Music Reviews

As a dark look at youth, City Center's "Teardrop Children" hits too close to home to feel like an exercise in gloom. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

Marian Anderson broke the color barrier at the Metropolitan Opera in 1955 when she starred in Verdi's Un Ballo in Maschera. Sony Classical Archives hide caption

"Slip into the same old dream every night," Chad VanGaalen sings in "Peace on the Rise," adding, "Welcome all the things that could've been." Delphine Ghosarossian hide caption

German conductor and composer Wilhelm Furtwaengler. Hulton Archive/Getty Images hide caption

M83 usually chronicles overwrought teen anxiety, but in "Midnight City," the producer's focus turns to fun and frivolity. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

The timing is eerily right for the first single from The Gaslight Anthem's Brian Fallon and his moody side project, The Horrible Crowes. Danny Clinch hide caption

Syl Johnson Biz 3 hide caption

The steel-drum melody of Chad Valley's "Now That I'm Real (How Does It Feel?)" conjures images of ice-cold drinks and miniature umbrellas. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

When Hella's "Headless" thunders, you're more likely to find yourself banging your head than scratching your chin. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

Cheer-Accident. Kerry Anne Kronke hide caption

Active Child's "Hanging On" is a break-up ballad, but it's the rare variety that chooses maturity over self-pity. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

The 1958 song "Peggy Sue Got Married" is so richly evocative, it took 57-year-old John Doe to get at the core of it. Courtesy of the artist hide caption