Don’t even try to talk about heavy psychedelia in the 21st century without mentioning Elder. Rising from the stoner doom underground, the Boston quartet used progressive arrangements and trippy textures to produce some of the past decade’s best albums. While fans pit 2015’s Lore against 2017’s Reflections of a…

Perhaps stoicism is the price of singularity. The eminently hard-to-categorize Lucinda Williams is the rare mainstream artist who maintains street cred in both country and rock. But establishing herself entailed a grueling campaign. During the 1970s and ’80s, the Louisiana native romped around Texas and Los Angeles, rubbing shoulders…

While it hasn’t been long since AWOLNATION released its last album, a lot has changed for Aaron Bruno and his revolving supporting cast leading up to Angel Miners and Lightning Riders. It’s been a while since the days of breakout alt-rock hit “Sail,” but Bruno has shown no signs of…

On his new album, Danzig Sings Elvis, Glenn Danzig sings the songs of Elvis Presley. Danzig Sings Elvis Danzig Cleopatra Records, April 24 It seems ridiculous to have to point that out, but in our modern culture of constant irony it’s worth mentioning. The album title itself could be the…

Dear singer-songwriter stuck in Covid-19 lockdown: You can stop believing you’re going to make the defining piece of minimalist art while sitting at home avoiding showers and running lyrics by your cat. Sorry. Fiona Apple beat you to it, which isn’t surprising. It’s not the first time she’s made…

Since the release of 2011 debut Black Up, Seattle duo Shabazz Palaces has essentially become the Sun Ra of jazz rap. Psychedelic, abstract and impressionistic, the band’s saga has had its ups and downs. The first outing remains the most universally impressive, maintaining cohesive production and thought-provoking lyrics within its unorthodox…

There’s a reason you’ll find The Black Dahlia Murder shirts at Spite and At The Gates concerts. The Michigan export’s consistent output of quality melodic death metal simultaneously taps into contemporary and orthodox developments within the extreme metal umbrella. Time and time again, Black Dahlia freshens up its sound…

For many indie rock fans, the name Ed O’Brien carries no particular immediacy. Invoke O’Brien’s decades-long tenure with English superstars Radiohead, however, and these same fans will gush accolades. The art rock group enjoys a rare status with critics and aficionados, appealing to ravers, indie rockers and even some metalheads.…

Bassist Liam Wilson, formerly of The Dillinger Escape Plan, and Extol luminaries Christer Espevoll (drums) and David Husvik (guitar) had already put Azusa over with prog metal fans. But then you hear Eleni Zafiriadou’s voice, which bridges the gap between old-school screamo and Kate-Bush-style melody, effectively pushing this band…

For shred legend Joe Satriani, 2018’s What Happens Next only lived up to its name until it dropped. The guitarist now had to find the new next thing. Two years after an electrifying, no-frills rock and roll romp, Satriani looks to his versatility for inspiration. For a guitarist so…