North Carolinian Eric Church has been no stranger to the country music spotlight. With five successful albums already solidifying his position in the top tier of singer-songwriters, Church now has a unique opportunity to tell a different story on his newest outing. Desperate Man provides his most vulnerable experience to…

In their tribute to metal god Lemmy Kilmister, Oakland’s High on Fire may have discovered the primordial energy that drove Motörhead into the rock and roll annals. Frontman Matt Pike, every metalhead’s favorite uncle, recently gushed that Electric Messiah is by far the best record that he has made.…

Pennsylvanian experimental rockers MewithoutYou have remained woefully underappreciated due to their unorthodox evolution. By the time bands like Listener and La Dispute discovered frontman Aaron Weiss’ bombastic spoken word delivery, he had run from his clout by emphasizing inconspicuous singing. Tracks like “Allah, Allah, Allah” befuddled Christian fans, while…

There’s nothing scarier to a cat lover than a feline friend gone missing. All those anxious hours spent worrying, walking the neighborhood, leaving a bowl of milk on the doorstep, wondering what happened to that beloved companion. Chan Marshall’s first studio album in six years and her 10th under…

New Jersey upstarts Well Wisher sure know how to make an entrance. Their debut album, This Is Fine, feels less like a rookie move and more like one by seasoned rock veterans. The band works through a compelling combination of punk sonics and pop melodies as though it’s been at it for years.…

Visionary West Coast hip-hop group Cypress Hill has returned from an eight-year recording hiatus with an impressive album that more than makes up for their prolonged silence. Elephants on Acid Cypress Hill Sept. 28 Cypress Hill makes no compromises on Elephants on Acid, its ninth album. From the musical style to the…

Boston’s Marissa Nadler has spent the past 18 years developing her unique blend of dream-folk and Southern gothic. With the “slow music” niche she carves with her expressive voice and guitar, the songwriter’s eighth album plunges into unprecedented emotional depths. From the nebulous oil-painted album art to her chilling…

Few bands embody rock and roll’s youthful enthusiasm like grunge pioneers Mudhoney, so it’s weird to think that as of 2018 the band has been around for 30 years. This is where we find ourselves in this too-weird-to-parody year. Digital Garbage Mudhoney Sept. 28 The first time I heard…

Out of morbid curiosity, I asked someone with spectacular indifference to heavy metal for his opinion on the singles to Voivod’s new album, The Wake. He wrote back repulsed that a thrash metal band could have the gall to make “Obsolete Beings” a whopping five minutes long. That single…

Countless songwriters only scratch the surface of love as a connective human experience. Sumac transcends that trope on Love In Shadow. The post-metal power trio pushes itself to its compositional limit on its third LP, pouring all of its primal passion into an erratic rumination on a cornerstone of consciousness.…