Matt Conner

What’s a band to do when following up a masterwork? Delta Spirit’s What Is There (2020) was/is a paragon of melodic sensibilities, an excellent front-to-back long player that proved Matthew Logan Vasquez and company were back and better than ever after a five-year hiatus. Yet instead of

Two LPs into their catalog, Banditos have already established a reputation as mixed media musicians. Each album to date — 2015’s self-titled and 2017’s Visionland (both on Bloodshot Records) — is best described as a sonic collage, a canvas upon which the Southern ensemble applies their influences and interests and

In a way, the Shreveport collective known as Seratones have had a similar effect to the chemical they’re nearly named after (serotonin): They brighten one’s disposition, increase arousal, and even heal wounds. With two varied full-length albums (2016’s Get Gone and 2019’s Power), the band’s

For the last 10 years, the real-life chemistry between husband/wife team Abner Ramirez and Amanda Sudano has creatively spilled over onto singles, albums, and EPs as the duo JOHNNYSWIM. The resultant catalog is a mix of whip-smart pop hooks, soulful grooves, organic instrumentation, and spiritual depth. While sheltered in

That Cloud Cult is still doing what Cloud Cult has always done is a startling realization if you’ve paid any amount of attention to the Minnesota-based band’s output over the last 20-plus years. Craig Minowa is the load-bearing wall in the musical house known as Cloud Cult, an

Given his natural propensity toward isolation, Amos Lee has described music as his way to build a bridge to others. On his eighth album, Dreamland, the bridge connects with the listener in vulnerable, meaningful ways as Lee documents battles with anxiety, bouts of despair, and hopes for connection. The title