For a night such as this, with the full moon rising in a clear, cold Texas sky, I chose The Decemberists’ newest record, Picaresque to invade my precious headspace. I have long been a Decemberists fan; Castaways and Cutouts, their first LP released just a few years ago, has found a cushioned place...

When I decide that I want to review a new album, there are two obstacles that work against me. The first is that I feel forced to listen to the album a lot, maybe every time I’m in my car or sitting at my computer. Sometimes, this can cause me to appreciate an album more with each listen. Other...

With apologies to Bono, Bob Dylan, Elliott Smith and Joe Pernice, no one writes pop melodies the way Aimee Mann writes pop melodies. I don’t know how she does it. She belongs in a class with John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Those are strong words, I know. Forgotten Arm is the follow-up to her disappointing...

Since Ariele Gentiles, a native Texan, got to write the review of The Decemberists’ Picaresque, I thought I’d take a stab at her neck of the woods. Namely, the new album from Austin, Texas’s Spoon. Gimme Fiction is the follow-up to 2002′s critically-acclaimed release, Kill the...