Cherry Picker, Spencer Hoffman’s second album, is full of heart and craft and includes A Song For Friday. Also: The Orielles, Claire Dickson, Shutterspeed Duo, Meredith Bates, Laurel Halo, Weston Olencki, Delphine Dora, Tinariwen, and ELUCID & Sebb Bash. anearful.substack.com/p/a-song-for...

OMG, the crowdsourced artwork is everything! I'm also not displeased to see 14 of my 22 nominees in the bracket, including five of the top 10. And kudos to the Saariaho seeder, a brilliant, if quixotic, use of your prize. Check out my seeds in this playlist: open.spotify.com/playlist/5Gk...

Here for it. The international Contemporary Ensemble presenting commissioned works by Paul Novak, Lester St. Louis*, Shrish Jawadiwar, Erin Rogers, and Camila Agosto* at Roulette. My ears are open! *World Premiere

Eric B. & Rakim - Paid In Full (4th & Broadway, 1987) For the bass drum patterns alone, this would be a landmark! But Rakim matches every rhythmic innovation with rhymes that cut like a blade through butter. Undeniably great, even if Chinese Arithmetic is filler. #5debutalbums8589

Public Enemy - Yo! Bum Rush The Show (Def Jam, 1987) Despite the flawed second side, a staggering debut with explosive beats and tough rhymes. Side one was enough to completely rearrange your brain and prepare it for what was coming. #5DebutAlbums8589

Here for it. Sold out Saturday night at Baby’s All Right with Victoryland, Or Best Offer, and Sister. Lots of variety, all great! #LiveMusic

Trampoline, a kaleidoscopic, candy-coated debut from Very Nice Person, gives us today’s A Song For Friday. Also: Geese, Pinkcaravan!, Ritt Momney, The Darts (US), Jason Rigby, Devin Gray, and OHYUNG. anearful.substack.com/p/a-song-for...

Boogie Down Productions - Criminal Minded (B-Boy Records, 1987) This was not an easy album to find for a while, so I felt lucky when I bought this beat-up copy off a guy on the subway platform. Scott La Rock’s production still sounds next level. RIP, what a huge loss. #5debutalbums8589

Big Audio Dynamite - This Is… (Columbia, 1985) Low-key one of the most successful reinventions of the 80s. Tuneful songs, cutting-edge production. Mike D. did call me a yuppie for liking it, but I told him I’m too broke to be a yuppie 🤣. #5DebutAlbums8589

GREAT interview about one of the HEAVIEST albums (believe it!) of the 70s. The Tonearm: Fifty Years Under the Radar — Armageddon's Unlikely Return to the Record Shop www.thetonearm.com/fifty-years-...

Here for it. The Glory of Love: Lou Reed’s Coney Island Baby, with co-producer Godfrey Diamond, at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. Let the birthday celebration continue!

Happy birthday, Lou Reed! Celebrating the man’s birthday with spin of Coney Island Baby (RCA, 1976), his sixth solo album and probably his warmest collection overall. I love the crisp sound and I’m looking forward to meeting co-producer Godfrey Diamond at the New York Public Library tonight!

Twice as many possibilities for #5debutalbums8589...thanks, @richards7370.bsky.social! Here's what I'm working with. Let me know if we're doing Come On Pilgrim or Surfer Rosa, and I'll edit accordingly. open.spotify.com/playlist/4Ps...

OK, jazz cats, it’s June 1987. Who are you going to see at the Blue Note or Sweet Basil?

Wild electronic jazz from Untethered (Paul Giess, G. Calvin Weston, and Timothy Ragsdale). Also: ShitKid, Cootie Catcher, Sibyl, Mitski, GENA, Molto Ohm, A-Sun Amissa & Lauren Mason, Kent Watari, Robert Humber, and more! anearful.substack.com/p/a-song-for...

This year's @rockhall.bsky.social nominees were...OK, I guess? I voted for: Joy Division/New Order (J.D. is one of the greatest bands ever. N.O.? Mostly meh) Sade (A true original) Luther (More important than you know) Wu-Tang (For the children!) vote.rockhall.com/share/nomine... #RockHall #FanVote

Even though I love the band, I warned my three Songs From The Attic companions that I might have some controversial opinions. Watch and tell me if you agree with me or the others! The Who Albums Ranked youtu.be/If4WavkXy0I?...

