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Recordings: Bully, “Bully EP” (self-released, 2013)
Photo: Jenn Raymo By Jenn Raymo With a blend of pop hooks and lo-fi crunch, audio engineer Alicia Bognanno’s solo project has evolved into a rock band called Bully. As the guitarist and singer,...
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Recorded music: Culo, “My Life Sucks and I Could Care Less” (Deranged, 2012)
By Kyle Butler Culo’s first album, “My Life Sucks and I Could Care Less,” is the kind of record that I want to show every old dude who has ever told me that punk was better in the ’80s—the kind of...
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Recorded music: Iggy Azalea, “The New Classic” (Island, 2014)
By Travis Schultz “If I could find a white boy that could sing like a black boy, I’d make a million dollars,” said Sam Phillips, the man who discovered Elvis Presley. Iggy Azalea is an Australian...
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Recorded music: Nickel Creek, “A Dotted Line” (Sugar Hill, 2014)
By Erika Kooda Nickel Creek’s sixth studio release, “A Dotted Line,” is a comeback album for the band after a seven-year hiatus. The record is chock-full of three-part harmonies and plenty of violin,...
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Recordings: Glen Hansard, “Didn’t He Ramble” (Anti/Epitaph, 2015)
By Evan Falls “Some of the best songs I’ve ever heard operate within the vernacular of prayer,” says Irish singer-songwriter Glen Hansard. From the opening line on “Didn’t He Ramble,” his second solo...
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Recordings: Vienna Teng, “Inland Territory” (Rounder, 2009)
By Glenn Carreau Indie-folk singer, songwriter and classical pianist Vienna Teng grows more versatile with each musical creation. Teng has released five albums since 2002 and gained a cult following...
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Recordings: Alvvays, “Alvvays” (Polyvinyl, 2014)
By Evan Falls Alvvays is a band full of welcome contradictions. The indie group formed on Prince Edward Island, a Canadian province north of Nova Scotia, when Molly Rankin met up with childhood...
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Recordings: Various Artists, “Heavy Metal: Music From the Motion Picture”...
By Will Barboza The year is 2999 and the listener is taking a journey through a galaxy filled with lasers, nude robots, nude people, space cocaine, psychic soldiers, and barbarian princesses. Welcome...
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Recordings: Regina Spektor, “Soviet Kitsch” (Warner Bros., 2004)
By Erin Brown Regina Spektor’s aptly named major-label debut, “Soviet Kitsch,” showcases the eclectic/eccentric Russian singer-songwriter’s offbeat yet magical lyrics as it tells stories of divorce,...
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Recordings: Stevie Wonder, “Songs in the Key of Life” (Motown, 1976)
By Lauren Kostiuk Stevie Wonder’s classic album, “Songs in the Key of Life,” brings together the richness of uplifting melodies and soulful harmonies to create a masterpiece of joyful love, as well as...
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Recordings: Melanie Martinez, “Cry Baby” (Atlantic, 2015)
By Emily Waters A drunken mother and an unfaithful father raise a corrupt, emotional mess of a little girl. Her druggie of a brother gets away with everything while she is shamed for her imperfection...
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