Plains’ “I Walked With You a Ways”
In my late 20s, I used to espouse a theory that went something like this: Relationships are an experience, and people should have a lot...
Damien Jurado’s “The Shape of a Storm”
The most honest love songs are those tinged with a hint of melancholy. Perhaps it’s the paintbrush of the romantic that has colored my perception,...
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...
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...
Jesca Hoop’s “Pegasi”
I’ve seen singer-songwriter Jesca Hoop twice in concert, and both times she’s brought me to tears. Some sorcerous combination of her lyricism and voice—a dusky...
Tiny Ruins’ “She’ll Be Coming ‘Round”
New Zealand singer-songwriter Hollie Fullbrook, who performs under the name Tiny Ruins, writes deliciously hushed songs. If you pushed me to sketch a more synoptic...
Field Report’s “Michelle”
Don’t you love it when you go to see one band and end up finding another? That’s been my luck more than a few times,...