It is not surprising that Minneapolis, the largest city in a state known for its Swedish immigrants, was the first of many First Aid Kit shows to sell out this tour season. Something about the Swedish duo’s Americana sound is clearly appealing, and their show at Dinkytown’s Varsity Theater was packed to the gills with…

What songs do you want to hear for National Hug Your Cat Day?

Bruce Springsteen’s album Born in the U.S.A. was released 30 years ago today: June 4, 1984. Here are some facts you can drop when the anniversary comes up around the water cooler. The album is Springsteen’s most successful, selling 15 million copies. That number puts it in the company of the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, Journey’s greatest hits,…

Bob Mould: Beauty & Ruin “Bob Mould‘s new album Beauty & Ruin may very well be the most epic emotional rollercoaster ever pressed into 36 minutes,” writes the Current’s Mary Lucia in her review of the album that’s released today. “Well into his fourth decade as a singer-songwriter, Mould is as relevant, ferocious and poignant as he…

What songs that feature the harmonica should we play for the 9:30 Coffee Break?

Now that June is here, at the Current we’re thinking about the songs of the summer. Not in the sense of perennial summer songs (Beach Boys, Mungo Jerry), but in the sense of this summer’s songs. What songs will be the must-have selections on BBQ playlists and road trip mixes? What songs, when you hear them…

Let's put together a list of songs from artists who have made public apologies for their disparaging comments or poorly thought out actions.

Bob Mould's new album may very well be the most epic emotional rollercoaster ever pressed into 36 minutes - and for Bob Mould, that says a lot. Mould is as relevant, ferocious and poignant as he has ever been.

It’s graduation season, which means that we’re saying thanks and good luck to some of the college students who have been writing for our Local Current blog. As a salute to these talented young writers, we wanted to tell you a little more about this relatively new program at the Current. For the past several…

Let's keep this thing going for another day with a list of songs with parentheses in the title. What do you want to hear?