Record Dept. Music Reviews
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HEAVY ROTATION

From mellow mornings to late-night jams, my Spotify playlists capture what’s on heavy rotation. Explore a curated archive of over 170 extensive playlists.
Topaz Whitney and Nick Allbrook Show 2026

Topaz Farms Summer Concert Series 2026: Whitney and Nick Allbrook

  There was something a little different in the air at Topaz Farm on August…read more→

Topaz Molly Tuttle and Isabeau Waia'u Walker Show 2026

Topaz Farms Summer Concert Series 2026: Molly Tuttle and Isabeau Waia’u Walker

  Tuesday evening’s sold-out performance at Topaz Farm was a reminder that the best concerts…read more→

Topaz Dean Johnson and Chris Pureka Show 2026

Topaz Farms Summer Concert Series 2026: Dean Johnson and Chris Pureka

  Some summer concerts are memorable because of the size of the crowd or the…read more→

Topaz Sierra Hull and The Lowest Pair Show 2026

Topaz Farms Summer Concert Series 2026: Seirra Hull and The Lowest Pair

  Not every summer concert needs blazing sunshine to be unforgettable. On Thursday evening, Topaz…read more→

Mildred - Fenceline

Mildred – Fenceline

Mildred’s Fenceline feels like the kind of record that reveals itself slowly, not because it…read more→

Bleachers - Everyone For Ten Minutes

Bleachers – Everyone For Ten Minutes

Jack Antonoff has spent years balancing two identities: the behind-the-scenes architect behind some of modern…read more→

Greazy Alice - As Time Goes By

Greazy Alice – As Time Goes By

There is something about New Orleans that seems to attract people who are constantly searching…read more→

Dean Johnson - I Hope We Can Still Be Friends

Dean Johnson – I Hope We Can Still Be Friends

There is a strange contradiction at the center of Dean Johnson’s music: the man behind…read more→

Fantastic Cat - Cat Out Of Hell

Fantastic Cat – Cat Out Of Hell

There is a long history of supergroups that sound better on paper than they do…read more→

Kurt Vile - Philadelphia Been Good To Me

Kurt Vile – Philadelphia Been Good To Me

Kurt Vile has always been an artist who makes time feel flexible. His songs drift,…read more→

Deer Tick - Coin-O-Matic

Deer Tick – Coin-O-Matic

For nearly two decades, Deer Tick has built a reputation on restless creativity, moving between…read more→

The Black Keys - Peaches!

The Black Keys – Peaches!

After more than two decades together, The Black Keys have built a career around looking…read more→

Kevin Morby - Little Wide Open

Kevin Morby – Little Wide Open

Kevin Morby has always been a songwriter obsessed with place. His albums have followed him…read more→

Josiah and The Bonnevilles - As Is

Josiah and The Bonnevilles – As Is

There is something refreshing about a songwriter who understands that the rough edges are often…read more→

Aaron Lee Tasjan - Get Over It, Underdog

Aaron Lee Tasjan – Get Over It, Underdog

Aaron Lee Tasjan has always written from the margins, but Get Over It, Underdog finds…read more→

Styroforam Winos - Any River

Styroforam Winos – Any River

There’s a quiet confidence running through Any River, the kind that only comes from a…read more→

Hanging Stars - Just A Day

The Hanging Stars – Just A Day

Sometimes the boldest reinvention is knowing what to leave behind. On Just A Day, The…read more→

The Lowest Pair - Always As Young As We'll Ever Be

The Lowest Pair – Always As Young As We’ll Ever Be

After a six-year break from the studio, The Lowest Pair returns with an album that…read more→

Tony Joe White and Flying Mojito Bros. - Swamp Fox

Tony Joe White and Flying Mojito Bros. – Swamp Fox

Tony Joe White’s music was built on atmosphere—the slow-burning rhythms, smoky guitar, and unmistakable Southern…read more→

Charlotte Cornfield - Hurts Like Hell

Charlotte Cornfield – Hurts Like Hell

Charlotte Cornfield has always had a gift for finding the extraordinary hiding inside ordinary moments.…read more→

My Morning Jacket - Peacelands

My Morning Jacket – Peacelands

At its core, Peacelands is less a traditional My Morning Jacket album than a moment…read more→

Thomas Csorba - Tender Country

Thomas Csorba – Tender Country

There is a quiet confidence running through Thomas Csorba’s Tender Country, an album that finds…read more→

Deslondes - Holy Cross Blues

Deslondes – Holy Cross Blues

Before they became The Deslondes, the New Orleans-based group was known as The Tumbleweeds, and…read more→

Brother Wallace - Electric Love

Brother Wallace – Electric Love

Some debut albums feel like introductions. Others feel like the culmination of everything that came…read more→

