Oldies – Concert: 4/17 – Paul Anka @ Mohegan Sun
February 28th, 1970 “Moondance” by Van Morrison (folk-rock/jazz-pop)
After the abstract mysticism of his second album, “Astral Weeks,” Van Morrison returned with “Moondance,” an album that feels warmer, bluesier, and deeply romantic without losing any of his poetic power. Morrison leans heavily into jazz phrasing here, letting bass lines swing underneath brushed drums and supporting horn arrangements that don’t overpower his voice. The first song, “And It Stoned Me,” opens the album with nostalgic storytelling that captures a memory from Morrison’s childhood fishing. The title track, “Moondance,” is one of the most effortless jazz-pop songs ever recorded, built on a bouncing bass line and Morrison’s playful phrasing that make it romantic and fun. The blues is followed in the song “These Dreams of You,” paired with a harmonica, organ, and commanding bass. Morrison can seamlessly move from blues and jazz into the lightest folk. His vocals are the most refined in “Crazy Love” and “Brand New Day,” where his voice is the softest and tender, with supporting vocals to make it more angelic. In the middle of the album is “Into the Mystic,” one of my favorite Van Morrison songs, first of all because I love his poetry, but secondly because of how it takes me into a whole different place in my head. The build-up of vocals in the main chorus is perfect with the light finger-plucking and, of course, the horns. But even the more upbeat tracks like “Caravan” carry a shared joy, with horns and rhythm building into something celebratory, and encourage an audience to sing along to it. The production is simple but alive, giving each instrument space to shine while still leaving room for you! Ending the album is “Everyone,” a playful piano and flute support in Morrison’s celebratory voice. This song is the most cheerful song a person can get, singing about world peace, how all of our dreams can come true, dancing, you can’t go wrong there. Lastly, “Glad Tidings” concludes this happy theme by addressing some negative things about the world, but ultimately saying that you should pick yourself off your feet and keep moving; regardless of how bad the world is, you don’t have to be a bad person in reaction. “Moondance” is the perfect album to put on during a nighttime bonfire, and then whenever you hear Van Morrison again, you are transported back to those summer nights. I recommend “Into the Mystic,” “Caravan,” “Moondance” and “Everyone.”
February 29th, 2000 “NakedSelf” by The The (alt rock/art rock)
Honestly, I was going to skip Leap Day, but regardless of what made-up day it was released on, music deserves to be talked about. By the time The The released “NakedSelf” in 2000, it had been nearly a decade since their last studio album, and that absence lingers over the record with tension, but you can hear the preparation in a new style. NakedSelf feels stripped down compared to Matt Johnson’s earlier layered work and utilizes sparse guitars, restrained electronics, and lyrics that feel weary but searching. As the Chicago-Tribune commented, “A modern-day blues album, NakedSelf is steeped in distortion and cynical takes on love and loneliness.” The opener, “Boiling Point,” opens with eerie riffs and builds into a blurry mess that remains steady through the rest of the album. My favorite song, “The Whisperers,” heavily reminds me of Radiohead, and has a clean backing guitar and drum combo while lightly singing about getting backstabbed by gossip. Although it’s not the most intense instrument-wise, I kinda love the emotionality that comes with the quiet, isolating pain of the modern world. Similarly, “Global Eyes” discusses haunting modern issues and social commentary, but it’s all hushed and whispered over an electric guitar rather than shouted like so many other political albums I’ve covered. It’s perfect for symbolizing a communal suppression of taboo topics, but unfortunately, that is one way that problems perpetuate. “Soul Catcher” is a midlife crisis theme about not knowing what your purpose is, or feeling like you have lived for very little, which can be daunting. One funky song I didn’t expect is “Swine Fever” with super heavy and distorted riffs with static over the vocals. It’s a very fun criticism of over-consumerism, and it is being fueled by stores and advertisements wherever we go. It’s similar to “Voidy Numbness” in instrumentation, but this theme is about the fading sobriety in society and an urge to separate yourself from your problems with modern solutions. “Diesel Breeze” has one of the most unique openings I’ve ever heard (I recommend it with headphones), and the guitar sounds turn from an instrument into a siren. Then we hit another genre 180 into quiet folk with “Phantom Walls,” which almost reminds me of Oasis, but maybe that’s just because they’re both British and play acoustic guitar. “NakedSelf” isn’t shouting a huge statement; it’s quietly discussing the loneliness of modern life and the feeling of watching the world pass by as you stand still. I recommend “The Whisperers,” “Swine Fever,” “Diesel Breeze” and “Phantom Walls.”
