Welcome back to AVC Sessions, our new series where we bring in an artist, band, musician, singer, rapper, etc. to perform three of their own tracks. This week, we’re joined by a fellow Midwesterner Pokey LaFarge. Originally from Bloomington, Illinois, LaFarge brings his classic folk stylings to the big city. Today, he…

The A.V. Club went to this year’s Pitchfork Music Festival and met up with a dozen bands, musicians, and artists. In the midst of the seemingly endless parade of the Trump administration’s scandals, we gave acts like Pinegrove, Kilo Kish, and Priests the opportunity to vent some of their frustrations about the…

When Pitchfork recently sat down with Lana Del Rey for a wide-ranging interview, the topic of the pop star’s apparent newfound happiness came up right away. “I made personal commitments,” Del Rey responded when asked how she’d reached a better place, although she demurred on specifics. “I had some people in my life…

The A.V. Club went to Pitchfork Music Festival over the weekend and met up with a dozen bands, musicians, and artists while there. In the spirit of the festival’s parent site, we asked the acts we met with to rate everyday things using the Pitchfork scale (0.0 to 10.0). Today we get a taste of Jeff Rosenstock’s…

Nine Inch Nails, Add Violence
Grade: B-

Recently, we asked you to share your favorite guitar solos. This week’s question is related, and comes from reader Tim Vines:

The A.V. Club went to the Pitchfork Music Festival over the weekend and met up with a dozen bands, musicians, and artists while there. In the spirit of the festival’s parent site, we asked the acts we met to rate everyday things using the Pitchfork scale (0.0 to 10.0). First up is former Walkmen frontman Hamilton…

Vladimir Horowitz was the 20th century’s biggest star of classical music—his concerts routinely sold out in minutes and, in the case of his homecoming performances in Russia in the mid-1980s, televised worldwide. The Kiev-born pianist has always stunned audiences with his virtuosic prowess (witness his Art Tatum-like i…

The last time I saw Rob Zombie in concert I got hit in the back of the head with a giant clump of dirt. I was 18, and it was my second Ozzfest, the now-defunct touring festival, featuring Ozzy Osbourne and a whole day’s worth of heavy-metal opening acts. Rob was close to the top of the bill, doing his hillbilly…

Welcome back to AVC Sessions, our new series where we bring in an artist, band, musician, singer, rapper, etc. to perform three of their own tracks. This week, we welcome frontman of indie rock bands Cursive and The Good Life, the versatile Tim Kasher. Taking a break from touring, Kasher reached into his solo catalog…

Welcome back to AVC Sessions, our new series where we bring in an artist, band, musician, singer, rapper, etc. to perform three of their own tracks. This week, we welcome frontman of indie rock bands Cursive and The Good Life, the versatile Tim Kasher. Taking a break from touring, Kasher reached into his solo catalog…

Let me tell you something about Handel’s Water Music, which you’ve likely heard at least in part, even if you don’t know it—probably the posh “Alla Hornpipe” movement from the second suite, the genteel “Air” from the first, or the ball-gown-ready “Rigaudon” from the third. These get used a lot in movies and TV and are…

Priests, 1:45 p.m.

Welcome back to AVC Sessions, our new series where we bring in an artist, band, musician, singer, rapper, etc. to perform three of their own tracks. This week, we welcome frontman of indie rock bands Cursive and The Good Life, the versatile Tim Kasher. Taking a break from his touring, Kasher reached into his solo…

A lot of times when you’re reviewing a record, especially a rap record, you get a copy the same day the rest of the world does; often that is also the day when you find out that said rap record even exists. Not so with Shabazz Palaces’ new two-album project, Quazarz Vs. The Jealous Machines / Born On A Gangster Star,…

Japanese Breakfast, Soft Sounds From Another Planet
Grade: A-

Last month, we asked you which artist you wished you could’ve seen live. This month, we have essentially the opposite question, posed by A.V. Club Copy Editor Kelsey J. Waite:

Last year’s Savage Mode, a nine-track collaboration between the young Atlanta rapper 21 Savage and producer-of-the-moment Metro Boomin, was about as clean and impressive as a rap record gets. Beneath a fog of ambient-horror beats, Savage rapped at an icy remove, refusing to moralize or glamorize his life. The new Issa…

Welcome back to AVC Sessions, our new series where we bring in an artist, band, musician, singer, rapper, etc. to perform three of their tracks. This week, Australian indie rock group Gang Of Youths visits The A.V. Club studio to play a few songs for us. In the final performance from its session, the band previews “Do…

With the release of Ivy Tripp in 2015, Katie Crutchfield, a.k.a. Waxahatchee, appeared to be in a good place. The album would find its way to multiple “best of the year” lists (including ours), and Crutchfield had seemingly neutralized some personal drama—a breakup with producer/bandmate Keith Spencer, who also played…