Justin Cober-Lake
@justinc-l.bsky.social
I write, mostly on music and books. I look for birds. I sometimes do other things.
I'm convinced Ray Wylie Hubbard is unaging: www.popmatters.com/ray-wylie-hu...
Ray Wylie Hubbard Tells the Full Story on 'Reel 2 Reel 4 Real' » PopMatters
As Ray Wylie Hubbard rocks through Texas and southern swamps, he doesn't sound like he's running out of steam. Reel 2 Reel 4 Real should be a continuation, not a capstone.
popmatters.com
Billy Strings has a remarkable new album out. My thoughts: spectrumculture.com/2026/09/08/b...
Billy Strings: So Much for Goodbyes - Spectrum Culture
So Much for Goodbyes can feel overstuffed at times, but no individual track runs overlong. Strings has plenty to say, and he says it. Often, he does so by blending where he came from with other places...
spectrumculture.com
I was surprisingly taken by the latest from Deep Purple: Deep Purple: Splat! spectrumculture.com/2026/08/19/d...
Deep Purple: Splat! - Spectrum Culture
The real success of Deep Purple’s Splat! lies in its freshness.
spectrumculture.com
I spent some with Shaboozey's new concept album, I and came away feeling like it was a missed opportunity for him to do something really special. There are a bunch of good songs on it, but they're best heard out of context. My full(er) thoughts: spectrumculture.com/2026/08/10/s...
Shaboozey: The Outlaw Cherie Lee & Other Western Tales - Spectrum Culture
The Outlaw Cherie Lee & Other Western Tales thrives on a fair bit of ambition — it's a 20-track concept album, after all — but doesn't move too far from Shaboozey’s established aesthetic.
spectrumculture.com
My thoughts on the new one from Aaron Lee Tasjan: spectrumculture.com/2026/08/05/a...
Aaron Lee Tasjan: Get Over It, Underdog - Spectrum Culture
Aaron Lee Tasjan gets his groove back, using catchy pop songs to think through our self-destructive tendencies, struggles with celebrity, gender issues and more.
spectrumculture.com
The record finds its biggest success in its communal sense, as Russell's resistance doesn't come through polemical statements, but through brightness and persistence. My thoughts on the latest from Allison Russell: spectrumculture.com/2026/07/21/a...
Allison Russell: In the Hour of Chaos - Spectrum Culture
The record finds its biggest success in its communal sense, as Russell's resistance doesn't come through polemical statements, but through brightness and persistence.
spectrumculture.com
I took a little bit of a flyer on an album recently and it's turned out to be one of my favorites of the year. Here's my take on @greydelisle.bsky.social and Les Greene's *Grey & Greene*: www.popmatters.com/grey-delisle...
Grey DeLisle and Les Greene Join Forces for 'Grey & Greene' » PopMatters
Grey DeLisle and Les Greene create one of her most immediately exciting works, and the genre-crossing keeps it entertaining throughout.
popmatters.com
“This album might be haunted by waters; it certainly makes no pretense not to be." My review of Paiva River Songs: dustedmagazine.tumblr.com/post/8221269...
Niblock Hooker Soldier First — Paiva River Songs (Gold Bolus)
Niblock Hooker Soldier First - Guitar, Banjo, Drums, River (section 1 on CD) This album might be haunted by waters; it certainly makes no pretense not to be. Paiva River Songs has its beginnings with....
dustedmagazine.tumblr.com
I realize I'm the target audience for this book, but Ragan Sutterfield's Watch and Wonder really is excellent. My review: englewoodreview.org/ragan-sutter...
Ragan Sutterfield - Watch and Wonder [Feature Review] - The Englewood Review of Books
A Feature Review of Watch and Wonder: Birding as a Spiritual Practice by Ragan Sutterfield (Broadleaf Books, 2026)
englewoodreview.org
Tift Merritt knows that any venture into hope is a venture into danger, but she keeps going. My review of Sugar: spectrumculture.com/2026/06/29/t...
Tift Merritt: Sugar - Spectrum Culture
Merritt maintains her ability to write smart songs without sacrificing simplicity, and Sugar certainly sweetens its environment.
spectrumculture.com
Willie Nelson continues a remarkable late-era run. My review: spectrumculture.com/2026/06/09/w...
Willie Nelson: Dream Chaser - Spectrum Culture
Unlike Nelson’s statement albums from the previous decade, Dream Chaser is a lighter and more playful record than recent work.
spectrumculture.com
My thoughts on the debut from Violet Grohl (yes, Dave Grohl's daughter), which is enjoyable, but also suggests better things to come. spectrumculture.com/2026/06/08/v...
Violet Grohl: Be Sweet to Me - Spectrum Culture
If Violet Grohl can solidify a band and push herself a little, she should become an exciting artist to watch.
spectrumculture.com
My latest review: With its brains and polish, folk rock band Widemouth’s No Gasoline doesn’t feel like a debut album, but it does suggest more and better to come. www.popmatters.com/widemouth-no...
Widemouth Travel a Long Way on 'No Gasoline' » PopMatters
With its brains and polish, folk rock band Widemouth's No Gasoline doesn't feel like a debut album, but it does suggest more and better to come.
popmatters.com
“Here we are, in the great breadth of American pop music, covering most of a continent.” My review of the new Kevin Morby album: dustedmagazine.tumblr.com/post/8177782...
