Muchacho (out now on Dead Oceans) is the kind of album you can lose yourself in. Whether you’re on a crowded train or alone in your bedroom, this album will make you feel like you’re a Zen master, at one with the world. That is the effect of talented musician Matthew Houck, who performs under the moniker Phosphorescent. This is the singer-songwriter’s sixth album (seventh if you count 2004’s EP The Weight ... Read More

     On their fourth album Indigo Meadow, the Black Angels have kept all of the echo, fuzz, and organ-wailing they’re known for, but added a tighter sound and clearer vocals. It’s obvious the band’s heroes are ahead-of-their-time legends like the 13th Floor Elevators, the Velvet Underground, and the Stooges, but the Angels don’t sound dated while renovating the psych-garage punk genre. Every song on ... Read More

  Fans of electronic music, dance-pop, and fun, take notice: Hot Chip is (possibly) coming to your town. I’ve been a fan of this electro band for years, so to say I’m looking forward to waving around imaginary glowsticks at their upcoming NYC gig (on April 9th at Roseland Ballroom) is a large understatement. The fact that the band recently added a female drummer (Sarah Jones, of New Young Pony Club) only sweetens the pot. ... Read More

Recently someone on the internet described Jessie Ware as "the missing link between Adele and Sade," which is one of those "LOL WUT" statements only a music writer could invent. But after her live show this Wednesday at Music Hall of Williamsburg, it all makes sense. It doesn't quite come through on her recordings, but yes, she does have Adele-level pipes, and yes, she can get as funky as Sade. Who knew? Russell Crowe, ... Read More

  It wasn’t so long ago that Charles Bradley was a struggling James Brown impersonator, but after Daptone Records—Brooklyn’s answer to Motown—discovered him, the 64-year-old soul singer’s career finally achieved liftoff. On Victim of Love, the follow-up to his dazzling 2011 debut No Time for Dreaming, the R&B crooner sounds undeniably confident, trading his heartache for love and channeling Al Green ... Read More