The best albums of 2021 include St. Vincent, Dave, Madlib, Floating Points with Pharaoh Sanders and the London Symphony Orchestra, The Pretty Reckless, Mogwai, José González, Silk Sonic, Arlo Parks and Royal Blood. Best of 2021 We’re getting into the nitty-gritty now. There are likely some albums here that…

St. Vincent performs at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley on Sept. 23, 2021. Steve Carlson/STAFF. BERKELEY — St. Vincent (artist Annie Clark) isn’t afraid of dramatically changing how she presents herself to the world. And her impressive performance at the Hearst Greek Theatre on Thursday night only reinforced that fact, as…

Americans, we like our heroes, heroines, alive with tragedy. A vicarious struggle pulls out our individualized triumphalism. The blessing is also the gift, as we like to say. Yet in truth, as St. Vincent sings on Daddy’s Home, casualties mount along the way. Daddy’s Home St. Vincent Loma Vista…

Sleater-Kinney is an institution. Like Kathleen Hanna’s Bikini Kill before them, Sleater-Kinney became known for both their authenticity as well as their serious musical chops. Both bands carved out a place for themselves in the largely male world of rock and roll. The Center Won’t Hold Sleater-Kinney Mom +…

Photos: Paige K. Parsons SAN FRANCISCO — St. Vincent, singer-guitar virtuoso Annie Clark, is using her tour for her fifth album, 2017’s Masseduction, to create an imperfect world on stage. It’s a world of outward perfection but with enough weird kinks to to communicate a dystopia. It’s kind of like the…

Kyle Kohner’s five-part series ranking his picks for the 50 best albums of 2017 takes a step closer to revealing the best of the best, as we continue the countdown with numbers 20-11. Missed everything up until now? Start at the beginning. 20. Toro y Moi – Boo Boo With uninspired attempts at…

Roman Gokhman’s Favorite Concerts of 2015 Welcome to my annual countdown of the most entertaining music experiences of the year. I only went to 41 concerts. Life commitments and a family took a higher priority. But then again, I enjoy profiling an artist over critiquing the music. I put…

The Black Keys perform at Outside Lands 2015 in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. Photo: Paige K. Parsons. If you attended this year’s installment of the Outside Lands Music Festival, you likely have already a list of your top favorite moments. But if you’re still trying to make up…

Anthony D’Amato, courtesy. There are those who wait for their big break, and those who put themselves right in its crosshairs. Singer-songwriter Anthony D’Amato was not content to keep making music in his college dorm room and wait to be discovered. In college, at Princeton, he sought out a…