Future Islands, courtesy Devin Yalkin. Future Islands frontman Samuel Herring was in a Stockholm cab one morning earlier this summer, being driven to the airport. He had been visiting his partner, Julia Ragnarsson, after spending most of the pandemic apart due to travel restrictions, but the country’s visa regulations…

Rachel Goodman’s top alt-rock and alt-pop songs of 2020. L to R; Row 1: Tame Impala, Caribou, Washed Out, Trace Mountains, The Big Moon, Future Islands. Row 2: Strfkr, Surfer Blood, Surf Rock Is Dead, Of Montreal, Hazel English, Suburban Living. Row 3: Jack River, Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever,…

Baltimore alt-rockers Future Islands drew upon their dozen-plus years as a band to carefully craft their sixth studio album, As Long As You Are. The album was shaped around the group’s experiences on the road and the feeling of having life goals always just out of reach. As unique as that…

Under that moniker DJ Shadow, Joshua Paul Davis in 1996 gave sample-based music one of its first hit albums with Endtroducing. He transcended the established norms of ‘90s hip-hop by incorporating elements of ambient music, electronica and “sampledelia.” Davis found more common ground with U.K. trip-hop than West Coast G-funk—which might…

Kyle Kohner’s five-part series ranking the 50 best albums of 2017 continues with numbers 30 to 21. Missed everything up until now? Start at the beginning. 30. Arca – Arca To say that Arca is one of the least accessible artists around is an understatement. At the same time, the Venezuelan producer is a musical…

Photos: Alessio Neri A last-minute postponement by legendary hip-hop crew A Tribe Called Quest didn’t spoil the mood for tens of thousands Gorillaz fans Friday, the first day of the Outside Lands Music Festival. And Gorillaz, the electronic, animated project of Blur’s Damon Albarn did not disappoint with a…