March 1st, 1974 “Hooked On A Feeling” by Blue Swede (pop-rock)
The most recognizable opening in probably all musical history, we all know this song even if we don’t exactly know where we’ve heard it. Actually, it was originally recorded by B.J. Thomas in 1968 when the song reached No. 5 in Billboard Hot 100, and then hit No. 1 in 1974 when it was released by Blue Swede. If you listen to both, though, you will realize how fundamentally different they are. The original is actually a serious ballad with an organ backing, and then you fast-forward six years, and it’s a funky, playful, and danceable song. The “ooga-chaka” has no actual meaning and instead was inspired by the song “Running Bear” by Johnny Preston, serving as a catchy and beat-defining introduction. Besides that playfulness, there is a strong pop arrangement that is built on guitars, horns, and a cowbell to capture the joy of infatuation. What makes this version the best and the most enduring over time is the genuine vocal delivery by Björn Skifs, which doesn’t make the song feel cheap or gimmicky, and instead portrays the melodrama of being emotionally overwhelmed by love. This song has persisted in film and, of course, radio, which attracts all generations to this feel-good genre of the ‘70s.
Hip-Hop/R&B – Concert: 4/9 Fetty Wap @ The Webster
To kick off the last Friday in February, Swae Lee released a new single titled “FLAMMABLE,” and it truly feels like a statement return. As his first solo release of 2026, the track serves as the perfect welcome back for fans who have been waiting to hear him step out on his own again. “FLAMMABLE” is hard-hitting and powerful from beginning to end, blending sharp production with Swae Lee’s signature melodic style. His vocals glide over the beat effortlessly, creating that catchy, almost hypnotic quality he’s known for. The energy never drops, making it one of those songs that immediately demands a replay. I am genuinely obsessed with this one. It’s bold, confident, and reminds listeners exactly why Swae Lee remains such a standout voice in the rap space. If this is how he’s starting 2026, the rest of the year is looking very promising.
Yeat and EsDeeKid teamed up to release a single titled “ Made It On Our Own.” At first, I wasn’t sure how they would sound together, but I am honestly loving it. The track opens with Yeat setting the tone, confidently introducing the single before passing the spotlight to EsDeeKid, who comes in with a powerful, attention-grabbing verse. Their voices complement each other surprisingly well, creating a dynamic that almost feels like a fully formed rap duo rather than a one-time collaboration. The energy throughout the song is high and infectious, and you can genuinely hear how much fun they had in the studio. This may be one of my favorites from both rappers, and I would love to hear them both together soon.
Fredo Bang released his third single of 2026, titled “UP IN HEA,” and it wastes no time making an impact. The track immediately opens with Fredo’s signature intro, setting a confident tone before diving straight into powerful, hard-hitting verses. His delivery feels sharp and intentional, riding the beat with a steady intensity that keeps the momentum strong throughout the song. The production matches his energy perfectly, creating a bold and commanding sound that feels true to his style. Lyrically, Fredo stays consistent, bringing authenticity and grit that longtime fans have come to expect. “UP IN HEA” continues to show that Fredo Bang is entering 2026 with focus and confidence, and if this is only his third release of the year, it’s clear he’s building toward something even bigger.
Country/Folk – Concert: 5/29 – Alex Lambert @ Space Ballroom
A surprise release from Avery Anna, “Man Downstairs” is the second song on the artist’s upcoming EP “forgive, forget,” set to release in mid-March. The first song, “Fear In God” with Sam Barber, was originally teased as a single for both artists, but hindsight obviously holds that it was the first release for the EP. “Man Downstairs” is definitely more Anna’s style, as opposed to the duet on “Fear In God.” The song has a lot of rock influence, something not uncommon for her. It is also layered with religious undertones, another frequent occurrence for her. This is honestly textbook from Anna’s more edgy side, something that is evident in songs like “Giddy Up!” “Honey” and “it’s just rainin’,” and I’m a big fan, as usual. “Forgive, forget” will be Anna’s second EP ever, and fourth project, including both her albums. Though “Let Go Letters,” her sophomore album, is less than a year old, I am happy she is deciding to put out a new project. Anna is on the cusp of superstardom, and the only way to keep up with other powerhouse females of the genre like Megan Moroney, Ella Langley and Lainey Wilson is to keep releasing music. I truly believe she is right there with the rest of them, and in one/two years, Anna will be a household name.
