20. Snail Mail – Valentine “Snail Mail retains the same wounded lover ethos and hazy, scorned vocals but with a noticeably more pop-inspired instrumental palette. Indie rock guitars and peppy drums provide a sturdy melodic base, while additions of piano or dreamy synths give this album a sometimes danceable effect.” –Sydney Sjobakken 19. Lingua Ignota – Sinner Get Ready “Lingua Ignota has always incorporated a regal and grandiose instrumental palette, but SINNER GET READY shows a slightly softer side to her work with elements of religious hymns and neofolk. Yet, despite drawing back a bit from her more abrasive tendencies, she still … Continued
Places called Babylon don’t usually meet excellent ends: Tom Lin on Babylon, South Dakota
In the midst of his small office on the fourth floor of the EPB, looking out onto the Stanley Museum of Art, surrounded by two well-populated book shelves and a Kym Day painting of a cowboy feeding a horse Lo Mein, Tom Lin reclines in his swivelback chair and invites me to take a seat.


