending tribute to her late father, rich in emotions and lyrical prowess.
"Weathervanes" by Jason Isbell is a diverse, storytelling album, showcasing his evolving songwriting prowess.
"Fauna" represents Haken's significant milestone with stylistic diversity, emotional lyrics and impressive performances.
Looking back, it feels a tad obvious that Hem had every intention of calling it a day when they released Departure and Farewell back in 2013.
Given the fact that Ed O'Brien had been working on a solo album for several years, there was no shortage of anticipation and expectation surrounding 2020's Earth (released under the EOB moniker).
The Afghan Whigs' eighth album, In Spades, finds Dulli and Co. putting forth an uncompromising collection of songs that reveals an entirely new side of the band.
Cub is a remarkably diverse affair, something the advanced singles only hinted at.
