In the early days of New Wave, drummer David Kendrick and singer Leslie Bohem approached the Mael brothers of Sparks at an LA coffee shop and invited them to check out their popular live act, Bates Motel. Rather than help getting a contract, as they likely hoped, the Sparks brothers instead invited Bates Motel to become their backing band for an upcoming world tour

On last year’s anthemic “Be Afraid,” Jason Isbell sang, “And if your words add up to nothing, then you’re making a choice/To sing a cover when we need a battle cry.” But sometimes, a collection of cover songs can be the battle cry itself, as Isbell and the 400 Unit claim with Georgia Blue—a covers album in support of voting rights in Georgia where the 2020 presidential election came down to the thinnest of margins.

Essentially via word of mouth, A.A. Williams managed to sell out the iconic Southbank Centre in London within a year of her first live performance. And after one sumptuous self-titled debut EP, she was snapped up by Bella Union who last year released her glorious full-length debut album, Forever Blue.

With the understanding that its featured tracks are reinterpretations as opposed to covers, I’ll Be Your Mirror: A Tribute to The Velvet Underground & Nico is two or three genuinely commendable efforts from being drab, discordant, and ultimately disappointing.

The British rock band Be-Bop Deluxe may not have maintained the same level of attention over the years as some of their ’70s peers, but the band’s reissues have provided new opportunities for consideration.

Two of the greatest and most influential vocalists of their respective generations, Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga produce a wealth of richly sentimental, celestial sounds, existing comfortably both in the past from which they derive and the present in which they were recorded.

Bleach Lab’s decision to work with iconic producer Stephen Street to produce their second EP, Nothing Feels Real, has certainly paid off as the band expand their already shimmering cinematic sound to reach dizzying new heights of sonic grandeur.

Nearly 25 years since the release of their killer debut Overcast!, Minneapolis hip-hop duo Atmosphere (composed of rapper Slug and producer Ant) still consistently put out music long after many of their peers have thrown in the towel.

Becca Harvey’s debut EP, Swan, released under her girlpuppy moniker, certainly demonstrates an ability to craft timeless yet contemporary vignettes for the lost and the lovelorn.