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