Tom Moon

In his main job as the guitarist and lead singer of Phish, Trey Anastasio has long been part of an unusual yearly ritual: the Halloween performance in which the band re-creates a classic album in its entirety. In 1996, it was Talking Heads' Remain In Light -- ...

The music of the singer/songwriter that goes by Son Little can be hard to categorize. But on his new album, the genre bending is backed up by an expressive voice.

The DJ known as St. Germain has waited 15 years to release a following to his highly successful breakout record. Critic Tom Moon thinks it's a surprisingly creative return.

Deep into Gazing With Tranquility, tucked between smart and sometimes overly reverent reinterpretations of Donovan's hits, there's a small performance that illustrates the value of the tribute record.

The song is "Lalena," a 1968 single that's notable for its dirge-like tempo and Donovan's steady, symmetrical vibrato. It's not one ...

When we last heard from Ludovic Navarre, the French DJ and producer better known as St. Germain, it was in the predawn hours of EDM, before the age of raves in casino hotels and Garage Band on every laptop. The calendar had completed its momentous flip to 2000, and there ...

Craig Finn has had a prolific rock career with his bands Lifter Puller and The Hold Steady. Now 44, Finn has just released his second solo album, Faith in the Future. Critic Tom Moon...

Lots of magazines do big lists, but few rely on them as heavily as Rolling Stone does. The magazine cranks out a list for just about every aspect of popular music. All promise authoritative, canonical overviews of various elements of the art; at their best, these offer context and critical ...

Among the delights of Lianne La Havas' 2012 debut Is Your Love Big Enough? was its sense of scale. Here was a songwriter of considerable lyric skill and pop ambition who didn't always follow the prevailing verse/chorus/hook code — particularly the expectation that fireworks need to arrive within ...

Critic Tom Moon reviews the album Nina Revisited: A Tribute to Nina Simone, a compilation of covers of her greatest hits performed by popular R&B artists like Usher and Lauren Hill.

NPR's Tom Moon reviews the new album from pianist Robert Glasper, Covered.

A few songs into the latest set of ready-to-wear rants from Neil Young, there's a moment when the rock star shares a bit of the advice he gets as he goes about his daily life — from fans, possibly, or a manager, or maybe the barista in his coffee ...

NPR commentator Tom Moon reviews a new album that is a collaboration between two jazz bands known for experimentation: The Bad Plus and Joshua Redman.

Richard Thompson's 16th solo album Still closes with an unusual homage to his longstanding sources of inspiration. It's called "Guitar Heroes," and though it's predominantly a standard jump blues, it's laced with extended interludes in which Thompson — arguably the most under-appreciated guitar hero currently recording — tips his ...

With their new album, Monterey, The Milk Carton Kids are hoping to be a part of your summer driving songs.

A new anthology called In the Beginning chronicles the sound of Wes Montgomery, one of the most influential guitar players of all time, in his early years.

The young man sounds a bit shaken. His lover, perhaps the love of his life, has departed. He's surveying his options, talking to her even though she's not there, the way the jilted sometimes do. "I could wring out each memory until I get every drop."

It's just another line ...

For the last two years, pianist Ethan Iverson has been at the center of what looks, in hindsight, like a serious creative whirlwind. He re-conceptualized Stravinsky's ballet The Rite Of Spring in its entirety (!) for his trio The Bad Plus, and then, for good measure, recorded an ...

The mostly instrumental supergroup's second album, Soul Food, is a rousing, thoroughly modern take on gospel.

On their new album, the band's backing musicians match the intensity of lead singer Brittany Howard.

In the massive heap of "singer-songwriters," Becca Stevens Band is a gem. NPR reviews her new album, Perfect Animal.