February 20, 2021

Heavy Rotation: Cyndi Lauper – She’s So Unusual

In 1984 Cyndi Lauper achieved what Carole King, Joni Mitchell and Patti Smith before her had not: she became the first female artist to chart four Top 5 singles off one album. A heady space to occupy considering the size of the craters that musical heavyweights like Tapestry, Blue and Horses had left on the industry the previous decade.
May 23, 2021

Be Still Cody: Coffee & a Mixtape

Coffee, Wes Anderson and mix tapes. Three things coveted by individuals of a certain age bracket. Upon hearing from a friend that Victoria coffee roaster Be Still Cody (named after a line from The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou) included custom mix tapes with their beans, I immediately ordered some.
July 15, 2021

Heavy Rotation: Joni Mitchell – Court and Spark

Fusing neo-jazz with folk and rock, Joni Mitchell’s sixth studio album – Court and Spark – deftly weaves a sonic tapestry whose lyrical tenor plays counterpoint and asks the listener to weigh the costs of emotional commitment against the benefits of casual relationships.
December 31, 2021

Best of 2021: Pandemic Era Music

The incubation period of new music is such that nearly two years into the pandemic the jury is officially in: I haven't noticed a tangible shift in either the quality or the quantity of music.