When Amos Lee says he's influenced by everyone from Bill Withers to Stevie Wonder, he isn't name-dropping as many A-list icons as possible. He's simply connecting the dots between yesterday and today,  …

"Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)" is more than just the curtain-raising cut on Arcade Fire's breakthrough album, Funeral; it's a cold-shower shot between the eyes, a call to arms that'll send a chill straigh …

The beard is the first thing that comes to mind. Thicker than chimney smoke and as soft and scratchy as a two-sided sponge, it screams long, blustery winters and souls that are wiser than their years.  …

Now that Iron & Wine's a decade into a discography that only gets better with age, one thing's become abundantly clear: some of Sam Beam's best work is scattered across a growing stack of filler-free E …

It's taken the Decemberists a decade to go from the groove-locked pleas of "Angel, Won't You Call Me?" to the brittle balladry of "January Hymn," a breakout track from the Portland band's first #1 albu …

You can practically smell the gunpowder as the Decemberists tear through tracks like "The Infanta" and "The Mariner's Revenge Song," tall tales with drums that explode like cannons off the port bow, st …

On the three Quiet tracks featured here, Chandra strays into Laurie Anderson territory and dispenses with words altogether, instead using her voice as a melodic and percussive instrument. "Shakt …

He's got a sugar-frosted flow that invites participation, a swagger that shows he's in control, and, when it comes to the ladies, a sensitive soul he just can't hide. So while Nelly has the power to ge …

You can't hold it down in the heights without an anchor on the ground, and for the man born Cornell Haynes, Jr., that anchor is his hometown. The gateway city is the star in Nelly's day-in-the-life tri …