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10 Essential Releases from 10 Years of Tri Angle Records

Tri Angle comes to an end as a label but begins as an important archive of electronic music. To celebrate these legendary 10 years of Tri Angle, here are 10 of their many essential releases.


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'Reunions' Is Yet Another Winner From Jason Isbell

Jason Isbell both subverts and embraces country and rock tropes on Reunions, his new album with the 400 Unit.

Music

Ferdinand the Bull and the Accidentals Team for "Who's Got My Good Times?" (premiere)

Indie folk powerhouses Ferdinand the Bull and the Accidentals' Sav Buist and Katie Larson team up for a song about self-dedication and self-worth, "Who's Got My Good Times?"

Music

All Things Blue Say Goodbye to "Chad" (premiere)

Los Angeles dream poppers All Things Blue get off emotional see-saw and into full action with their new single, "Chad".

Music

Orions Belte Travels '600m Per Minute' (EP stream) (premiere)

Norway's Orions Belte deliver a wide-ranging but cohesive collection of instrumentals on 600m Per Minute. "You pick up inspirations from words you read, cities you go to, a painting hanging in a corner at an exhibition," says guitarist Øyvind Blomstrøm.

Music

'Pacific Breeze 2' Is Another Refreshing Dive into the Waters of City Pop

Reissue label Light in the Attic follows up last year's Japanese musical excursion with another collection, Pacific Breeze 2, that's sure to please lovers of international retro-pop.

Music

The 10 Best Americana Albums of 2007

If 2007 didn't invite any gripping controversies, it was certainly filled with competitive comparisons -- between young and old, past and present, and among splintered factions -- and both surprising hits and disappointing misses. All in all, a dynamic and at times resurgent year for the broad scope of Americana.

Music

Yes, Melkbelly's 'PITH' Is Pithy and Expressive

Melkbelly's PITH wondrously pivots between noise-rock abandon and the warmness of lo-fi pop.

Music

Nicki Minaj Is the Greatest Rapper of the Decade Bar None

2020 and it's finally time to acknowledge Nicki Minaj's right to G.O.A.T. status, as the best female rapper AND the best rapper of the past ten years — no gender preposition required.

Music

Nat King Cole Says to 'Straighten Up and Fly Right'

Straighten Up and Fly Right reveals Nat King Cole's talents as a pianist and bandleader.

Music

Scott McCaughey Is Scott the Hoople with Sad Boxes and Singing Chickens

Recorded last month in his basement, Scott the Hoople's (a.k.a. Scott McCaughey's) Sad Box & Other Hits is a low-key collection of quality pop quaran-tunes.

Music

Joy Oladokun's "bad blood" Is Mesmerizing, Meditative, Healing Pop (premiere)

Joy Oladokun uses various roots music influences on her serene and memorable new tune, "bad blood", a song that she describes as "an apology".

Music

Luke De-Sciscio's "Human Heart" Shows the Power of an Apology (premiere)

English folkie Luke De-Sciscio's "Human Heart" is met by a moving video featuring a multitude of fans expressing heartfelt apologies on handwritten signs.

Music

The Best 10 Electronic Albums of 2005

Journey back 15 years ago, as 2005's best electronic albums are so emotionally involved and organically expressive that it's easy to forget they were created with advanced technology.

Music

Counterbalance No. 15: Van Morrison - 'Astral Weeks'

Van Morrison ventured in the slipstream between the viaducts of your dreams with his 1968 LP Astral Weeks and made it to Number 15 on the List. Klinger and Mendelsohn recount the journey in this latest installment of Counterbalance.

Music

The Ruthie Foster Big Band Swings the Best Live Record of the Year So Far

Featuring several originals paired with timeless covers, Live at the Paramount finds the Ruthie Foster Big Band bringing the house down.

Music

Adeline Hotel's 'Solid Love' Is a Bracing Experience That Beams with Soothing Energy

Dan Knishkowy returns with Adeline Hotel and Solid Love, a new album full of folk-leaning songs that are both gentle and arresting.

Music

Jazz Vocalist Luciana Souza Beguiles on 'Storytellers'

In arranger Vince Mendoza and the WDR Big Band, singer Luciana Souza has partners who understand that it's important she beguile rather than batter.

