There is some cool-as-hell history in the Civil War-set series The Gray House, the kind that bears further geeking out over post-watch. However, as compelling as TGH aspires to be, and often is, it can’t seem to decide what aspect of its storytelling to emphasize, instead leaving it all in there, resulting in eight episodes of television that feel as overstuffed as a 19th century socialite’s skirt.  

Ratboys frontwoman Julia Steiner discusses how 'Singin' to an Empty Chair' grew from a grief practice into a collection of bright, aching songs that never settle for just one feeling at a time.

Meredith Hobbs Coons and Carolyn Zaldivar Snow of The Tonearm compare notes on 'Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery,' the documentary film that turns feminist music history into something closer to evidence.

After three years of touring more than 200 days annually, the guitarist and Jeff Tweedy sideman recorded 'Pilot Light' to recreate, musically, what constant travel had taken away.

The fiercely independent songwriter's EP 'daisy' honors their late childhood dog while exploring patterns of loyalty and mistreatment across romantic, familial, and pet relationships—all released exclusively on Bandcamp as an act of self-determination.

When I first heard about the Resonator Awards in 2024, I had recently interviewed artist/producer SASAMI [Tape Op #157] and production great Jennifer DeCilveo [#161] for Tape Op (the former had signed on to perform, the latter was to receive the All-Star Award), and I was simultaneously thrilled to learn of its existence and gutted to realize that I could not attend. What do you mean We Are Moving the Needle, an organization helmed by legendary mastering engineer Emily Lazar, hosts an award show honoring women, nonbinary, and trans engineers, producers, and artists as well as allies in the music industry as the Grammys continue to (mostly) overlook them?! This might just be the only awards show I care about now!

The Montreal electroacoustic artist spent three decades distributing sound through pirate radio and public space performances before releasing 'Vowel Jams', an album that spotlights her personal vision over public appeal.

Silvia Ryder discusses her album 'Monday's Child', the unconventional instruments that define her music, and how leaving Sugar Plum Fairies led her to build a new identity from Omnichords and archival film.

Throughout his career, Will Epstein has amassed film scoring credits, including an IDA Documentary Award nomination for his score for Nam June Paik: Moon Is The Oldest TV (2023), by attuning to the micro-moments on screen and crafting the music to match them. So it comes as no surprise that, with the release of his latest lyrics-forward album Yeah, mostly (out on Fat Possum Records), he applies this focused attention as well, sourcing his imagery and subject matter from life’s small moments that may otherwise go unnoticed as a person goes on living . . .

Cellist Kirin McElwain's exploratory album 'Youth' turns toward crystalline feedback, chaotic oscillators, and intentionally harsh tones to express the feelings of desire and shame occupying the same cognitive space.

On 'System', Izzy Hagerup aka Prewn builds maximalist songs alone in her home studio, using 'self-indulgent' cello and multitracked vocals to process the gravity of being trapped inside something much bigger than herself.

The Constant Smiles frontman discusses how 'Moonflowers' represents his return to fingerpicked folk after years of pushing against the Martha's Vineyard sounds that shaped him, and why he finally has the patience and skill to honor influences like Nick Drake.

From the Fairlight CMI to the 1940s Ondioline, Erika Dohi built her sophomore album using rare instruments with distinct personalities, astrology as a compositional framework, and meditation practices that confronted loneliness.

As a child of Nigerian immigrants, a queer Black person, and a proud advocate for social change, Joy Oladokun has been combating her “constant Little Sister Syndrome” to become a musical force in her adopted home of Nashville, Tennessee. With five studio albums to her name, including 2021’s in defense of my own happiness and 2023’s Proof of Life, she has risen to acclaim by weaving together folk instrumentation and avant-garde elements. Additionally, her albums have featured many guests, including Maren Morris, Chris Stapleton, and Noah Kahan. Oladokun self-produced her latest project, 2024’s Observations From a Crowded Room, highlighting her wide range of skills.

The experimental cellist discusses her ambient album 'Just Like Any Other Day (어느날): Background Music For Your Mundane Activities', a four-year project born from isolation that turned memories of Korean cinema and cheap-sounding synthesizers into companionship for daily living.

The visual designer and composer behind 'Monologue' explains why they're moving toward greater compositional control, how cassette decks remind them that sound is physical, and what's missing in ambient music right now.

Thea Gustafsson currently records emotive alt-pop as Becky and the Birds, a project which released its debut album Only Music Makes Me Cry Now on November 8th, 2024. As recent as this seems, she has a rich background in audio, from her days at Stockholm’s famed Musikmakarna Songwriters Academy to a later internship with Aviici. In 2025, Gustafsson was awarded Producer of the Year at the Swedish Grammis and in April, she released the single “Should’ve known better (choices),” on which her accordionist father contributes some accompaniment.

Sure, it’s fine when a character gets their teeth knocked out on the school playground in a YA book, but when a young couple has to contend with premature ejaculation in their story, some people get all mad. At least that’s what Judy Blume came to realize when her 1975 teen romance novel Forever… stoked controversy upon its release and spent years on banned-books lists.

Though British singer-songwriter Rosie Lowe has sustained a career as an artist for over a decade and has been recording her own music since her college days, it is with her August 2024 release Lover, Other that she took the lead on production, songwriting, and tracking. The result is a musical tapestry that crosses genres, spanning influences from R&B and electronic music to choral compositions. Her collaborators have included Little Simz, Jay Electronica, and Duval Timothy, with whom she released an album called Son in 2021.

Some people think of Ted Lasso as kicking off an era of television where kindness is king, the sort in which a Kansan with a folksy drawl can hand out some books, tape up a “Believe” sign, and bring a rag-tag team together. But as a showrunner, Michael Schur has been at this game from the jump, concocting series after series that sweetly investigates the human condition.