No algorithms, just The Tonearm's guide to six essential new releases. The Cohen family's intuitive interplay, Believers' rhythmic precision, and Quatuor Bozzini's mesmerizing interpretations demonstrate how genre constraints continue dissolving in contemporary music.
This week's essential listening includes a military drummer's debut, a memory-seeking Scot, an Australian trumpeter's electronic-classical fusion, and a Belgian's Vietnamese audio travelogue. Each creates its own climate regardless of the calendar.
From AI-inspired large ensembles to midnight Tokyo sessions, this week's electronic explorations chart new territories in sound, featuring fresh works by Jon Irabagon, Tim Hecker, Oksana Linde, and Benjamin Fulwood.
A cosmic journey through the latest, most compelling underground releases reveals unexpected collaborations and sonic discoveries, including Wolf Eyes meeting Anthony Braxton and Animal Collective's Geologist transforming Instagram clips into experimental gold.
Musical paths cross in surprising ways this week—classical training meets electronic innovation, everyday objects transform into instruments, and a beloved album emerges from obscurity with its forward-thinking vision intact.
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.
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.
The year's most striking performances demonstrated how veteran musicians balance nostalgia and innovation, from Vegas mega-shows to intimate club dates. Lawrence Peryer reflects on some of his live music highlights of 2024.
Spotlight On's Lawrence Peryer shares the year's most compelling reads, including a provocative climate change novel, Lincoln's grief in the cemetery, and fresh insights from legendary producer Rick Rubin.
What happens when acclaimed musicians remake holiday music in their own image? These albums show how personal vision can transform and transcend familiar seasonal themes.
A quartet channeling New Orleans' experimental spirit, German electronic artists carrying the kosmische torch, a formidable Brooklyn jazz ensemble, and meditative shakuhachi explorations lead this week's essential releases.
Today is Record Store Day Black Friday. Let The Tonearm be your guide.