“Play Me continues the experimentation of 2024’s The Collective, fighting through the state of our nearly apocalyptic contemporary world with a mix of bass, skittering beats, and fervency,” writes Justin Cober-Lake. dustedmagazine.tumblr.com/post/8127953... @justinc-l.bsky.social

Oldham thinks through heavy topics on We Are Together Again, but he provides outlets. The music itself usually offers a soft loveliness that provides its own sort of relief. My review of the new one from Bonnie "Prince Billy": spectrumculture.com/2026/03/10/b...

Some thoughts on the new one from The Lowest Pair: www.popmatters.com/lowest-pair-...

Here's @profspur.bsky.social with some valuable analysis: Remember Attacking? open.substack.com/pub/profspur... #COYS, I guess

My take on the excellent new Bill Callahan record: spectrumculture.com/2026/03/05/b...

It's essential to hear other perspectives when trying to understand scripture. Indigenous theology has frequently been dismissed or (almost literally) demonized, despite its great insight. With that in mind, my take on Reading the Bible on Turtle Island: englewoodreview.org/t-christophe...

In case any of my musician friends are interested: dustedmagazine.tumblr.com/post/8083674...

My take on a strong new album from Ratboys: spectrumculture.com/2026/02/09/r...

Caitlin & Brent’s self-titled album is not a simple album to listen to, but fortunately, it's a pretty painless kind of pleasure. spectrumculture.com/2026/01/28/c...

I'm always happy when there's new Lucinda Williams music, and World's Gone Wrong doesn't disappoint. My review: spectrumculture.com/2026/01/22/l...

My review of the new one from Courtney Marie Andrews: spectrumculture.com/2026/01/20/c...

I got to see one of my favorite artists in concert the other night. Here's my review of Rhett Miller's stop in Charlottesville: spectrumculture.com/2025/12/16/c...

Spectrum Culture's favorite books of the year is up. I picked *Beyond the Salvation Wars*, and I was happy to see the latest @sgj.bsky.social novel make it (the other one I really considered). I'm adding to my to-read list now... spectrumculture.com/2025/12/14/o...

I thought Nick Cave's last album was fantastic. Not surprisingly, I think the follow-up live album is incredible, too. Full thoughts: spectrumculture.com/2025/12/10/n...

I had a fun time revisiting the self-titled album from Spaceheads, an overlooked blast of a record: spectrumculture.com/2025/12/07/r...

I'm always interested to hear what Colter Wall's up to. My review of his latest: spectrumculture.com/2025/11/25/c...

I wasn't sure the new Dylan Bootleg series would be interesting; his origin story's well-covered. I was wrong. The set's fascinating, entertaining, and informative. My review: www.popmatters.com/bob-dylan-th...

"Even in retrospect, 1985 feels almost miraculous for the punk band Hüsker Dü, and new box set 1985: The Miracle Year captures that moment through a hefty set of live recordings from a wild season." spectrumculture.com/2025/11/18/h...

As usual, I wrote about The Who. Who Are You is an uneven album from a chaotic time, and the new box set breaks it all down quite well (and, of course, it's fun to listen to). My review: spectrumculture.com/2025/11/13/t...

"Brandi Carlile has returned to herself, but that doesn’t mean isolation; it means taking her own awareness into community, knowing what to treasure and making sure to speak it." My review of Carlile's latest: www.popmatters.com/brandi-carli... @popmatters.com

Through This Fire Across from Peter Balkan pushes the Mountain Goats into new territory as a band and as storytellers, marking a rich new entry worthy of close reading, musically and lyrically. My review: spectrumculture.com/2025/11/10/t...

I'm a sucker for the Dunedin Sound. Here's my take on the latest from the Bats: spectrumculture.com/2025/11/05/t...

Up today, my review of the fascinating new album from William Prince, with its mix of thematic coherence and precise writing: www.popmatters.com/william-prin...

My take on the latest from Public Enemy: spectrumculture.com/2025/10/28/p...