Ben Chapman - Feet On Fire

Ben Chapman – Feet On Fire

Ben Chapman’s Feet On Fire feels like the sound of an artist standing between two…read more→

Brown Horse - Total Dive

Brown Horse – Total Dive

There is a particular kind of record that feels built from worn roads, empty landscapes,…read more→

Big Harp - Runs To Blue

Big Harp – Runs To Blue

After a decade away, Big Harp return with Runs to Blue, an album that finds…read more→

Leo Moon - The Fool

Leo Moon – The Fool

There is something wonderfully out of step about Leo Moon’s The Fool. In an era…read more→

Topaz Blitzen Trapper Show

Topaz Farms Summer Concert Series 2026: Blitzen Trapper and Friends

  Blitzen Trapper and Friends Bring a Magical Summer Evening to Topaz Farm! Some concerts…read more→

Topaz Farms Summer Concert Series

Topaz Farms 2026 Summer Concert Series

On warm summer evenings, there’s a moment on Sauvie Island when the light turns gold,…read more→

The Delines - This Set Up

The Delines – This Set Up

The Delines return with This Set Up, a companion piece that feels less like a…read more→

John Craigie - I Swam Here

John Craigie – I Swam Here

John Craigie’s I Swam Here is a luminous, contemplative collection that opens 2026 with warmth…read more→

Iron and Wine - Hen’s Teeth

Iron and Wine – Hen’s Teeth

Iron & Wine’s Hen’s Teeth arrives as a tender yet deeply resonant companion to 2024’s…read more→

Hiss Golden Messenger - I'm People

Hiss Golden Messenger – I’m People

Hiss Golden Messenger’s I’m People emerges as a contemplative, profoundly human record, capturing the nuanced…read more→

The Sheepdogs - Keep Out of the Storm

The Sheepdogs – Keep Out of the Storm

The Sheepdogs have built a career on channeling classic rock warmth without slipping into pure…read more→

King Tuff - Moo

King Tuff – Moo

King Tuff’s Moo is a joyous return to the raw, lo-fi garage-rock that first earned…read more→

Handsome Jack - Barnburners

Handsome Jack – Barnburners

Handsome Jack’s Barnburners marks a high-water point for the New York-based blues/roots power trio, delivering…read more→

Moondoggy - Around The Fire

Moondoggy – Around The Fire

The opening moments of Around The Fire feel less like a declaration and more like…read more→

Ratboy's - Singin' to an Empty Chair

Ratboys – Singin’ to an Empty Chair

Ratboys have always excelled at threading brightness through heaviness, but Singin’ to an Empty Chair…read more→

Boy Golden - Best of Our Possible Lives

Boy Golden – Best of Our Possible Lives

Boy Golden’s Best of Our Possible Lives is a masterclass in laid-back, observational songwriting that…read more→

Charley Crockett - Age of The Ram

Charley Crockett – Age of The Ram

Charley Crockett’s Age of the Ram marks the climactic close to his ambitious Sagebrush Trilogy,…read more→

Bill Callahan - My Days of 58

Bill Callahan – My Days of 58

Bill Callahan’s My Days of 58 is a remarkable testament to an artist who continues…read more→

The Lone Bellow - What a Time to be Alive

The Lone Bellow – What a Time to be Alive

The Lone Bellow’s What a Time to Be Alive arrives with a backstory that could…read more→

Paper Wings - Mountains on the Moon

Paper Wings – Mountains on the Moon

Paper Wings’ Mountains on the Moon is a quietly ambitious album that rewards patient listening,…read more→

Jesse Sykes - Forever I've Been Being Born

Jesse Sykes and The Sweet Hereafter – Forever I’ve Been Being Born

Jesse Sykes & The Sweet Hereafter return after a 14-year hiatus with Forever I’ve Been…read more→

Sabine McCalla - Don't Call Me Baby

Sabine McCalla – Don’t Call Me Baby

On Don’t Call Me Baby, Sabine McCalla arrives with a debut that feels less like…read more→

The Green Apple Sea - Dark Kid

The Green Apple Sea – Dark Kid

The Green Apple Sea’s Dark Kid opens with a line that immediately reframes expectations—startling, provocative,…read more→

The Band of Heathens - Country Sides

The Band of Heathens – Country Sides

The Band of Heathens’ Country Sides is a confident return to roots-infused storytelling, blending Southern…read more→

Buck Meek - The Mirror

Buck Meek – The Mirror

Buck Meek’s The Mirror sees the Big Thief guitarist navigating familiar emotional terrain with a…read more→

Evan Honer - Everything I Wanted and More

Evan Honer – Everything I Wanted and More

Evan Honer’s Everything I Wanted and More marks a confident evolution in the singer-songwriter’s trajectory,…read more→

The Paper Kites - If You Go There, I Hope You Find It

The Paper Kites – If You Go There, I Hope You Find It

The Paper Kites have long specialized in quiet emotional resonance, and If You Go There,…read more→

