Lido Pimienta’s “Eso Que Tu Haces”
Colombian-Canadian singer Lido Pimienta‘s powerful song “Eso Que Tu Haces” builds its rhythm on cumbia, the national dance of Colombia. Cumbia first originated in Africa...
Florence + the Machine’s “The Bomb”
I loved one who desired another. It was a punishing thing, but I didn’t quite understand the complexity of that pain until I heard “The...
Gétatchèw Mèkurya’s Entrancing Sax
I’ve written before about attending a concert to hear one particular musician only to discover another. Recently, I experienced a distinctive version of that. In...
John Prine’s “Speed of the Sound of Loneliness”
Songs resonant in different ways: perhaps it’s a melody that pangs with a particularly resolute truth or a verse that delivers a lightning flash of...
Flock of Dimes’ “It Just Goes On”
Last year, I wrote about Flock of Dimes’ electro-pop jaunt “Two,” which examined the strained desire of wanting companionship while prizing independence. It’s a tension...
S. Carey’s “Break Me Open”
It’s that interminable time of the year when these muted wintry days have gone on too long, the cold refusing to relax its grip. We...
Lone Wolf (Act I and II)
There was a time when I wasn’t so good at being alone. During the start of my PhD program (over a decade ago now), I...
Big Red Machine’s “Reese”
Justin Vernon’s natural singing voice, by which I mean his capacious baritone, not his crooning falsetto, has the most immediate physical effect on me. I...
All That Jazz
I used to be embarrassed about my introduction to jazz and soul, for mine was a strange passageway: romantic comedies. Although I don’t remember it...
The Summery Sweetness of Eaux Claires
Rare are the times when a moment is so perfect you recognize it while it’s happening. Usually that kind of appreciation happens after the fact,...