Although she had been a member of goth-leaning Bay area outfit Crimson Scarlet and some even more obscure anarcho-punk bands, Riki (a.k.a. Niff Nawor) appeared virtually out of nowhere in 2020 with her self-titled debut on the esteemed Dais label. One of our favorites that year, it mixed a bevy of synth pioneer influences with a touch of the ethereal and Riki’s equally enigmatic …

Although they have had intermittent bouts of mainstream success, particularly in the UK, where they relocated for several

It’s been more than 30 years since The Smiths broke up and yet the band’s music remains hallowed ground despite their obstreperous mouthpiece continuing

It’s tempting to call Spoon’s latest, Lucifer on the Sofa (Matador Records), a return to form, but aside from a couple of mediocre albums midway through their

A year ago, when looking back on 2020, it seemed like things could only get better. Hell, they couldn’t get any worse, right? And for a while, things did get better in 2021. Optimism spilled forth as COVID-19 vaccines become available. For a moment, it seemed like things might return to “normal.” Public gatherings — most importantly, shows — returned. But with Trumpian anti-vaxxers in …

It’s been nearly 30 years since It’s a Shame About Ray launched The Lemonheads into alt-rock stardom and their frontman, Evan

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Forming in Perth, Australia in 1978 and operating for just shy of 10 years in a series of fits and starts accompanied by line-up and locale changes, the Scientists nevertheless carved out a distinct place for themselves in the punk pantheon. From the band’s initial slabs of garage pop to the primal swamp rock of the band’s primary line-up to the rock deconstruction of its …

As much as music has always meant to me, I’ve never been one to get too emotional over the passings of the people who make it. (Unless, it’s someone I

When Arab Strap disbanded in 2006 after playing a series of farewell shows, it appeared to be the last we would ever hear from the Scottish duo. Sure, singer Aidan Moffat and Malcolm Middleton would resurface as solo artists making records under their birth names and other guises, but such endeavors seemed like only added nails to the coffin.

Moffat and Middleton had emerged as …