By eMusic Editorial Staff, eMusic ContributorEvery week, eMusic's editorial team assembles a newsletter called The Crib Sheet, which features the five new records we think are essential listening. This is your chance to tell us what you think of the… more »
By Stephen M. Deusner, eMusic ContributorIn his 2012 memoir Waging Heavy Peace, Neil Young gave a rave review to the Pistol Annies, observing that the Nashville trio was "writing their asses off." It was an unexpected shout-out, to which the… more »
By Jayson Greene, Managing EditorSide note: This was, somehow, my first time in Austin for SXSW. I tried to make my first day about variety, especially since the festival heats up on its second day. Here was my favorite of what I took in: Delorean, The Mohawk, 4 p.m. Delorean's Balearic-sounding synth-pop, early in the day, sounded effervescent as always, their synths burbling like the surface of a champagne glass. Joe called them "a scrappier Phoenix." I concur! Japanther, Valhalla, 5:15 p.m. Japanther make sweetly chugging little pop-punk go-kart songs, and live, they made me think of Ramones records playing over an elementary-school gym PA. They were winning and infectious. Widowspeak, R7, 6 p.m. The Brooklyn jangle-pop group Widowspeak has slowly swollen their sound over their career, and, playing songs off of their hazy smoke ring of a sophomore effort Almanac, they sounded dreamily fantastic, those cotton-candy swabs of guitar only growing larger and fuzzier live. Molly Hamilton's… more »
By Nick Murray, eMusic ContributorFrom the opening line "I was only 13 when my daddy died," it's clear that Ashley Monroe's sophomore Like a Rose is going to be an emotional listen. The next half-hour, however, reveals it to… more »
By Stephen M. Deusner, eMusic ContributorAshley Monroe is best known as Hippie Annie, one fringe-dressed third of the country supergroup the Pistol Annies. Even before she proved she could hold her own against bandmates Miranda Lambert and Angeleena Presley, which… more »
