Needle Drops
From Alex Ross's expansive classical music history to Justin Walter's Lynchian trumpet notes, this week's picks traverse genres and decades with unexpected connections and revelations.
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Finding Light Through Loss — Jono McCleery's 'Reconcile'
After his brother's recent passing, the English singer-songwriter channels profound personal loss into his latest album, weaving together electronic textures, folk sensibilities, and raw emotion in songs that speak to healing and hope.
With Time and Trust, WORKS Find a New Direction
Three seasoned jazz musicians, 250 concerts, and one nonprofit later, Brooklyn's WORKS return with an album that captures their decade-long musical conversation.
Dancing About Architecture with Tristan Scroggins
From his early days with a guitar-shaped flyswatter to his current work with Alisa Rose in Scroggins & Rose, the mandolinist and writer shares stories of musical growth while exploring bluegrass's past and future.
Lisa Pegher's Digital Reboot for Classical Percussion
Through projects like 'Circuits & Skins' and A.I.RE, Pegher demonstrates how classical percussion can speak to modern audiences. Her instruments become both timekeeper and time machine, connecting orchestra halls to electronic festivals.
David Bowie's Wild Ride Through American Counterculture
Mondo 2000 founder R.U. Sirius unpacks Bowie's remarkable evolution from hippie fellow traveler to critical observer, tracking the artist's fifty-year dialogue with American counterculture.
Ancient Strings Play Phantom Films — Avi C. Engel's Musical World
Between visual art and sonic experiments, Avi C. Engel's latest album 'Nocturne' weaves together ancient sounds, field recordings, and poetry into music that demands its own imaginary cinema.
A Munich Trio Called Prepared Wants You to Dance to Minimalism
Melding Steve Reich's cyclical patterns with club music's magnetic pull, this unconventional trio of piano, clarinet, and drums transforms mathematical precision into pure physical motion.
How Paul de Barros Revealed the Story of the Woman Behind 'Piano Jazz'
Marian McPartland kept her personal truth locked away as tightly as her prized recordings, but through patience and persistence, Paul de Barros gained her trust and brought her full story to light.
Needle Drops
Free jazz meets mysticism, Fourth World aesthetics find new disciples, and forgotten shoegaze gets its due. Welcome to 2025's inaugural collection of essential listening.
R*Time Extends a Musical Ladder to Doug Hammond
A chance encounter and a makeshift percussion instrument drew composer and percussionist Doug Hammond to R*Time's music. 'It's Now: R*Time Plays Doug Hammond' captures the creative sparks and productive tension of bringing Hammond's works to life.
The Healing Hip-Hop of Küf Knotz & Christine Elise
Inside Philadelphia's vibrant music scene, an unexpected duo redefines the intersection of performance and therapy. On 'Hypnagogia,' their visionary sound effortlessly merges classical refinement and the soul tradition with hip-hop's raw energy and verbal play.