Kevin Morby — Little Wide Open (Dead Oceans)
Kevin Morby - 100,000 The allusions come quickly on Kevin Morby's latest album, Little Wide Open. Tom Petty, Bruce Springsteen, David Berman, and Belinda Carlisle references show up almost immediately...
dustedmagazine.tumblr.com
My take on the newest Foo Fighters record, which...sounds like a Foo Fighters record: spectrumculture.com/2026/05/06/f...
Foo Fighters: Your Favorite Toy - Spectrum Culture
Your Favorite Toy presents Foo Fighters doing the one thing they do well: making Foo Fighters songs.
spectrumculture.com
Always worth checking in on The Black Watch:
Jennifer Kelly@jenpkelly.bsky.social · 5mo ago“Varied Superstitions doesn’t quite play as a concept album even if it could be taken as one, but it does mark one more strong release from The Black Watch,” writes Justin Cober-Lake. dustedmagazine.tumblr.com/post/8159775... @justinc-l.bsky.social
I've covered Salim Nourallah's work for over 20 years now, and we've done a series of interviews for @popmatters.com covering various phases of his career. He's in a wild time right now, so it was a pleasure to get to catch up again: www.popmatters.com/salim-noural...
Salim Nourallah Connects Manila to the Stars » PopMatters
"Making records isn't for the faint of heart," notes songwriter Salim Nourallah, who is in the middle of a year when five full-length albums are planned.
popmatters.com
The reunited alt-country band isn't breaking new ground, but they're still traveling in style. My take on the new Long Ryders record: spectrumculture.com/2026/04/15/t...
The Long Ryders: High Noon Hymns - Spectrum Culture
The reunited alt-country band isn't breaking new ground, but they're still traveling in style.
spectrumculture.com
“Play Me continues the experimentation of 2024’s The Collective, fighting through the state of our nearly apocalyptic contemporary world with a mix of bass, skittering beats, and fervency,” writes Justin Cober-Lake. dustedmagazine.tumblr.com/post/8127953... @justinc-l.bsky.social
Kim Gordon — Play Me (Matador)
Kim Gordon - NOT TODAY Kim Gordon long ago left behind the noisy art-punk of Sonic Youth, exploring textured guitar work as half of Body/Head and increasingly beat-focused music on her solo music. The...
dustedmagazine.tumblr.com
Oldham thinks through heavy topics on We Are Together Again, but he provides outlets. The music itself usually offers a soft loveliness that provides its own sort of relief. My review of the new one from Bonnie "Prince Billy": spectrumculture.com/2026/03/10/b...
Bonnie “Prince” Billy: We Are Together Again - Spectrum Culture
Oldham thinks through heavy topics on We Are Together Again, but he provides outlets. The music itself usually offers a soft loveliness that provides its own sort of relief.
spectrumculture.com
Some thoughts on the new one from The Lowest Pair: www.popmatters.com/lowest-pair-...
Indie Folk's the Lowest Pair Embrace Challenges » PopMatters
The Lowest Pair's new record is steady and confident. It sounds like both a journey and its end point, and in finding peace within turbulent seas.
popmatters.com
Here's @profspur.bsky.social with some valuable analysis: Remember Attacking? open.substack.com/pub/profspur... #COYS, I guess
Remember Attacking?
It's not just about aesthetics.
open.substack.com
It's essential to hear other perspectives when trying to understand scripture. Indigenous theology has frequently been dismissed or (almost literally) demonized, despite its great insight. With that in mind, my take on Reading the Bible on Turtle Island: englewoodreview.org/t-christophe...
Hoklotubbe & Zacharias - Reading the Bible on Turtle Island
A Feature Review of Reading the Bible on Turtle Island: An Invitation to... Indigenous Interpretation by Hoklotubbe and Zacharias (IVP, 2025)
englewoodreview.org
In case any of my musician friends are interested: dustedmagazine.tumblr.com/post/8083674...
dusted
Photo by Domenico Gruosso, used with permission. After posting about Dusted mainstay Jennifer Kelly's cancer diagnosis, we received an email from one of the artists Jenny has reviewed here. "She gave....
dustedmagazine.tumblr.com
My take on a strong new album from Ratboys: spectrumculture.com/2026/02/09/r...
Ratboys: Singin' to an Empty Chair - Spectrum Culture
The album's progression from near pop-punk to elegiac pedal steel gives Steiner's psychological explorations the multifaceted presentation they deserve.
spectrumculture.com
Caitlin & Brent’s self-titled album is not a simple album to listen to, but fortunately, it's a pretty painless kind of pleasure. spectrumculture.com/2026/01/28/c...
Caitlin & Brent: Caitlin & Brent - Spectrum Culture
Caitlin and Brent’s self-titled album is not a simple album to listen to, but fortunately, it's a pretty painless kind of pleasure.
spectrumculture.com
I'm always happy when there's new Lucinda Williams music, and World's Gone Wrong doesn't disappoint. My review: spectrumculture.com/2026/01/22/l...
Lucinda Williams: World's Gone Wrong - Spectrum Culture
World's Gone Wrong, while plenty angry, turns out to be less a protest album and more a mix of reportage and a call for resilience, all written in a style that allows it to be a timeless piece of resi...
spectrumculture.com
