Arcade Fire’s big noise is back, and so are the sermons
On Songs & Albums,Music Reviews
May 6, 2022
Arcade Fire's seven-track tapestry of anxiety, alienation, and disillusionment sounds epic, but it can be a bit disillusioning itself in its obvious sermonizing.
0 Comments16 Minutes
Jon Batiste’s “We Are” — a Looking Closer Top 20 of 2021 favorite — wins Album of the Year.
April 4, 2022
One of my favorite records of 2021 won the Album of the Year award: Jon Batiste's We Are.
0 Comments8 Minutes
Favorite Recordings of 2021: Part Three (#15–#1)
March 6, 2022
You are arriving at the summit of my 2021 Music Mountain. These are my fifteen favorite albums of 2021
0 Comments53 Minutes
Favorite Recordings of 2021: Part One (Honorable Mentions and #36–#26)
January 20, 2022
It has finally begun! On January 20, Looking Closer's look back at favorite recordings of 2021 has begun! Keep watch for Part Two and Part Three, coming soon.
2 Comments45 Minutes
The Weekender: Christmas Edition 2021
On Movies & Media,On Songs & Albums,Journal,The Weekender
December 25, 2021
This week: Malick's rollercoaster ride through the eons of history. Mia Hansen-Løve's film Bergman Island. All hail U2's The Edge!
1 Comment34 Minutes
Sunday Song: Von Bieker and Knathan Ryan sing their quarantine longings
September 12, 2021
Knathan Ryan and Dave Von Bieker are two friends whose music pops up in heavy rotation during my morning commutes. Their hopeful spirits inspire me; their artistry is personal, bright, and energetic; and their new songs hit just right in a time of quarantine fatigue.
0 Comments8 Minutes
So Much Love: a conversation with Lowland Hum about their reinvention of a Peter Gabriel album
June 29, 2021
In which I talk with Daniel and Lauren Goans of the band Lowland Hum about how and why they made the most of their pandemic lockdown by re-recording a classic Peter Gabriel album.
0 Comments7 Minutes
Sunday Song: Listening Closer to Jon Batiste and Allison Russell
June 13, 2021
A new feature at Looking Closer — "Sunday Song" — will feature one or two recent releases that are in frequent rotation during my weekday commute jam session. Here are two of my favorite 2021 songs so far, from Jon Batiste and Allison Russell.
1 Comment6 Minutes