First Listen

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First Listen

  1. First Listen: Bosnian Rainbows, 'Bosnian Rainbows'
    Though both are powerful and iconoclastic performers, The Mars Volta's Omar Rodriguez Lopez and Le Butcherettes' Teri Gender Bender find a way to join together without crowding each other out. More....
  2. First Listen: Mavis Staples, 'One True Vine'
    Produced by Wilco's Jeff Tweedy, One True Vine radiates reverence while summoning a slow burn well-suited to Staples' rich, dusky voice. Then, as the album blooms into something more celebratory, joy peeks through like slivers of sunshine. More....
  3. First Listen: Smith Westerns, 'Soft Will'
    The Chicago band's third album unleashes a sparkly charm offensive that practically rolls down your car windows for you. Sweet and dreamy, slick and sunny, Soft Will is the sound of weaponized agreeability. More....
  4. First Listen: Lemuria, 'The Distance Is So Big'
    The band's third album continues a tradition of songs that unfold like mini-suites, hopscotching from one melodic figure or time signature to the next with a playwright's sense of structure. More....
  5. First Listen: Primal Scream, 'More Light'
    Overstuffed at 69 minutes, the Scottish band's 10th album plays out like a larger-than-life celebration of survival. Like the group itself, More Light is erratic and given to excess, but still reaching for transcendence — and vital enough to find what it's looking for. More....
  6. First Listen: Statik Selektah, 'Extended Play'
    Mutual respect pervades Extended Play, an inviting, prideful album that's never snobby. Statik is something special — he makes functional, real-deal records that sound like the triumphant persistence of New York and the strains of nostalgia in a sunny day. More....
  7. First Listen: Austra, 'Olympia'
    The Canadian band's second album showcases Katie Stelmanis' massive voice and increasingly personal lyrics in style, keeping one foot in the conservatory even as both are occupied on the dance floor. More....
  8. First Listen: Fat Tony, 'Smart Ass Black Boy'
    Fat Tony calls himself a smart ass, but he's not a showoff. He sounds at ease on the mic, delivering droll and conversational bars with a level stare. More....
  9. First Listen: Surfer Blood, 'Pythons'
    On its second album, the beachy pop-rock band balances its fussy, studio-bound side with rich full-band chemistry and songs whose hooks pop into your thoughts days later. Pythons is more streamlined and straight-ahead than 2010's Astro Coast, but it's still catchy as anything. More....
  10. First Listen: Conrad Tao, 'Voyages'
    The 19-year-old pianist has a remarkable resume, but all that matters is what he makes listeners feel — and on Voyages, Tao journeys along varied and alluring pathways that lead to transcendent beauty. More....

Make Music Philly Spotlight: Sylvia Platypus

If the name alone wasn’t enough to pique your curiosity, then the bagpipes will. Philly’s own six-piece...Read More

Light Heat’s new album now streaming at The New York Times website (appearing on XPN Philly Local...

Light Heat‘s self-titled debut is due out on June 25th via Ribbon Music, but if you’re itching to hear it now, the album...Read More

Folkadelphia Session: Balto (performing at Lickety Split this Wednesday)

Because you love to discover great music, this week we’ll be debuting 3 new Folkadelphia Sessions for you to fall in love with....Read More

How some Philly punk rockers are giving back to the community with the Big Footprints Project

Brendan Lukens is used to watching things grow right before his eyes. The frontman and founder of Philly local pop punk band Modern...Read More

Watch a conversation with instrumental duo El Ten Eleven, shot at the North Star (playing Johnny Brenda’s on...

El Ten Eleven is a duo that doesn’t like to be captured in a label.  They make powerful instrumental music that spans various...Read More