Music

Arab-American Songwriter Naima Shalhoub Sings of "Two (Rivers in the Desert)" (premiere)

Naima Shalhoub finds healing waters in her new video for the single "Two (Rivers in the Desert)".

Music

Kill Audrey's "Hometeam" Is a Brutal Working-Class Flex (premiere)

Chicago-based Kill Audrey make hazy, chaotic hip-hop/party music for people who buy tall boys with their rent money. Watch the video for their new single, "Hometeam".

Music

"Weird Music Is Still Good": Erik Hall on Isolation and Pulling Off an Impossible Steve Reich-ian Feat

Finding himself at a loose end, Erik Hall doesn't indulge in Netflix marathons or spends time sorting out his closet, instead he recreates Steve Reich's seminal masterpiece Music for 18 Musicians in his basement. And then he tells PopMatters about it.

Ian Rushbury
Music

The Best Jazz Albums of 2010

Jazz was working all the angles in 2010. Is there any other genre that has as much range -- from solo instruments to big bands, from instrumental to vocal, from European musicians to both North and South Americans, from truly pretty music to raucously avant-garde "noise"?

Reviews

Sparks Still Ignite with 'A Steady Drip, Drip, Drip'

After nearly 50 years and two dozen albums, Sparks continue their reign of resonantly quirky art pop-rock delights on A Steady Drip, Drip, Drip.

Music

Jaime Wyatt Delivers a Glimpse of Recovery and Redemption With "Desert Rose" (premiere)

Jaime Wyatt's Neon Across arrives on 29 May with production from Shooter Jennings and guest appearances by Jessi Colter and the late Neal Casal. Today, we present Wyatt and her mother in "Desert Rose", along with a Q&A; about her new music.

Music

Markus Floats Creates a Warm Space That Never Dallies in One Place for Long

Third Album reflects experimental electronic artist Markus Floats' belief that music isn't just something one does. It's a life one leads, so each release is an excerpted component of an ongoing and all-encompassing journey.

Music

Erik Hall Is One Musician Taking on Steve Reich's 'Music for 18 Musicians'

Erik Hall painstakingly and effectively recreates Steve Reich's minimalist classic, Music for 18 Musicians, with three instruments in his Michigan home studio.

Music

On 'Last Flight Out' Steve Dawson and Funeral Bonsai Wedding Create Sublime, Eerie Beauty

Orchestral-indie torch-song chamber-folk? Time to break out your music genre thesaurus for this gorgeous, impeccably crafted gem from Steve Dawson & Funeral Bonsai Wedding.

Music

The Beatles 'Let It Be': So Good They Ruined It for Everyone

The Lumineers' Wesley Schultz recalls the Beatles' influence on his band, perhaps most of all the Let It Be album, released 50 years ago this month and the subject of a forthcoming documentary.

Music

Distant Cousins and Lindsey Ray Get Through the Thick of It in "Here and Now" (premiere)

Collaborating with Nashville's Lindsey Ray, Distant Cousins' folksy "Here and Now" is a timely tribute to the present and getting through tough times together.

Music

Bridget Kearney and Benjamin Lazar Davis Journey to Ghana for 'Still Flying' (album stream)

Lake Street Dive and Okkervil River members Bridget Kearney and Benjamin Lazar Davis travel to Ghana to create the exhilarating new album, Still Flying. The pair talk about their musical partnership and phenomenal new music.

Music

Natalia Lafourcade Stages a Stirring Benefit to Rescue Mexico's Musical Heritage

Un Canto Por Mexico is a true labor of love. Natalia Lafourcade led with her heart and was elegantly guided by her refined musical intelligence.

Music

First Installment in El Ten Eleven Trilogy Good But Too Clinical

Tautology I's six songs lack the musical sorcery of post-rockers usually mentioned in the same breath as El Ten Eleven.

Reviews

Sylvain Chauveau's 'Life Without Machines' Is an Indictment of How External Forces Falsely Shape Humanity

Whereas so many contemporary albums are created to harness flash and consumption, Life Without Machines allays bedazzlement. Sylvain Chauveau advocates for unplugging and disconnecting, and only then will we truly live.

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