With this utterly beguiling (and utterly unlikely) record, multi-instrumentalist Jason Holstrum seems to be making bid to be the Sufjan Stevens of island music. The Thieves Of Kailua is an ambitious orchestral pop suits inspired by Hawaiian and calypso rhythms. What emerges is a sort of bedroom recluse’s imagining of a spiritual, mythical, tropical paradise, [...]

After a four-year sabbatical, Chicago’s very own “organicore” (my term) ensemble has returned as if lead nerds Sam Prekop and Archer Prewitt had never done their sublime solo outings. It’s a timely return for this quietly influential band — meaning, influencing people who have no idea they’ve been influenced (ahem, the, ahem, Shins). While no [...]

If progressive rock — early ’70s style, British Isles version — has been making a comeback lately, why not its attendant cousin, progressive folk? There’s been sufficient time for both to fall out of favor, be buried in the dusty stacks of thrift record shops, and get unearthed years later by new generations that see [...]

The moniker of this Austin-based country-rock ensemble refers to siblings Will and Lily Courtney — respectively, the group’s lead singer-songwriter and harmony singer-tambourinist – as well as the “extended family” of musicians listed on the CD jacket (which includes Conrad Keely of …And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead). This communal vibe [...]