Thom Yorke - The Eraser (XL, 2006) Hey this guy sings real purty. He should form a band! Seriously, this was my gateway to Radiohead after Bob Boilen played then disparaged it. I thought it sounded great - and still do. The melodies matter more than the tech. #5DebutAlbums0509

Mayer Hawthorne - A Strange Arrangement (Stones Throw, 2009) Fun stuff from a polymathic music obsessive. Part of the fun was the surprise that this great DJ could also do the thing. And, yeas, it came with a 3” single, quite the novelty in 2009! #5DebutAlbums0509

The Raconteurs - Broken Boy Soldiers (Third Man/V2, 2006) As I’m mostly immune to the White Stripes, I was surprised by how much I liked this album. So tight, tuneful, and smart. I even saw them live, and they delivered. Happy to say it still thrills!#5DebutAlbums0509

An album important to me when I was 19. In truth, this album came out about six weeks before I turned 20, but it was like a bomb of pure emotion, hilarity, noise, and melody went off in my life. The crater seemed to extend backwards and forwards in time…

Here for it. Aaron Mendelsohn of Isadora and Drinker will be playing live for the first time in six years in Freddy’s Backroom. Hannah Telle will be singing her beautiful songs, too. And Freddy’s makes a good old fashioned and a great patty melt! #livemusic

fanclubwallet’s charming Moving Unison is Hannah Judge's first love song and A Song For Friday. Also: Hemi Hemingway, Elvis Presley, Marielle V Jakobsons, Anzû Quartet, Beam Splitter, Weston Olencki, Portland Percussion Group, Mariel Roberts Musa, etc. anearful.substack.com/p/a-song-for...

BLK JKS - After Robots (Secretly Canadian, 2009) 15 years later, has this astonishing album finally found its time? I’m thinking of Geese fans discovering it and loving the nearly overwhelming tsunamis of sound. AnEarful’s first No. 1 and deservedly so. #5DebutAlbums0509

For how long will Maisy Owen remain one of music's best-kept secrets? Not very long, so make sure you listen to this and then grab her debut single from Tompkins Square! On My Way Down (Lyric Video) youtu.be/bPk11obqwRk?...

Fleet Foxes - s/t (Sub Pop, 2009/18) The fact that I got chills just looking at the track listing tells you all you need to know about how deeply this stunning album is embedded in my soul. Thanks to Nic Harcourt for the introduction! #5DebutAlbums0509

There's an optimism reminiscent of Bill Nelson's ambient work embedded in the lovely textures of this track. Listen now to Disque, the first single from @visiblecloaks.bsky.social next album - and first in 9 years! Coming May 22nd from @rvngintl.bsky.social. youtu.be/mzXMkCXfGoU?...

A Song For Friday focuses on Black Being, a work of great power by Flutronix, the duo of Nathalie Joachim and Allison Loggins-Hull. Also: Toninato-Theissen, Luca Bevacqua, Jan Esbra, Gentle Brontosaurus, Middleman, Aaron Shaw, and Michael Stephen Brown. anearful.substack.com/p/a-song-for...

Here for it. Mutual Benefit, Alice Does Computer Music, Jadelaine, and Joan Kelsey at Cassette. Cool lineup! #livemusic

“Even the rocks were dreaming/On that darkest of mornings.” Even in this dark time, MC Taylor is still pushing towards brightness. Saddle up and ride this propulsive track. Album on @chrysalisrecs.bsky.social 5/1/26 Hiss Golden Messenger - In The Middle Of It youtu.be/X2oWAoUq-7g?...

Tom Vek - We Have Sound (Tummy Touch, 2005) Still sounds great, with very distinctive bass and synth, especially. His vocal style (limitations?) wearies a little, but several killer tunes (Nothing But Green Lights FTW) save the day. #5DebutAlbums0509 open.spotify.com/album/2Be8lj...

My rough draft playlist has me thinking #5debutalbums50s60s won’t be too difficult. Only 16 albums on there…thanks, @richards7370.bsky.social! open.spotify.com/playlist/3C8...

Live Log 2025: The Year In Words And Images, Part 2 is here! Great shows including Bodega/Nodega, Native Sun, Consumables, Deep Sea Diver, Byland, Maria Somerville, Dan English, Talea Ensemble, Tak Ensemble, id m theft able, Florist, and Allegra Krieger. anearful.substack.com/p/live-log-2...

Here's something a little different from AnEarful: a collaborative post with Sintija Brince's Grunge Included newsletter on protest and political songs. Read on and tell me what songs moved you over the years. Songs YOU Can’t Ignore: open.substack.com/pub/grungein...