Donovan Woods - Squander Your Gifts

Donovan Woods – Squander Your Gifts

Donovan Woods’ Squander Your Gifts is a quietly devastating EP that lays bare the songwriter’s…read more→

Folk Bitch Trio - Now Would Be A Good Time

Folk Bitch Trio – Now Would Be A Good Time

olk Bitch Trio’s Now Would Be a Good Time is a deeply intimate and invigorating…read more→

Sammy Brue - The Journals

Sammy Brue – The Journals

Sammy Brue’s The Journals is as much an act of devotion as it is an…read more→

The Brothers Comatose - Golden Grass

The Brothers Comatose – Golden Grass

The Brothers Comatose have always thrived on a kind of loose, front-porch energy, and Golden…read more→

Langhorne Slim - The Dreamin' Kind

Langhorne Slim – The Dreamin’ Kind

Langhorne Slim’s The Dreamin’ Kind marks a striking evolution in the singer-songwriter’s catalog, swapping the…read more→

Delta Stardust - Climb Mystic Mountain

Delta Stardust – Climb Mystic Mountain

Delta Stardust’s Climb Mystic Mountain is a daring and kaleidoscopic journey through roots-infused psychedelia that…read more→

Jeff Tweedy – Twilight Override

Jeff Tweedy – Twilight Override

Jeff Tweedy’s Twilight Override is a sprawling, ambitious statement that underscores why he remains one…read more→

Mildred - Mild and Red EPs

Mildred – Mild and Red EP’s

With their twin debut EPs, mild and red, Oakland’s Mildred introduce themselves with a warmth…read more→

Scott Ballew – Paradiso

Scott Ballew – Paradiso

Scott Ballew’s Paradiso is a culmination of a lifelong journey, a record that channels decades…read more→

Anna Tivel – Animal Poem

Anna Tivel – Animal Poem

Anna Tivel’s seventh studio album, Animal Poem, finds the Portland singer-songwriter expanding the scope of…read more→

Alexa Rose – Atmosphere

Alexa Rose – Atmosphere

Atmosphere, the third album from North Carolina–based singer-songwriter Alexa Rose, arrives shaped by both creative…read more→

Daniel Donato – Horizons

Daniel Donato – Horizons

Daniel Donato’s Horizons feels like a wide-open invitation into the heart of his “Cosmic Country”…read more→

Margo Price – Hard Headed Woman

Margo Price – Hard Headed Woman

Margo Price returns with Hard Headed Woman, an album that feels both like a reclamation…read more→

Fruit Bats – Man Baby

Fruit Bats – Man Baby

Fruit Bats’ Man Baby finds Eric D. Johnson turning inward again, but with a slightly…read more→

Robert FInley – Hallelujah! Don't Le The Devil Fool Ya

Robert Finley – Hallelujah! Don’t Let The Devil Fool Ya

Robert Finley’s Hallelujah! Don’t Let the Devil Fool Ya is a testament to the raw…read more→

Nick Shoulders – Refugia Blues

Nick Shoulders – Refugia Blues

Nick Shoulders’ Refugia Blues is a quiet, introspective turn for the singer-songwriter known for his…read more→

Mariel Buckley – Strange Trip

Mariel Buckley – Strange Trip Ahead

Mariel Buckley’s Strange Trip Ahead marks a thoughtful evolution in the Canadian singer-songwriter’s catalog, blending…read more→

Josh Hedley – All Hat

Josh Hedley – All Hat

Josh Hedley’s All Hat is a masterclass in Western Swing, a genre rarely given the…read more→

Carl Hauck – Death Farm

Carl Hauck – Death Farm

After a fifteen-year hiatus from full-length albums, Chicago-based songwriter Carl Hauck returns with Death Farm,…read more→

Sister Ray – Believer

Sister Ray – Believer

Sister Ray’s sophomore album Believer is a compelling evolution of Toronto-based singer-songwriter Ella Coyes’ distinctive…read more→

Cass McCombs - Interior Live Oak

Cass McCombs – Interior Live Oak

Cass McCombs’ eleventh album, Interior Live Oak, is a study in quiet mastery—an artist fully…read more→

Reed Turchi – World on Fire

Reed Turchi – World on Fire

Reed Turchi’s World on Fire is a record that leans into tradition while carrying the…read more→

Magnolia and Johnson Electric Co.

Magnolia and Johnson Electric Co.

