Jim Shahen

It’s been five years since the last Watson Twins album, the quite-good Duo (ND review). This week Chandra and Leigh Watson are back in a big way with the new LP HOLLER. Produced by Butch Walker, it’s a rollicking affair that weds the sisters’ stunning harmonies with the

There’s this popular meme featuring Michael Fassbender as Magneto in the 2011 flick X-Men: First Class. I’ll spare you the full context behind it, but the image features Fassbender simply saying “Perfection.” That image provides a near-perfect summation of this reviewer’s feelings toward Tears You Hide, the

Last September, Dropkick Murphys released the excellent This Machine Still Kills Fascists (ND review), a set of acoustic songs comprised of unreleased and unused Woody Guthrie lyrics. To be blunt, it ruled. The recording sessions for This Machine Still Kills Fascists yielded more than one album’s worth of material,

You don’t really need a reason to celebrate Doc Watson’s legacy. He’s one of the most important artists in roots music history, with an influence that spans generations. That’s worth a tip of the hat on any occasion. But with this year marking the 100th anniversary

It’s been nearly a decade since Natalie Merchant has released an album of all-original material, but she’s been quite busy in that time span. She’s reconceptualized her back catalog for string quartet and acoustic arrangement as part of the Paradise Is There album and documentary looking back