The Scottish trio's debut is not awesomely groundbreaking, nor is it perfect. But sometimes the most straightforward music is the most pleasing and most effective.

Back in November, we asked listeners to vote on their top local releases of 2013. We received just shy of 4,000 ballots for the poll, and it became apparent quickly just how many great releases the Minnesota music community put out this year. As promised, we counted down the top 20 on The Local Show…

Tuesday, December 31, is jam-packed with ways to celebrate yet another thriving year for the Twin Cities music scene. Whether you’re in the mood for a low-key hangout or an extravagant night on the town, there are plenty of events to make this a memorable New Year’s Eve. (On the radio, we’ll be counting down our…

Happy Friday! I don’t know about you, but with the short holiday week and the stressful awesomeness of running from party to work to party, I can barely concentrate today. How are we expected to do anything productive this time of year? About the only thing that gets me through a distracted day like today…

2013 was a spectacular year for roots musicians, filled with innovative albums that harken back to the greats of old and push the boundaries of the genre into new territories. Here are ten fantastic roots albums that might have flown beneath your radar this year. In addition to watching the videos below, you can also…

Year-end lists can seem a little silly, but at the same time there is something really valuable about taking the time to reflect on what you’ve done over the last year. With a holiday-season lull in touring bands coming through the studios, and not too many local releases, I took time to look though all…

All five surviving members of pioneering Minneapolis group Tétes Noires will be together at the Bryant-Lake Bowl tonight for the first time since they disbanded in 1987, thanks to a new remix album helmed by keyboardist Angela Frucci called The New American Dream. On a Minnesota music history timeline, Tétes Noires fall somewhere between the…

Each year we ask our listeners to vote on their favorite songs of the year, and their ballots determine the Top 89 songs we play on New Year’s Eve. This year, we asked some of our favorite local musicians to share their picks as well. If you haven’t submitted your ballot yet, don’t delay! Voting…

For today's 9:30 Coffee Break we thought we'd try to spread a little bit of hygge. We'll play your suggestions for today's 9:30 Coffee Break.

Têtes Noires: The New American Dream reissue Active in the mid-80s, Têtes Noires—who regard themselves as Minneapolis’s “first all-female rock band”—were contemporaries of the Replacements, but sang in multi-part vocal harmonies that sounded more like the Andrews Sisters. Three decades later, Têtes Noires are back with a reissue of their 1984 album American Dream, now called…