Best Albums of the 2010’s   I heard somewhere (actually, I’m pretty sure it was Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me!) that a person’s tastes in music stop evolving once they turn 30. I surpassed that milestone in the middle of this decade – at last tally, I am 34 – but I feel comfortable saying […]

Best Albums of 2018   Is it that time of year already?   12) Big Heart Machine, Big Heart Machine – Produced by Darcy James Argue, the self-titled debut from Brian Krock’s postmodern jazz big band Big Heart Machine certainly bears strong resemblance to Argue’s angular, rhythmic, and symphonic approach to big band writing. Anchored […]

Best Albums of 2017   If you like genre-bending folk music or introspective dance/R&B, have I got a list for you:   12) St. Vincent, Masseduction – Annie Clark continues to solidify her reputation as one the premiere personas in music, but what makes the songs on Masseduction memorable are the ways in which they […]

Best Albums of 2016   The uniting factor among the albums that made my Best of 2016 list is that every one of them actively seeks to blur boundaries of genre. Devoted readers of my Best of lists will not be surprised by this, as musical curiosity and willingness to infuse different styles are some […]

Best Albums of 2015   One thing I noticed as I reviewed my Best-of list for 2014 was that several of the albums were notably brief. My #1 album from last year (Sleepy Kitty’s Projection Room) clocked in at a tight 37 minutes. This year – not so much. My top 3 albums this year […]

Rock musicians just can’t resist a plagal progression, and I think I know why. Perhaps it’s part of their nonconformist nature. Classical/concert and rock/pop music share more in common than most people from either side would be willing to admit, and whether it is done consciously or subconsciously, rock music contains several of concert music’s […]