ALBUM REVIEW: The Mountain Goats Navigate New Sonic Balances on ‘Jenny From Thebes’
Loosely intended as a sequel to 2002’s All Hail West Texas, The Mountain Goats’ 22nd LP, Jenny From Thebes, brims with John Darnielle’s quirky vocals, lit-savvy lyricism, and heartfelt melodies. Unlike the stripped-down and lo-fi West Texas, though, Jenny is fully instrumented and, as with most of the
ALBUM REVIEW: On ‘Wandering Star,’ Flatland Cavalry Creates a Galaxy of Layered Songs
They just don’t make them like Flatland Cavalry anymore. A six-piece band out of Texas and Nashville, they’ve consistently produced a kind of authentic throwback 1990s country sound, anchored by Cleto Cordero’s deeply felt vocals and an old-school sensibility that strips away all artifice in favor of
ALBUM REVIEW: Black Pumas Shine Up Their Sound for ‘Chronicles of a Diamond’
“Tomorrow” dawns gradually.
In another context, the tambourines and patient three-count drums would give this Black Pumas slow burner an R&B slow dance feel, but a phaser-soaked electric guitar pulls it toward ’70s psychedelia while sparse synth bass bursts pull it toward Radiohead. “All I want to do
JOURNAL EXCERPT: Billy Bragg on A Role to Play
EDITOR’S NOTE: This essay was the Screen Door — the final page — of the Summer 2023 issue of No Depression‘s quarterly journal. We're sharing it online now in honor of Billy Bragg's career retrospective boxset, The Roaring Forty | 1983-2023, which comes out this Friday via
No Depression Sessions at AmericanaFest: Colbie Caillat
Colbie Caillat joined us in Nashville to share two songs from her new album, Along the Way, and a fan favorite from her second album, Breakthrough, during the No Depression Sessions at AmericanaFest 2023, shot at Jaan’s House.
Caillat's session kicks off with “Worth It,” the first
ALBUM REVIEW: Robert Finley Expands His Range on ‘Black Bayou’
The spotlight may be shining on Robert Finley relatively late in life, but the bombastic blues singer is making the most of his moment. His 2021 LP Sharecropper’s Son was his coming out party, a dynamic blend of blues and gritty Southern soul (ND review). A stint opening for