Argue's Secret Society produces 'Maximum Tension' on a lively new album

Composer Darcy James Argue runs a jazz big band — but imagines its sound as if big bands had stayed current rather than faded away. The music's clarity, contrasts and rhythms are all impressive.

* This article was originally published here

'Untame the Tiger' represents a high point of Mary Timony's adventurous career

The indie rocker's guitar playing conveys a confidence in making music — even when the songs themselves detail doubt and vulnerability. Untame the Tiger is her first solo album in 15 years.

* This article was originally published here

The Beatles' 'Now and Then' is a wistful curiosity, 45 years in the making

The Beatles' final song could never live up to the body of work that precedes it. But it could never diminish it, either.

(Image credit: Bruce McBroom)

* This article was originally published here

A disciplined plea for peace – and quiet – from composer Arvo Pärt

A new album of music by the 88-year-old Estonian mystic seems to put an arm around you and whisper, "In troubled times, music can help."

(Image credit: Luciano Rossetti)

* This article was originally published here

Composer Angelica Sanchez takes inspiration from the sound of the woods at night

Sanchez's latest album, Night Creatures, features music for nine instruments that variously contrast, blend or clash — channeling the open-air feeling of the pitch-dark woods at night.

* This article was originally published here

Reflecting on the legacy of the flute in pop music

This week, Andre 3000 released an instrumental album featuring the flute instead of an expected rap album. Scott Simon asks LA Times' August Brown about the flute's decades-long role in pop music.

* This article was originally published here

Guitarist Marnie Stern mixes wit and warmth on 'The Comeback Kid'

Stern is known for the eight years she spent as a guitarist in Seth Meyers' late-night-talk-show house band, but her own upbeat, highlight original music is unlike anything you'll ever hear on TV.

* This article was originally published here

A music critic revisits 2 artists he overlooked in 2023: King Tuff and Danny Brown

Given the ceaseless torrent of music being released, it's almost inevitable that worthy artists slip through the cracks. Rocker King Tuff and hip-hop's Brown deserve a special mention.

* This article was originally published here

Chick Corea renders Mozart with daring and playfulness on a posthumous new album

In 2018, three years before his death, the pianist and composer gave a concert in Sardinia that included both Mozart and George Gershwin. A live recording of that concert is now available.

* This article was originally published here

At Ye's listening events, true believers rally around a chaotic idol

Vultures 1. His new collab with Ty Dolla $ign is now a No. 1. album.'/>

Kanye West has made stumbling rollouts, toxic comments and blown deals his calling card. But at the launch for his new album Vultures 1, it's clear there's one place where his magnetism hasn't faded.

(Image credit: Jason Martinez)

* This article was originally published here

Can Thom Yorke escape his own voice?

The second album from Radiohead offshoot The Smile is very good. But can its singer ever transcend his role in his revolutionary other band?

* This article was originally published here

The Paranoid Style blends rock with literary flair with 'The Interrogator'

The Washington D.C.-based band is led by Elizabeth Nelson, who is also a published music critic. It shows — the music is packed with wordplay, jokes and an undercurrent of serious dread.

* This article was originally published here

Is André 3000 in his jazz era?

During his residency of the famed Blue Note jazz club in New York, the OutKast-rapper-turned-flutist showed us why New Blue Sun is both less and more than that question.

(Image credit: Dervon Dixon)

* This article was originally published here

New songs by Brittany Howard, Jim Kweskin and Colby T. Helms crackle with energy

Fresh Air's rock critic recommends three songs that transcend age and genre: Howard's "Another Day," Kweskin's duet with Maria Muldaur, "Let's Get Happy Together," and Helms' "Leanne."

* This article was originally published here

On 'What Now,' Brittany Howard is a virtuoso in pursuit of a flow state

The former Alabama Shakes leader is in total control of her new album's genre-defying odyssey through this thing called life, evoking the mastery of another do-it-all maestro: Prince.

(Image credit: Medios y Media)

* This article was originally published here

On 'What Now,' Brittany Howard is a virtuoso in pursuit of a flow state

The former Alabama Shakes leader is in total control of her new album's genre-defying odyssey through this thing called life, evoking the mastery of another do-it-all maestro: Prince.

(Image credit: Medios y Media/Getty Images)

* This article was originally published here

New songs by Brittany Howard, Jim Kweskin and Colby T. Helms crackle with energy

Fresh Air's rock critic recommends three songs that transcend age and genre: Howard's "Another Day," Kweskin's duet with Maria Muldaur, "Let's Get Happy Together," and Helms' "Leanne."

* This article was originally published here

Is André 3000 in his jazz era?

During his residency of the famed Blue Note jazz club in New York, the OutKast-rapper-turned-flutist showed us why New Blue Sun is both less and more than that question.

(Image credit: Dervon Dixon/Courtesy of Blue Note)

* This article was originally published here