It’s been five years since the last Speedy Ortiz album, but the string of singles heralding their return have demonstrated no steps have been lost. Their latest, “Ghostwriter,” romps straight towards that sweet spot of buzzy modern rock that I … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Speedy Ortiz, “Ghostwriter”

Misery can have a touch of majesty to it. That’s one of the lessons that Mitski teaches, and it’s reinforced on her quietly staggering new single “Bug Like an Angel.” The music is mostly spare as she intones lyrics as … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Mitski, “Bug Like an Angel”

“The Way Things Go,” the new track from Beabadoobee, absolutely gleams. It recalls any number of indie pop acts who combined elegant melody, wispy vocals, evocatively emotional lyrics, and impeccable musicianship. It builds and builds, like a swirling funnel of … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Beabadoobee, “The Way Things Go”

I mean it as a high compliment when I assert that the new song Billie Eilish created for the Barbie movie soundtrack recalls the expert work of Randy Newman. Especially when Newman was the go-to for Pixar during the animation … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Billie Eilish, “What Was I Made For?”

Bush Tetras formed in the late nineteen-seventies. Like a lot of acts formed in the forge of New York City punk rock, they churned out a slew of singles and played loud live shows. They also didn’t release their first … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Bush Tetras, “Bird on a Wire”

This week brought an uncommonly large batch of the new tracks that tugged at my music-loving soul and demanded placement in this weekly spot. At different points, I was sure this week’s model was a recently unearthed gem from the … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Olivia Rodrigo, “Vampire”

The next Guided by Voices album, Welshpool Frillies, is scheduled for release in July. It is their second full-length album this year. They also released two studio albums last year and two the year before that. They released three studio … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Guided By Voices, “Meet the Star”

I like every but of this meaty, mighty rock song from the Brooklyn-based band THICK, but it’s the perfectly constructed chorus that makes it downright unshakeable: “I could kiss you hard right now/ Close my eyes and open up my … Continue reading This Week’s Model — THICK, “Doomer”

On “Build a Bridge,” the new track from Chicago band Deeper, sometimes I swear I hear a Minutemen influence coming through. Then I become convinced that I’m hearing some of the slicked up authority that distinguished the first album by … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Deeper, “Build a Bridge”

“Save the World,” the new single from Jason Isbell and his backing band, the 400 Unit, is laudably blunt in addressing the scourge of gun violence in the United States. Even as it’s clear that the lyrics are directly inspired … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, “Save the World”