RIFF’s best albums of 2024 include Tyler, The Creator, Charli XCX, Beyoncé, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Brittany Howard, Kamasi Washington, St. Vincent, The Cure, Jack White and Vampire Weekend. Our album reviews are the opinion of one writer, while this list is a survey of our entire…

Brittany Howard, “What Now.” The musical power of Brittany Howard lies in her ability to express herself with unwavering fearlessness through her dynamic vocals and bona fide lyricism. On her sophomore solo album, What Now, she delivers an unpredictable medley of soul, piercing honesty and an urgency that demands…

J Balvin performs at Outside Lands in San Francisco on Oct. 31, 2021. Adam Pardee/STAFF. SAN FRANCISCO — There are a lot of accolades you can give J Balvin: Global superstar, Prince of Reggaeton, one of Time magazine’s most influential people. But one that doesn’t get enough attention is…

Clockwise from top left: Babymetal, Frankie Cosmos, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Brittany Howard, The Chemical Brothers, Holy Ghost!, Sharon Van Etten and Kurt Vile. Staff photos. Every year I make a “resolution” to see fewer shows. And each year by September, I am reminding myself of this resolution. Unlike most…

Brittany Howard performs at the Fillmore in San Francisco on Nov. 22, 2019. Photos: Alessio Neri. SAN FRANCISCO — Clad in a long, glittery, multicolored robe and Adidas that would get a workout, Brittany Howard stepped onto the Fillmore stage to a packed crowd. Howard, the Alabama Shakes frontwoman and guitarist,…

Clockwise from top left: COMA, Sløtface, Taali, Chadwick Stokes, Brittany Howard and JR JR. Every week, there’s more new music waiting to be discovered. No one really has enough time to watch that indie channel on TV that just happens to be playing a lot of great new artists.…

Bermuda Triangle (Becca Mancari, Brittany Howard, Jesse Lafser), courtesy. For as much travelling as Pennsylvania native Becca Mancari has done in her life, touring as a solo artist or a member of new group The Bermuda Triangle is still a recent development. Over the years, she’s called New York,…