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It may be a bit reductive to call Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain the Reckoning to Slanted & Enchanted's Murmur – not to mention easy, considering that Pavement recorded a song-long tribute to R.E.M.'s second album during the Crooked Rain sessions – but there's a certain truth in that statement all the same. Slanted & Enchanted is an enigmatic masterpiece, retaining its mystique after countless spins, but Crooked Rain strips away the hiss and fog of S&E, removing some of Pavement's mystery yet retaining their fractured sound and spirit.

Love songs abound on 2003’s Red Devil Dawn, but most of the love is dead or dying or at least dirty. That makes sense: Just a few years after his split with indie stalwarts Archers of Loaf, Eric Bachmann had forcefully forged a new identity and sound with Crooked Fingers, and he quickly amassed a catalog of gorgeous, poetic songs about weary losers and broken lives. This is the album that gave their desperation its most pointed, perfectly detailed homes.

As many of you know, Crook isn’t the only one in his family that was blessed with the talent to rhyme. As each of his blood brothers can tear apart a mic at the drop of a beat. On November 3rd they will be dropping their debut project, via INgrooves. Features from Crooked I, Royce Da 5′9″, Kid Vishis, Kobe, Mykestro and more; and production from Komplex, Jim Gittum and Dae One. Hit the jump for the full artwork and tracklist…

Though among the most masterful of all popular musicians, bluegrass artists have had difficulty crossing over to a larger audience. Twenty years after Alison Krauss and her angelic voice broke through the pickin' and grinnin' ceiling with her cover of "Baby, Now That I've Found You," the massively talented Molly Tuttle is poised to do the same.

Though among the most masterful of all popular musicians, bluegrass artists have had difficulty crossing over to a larger audience. Twenty years after Alison Krauss and her angelic voice broke through the pickin' and grinnin' ceiling with her cover of "Baby, Now That I've Found You," the massively talented Molly Tuttle is poised to do the same. After an evolution that included the EP, Rise, and pair of LPs—When You're Ready and …but i'd rather be with you (the latter serving notice of her ambitions with covers of FKA Twigs, Harry Styles and The Rolling Stones), Tuttle has made her momentous Nonesuch label debut with Crooked Tree. Tuttle aims for a sweet spot that successfully crosses bluegrass instrumental prowess with pop music appeal; she nails it from the first note.

John Prine, who passed away in April, was one of the most celebrated singer/songwriters of his generation and recipient of the 2020 Grammy® Lifetime Achievement Award. Considered a true folk-singer, Prine was known for his raspy voice and equally admired for his unique songwriting ability. Rolling Stone once dubbed him “The Mark Twain of American songwriting.