With nearly 20 albums in just under 30 years, The Mountain Goats have grown vastly beyond being John Darnielle’s solo project. The last two albums polarize the band’s eccentricity with its roots—namely the would-be high fantasy of In League With Dragons and Darnielle’s stripped-down solo effort Songs for Pierre Chuvin.…

The raw emotion of Stage Four brought Touché Amoré to astounding heights. But it’s hard not to wonder where the band would go after an album centered around singer Jeremy Bolm’s mother’s death from cancer. A follow-up was not only sought after but necessary. More than anything else, fans…

Clockwise from top left: James Tillman, Compass, Plants and Animals, Mr. Bungle, Church of Roswell (Candi Carpenter and Josh Doyle), and The Snuts. Every week, there’s a plethora of new music at our fingertips. Artists on platforms like Spotify and Bandcamp are plentiful, and the radio offers a steady…

Bandcamp Friday Oct. 2, 2020. Clockwise from left: Chillhop Music, Svalbard, Zao, Vatican Shadow, Crack Cloud, Sarah Davachi, Deerhoof, Uniform, Arca and Emma Ruth Rundle & Thou. If anyone has a unique opportunity to support independent music, it’s Bandcamp. But the Bandcamp Friday concept has taken that support to…

It’s undeniable that Jónsi epitomized whimsical folk rock on his 2010 solo debut, Go. The album’s jubilant boisterousness—let’s call it “youth retreat campfire folk”—came ripe for mumblecore drama movies and summer camp recap videos, all while carrying the depth and dynamics the Icelandic prodigy built as the frontman of post-rock…

The depressive R&B of 2017’s In Tongues EP and 2018’s Ballads 1 established Joji with his own unique feel. However, with the notable exception of “Slow Dancing In The Dark,” much of it amounted to potential rather than a definitive well-rounded statement. Then again, Joji’s demure, unfiltered persona seemed to…

Relegated to relative obscurity compared to the wave of bands they road in with, Deftones have always walked their own path. Sure, many consider White Pony (2003) to be the watershed Deftones album, but not once have these guys faltered in their pursuit of music they can call their very…

Sufjan Stevens has remained busy since he dropped Carrie & Lowell, so it’s easy to forget how long it’s been since his last proper full-length album. He’s spent the past five years collaborating on baroque space odysseys and classical piano ballet scores, but his EP Love Yourself / With…

Population II. Courtesy. When people compare a band to Black Sabbath, they rarely mean the self-titled album, but Population II embodies the spirit of that record in more way than one. Hailing from Quebec, the trio manifests a period where heavy bands didn’t know whether they should play rock…

Bandcamp Friday Sept. 4, 2020. Clockwise from left: Botanist, Clipping., Hania Rani, Coil, Power Trip, Sun Ra, Hammock, Kelly Lee Owens, L.A. Witch and Roomful of Teeth. If anyone has a unique opportunity to support independent music, it’s Bandcamp. But the Bandcamp Friday concept has taken that support to…