2020 In Review: The Local Albums That Got Us Through This Year
It was a hard year. Music Helped.
Two Recent Country Albums Walk the Line Between Pop and Purist
C. Albert Blomquist and Charles Latham both home in on a certain timeless simplicity, letting old tropes and truisms breathe clear contemporary air.
Quarantine Can’t Contain New Albums from the Local Metal Scene
Æther Realm, Wailin Storms, Grohg, and Kult Ikon provide a fitting soundtrack for a time that feels both stagnant and volatile.
Pierce Freelon and J. Gunn Celebrate Black Fatherhood with “Daddy Daughter Day”
Watch the new video from Freelon’s forthcoming album, “D.a.D.,” and hear him speak on turning family archives into family music.
N.C. Poet Laureate Jaki Shelton Green’s “The River Speaks of Thirst” Reclaims Stolen Breath
As Green prepares to release her debut album, a conversation and meditation with Alexis Pauline Gumbs.
Triangle First: An Inspired Song by S.E. Ward from Suah Sounds’ Benefit Compilation
“The Co-Isolation Sessions” to benefit N.C. service workers isn’t out until June 5, but we’ve got Ward’s gripping “State of Wonder” today.
Instagram Art Project Finds Creative Ways to Add Face Masks to Album Covers
Raleigh artist Cameron Laws experiments with a different kind of album cover.
More Albums Coverage
Hiss Golden Messenger Drops Live Album to Support Durham Public Schools
“Forward, Children” documents a January set in Chapel Hill, when the band was polished from tour and the world was wide open.
After the Long Haul of Recording the Excellent “IV,” Drag Sounds Scopes Out a Faster Lane
“This next shit might not have any guitars. Synthesizer-bass-drum-machine record—guess what? That’s also Drag Sounds. We can do what we want. None of your business. How about that?”
A Bad Gig Led to a Good Record for Jennifer Curtis and Tyshawn Sorey
The two gifted contemporary classical and jazz improvisers reveal a deeper stratum of their musical friendship on new album “Invisible Ritual.”
How 9th Wonder’s Jamla Records Turned Two Dope Solo Artists, Swank and King Draft, into a Formidable Duo
In November, 9th flooded social media with a surprise announcement: He had signed Durham’s Swank and King Draft to Jamla, which would drop their new album at midnight.
With Introspective Bars and Bespoke Sound Design, Pat Junior Builds His Magnificent Sound from Scratch
Last month, the Raleigh rap artist premiered his new LP, “I Thought I Knew,” at a detail-oriented launch party at CAM Raleigh.
Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.