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Willie is originally from Illinois, but now lives in the Twin Cities. His loves include enormous folk music archives, sweet songs, and the one true romantic: Jacques Brel. You may find him clapping at the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, smiling on the light rail, or browsing breads at Cub Foods. He enjoys curating music on the radio from time to time, but even more he enjoys writing about new, exciting, and uncomfortable music!
Features
Joe West, Cowboy
Who is Joe West really? “Cowboy” Joe West has been roaming these United States for decades, stopping in city...
By Willie McDonagh | January 20, 2020
Album Reviews, Reviews
Willie Reviews Leandro Fresco & Rafael Anton Irisarri’s “Una Presencia En La Brisa”
Una Presencia En La Brisa, the second collaboration between ambient musicians Leandro Fresco and Rafael Anton Irisarri, ...
By Willie McDonagh | January 14, 2020
Album Reviews, Reviews
Willie Reviews Postcards’s “The Good Soldier”
Lebanese dream pop trio Postcards climbs to a thundering peak and comes back down again on their second album, The Good ...
By Willie McDonagh | January 12, 2020
Album Reviews, Reviews
Willie Reviews Solar Corona’s “Saint-Jean-de-Luz”
Portuguese progressive rock quartet Solar Corona channels just exactly as much krautrock as it sees fit on its new recor...
By Willie McDonagh | January 08, 2020
Album Reviews, Reviews
Willie Reviews Macintosh Plus’s “Sick & Panic”
Macintosh Plus is back in a new, evolved form with “Sick & Panic (First Mix).” Returning to the floral s...
By Willie McDonagh | January 06, 2020
Album Reviews, Reviews
Willie Reviews Julianna Barwick’s “Circumstance Synthesis”
Electronic musician Julianna Barwick’s Circumstance Synthesis sketches out a new angle of daytime from a familiar ...
By Willie McDonagh | January 02, 2020
Features
Willie’s Top 100 Songs of the 2010s
Ten years… that’s a lot of songs. Take a look and see if you agree with some of these picks. 100. Ke...
By Willie McDonagh | January 01, 2020
Album Reviews, Reviews
Willie Reviews Hannah Diamond’s “Reflections”
It’s hard to believe that we’re just now hearing Hannah Diamond’s first album, but Reflections is here...
By Willie McDonagh | January 01, 2020
Album Reviews, Reviews
Willie Reviews Duster’s “Duster”
Duster just jumped out of the suggested videos section and into the real world with their new self-titled album. ...
By Willie McDonagh | December 28, 2019
Album Reviews, Reviews
Willie Reviews Emma Acs’s “My Beloved (Lost to Begin With)”
The first single from Danish singer Emma Acs’s upcoming EP tells an almost unrecognizable love story. “My Be...
By Willie McDonagh | December 19, 2019
Album Reviews, Reviews
Willie Reviews Omar Souleyman’s “Shlon”
Syrian wedding-singer turned techno-star Omar Souleyman knows what works and he’s sticking to it. His new record, ...
By Willie McDonagh | December 11, 2019
Album Reviews, Reviews
Willie Reviews Anne Müller’s “Heliopause”
After a great many collaborations, Anne Müller’s first solo album is radically solo. In writing, recording, a...
By Willie McDonagh | December 08, 2019
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