Chris Ingalls

Melrose

I write about music for PopMatters and elsewhere. I have “two of the best ears in the biz,” according to Benedict Kupstas of Field Guides. Black Lives Matter.

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Articles

The Convenience Supercharge the Amps on Rocking LP » PopMatters

2 weeks ago | popmatters.com | Chris Ingalls

Like Cartoon Vampires Winspear Accelerator, the first album from New Orleans-based duo the Convenience – multi-instrumentalists Nick Corson and Duncan Troast – was released in 2021 and was a joyous celebration of drum machines, synths, and sugary hooks.
Rindert Lammers' Cinematic Imagery and Ambient Jazz Is Gorgeous " PopMatters

3 weeks ago | popmatters.com | Chris Ingalls

Thank You Kirin Kiri Western Vinyl To understand Thank You Kirin Kiri, the ambitious and stunning debut album from jazz and ambient multi-instrumentalist Rindert Lammers, it’s essential to get the proper context. In Hirokazu Kore-eda’s 2018 film Shoplifters, Japanese actress Kirin Kiki plays the grandmother of a family who have all fled or lost their own families.
Gryphon Rue Creates a Work of Stellar Beauty » PopMatters

3 weeks ago | popmatters.com | Chris Ingalls

I Keep My Diamond Necklace in a Pond of Sparkling Water Independent “I became interested in the idea that recording is a bottomless medium,” explains multi-instrumentalist Gryphon Rue in the press notes of his new album. “You have a bag that can fit any sound; the room in the bag is limitless.” Indeed, the sounds conjured up by Rue on I Keep My Diamond Necklace in a Pond of Sparkling Water draw from a variety of sources and span multiple genres within the “experimental” umbrella.
Matron Deliver an Exciting Exercise in Math Rock » PopMatters

4 weeks ago | popmatters.com | Chris Ingalls

Sunken State Strange Daisy It can be disheartening to stumble upon a great band just as they’re folding, particularly a band like Matron, who just released their third and final EP. However, Sunken State is such an enjoyable ride, and it will undoubtedly inspire converts to check out their earlier releases, which combine the complex, zig-zagging musical avenues of math rock with a healthy dose of dream pop and plenty of good hooks.
Pidgins Upend Corporate Culture with 'Refrains of the Day, Vol. 2' " PopMatters

1 month ago | popmatters.com | Chris Ingalls

Refrains of the Day, Vol. 2 Lexical Records In 2023, the Mexico City-based duo Pidgins released Refrains of the Day, Vol. 1, with a mission to “transform the oral and rhythmic methods of traditional trance rituals by phasing metric, melodic, and rhetorical phrases”.
Dustin Wong Unpacks Family History with Grand Sonic Gestures » PopMatters

1 month ago | popmatters.com | Chris Ingalls

Gloria Hausu Mountain For Los Angeles-based composer, producer, and guitarist Dustin Wong, guitar loops seem to occupy the center of his creative flow. That’s certainly the case with his earlier albums on Thrill Jockey, like Infinite Love (2010) and Mediation of Ecstatic Energy (2013), as his highly skillful and disciplined playing is given a mechanical, synthetic propulsion while still showing off his considerable chops.
Kronos Quartet Create a Haunting Interpretation of War and Loss » PopMatters

1 month ago | popmatters.com | Chris Ingalls

WITNESS Phenotypic Recordings As a first-generation Armenian-American whose family was directly affected by the Lebanese Civil War and Armenian Genocide, composer, documentarian, and Pulitzer Prize finalist Mary Kouyoumdjian is eminently qualified to use her skills to create an artistic portrait of the horrors of violent conflict.
Claire Rousay and More Eaze Make a Fascinating Collaboration » PopMatters

1 month ago | popmatters.com | Chris Ingalls

no floor Thrill Jockey In a way, No Floor – the latest collaborative effort from experimental artists More Eaze (Mari Maurice) and Claire Rousay – is a considerable move forward for both musicians, mainly because of what they don’t do here. While so much of their past work (individually and as a team) implemented Auto-Tune, confessional pop song frameworks, and found sound, this latest album sees them embracing a more minimalist, organic form of ambient sound.
Nick Storring Creates a Warm, Textured Homage to Brazil » PopMatters

1 month ago | popmatters.com | Chris Ingalls

Mirante We Are Busy Bodies The cover of Mirante, the ninth album from Canadian composer, arranger, and multi-instrumentalist Nick Storring, invokes beauty, sunshine, and a touch of mystery. The photo shows a bronze-skinned man with his back to the camera, wading in the shallow waters of a sunny, choppy ocean. We don’t know who this man is, but the scene is picturesque and inviting. There is no artist or title information on the cover.
Joy Burklund Crafts Irresistible Power Pop on 'Songbouquet' " PopMatters

1 month ago | popmatters.com | Chris Ingalls

Songbouquet Independent “While the songs are personal to Joy, the creation of Songbouquet represents a collective labor of love by and for the Philadelphia trans music community.” That’s verbatim from the press materials for the debut album from Joy Burklund & Her Band, 13 tracks produced by Mattie Chaya Kimberly Klauser (Pillow Princess, Mandy Valentine), featuring a bevy of trans and queer collaborators as both performers and those behind the scenes.