Kanye West. What a singular artist. No other rap musician has created so many classic albums, each with a unique sound and each so influential in its own way. At the same time, very few figures in any sphere of … Continue reading Artist Spotlight: Kanye West

If you were going on a road trip, this is the CD mix I would be really pushy about making you listen to on the way: “Red Sea, White Sea” There are two schools of thought on how to start … Continue reading Artist Spotlight: Shearwater

Artist Spotlight courtesy of Dragonfly If one were to make the “Mount Rushmore” of Pittsburgh music, who would be on it? Nineteenth century songwriter Stephen Foster is a given, as is legendary composer Henry Mancini. Slot number three would most … Continue reading Artist Spotlight: Donnie Iris

Natural Snow Buildings are a duo from Paris, consisting of Mehdi Ameziane and Solange Gularte. Formed in 1997, they make long droning soundscapes punctuated by psychedelic folk elements, all filtered through an, at times, very lo-fi production. They were extremely … Continue reading Artist Spotlight: Natural Snow Buildings

You might not expect that an optometrist who taught himself modern recording techniques would win a Grammy Trustees Award (i.e., the recording academy’s lifetime achievement honor). But then again, never be surprised by anything you read in an Artist Spotlight. Continue reading Artist Spotlight — Rudy Van Gelder, Jazz’s Most Important Optometrist

I primarily know RJD2 as a DJ/producer who creates R&B/soul-inflected soundscapes from obscure samples, reflecting and refracting their original sources to make music that never existed before simultaneously sound like a reverent homage. But I say “primarily,” because I don’t … Continue reading Artist Spotlight: RJD2 – ’70s Soul, Underground Hip Hop, and Don Draper

Jerry Goldsmith was, in my mind, the quintessential film composer. He might not have been The Best Ever, and feel free to rage about that question in the comments, but he was certainly among the most dependable. His scores often … Continue reading Artist Spotlight: Jerry Goldsmith

Kate Bush released her debut, The Kick Inside, as a 19 year-old. This always amazes me for a lot of reasons – most obviously, just wow, really? 19? It’s a totally self-assured in performance and conception for someone so young. … Continue reading Artist Spotlight: Kate Bush

What the hell is a Mannheim Steamroller? We’ll get to this band’s punny denotative meaning, but I can tell you right now what it connotes. It’s a faceless synthesizer juggernaut that turns Christmas carols into ’80s New Age ear-blasters, and … Continue reading Artist Spotlight: Mannheim Steamroller

Artist Spotlight courtesy of Pauli Like many things prefixed by “post-,” “post-rock” is a confusing and infuriating label. Defining it is a similarly confusing exercise, though when pressed for examples, most people will include some subset of the bands Explosions … Continue reading Artist Spotlight: Mogwai

Vince Guaraldi was a jazz pianist and composer whom you probably never would have heard of were it not for the Coca-Cola company. Thanks to them, Guaraldi wrote music you’ll never forget and helped create the smooth jazz subgenre. But … Continue reading Artist Spotlight: Vince Guaraldi

Band Aid was a trendsetting charity supergroup, which created the idea of getting superstar musicians together for a one-off recording to raise funds for a charitable cause. Its first incarnation came in 1984, with the hit song “Do They Know … Continue reading Artist Spotlight: Band Aid

When listening to the music of Alison Sudol — who performs under the moniker of A Fine Frenzy — for the first time, it would be understandable if the artists who come most quickly to mind are Tori Amos and … Continue reading Artist Spotlight: A Fine Frenzy/Alison Sudol

7 Songs From The Sundays That Got Me Through The ’90s The Sundays debuted in 1990 with the album Reading, Writing and Arithmetic. “Here’s Where The Story Ends” got regular airplay on local alternative station KUKQ 1060 AM and immediately hooked … Continue reading Artist Spotlight: The Sundays

MERCURY REV – Holes Note: As is de riguer for much psychedelia, some of these videos may contain visuals which are ill-advised for epileptics, migraine sufferers, and your workplace. There’s a persistent urban legend that Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of … Continue reading Artist Spotlight: Mercury Rev

Howdy folks. Artist spotlight time on a man who could fit in a lot of categories if these were separated. Comedian, actor, presenter, musician, there is a hell of a lot to cover. BAFTA gave him a lifetime achievement award … Continue reading Artist Spotlight: Billy Connolly

Hello, everybody, and welcome to my second ever Artist Spotlight. Today, I’m going to be talking about Interpol. No, not the International Criminal Police Organization, the rock band! Interpol formed in 1997 in New York City. The band was started … Continue reading Artist Spotlight: Interpol

Artist Spotlight courtesy of Man with Lute I was first introduced to Muse through the world of Twilight. My mom read the books, watched the movies, and bought the soundtracks. On the soundtrack was the Muse song “Supermassive Black Hole.” … Continue reading Artist Spotlight: Muse

“A rock and roll car crash.” That was the description for an album called The Fermi Paradox by a band called Tub Ring. I had opened the Pigface album Easy Listening that was gifted to me for Xmas and out fell a two sided … Continue reading Artist Spotlight: Tub Ring

On April 27, 1987, influencial Minnesota hardcore band Hüsker Dü appeared on the CBS program Late Show with Joan Rivers to give a short interview and promote the album that would eventually be their last. Although a large chunk of the chat … Continue reading Artist Spotlight: Hüsker Dü

This spotlight is less about the 3 bands named and more about the driving force behind them, a Swiss musician named Thomas Fischer; calling him a “genius” would be overselling it, but in the world of extreme metal, he certainly … Continue reading Artist Spotlight: Hellhammer/Celtic Frost/Triptykon