Magnolia & Johnson Electric Co.’s debut release marks a poignant and powerful return to the…read more→

Lola Kirkes - Trailblazer

Lola Kirkes – Trailblazer

Lola Kirke’s Trailblazer is less a conventional country album and more a fearless exercise in…read more→

Anderson East - Worthy

Anderson East – Worthy

Four years since his last outing, Anderson East returns with Worthy, a record that feels…read more→

Kassi Valazza - From Newman Street

Kassi Valazza – From Newman Street

With From Newman Street, her third full-length record, Kassi Valazza returns bearing a collection that…read more→

50 Years of the Blues at Antones in Austin

50 Years of the Blues at Antones in Austin

For half a century, Antone’s Nightclub has been the beating heart of Austin’s blues scene,…read more→

Little Barrie and Malcom Catto - Electric War

Little Barrie and Malcom Catto – Electric War

Electric War finds Little Barrie—guitarist and vocalist Barrie Cadogan and bassist Lewis Wharton—reuniting with drummer…read more→

Julien Baker and Torres - Send a Prayer My Way

Julien Baker and Torres – Send a Prayer My Way

Julien Baker and Torres’s Send a Prayer My Way is less a genre exercise than…read more→

Hayes Carll - We're Only Human

Hayes Carll – We’re Only Human

On We’re Only Human, Hayes Carll reflects on the messy, often contradictory nature of being…read more→

Kathleen Edwards - Billionaire

Kathleen Edwards – Billionaire

Kathleen Edwards’ Billionaire is a record that quietly asserts her return not just as a…read more→

Esther Roses - Want

Esther Roses – Want

With Want, Esther Rose takes the confessional candor of 2023’s Safe to Run and sets…read more→

Ashleigh Flynn and The Riveters – Good Morning-Sunshine

Ashleigh Flynn and The Riveters – Good Morning-Sunshine

Ashleigh Flynn & The Riveters’ sophomore album, Good Morning, Sunshine, is a sparkling, high-octane testament…read more→

Molly Tuttle - So Long Little Miss Sunshine

Molly Tuttle – So Long Little Miss Sunshine

Molly Tuttle’s latest effort, So Long Little Miss Sunshine, marks a deliberate pivot from her…read more→

The Velveteers - A Million Knives

The Velveteers – A Million Knives

With A Million Knives, Denver’s The Velveteers return with a sophomore outing that stretches their…read more→

John Craigie - Lonely Revolver

John Craigie – Lonely Revolver

John Craigie’s Lonely Revolver marks the fourth installment in his ongoing “Beatles Lonely” series, a…read more→

Charley Crockett - Dollar a Day

Charley Crockett – Dollar a Day

Charley Crockett’s Dollar a Day is a restless, cinematic ride through the wide-open landscapes of…read more→

Lukas Nelson - American Romance

Lukas Nelson – American Romance

With American Romance, Lukas Nelson steps out from the long shadow of his family legacy…read more→

Stillhouse Junkies - The Ballad of Charlie Avalon

Stillhouse Junkies – The Ballad of Charlie Avalon

Durango’s Stillhouse Junkies have long been masters of blending the grit of the road with…read more→

Brent Cobb - Ain’t Rocked In a While

Brent Cobb – Ain’t Rocked In a While

Brent Cobb has long been celebrated for his easygoing Southern grooves and reflective storytelling, but…read more→

North Mississippi Allstars – Still Shakin'

North Mississippi Allstars – Still Shakin

A quarter century after first electrifying the blues world with Shake Hands with Shorty, the…read more→

Neil Young – Talkin' to the Trees

Neil Young – Talkin to the Trees

At 46 albums in, Neil Young could be forgiven for repeating himself. Yet Talkin to…read more→

Rachel Baiman and Viv and Riley – Kissing Other Ppl

Rachel Baiman and Viv and Riley – Kissing Other Ppl

At just under half an hour, kissing other ppl feels like an intimate postcard rather…read more→

Moonrisers - Harsh and Exciting

Moonrisers – Harsh and Exciting

Detroit duo Moonrisers—guitarist Libby DeCamp and drummer Adam Schreiber—deliver a debut that feels both ancient…read more→

Silver Synthetic - Rosalie

Silver Synthetic – Rosalie

Silver Synthetic’s sophomore album, Rosalie, is a sun-drenched reverie of cosmic Americana and polished guitar-driven…read more→

The Delines – Mr. Luck and Ms.Doom

The Delines – Mr. Luck and Ms.Doom

The Delines’ Mr. Luck and Ms. Doom marks a continued evolution of the Portland-based band’s…read more→

Jason Isbell – Foxes in the Snow

Jason Isbell – Foxes in the Snow

Jason Isbell’s Foxes in the Snow is a raw, unfiltered look at heartbreak, change, and…read more→

Sam Amidon – Salt River

Sam Amidon – Salt River

Sam Amidon’s Salt River is an album that feels like it’s constantly evolving, resisting easy…read more→

JD Clayton – Blue Sky Sundays

JD Clayton – Blue Sky Sundays

JD Clayton’s Blue Sky Sundays is a heartfelt ode to home, family, and the music…read more→

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