A surprise continuation of “Cloud 9,” Moroney teased “Sorry… I Meant Tonight – Bonus” in an Instagram reel posted on Wednesday. In the reel, Moroney dances around one of the nine concert venues she is currently touring on her Nine Cities, Nine Days Cloud 9 Tour. Though I forget where she mentioned it, Moroney claimed this song is the ‘older sister’ to “Nothin’ Crazy,” a duet she has with singer, songwriter and friend MacKenzie Carpenter on “Lucky (Deluxe).” The song is definitely one of the more upbeat, poppy songs on an album that is already like that, so it doesn’t do a ton to differentiate itself from something like “Wish I Didn’t,” “6 Months Later” and “Medicine.” It still features a lot of the catchy cliches that Moroney usually has in her pop-py songs, and I’d bet money it will be on the Cloud 9 Tour setlist. I personally hope this isn’t the only song on a supposed deluxe, and I believe it won’t be because she just re-released the album with “Sorry… I Meant Tonight” on it, similar to how Tate McRae re-released “So Close To What” to include “Siren Sounds.” A welcome addition to “Cloud 9,” nonetheless, I just wish it sounded a bit more unique. Place this song on “Lucky,” and I have very different feelings about it.
In full transparency, I am not a Gavin Adcock fan. I don’t find his “bad boy” shtick to be funny, and I honestly don’t find much in his music. Of course, that is subject to change, as I didn’t care for Wyatt Flores much either, but now he is one of my most-streamed artists. Adcock’s new project, “Country Never Dies,” is an 11-song album, with each song featuring a different artist singing a historic country song, such as “Kentucky Bluebird” and “Mama Tried.” The album is set to feature names like Hudson Westbrook, Ashley Cooke, Braxton Keith, Vincent Mason and many more. Though I am not a huge Adcock fan, I like enough of the other artists on the album that I will probably listen to it anyway. “Only Daddy That’ll Walk The Line” is very similar to the Waylon Jennings song, for the better, honestly. You can still hear some of what makes Adcock’s voice recognizable to his fans, and the song is not too bad. If anything, it definitely gets me more excited to hear the rest of the album and the artists that are featured on it.
If I’m being fully honest, I don’t really know anything about Telander. Scrolling through his Spotify, it seems he’s been releasing music since 2023, but has since found his stride this year and last. His cover of Zach Bryan’s “Something In The Orange” is pretty good, but his music is still pretty new to me. In fuller transparency, the album cover for “This Rules,” which has Telander shirtless with the album name written across his chest, was what drew me to listening. This album was very interesting, in both good ways and bad. It compiles a bunch of singles he has released over the last year, with some new songs. There weren’t very many songs I picked out as a fan of, but I think that is ultimately because this isn’t really my style of country music. His sound reminds me a lot of Marcus King, with hints of Chris Stapleton and Larry Fleet. While I like Stapleton and Fleet, I am not a huge King fan, and that is how “This Rules” most resonated with me. I could be completely wrong in that assumption, and their sounds could be very different, but from what I know of King’s music, they sound similar. I would still recommend it to fans of what the album cover embodies, if that makes sense. I’m sure Telander has his fans, I’m just not one of them yet, but like Adcock, that is subject to change.
Rock/Alternative – Concert: 5/15 – David Byrne @ Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater
“A short history of decay” is Nothing’s fifth album, and you can tell that they have really developed their sound since their debut in 2014. The album is a mix of shoegaze and alternative/indie rock that works very well. The album deals with emotional damage and pain, a lot more directly than other stuff from Nothing in the past, and you can definitely notice that on many of the tracks. The album sometimes switches back and forth from these slow, melancholic and introspective songs, quickly into fast, angry punk-like songs, which I found very interesting as it does well to highlight how fast sadness can turn into anger. When I first listened to the albuim I was kind of reminded of the Softcult album that I wrote about earlier this semester, and I do think that there are definitely some similarities between the two.
