​Our look at holiday gift-giving options continues with some of the year’s most noteworthy box sets, featuring deep dives into the music of Tom Petty, Prince, the Allman Brothers, Charlie Parker, Linkin Park, and more.

This week we shine the spotlight on all manner of equipment, gizmos, and software for the musically-inclined, including high-end headphones, recording technology, and wireless guitar gear.

The first installment of our holiday gift guide features some of the year’s best music books, from insightful pop star memoirs to deep explorations of songcraft to a vibrant history of jazz clubs.

​The realities and complexities of 2020 have finally begun to impact the latest classical recordings, as October featured several albums recorded in seclusion, along with unique and creative choices of source material.

​Guitarist Trey Spruance explains how the long-dormant experimental rock band returned with a stated mission to play none of its best-known music, but rather to celebrate the band’s earliest chapter by enlisting their thrash metal heroes and tapping into the crazed aggression of their teenage years.