The Mountain Goats

While the album has some flaws in its execution and often feels less personal than it ought to, the arc of Getting Into Knives bends to an evolved but comprehensive entry into the band’s discography.

I have never had anything against going to concerts. The problem is that the majority of my favorite musical groups — the Four Seasons, ABBA, the Supremes — are either dead or broken up.

Dedicating an EP to your grandmother doesn’t seem like the most on-brand decision for an emo revival band, but the Front Bottoms did it anyway.

Outside Lands is feverishly exalted. So, here it is — one jaded concert critic’s take on the lineup for San Francisco’s 11th Outside Lands.

Resilience, survival — these concepts are not new. Yet survival is at the forefront of our everyday conversations, resurfacing in intriguing ways.

The Mountain Goats might be exploring unfamiliar territory, but the joy they bring listeners is nothing new.

John Vanderslice doesn’t beat around the bush. A musician and record producer with 10 full-length albums released under his own name and engineering fingerprints on countless others, he is also the owner of Tiny Telephone Recording, an analog recording studio with locations in both San Francisco and Oakland.