The best castanets may vary from person to person, depending on each individual’s needs, but it’s not hard to miss a nice pair of castanets when you see them. While most castanets have a few things in ...

There’s an arid, sweltering ache about Jessica Lea Mayfield’s music that recalls Will Oldham’s early material. Darkness creeps from the corners and desperation pools beneath her leaking heart, but she ...

A recurring midtempo, country waltz winds through the sixth album by the sometimes Portland-based band/one-man show that is the Castanets. It meanders like bandleader Raymond Raposa floats across the ...

“The core of the Castanets is the lyrical and musical talent of Raymond Raposa. With the help of some of San Diego’s finest, including members of Tristeza, Pinback, Rocket from the Crypt, and ...

According to the Castanets’ biography, frontman Raymond Raposa tested out of high school at age 15, spending the next few years traveling via Greyhound bus. The songs on First Light’s Freeze, the San ...