I did a thing I do on occasion, writing about Waylon Jennings: spectrumculture.com/2025/10/22/w...

Shires creates a relatable narrative in Nobody’s Girl where things fall apart, but she finds ways to vine back up. My review of a deeply personal album: spectrumculture.com/2025/10/15/a...

I've been listening to (and writing on) a good run of albums from some of my favorite artists lately. Up now is the latest from Rhett Miller. My review: www.popmatters.com/rhett-miller...

Apparently I'm in the minority with this opinion, but I only mostly like and don't really love the new Jeff Tweedy album. My review: spectrumculture.com/2025/10/07/j...

Monday night I went to one of the best concerts I've seen in ages. Here are my thoughts on the Tyler Childers show: spectrumculture.com/2025/09/24/c...

My take on the new one from Kathleen Edwards: "Kathleen Edwards sounds as confident as ever, with a clear vision of what matters. This latest record is marked by wisdom, heart, and varied Americana." www.popmatters.com/kathleen-edw...

The new Brent Cobb record isn't breaking new ground, but it's a fun listen that shows another side of him. My thoughts: spectrumculture.com/2025/09/01/b...

The Who have just released a new (old) live album, so of course I reviewed it: spectrumculture.com/2025/08/25/t...

My take on Snipe Hunter, the adventurous new album from Tyler Childers (now with even more snipe): spectrumculture.com/2025/08/04/t...

I wrote about 10 deep cuts I'd like to see The Who play on their farewell tour. Most of them are pretty unlikely, but you never know... screenrant.com/the-who-tour...

I'm generally a fan of Patty Griffin's work, and the new one is very good: www.popmatters.com/patty-griffi...

"For fans of Weller, it's a great chance to spend an hour with the artist, here in sophisticated arranger mode." My thoughts on the new Paul Weller: spectrumculture.com/2025/07/29/p...

I followed up on some one-hit wonders that deserve a little more attention (including the most Pittsburgh-y of them): screenrant.com/music-1970s-...

The Old 97's are one of my favorite bands, so I was happy to learn that Murry Hammond has a new solo album. It lives up to expectations. My take: dustedmagazine.tumblr.com/post/7893421...

I usually don't like writing negative articles - it's much more interesting to find good music or to analyze interesting ideas - but I had fun with this one: screenrant.com/classic-rock...

Every year at Dusted, we do a midyear record swap, which is always a blast. The feature ran this week. I have takes on records well out of my wheelhouse, from Barker and from Sophie Agnel & Joke Lanz: dustedmagazine.tumblr.com/post/7886172...

My revisit of the White Stripes' Get Behind Me Satan: screenrant.com/the-white-st...

I've got the 10 defining songs of the Allman Brothers Band's career: screenrant.com/the-allman-b...

Up now (just in time for your holiday reading) is my take on a fascinating and challenging new work, Matthew Bates's Beyond the Salvation Wars, an extension of his work on gospel allegiance and related topics. englewoodreview.org/matthew-bate... @erbks .bsky.social

James McMurtry just put out one of my favorite albums of the year. My thoughts: spectrumculture.com/2025/06/25/j...

I have a soft spot for surf music thanks to my grandfather (and one particular compilation cassette he used to play). Here are 10 tracks you should know about (none by the Beach Boys, because everybody's listening to "God Only Knows" right now anyway). screenrant.com/surf-rock-so...

I have a new list out: the top 10 girl groups of all time: screenrant.com/best-girl-gr...

My breakdown of the most definitive songs of #U2's career: screenrant.com/u2-definitiv...

I thought I actually might solve one: ⚾️ Immaculate Grid 808 8/9: Rarity: 276 🟩🟩🟩 ⬜️🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩 Play at: immaculategrid.com/play

Today I've got 10 songs that define Paul McCartney's solo career: screenrant.com/paul-mccartn... Thoughts?

My ranking of every studio album by one of my favorites, The Band. And, yes, I know that most people who read article would swap my #1 and #2, but I'm sticking by it. screenrant.com/every-studio...