My 2026 Midterm Report Card: My favorite 50 Albums and 15 Reissues of the Year....so far.

I have to share @sterlewine.bsky.social's immaculate review of Steve Walsh's debut solo record: www.allmusic.com/album/scheme... As a teaser, here's the album cover:

My 2026 Midterm Report Card: My favorite 50 Albums and 15 Reissues of the Year....so far.

It Happened To Me: I saw a “Gas, Grass or Ass: Nobody Rides for Free” license plate holder on a Mercedes Benz.

goodbye David Clayton-Thomas. A memory of the AM oldies stations from my Virginia childhood: you'd be hearing Mary Wells or someone & then suddenly this massive voice breaks in: SPINNING WHEEL RII-HY-IDE. one child was born today to carry on, no doubt. variety.com/2026/music/n...

Personally, I feel like I do have to prove my track record to Halsey.

Over at @pitchfork.com, I review Dream Me A Dream, Tucker Zimmerman's sequel to his Big Thief-assisted comeback that was completed before the singer/songwriter's tragic death earlier this year.

Over at @pitchfork.com, I review Dream Me A Dream, Tucker Zimmerman's sequel to his Big Thief-assisted comeback that was completed before the singer/songwriter's tragic death earlier this year.

Some years ago, I wrote a lengthy piece on Bob Dylan's "Blonde on Blonde" that was never published. Given that the LP is turning 60, I thought it was the perfect time to crack open my archives and share this with the world, as I was very happy with it. anniezaleski.substack.com/p/lost-liner...

My latest review roundup: excellent albums by Olivia Rodrigo and Mike Campbell & the Dirty Knobs, good ones by Midland, Old Crow Medicine Show, Red Clay Strays, Modest Mouse and Neil Young, bad ones by Keith Urban and Barry Manilow.

This should be a national story: please make it so. RT at will.

My latest review roundup: excellent albums by Olivia Rodrigo and Mike Campbell & the Dirty Knobs, good ones by Midland, Old Crow Medicine Show, Red Clay Strays, Modest Mouse and Neil Young, bad ones by Keith Urban and Barry Manilow.

It's a bummer to read that the legendary Memphis recording studio Ardent seems to have gone under amidst internecine squabbling. The full story is unclear at this point, but here's a little Ardent Studios appreciation post to showcase the sound beyond Big Star...

Terribly sad news. So many great records were made at Ardent Studios but I'll always think of them as the home of Big Star.

ah, what a loss. a fantastic player. everything he recorded in the '80s alone is masterful, & beyond. www.clashmusic.com/news/james-b...

"Pretty soon a bunch of kids are going to come along and change all this, and then no one will want to know about the Rolling Stones or any of us. It'll probably be three 12-year-olds with Moog synthesizers," Stephen Stills to the NME, October 1973

My latest newsletter: Reviews of new albums by Willie Nelson, Kurt Vile, Don Williams, Violet Grohl, Kip Moore, Joshua Ray Walker, Guided By Voices, Alana Springsteen, and the Greenberry Woods.

My latest newsletter: Reviews of new albums by Willie Nelson, Kurt Vile, Don Williams, Violet Grohl, Kip Moore, Joshua Ray Walker, Guided By Voices, Alana Springsteen, and the Greenberry Woods.

Paul McCartney acts his age on the satisfying, quietly surprising The Boys of Dungeon Lane. My revie​​w is in my latest newsletter.

here's to Stephen Malkmus at 60 (from this interview: therumpus.net/2014/04/21/t...)

Paul McCartney acts his age on the satisfying, quietly surprising The Boys of Dungeon Lane. My revie​​w is in my latest newsletter.

When Roxette and Taylor Dayne were riding high on the charts in the early '90s, Nick Lowe was on VH1 singing about building a Jumbo Ark and playing "(What's So Funny About) Peace, Love and Understanding" with Nile Rodgers.

also, here is my synopsis of Aidan Levy's v. good bio Saxophone Colossus Sonny Rollins: [completes landmark jazz recording, turns away in disgust] I'm not there yet. Repeat.

safe travels to sonny rollins from the williamsburg bridge (which really should be renamed after him).