Midwest emo legends American Football recently announced their first album since LP3 in 2019, and this week they released the first single from the album with “Bad Moons.” The song is about eight minutes long and starts off with gentle guitars and a softer, melancholic vibe, before it crescendos into a post-rock sounding conclusion in the last couple of minutes of the song. Singer Mike Kinsella explained the origins of the song, saying, “‘Bad Moons’ is actually a Frankenstein of two different demos we’d been passing around for quite a while, one playful, with children playing and toy-pianos plinking, one brooding, with guitars screeching and drums bombasting.” And you can definitely hear both of those tones on this track. This is a very strong first single for the new album, and I am really excited to see what else the album has to offer.
Social Distortion has released the title track from their upcoming album “Born To Kill.” The song is almost exactly what I expected, fast-paced, punchy and full of energy and kind of catchy as well. I still think that I prefer their sound from the 90s, but this track is still a lot of fun. “Born To Kill” has a little bit more of a pop-punk sound to it than some of their older stuff does, but the new sound does work for them. The song is also full of references to legends or rock, like the lyric “Rock ‘n’ roll animal gonna come your way” referencing Lou Reed’s live album “Rock ‘n’ Roll Animal” and the lyric “the agenda is, yeah, to search and destroy” referencing the song by Iggy and the Stooges. The track is a lot of fun and hopefully sets up what to expect from the rest of the album.
This weekend, Matchbox Twenty released a collection of previously unreleased or exclusive bonus tracks from their 2012 album “North” in an EP titled “The North B-Sides.” The band decided to do this after fans had been asking for a while to get the bonus tracks from the album onto streaming services. The EP is only five tracks, but all of them are very catchy and well-crafted. Sometimes when people read B-sides or unreleased tracks, they may assume that they were not good enough or something that prevented them from making the album; that is not the case with these tracks. If you are a fan of Matchbox Twenty or Rob Thomas at all, I highly recommend checking out this EP.
Pop & Indie – Concert: 5/3 – The Happy Fits @ Toads Place
A friend of fellow genre manager Maddy York released her first-ever single, “I heard,” on Spotify last week. Brodie Tallman is a talented singer, and I’m glad Maddy sent me her song. “I heard” is about hearing something happened to someone important through social media after a falling out. Tallman clearly feels bad about whatever happened between her and this friend. I really enjoyed this song, and I definitely recommend giving it a listen.
Bruno Mars released “The Romantic,” his first album since 2016. The album’s single “I Just Like” has slowly been growing on me. I like the danceability of the album, but I’m not a huge fan of it otherwise. I know that a lot of people have been really enjoying it, but it’s just not my vibe. I did like that “Why You Wanna Fight?” has slight New Kids on the Block vibes in the backing vocals. The final track, “Dance With Me,” was probably my favorite of the album. I like how Mars’ voice sounds, and I think it could be used as a first dance song, which I find really cute. I also really like how the album flowed; each song sounds just similar enough to the next that they all feel like they belong together. I also thought that each song suited the title of the album very well.
Not gonna lie, I don’t know much about Alex Warren, but I do know he has quite the following and has been nominated for a lot of music awards this past year. I really liked his new single “FEVER DREAM.” It’s about meeting someone and immediately feeling a connection. I think it’s a really cute song, and I specifically really like the sound of the pre-chorus. I also really like the drums in this song. I don’t know enough about instruments to explain why, but my brain was happy.
Forest Blakk is back with a single titled “You’ll Be The Proof,” and it’s sad and slow and perfect. I have covered many of his songs over the past year and a half, and I have liked each one of them. You may know Blakk from one of my favorite songs, “If You Love Her,” which I also covered in October when the duet version with Christina Perri was released. “You’ll Be The Proof” is about deserving love despite your past. It’s actually a really cute and sad song. My favorite line is the end of the chorus: “I’m gonna love you/ And you’ll be the proof.” I really liked the lyrics to this song, and I think Blakk and Joy Williams’ voices work really well together.
Emiliee Moore is someone I found on TikTok while doomscrolling at 2 am. I originally looked her up for another song, but when I saw she just released “Boys” with Isaac Levi, I knew I had to listen. This song was originally released on her album last year, but this duet version is different and really pretty. I think the lyrics are the same, but the addition of Isaac Levi was a really good touch. The song is about the difference between boys and girls in relationships. It’s a really slow song with a gorgeous piano in the background. I highly recommend giving it a listen!
