na: editorial!

Every month at eMusic we ask twelve different genre experts to pontificate about their particular area of interest. From Alt/Punk to Spiritual, these writers cover it all. Unfortunately, due to space limitations, sometimes we don’t have time to feature all of it. As such, something like Kevin Whitehead’s informed take on the jazz harp (!) might pass you by. Trust me, though, after reading Kevin’s piece you’ll be wondering why these masters aren’t more recognized for their amazing work–on an instrument very much ill-suited to the genre. Of course, Kevin wasn’t the only one writing this past month…

Robert Phoenix broke the fourth wall, so to speak, with his New Age column in April. He interviewed Brian McBride, one of the members of Stars of the Lid, via instant messenger, coaxing off-the-cuff answers and a lot of witty banter from a group that usually remains faceless behind their oceanic drones. A taste:

McBride (10:02:54 PM): Hey Robert, Do you hear that?
eMusic (10:03:29 PM): What?
McBride (10:03:53 PM): I hear Europe’s “Final Countdown” in the background — I think that means you’re going down.
eMusic (10:04:09 PM): By the way, I also know that you like, ahem, Entourage.
McBride (10:04:31 PM): I don’t know what you’re talking about, there’s no point in making shit up.
eMusic (10:04:32 PM): Slam!
McBride (10:04:55 PM): Let’s keep it civil, all we have is our dignity here.

Meanwhile, Philip Sherburne and Richard Gehr provide concise overviews of artists that eMusic has waaaaay too much material from (Matthew Herbert and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, respectively), giving you a handy guide to help you cherry-pick the finest moments of their catalogue.

Interested in reading more of what eMusic’s scribes have to say? Scroll down to the right side of this page and you should be able to find each of April’s columns.