Ruth Saxelby

With everyone holed up at home, the sonic character of our cities and neighborhoods seems to be constantly shifting underfoot.

Ruth Saxelby

Since self-isolating, writer Ruth Saxelby is noticing sounds sticking out where they used to blend and music doing some surprising work amidst the hush.

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All Ears: Some New Ways To Hear Distortion

Ruth Saxelby

Distortion is familiar to most of us — a 'staticky noise,' a 'noisy static.' But in the right hands, its uses can bloom and its rigid contours soften.

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All Ears: Vibrations Across Time And Space

Ruth Saxelby

Club music is often grounded in bass and rhythm, but electronic and dance songs that feature wind instruments explore innovation as well as connections with histories of jazz and indigenous music.

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All Ears: Listening For The Meaning Between The Words

Ruth Saxelby

As the work of many experimental and pop musicians shows, sounds made by a body that don't cohere into recognizable language can still have emotional clarity.

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All Ears: Contemplating The Cosmos

Ruth Saxelby

A handful of recent experimental albums reach beyond our material world, turning away from familiar "cosmic" tropes, toward explorations of the elemental, the divine and the unknown.

Sneaks' new album, <em>Highway Hypnosis</em>, is out Jan. 25 via Merge.

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Sneaks Makes a Singular Statement With 'Highway Hypnosis'

Ruth Saxelby

Sneaks has both the punk spirit and pop sense to carve out her own path in music. Highway Hypnosis is simply the sound of her revving the engine.