On past releases, Drake has been a sub-par lyricist, a mediocre rapper and an average singer with a massive sense of self-regard. How does his new single "God's Plan" stack up? Here's one curmudgeon's take.
Read more'Havana' by Camila Cabello, Feat. Young Thug: A Curmudgeon's Take
Instead of ignoring the pop mainstream and sliding inevitably toward hopefully distant senectitude, I'm reengaging with the Billboard Hot 100. Just for the hell of it, I'm going to try writing here about my reaction to the No. 1 song every week. First up, "Havana" by Camila Cabello.
Read moreDeer Tick and Del McCoury & David Grisman to Headline Back Porch Festival
Deer Tick, Anais Mitchell and Del McCoury and David Grisman are among the acts scheduled to perform at this year's Back Porch Festival, which returns March 1-4 to the Academy of Music and Parlor Room in Northampton.
Read moreCelebrating Winterpills' Surprise Single 'Colorblind'
There’s nothing like a surprise release from a great band: Winterpills, say, putting out an unexpected single. Sure, the Northampton group posted “Colorblind” in August, but it’s never too late to celebrate, right?
Read morePixies Surge Back With ‘Um Chagga Lagga’: Best New Song of the Week
With new bassist Paz Lenchantin, the Pixies have a new song and a new tour in the offing.
Read moreErin McKeown Gives Love an Earnest Look on ‘Sugar in a Pie’
The western Massachusetts singer delivers the most straightforward love song she’s ever written.
Read moreBringing Big Thief's Visceral 'Masterpiece' to The River
Big Thief makes peace with the inevitability of death on the band’s masterful single “Masterpiece.”
Read moreZambonis Members Branch Out With Donald Trump Spoof ‘Mr. Drumpf’
Inspired by John Oliver’s brilliantly constructed takedown of Donald Trump on “Last Week Tonight,” Connecticut musicians Dave Schneider and Tim Walsh called themselves Last Beat Tonight and wrote and recorded “Mr. Drumpf,” a new song mocking the probable Republican nominee for president.
Read moreSalvation Alley String Band Faces Death in ‘Merciless Scythe of Time’ Video
Sooner or later, Death is coming. We all know it. Matt Silberstein just seems more aware than most in the Salvation Alley String Band’s stylish new video for “The Merciless Scythe of Time.”
Read moreThe Fawns Are Back After a Decade With ‘Goodnight, Spacegirl’
Though the Fawns won’t get anywhere near the recognition they deserve, the Northampton band set a high bar for all the new music that will follow in 2016 with the release on Jan. 1 of “Goodnight, Spacegirl,” their first new album in 10 years.
Read moreParis
The terrorist attacks last night in Paris last night make me want to cry, not least because they targeted the audience at a rock show.
Read moreDigging Into Craig Finn’s Overlooked Song ‘Three Drinks’
Sometimes great songs that seem like potential album stand-outs get left off the record altogether, and see release instead as overlooked bonus tracks. Craig Finn’s “Three Drinks” is one of them.
Read moreTim McGraw’s Sandy Hook Promise Controversy: Cynical, or Just Stupid?
Gun-rights absolutists freak out over the country singer’s decision to donate profits from his Hartford date to Sandy Hook Promise.
Read moreSufjan Stevens Takes Poignant, Powerful Turn on ‘Carrie & Lowell’
Most of Sufjan Steven's music comes across as self-consciously precious. "Carrie & Lowell" is different, and so much better.
Read morePublicists and the Personal Touch: Journalist Relationships Matter More Than Ever
Good publicists matter, for artists and also for writers.
Read moreAlvvays Vents Chaotic Impulses on Catchy ‘Archie, Marry Me’
There’s far too much new music to keep track of every album and single that comes out, but sometimes a song pops up after the fact and just latches on. “Archie, Marry Me” by Alvvays is one of those songs.
Read moreHow Not to Write Like a Hack
So, you want to be an entertainment reporter. You love music, movies, TV, celebrity slap-fights or whatever, and you’re convinced that your life’s work should involve discussing them in public, for as wide an audience as you can reach. Excellent. It’s a fun job. Here’s how not to suck at it: Don’t write like an entertainment reporter.
Read moreBeck Returns to Western Massachusetts With Mass MoCA Show
Beck returns to perform in western Massachusetts for the first time since he squeezed into the Iron Horse in Northampton in 2003.
Read moreGang of Four talks ‘Content’ LP and why the deluxe edition includes vial of blood
Guitarist Andy Gill says the post-punk standard-bearers have found something to include with their latest album that you won’t find on file-sharing sites.
Read moreFor Brent Amaker & the Rodeo, punk-rock cowboy attitude has become a way of life
Cowboy suits, comic-book caricatures and the art of being bad-ass: three facts we learned from the Seattle western musician.
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