Borderline Ambient — Two Decades of Lusine
Jeff McIlwain's tenth Lusine album, 'Melting Days,' makes the case that rhythm and atmosphere were never opposites to begin with.
Seattle
Speculative Babies — The Inner Children of Guest Bartender Deborah Toyota
Recorded fast and almost entirely improvised, 'Music for Babies' sets Julia Shapiro's melodic instincts against Samur Khouja's appetite for dissonance, and the conversation takes in sad clowns, nose flutes, hearing music as a child, and why they never went to meet Maria Nissan.
Silly by Design — Chinese American Bear's Accidental Path to Indie Pop
The Seattle-based duo of Anne Tong and Bryce Barsten speak about their new album 'Dim Sum & Then Some,' the band that began as a Mandarin lesson, their DIY aesthetic, and the unexpected resonance their music carries for Chinese American audiences.
David Byrne's Revival Meeting for the Not-Yet-Joyful
Byrne's Seattle show pairs Talking Heads paranoia with newer material about love as punk resistance. In Lawrence Peryer's review of the performance, he recognizes the destination without possessing the map to get there.
Robin Holcomb, Peggy Lee, and the Art of Musical Patience
After twenty years of performances and one shelved recording, the pianist-songwriter and cellist finally capture their unique blend of contemporary classical, avant-jazz, and American folk on 'Reno'.
Speaking from the Soul — Brittany Davis on 'Black Thunder'
How the Seattle-based poet and keyboardist found her true voice through improvisation, plus Pearl Jam's Stone Gossard explains why Davis's talent helped revive his independent label after twenty years.
Pezzner Embraces 'Polka Core' at Seattle's Historic Can Can Cabaret
The seasoned techno producer and DJ known for electrifying international dance floors now creates burlesque circus spectacles, his innovative fusion of tubas and 808s rattling the walls of one of Seattle's most beloved theatrical institutions.
From Barcelona to the Bayou — Marina Albero's Musical Migration
Born into Barcelona's cultural resistance, Marina Albero carried music across continents before finding an unexpected home in the jazz scenes of Seattle and New Orleans. She documents her wanderings on 'A Nomad of Sound,' an album that transforms migration into melody.
Naomi Moon Siegel — A Wind Player Finds Her Ground
Naomi Moon Siegel's trombone compositions merge the musical traditions of urban jazz scenes with lessons learned in rural quiet spaces. Her new album 'Shatter the Glass Sanctuary' captures this musical evolution.
Wayne Horvitz and the 'One Essential Arc'
Exploring the Seattle composer's unique vision of music as a continuous spectrum, where the boundaries between improvisation and composition disappear.