I took a little bit of a flyer on an album recently and it's turned out to be one of my favorites of the year. Here's my take on @greydelisle.bsky.social and Les Greene's *Grey & Greene*: www.popmatters.com/grey-delisle...

“This album might be haunted by waters; it certainly makes no pretense not to be." My review of Paiva River Songs: dustedmagazine.tumblr.com/post/8221269...

I realize I'm the target audience for this book, but Ragan Sutterfield's Watch and Wonder really is excellent. My review: englewoodreview.org/ragan-sutter...

Tift Merritt knows that any venture into hope is a venture into danger, but she keeps going. My review of Sugar: spectrumculture.com/2026/06/29/t...

Willie Nelson continues a remarkable late-era run. My review: spectrumculture.com/2026/06/09/w...

My thoughts on the debut from Violet Grohl (yes, Dave Grohl's daughter), which is enjoyable, but also suggests better things to come. spectrumculture.com/2026/06/08/v...

My take on the excellent new album from Ashley McBryde: spectrumculture.com/2026/06/04/a...

My latest review: With its brains and polish, folk rock band Widemouth’s No Gasoline doesn’t feel like a debut album, but it does suggest more and better to come. www.popmatters.com/widemouth-no...

“Here we are, in the great breadth of American pop music, covering most of a continent.” My review of the new Kevin Morby album: dustedmagazine.tumblr.com/post/8177782...

My take on the newest Foo Fighters record, which...sounds like a Foo Fighters record: spectrumculture.com/2026/05/06/f...

Always worth checking in on The Black Watch:

I've covered Salim Nourallah's work for over 20 years now, and we've done a series of interviews for @popmatters.com covering various phases of his career. He's in a wild time right now, so it was a pleasure to get to catch up again: www.popmatters.com/salim-noural...

The reunited alt-country band isn't breaking new ground, but they're still traveling in style. My take on the new Long Ryders record: spectrumculture.com/2026/04/15/t...

“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-...