Posts by Alby

Nobody writes more heart-rending ballads than the Irish, which is fitting given the litany of tragedies they've suffered, mostly at the hands of the British. None has had a greater…

The best Americana singer-songwriter you never heard of, Jason Molina, died 12 years ago today of alcohol-induced organ failure at age 39. He was revered by his peers in the…

When they broke up the band 14 years ago, the members of R.E.M. swore they would never reunite. We've seen enough bands go back on such pronouncements to take that…

Guest post by Nathan Arizona When Bobby Womack crosses 110th Street in the song by that name, he’s crossing the traditional demarcation line between Manhattan and Harlem. Harlem has the…

I don't care that Democrats haven't made angry noises about the end of our constitutional republic because I only care what they do, not what they say. Now that it's…

If you're only dimly aware of the Dropkick Murphys, chances are you think of the Celtic punk band as a bunch of white working-class louts, and probably sympathetic to Trump…

Vibraphonist Roy Ayers, an oft-sampled pioneer of jazz-funk fusion, died last week at age 84. Ayers started out in the post-bop jazz scene in the early '60s. His first LP,…

Anthony Keidas doesn't articulate what was squeezing his soul – he descends into babbling actual nonsense in the last verse – but if you read the news these days you…

Here's a point in favor of those who believe Trump is not sui generis but rather the culmination of the reactionary right's long war against equality and civil rights: The…

Elvis Costello wrote this about a romantic relationship – "Armed Forces," the 1979 album it appeared on, was going to be titled "Emotional Fascism" – but I can't help thinking…

The U.S. House of Representatives censured Al Green yesterday. No, not Al Green the soul-singing preacher from Memphis. Al Green, the Democratic representative from Texas, who distinguished himself by heckling…

As Dotard Donnie flaps about like his hair in a breeze, I keep seeing "explanations" for his erratic behavior, apparently from people unfamiliar with William of Ockham. "Oh, he's trying…

As America self-destructs, let's hear from one of the most self-destructive artists of the rock era, Warren Zevon. He wrote this one for "Transverse City," a 1989 concept album about…