The Sonny Rollins Bridge Project seeks to rename NYC’s Williamsburg Bridge to commemorate Rollins’ musical sabbatical there from 1959-1961. SIGN OUR PETITION sonnyrollinsbridge.net/our-quest/

And now they are all gone. RIP Sonny Rollins.

Farewell to the great Sonny Rollins, one of the true giants of the 20th Century.

Hey, I started a site/newsletter to continue the work of my recently-cancelled column. I features a monthly (free) rundown of good experimental releases, plus a bonus (paid-sub) post on a single release from the month. Check out goodexperimentalmusic.com and thanks to everyone who encouraged this!

It Happened To Me: I heard “Slight Return” by The Bluetones playing in an American store in the year 2026.

happy 85, Bob. still my favorite of his TV appearances, and it's a shame that its recording didn't make the Bootleg Series cut (due to the extended wrong-key-harmonica coda, no doubt, but that adds to it for me) www.youtube.com/watch?v=944J...

I'm heading into the Memorial Day weekend by reviewing recent records by Courtney Barnett, Ashley Monroe, Marisa Anderson, Snail Mail, Joe Jackson, New Pornographers, Thundercat, Peter Frampton, Lou Gramm and RAYE.

Man, “Ooh Poo Paa Doo” is an unimpeachable choice at number two.

Farewell to Rob Base, whose "It Takes Two" sounds like the greatest single ever whenever it's playing.

I'm heading into the Memorial Day weekend by reviewing recent records by Courtney Barnett, Ashley Monroe, Marisa Anderson, Snail Mail, Joe Jackson, New Pornographers, Thundercat, Peter Frampton, Lou Gramm and RAYE.

Greatly appreciate Bobbie getting the skinny on this forthcoming Don Williams collection. It's not as big a restoration/retracking job as 'Ray Sings Basie Swings' but it's a major effort to present some great songs.

My tribute to Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show, the weird, woolly group co-fronted by Dennis Locorriere, who died this past weekend.

“Their records are colored in burnt gold and avocado green, decorated in shag carpet and wood paneling, filled with stale beer and skunk weed. “ Another excellent retrospective from STE

Also worth reading: Okkervil River's Will Sheff watches "Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show: Live", a 2013 article archived from Gawker. web.archive.org/web/20130208...

Great piece about a great album.

My tribute to Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show, the weird, woolly group co-fronted by Dennis Locorriere, who died this past weekend.

Not my rankings, not my rodeo.

neil young hates amazon so much that he even migrated his website off of amazon web services. now that's what i call indie rock! neilyoungarchives.com/news/1/artic...

Squeeze reuniting with Jools Holland to perform “Take Me I’m Yours.” 😍😍 youtu.be/9U1sUro6Qio?...

Thank you, Rick Kogan, for helping the phrase “saloonkeeper” alive! For non-Chicagoans: The Billygoat was the inspiration for the 1978 John Belushi SNL “Cheezborger, Cheezborger, Cheezborger” sketch “No Coke — Pepsi!” “No fries — chips!” Gift 🔗

I choose to think of it as Drake’s Zaireeka, where all three albums are designed to be played simultaneously.

RIP to the singer of one of the most elegantly horny songs ever recorded www.youtube.com/watch?v=tj8e...

what a strange life--a TV star in the '60s, married to Andy Williams, friend of the Kennedys, had a gold record, was accused of killing her Olympic skier boyfriend

Farewell to Claudine Longet.

Thrilled by the announcement of the deluxe 30th Anniversary edition of Ween’s 12 Golden Country Greats, and not only because it has my favorite unreleased Ween song, “I’ve Got No Darkside” among its 14 unreleased songs. The liner notes also appear to be from Ben Vaughn, too.