The Lacking Permanence

You never know what to expect from Deerhoof, even if your list contains “sound art medleys improvised out of musical themes recognizable and unrecognizable”

That loose groove on the drums, the casually menacing bass, and Mike Doughty’s stream-and-consciousness narration… there’s also no shortage of political commentary on these three songs, putting a bold face on topics most others approach obliquely.

Not unlike fine Swiss clockwork, the duo that calls themselves Yello have been ticking for four decades without missing a beat.

The Just Joans keep it in the family, and they keep it fairly civil, covering their lethally caustic Scottish wit in a layer of pleasant pop.

Bands mashing together sounds from different musical traditions, usually throwing in some modern electronic affectation, can be hit or miss. Asian Dub Foundation has a long history of hitting it out of the park, and this is no exception.

Listening to Fantastic Negrito is like lifting the lid on a simmering pot to a wonderfully exotic yet very familiar blend of spices.

A sparse yet not simple outing for this member of the Dead Milkmen, including some truly folksy stuff like the title track and “Cool Water”, and surprisingly sophisticated original tracks delivered in the same man-and-his-acoustic guitar aesthetic.

Bill Callahan has been wandering the halls of music for quite some time now, his deep voice and aimless arrangements a constant hypnotic presence.

In order to locate the psychedelic rainbow treasure trove that is Joey Joesph, you will have to navigate and defeat countless auto-corrects.

The paper bag sounded unusually loud as the pair passed it back and forth, sharing the dried apricots as they waited in line for the exhibit to open. Once again, their contact was to be intercepted in the gift shop, according to the dossier that they had found taped under the back seat of the Combi. The ornithologist scanned the sky for any migratory species, though they really should have known better. The magistrate felt at ease with the assignment; this was their first visit to Ankara, but the premise behind the Ulucanlar Prison Museum was quite familiar.