Julien Baker has never been one to shy away from depicting dramatic and intimate parts of life in her music. Since her 2015 debut, Sprained Ankle, her vices, addiction and sexuality have featured heavily into her work and are ever apparent on her new album, Little Oblivions. But unlike the previous…

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,…

The best albums of 2020 include (clockwise from top left): Sufjan Stevens, Jehnny Beth, John Frusciante, METZ, Pearl Jam, clipping., Hailey Whitters, Black Thought, Throwing Muses and Phoebe Bridgers. We’re starting to get into the nitty gritty of our list of the best albums of the year. These next…

Boygenius performs at the Fox Theater in Oakland on Nov. 27, 2018. Photos: Chloe Catajan. OAKLAND — It may have been Julien Baker at the top of the marquee Tuesday at the Fox, but the Memphis singer-songwriter shared equal stage time with her two openers, Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus.…