A new album is an act of pure love from Beverly Glenn-Copland and his partner, Elizabeth Glenn-Copland. Also: Ulrika Spacek, Chimers, Asher White, John Craigie, Vegas Water Taxi, Danz CM, Mandy, Indiana, and Carlos Niño & Friends. anearful.substack.com/p/a-song-for... #NewMusicFriday

The Who - My Generation (1965) The highs are very high (title track, Kids, Legal), showing an interest in social commentary and featuring great playing. For the rest, it’s a little hard to know what they cared about, or even if they cared. Fun listen, though! #5debutalbums506s60s

Yep, the newest Asthmatic Kitty artist is right up my alley. Not surprised to see Hannah Cohen on board, along with other folk-rock luminaries. Get into Meg Lui's new single "Gone Girl" (Official Music Video) youtu.be/0gMA5TKmybM?...

Here for it. A free four-act lineup at Baby’s All Right, featuring Nine Perfect Lives, Anastasia Coope, Autobahn, and Starcleaner Reunion. What a way to end the weekend! #livemusic #freeconcert

A landmark recording of Monochromatic Light (Afterlife), an elegiac epic from Tyshawn Sorey, is this week’s A Song For Friday. Also: Richard Carrick, Concrete Husband, Sarah Belle Reid, and @TMolotovs. #newmusicfriday anearful.substack.com/p/a-song-for...

Here for it: The debut of the Trinket Ensemble at the Miller Theatre! Featuring Alice Teyssier, flute; Modney, violin; Daniel Lippel, guitar; and Michael Nicolas, cello. Two world premieres (by Modney and Rick Burkhardt), Wang Lu’s eponymous piece, and Beatriz de Dia. Psyched! #livemusic

I'm jumping into @bestalbumbrackets.bsky.social's latest challenge and peering back to what I was listening to in 2001. It was a crazy year so I'm not surprised that some of the new albums I heard came from old favorites. open.substack.com/pub/anearful...

A Song For Friday: Clutter. Obliterating guitars feature in a new single from the Stockholm band. Also: Arctic Monkeys, Lucinda Williams, Flying Needle, Jo Passed, Searows, Maria Somerville, DJ Harrison, Colin Hinton, and more! anearful.substack.com/p/a-song-for... #NewMusicFriday

Are The Darts US Tchotchke's evil twin sisters? Watch the video for "Midnight Creep" and tell me what YOU think! youtu.be/itmm1CMg_yQ?... Halloween Love Songs LP coming on 3/3 from Adrenaline Fix.

Screentime: Elvis Sings A Song Of Himself takes a look at Baz Luhrmann’s well-titled EPiC: Elvis Presley In Concert. It’s been a while since I wrote a film review…and I love writing about Elvis, so I hope you enjoy! anearful.substack.com/p/screentime...

Dawn Penn - No, No, No (Big Beat/Atlantic, 1994) Almost two decades after retiring from music, rocksteady princess Penn returns and handily becomes a queen of dancehall. The album is uneven, but the highlights are high indeed. Yes, yes, yes! #5DebutAlbums9094 open.spotify.com/album/7DLI0K...

Incoming from Snail Mail…and it’s a nice dose of sunshine 🌞- just what we need on such a frigid day! New album, Ricochet, coming March 27th from @matadorrecords.bsky.social. youtu.be/AgCTkQdArwk?...

Discover Music With AnEarful is back with one last episode! Monthly Listening: December 2025 celebrates one concert, nine recent releases, and my Top 25. Feat. andPlay, Quatuor Mémoire, Ensemble Dal Niente, @essvus.bsky.social, @laikasongs.bandcamp.com, etc.! podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/m...

Westside Cowboy, a young band from Manchester, explores several styles on their second EP. Strange Taxidermy is this week’s A Song For Friday. Also: Alev Lenz, LochHaven, Maya Shenfeld, Imarhan, and Osvaldo Golijov. anearful.substack.com/p/a-song-for... #newmusicfriday

This new track from Ulrika Spacek has teeth 🦷 - at least the video does! 😁Picto [Official Video] youtu.be/1l2VM9UeE6Y?... EXPO out February 6 on @fulltimehobby.bsky.social

Here for it. Advance screening of Baz Luhrmann’s EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert, a 96-minute film culled from 55 hours of footage from the early 70s. Thoughts to come!