sngalbums: When did folk music simply become “sad music” to the indie masses? Gently strummed guitars and atmospheric production can achieve a range of emotion; I do love anything that allows me to contemplate the depths of the psyche, but these sounds more often than not come from a positive place. New York songwriter A. harlana, né Juno Roome, writes lullabies about the love he … Continue reading Love Guides A. harlana
sngalbums: Photo by Nedda Asfari It’s widely noted that my greatest personal nemesis is in fact my own emotions. I feel too much too often, which seems to be what also plagues Caroline Polachek. On her debut solo effort, Pang, she describes the terrible agony of being in love. Even just the title, Pang, reveals all. The namesake track describes the jolt of lust or love, … Continue reading Caroline Polachek Feels Everything on Pang
sngshows: Originally appeared on Grimy Goods. Photos by María Quintana. For the past few weeks, Julia Jacklin and Christian Lee Hutson have been living like Peaches and Herb. The pair first met at Jacklin’s 2017 Bootleg performance, where Hutson opened for the Australian songwriter. They became fast friends and have made the most of their time together again on her North American tour, sharing stages, goofing … Continue reading Julia Jacklin and Christian Lee Hutson Brought Their Tour to a Bittersweet End at the El Rey
Photo by: Texas Isaiah This time last year, Nappy Nina was fumbling out the gate. On the opening line of her album, The Tree Act, released in late January, she raps about this “feeling that I might not make it”; then she masks her mortality with unprompted bravado: “test me again and I might not fake it.” It is a snapshot of her attitude throughout … Continue reading The Tree Act is an Environmental Triumph (and so much more)
sawdustandgin: Originally appeared on Grimy Goods. The wisdom that emanates from Brooklyn’s Via Intercom may teach you something about yourself and the society we live in. The duo, comprised of Maggie Colgan and Stevie Jick, debuted their project two years ago with an ambitious 14-track concept record called Buzz Buzz Buzz Vertigo, which explored childhood and budding queerness. Jick has worked with music most of … Continue reading Nuanced Wisdom Flows From Via Intercom’s New LP, Flex, Release
sngalbums: Jazz is never stagnant. The best live players are able to hop between keys and rhythms with an acute sense of place, asking where the song is headed and where they plan to interject. The genre is generous and has infinite facets, allowing veterans and newcomers to often occupy the same spotlight. Last winter, national stalwarts came together to form New York United—both a … Continue reading Jazz Greats Explore New York with No Destination in Mind
sngalbums: Norwegian indie pop aficionados Hajk (say: hike) said that they named their 2019 album after interpersonal conflict—specifically, of the romantic kind. Drama, as it is officially known, is a concise record of heartbreak and yearning, wavering between the two for ten songs. There is no throughline to follow; instead the album progresses like a series of vignettes featuring love as it grows distant, begs … Continue reading Hajk Braves Falling in Love and the Drama That Comes with It
sngalbums: The hum of a needle on wax sounds mighty similar to the patter of rain on a window. Javier Rodriguez uses this perspective shift to create a unique space for his heady beats. He released two other records last year (not including the one that dropped on January 1st of 2020), and I frequently returned to The Rain Songs for its steady comfort. The … Continue reading Splashing About with Javier Rodriguez
sngalbums: To be perfectly honest, I thought I would notice symptoms of hearing loss while I was still working at my college radio station. In actuality, last fall marked the first time when my tinnitus became too loud to ignore. When I learned that Cleveland-born, Brooklyn-based Galcher Lustwerk had been living with tinnitus for years, it started to become clear why his 2019 album Information … Continue reading Galcher Lustwerk Goes Quiet on Information LP
sngalbums: In recent years, the music I connect with most largely deals with the painful, tangled nature of love. Yet, Kevin A’s incredibly romantic mixtape Tropic stood out to me in spite of itself. The Scarborough, Ontario native spent years on the project and said that it is an “exploration of his identity,” which inadvertently doubles as a meditation on all types of love. Widely … Continue reading Dynamic Sounds Reflect Kevin A’s Self-Exploration
Sawdust & Gin 