DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS AMERICAN BAND (DELUXE) ATO RECORDS Some albums (great or not so great) get deluxe, special, or whatever kind of reissue for a reason, or no reason at all. Usually it is an anniversary, ‘high demand’ as PR people [...]
CHARLIE KAPLAN ETERNAL REPEATER GLAMOUR GOWNS RECORDS Charlie Kaplan is one of those artists that leads a double music life. He plays bass for Office Culture, and has released a series of singles and three solo albums, the latest of which is [...]
VARIOUS ARTISTS BROWN ACID: THE NINETEENTH TRIP RIDINGEASY RECORDS You may have been taking this trip into the seemingly endless depths of very very heavy psych rock, hard rock, and proto metal from the late ’60s and early ’70s, with [...]
QUEEN KWONG STRANGERS SONIC RITUAL For those unfamiliar with Queen Kwong, behind this moniker is one Carré Kwong Callaway, who has moved from L.A. to London to continue her creative endeavours. After her three albums and EPs which garnered [...]
LIV WADE RADIOS AND BUFFALOS MERILÄINEN MUSIC INC. Liv Wade is considered as one of the spearheads in what is called Indigenous Music Renaissance. Wade is of Metis and Scandinavian roots, her family originally came from the Red River Metis [...]
SEPHINE LLO DIAMOND FALL INDEPENDENT When composer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Sephine Llo released her debut EP in 2014 and her debut album in 2017, she created quite a buzz with her unconventional music which ranged from 18th-century [...]
GEMZ SEE THE FUTURE INDEPENDENT As a relatively new setup, California duo GEMZ, comprised of singer songwriter Jen Wood and electronic musician and producer Ted Chen, have only three singles and See The Future, this EP under their belts. Yet, [...]
DUSTIN JAMES PAPER STAR INDEPENDENT Minneapolis-based songwriter Dustin James was the bassist for the acclaimed garage rock band Green/Blue, and the creative force behind the noisy shoegaze trio Waveless. Yet, on his latest solo project, Paper [...]
THE W LOVERS FOR A DAY OR A LIFETIME INDEPENDENT These are some heady days for the fans of roots-based music, as there are high-quality artists appearing in this musical realm practically every day. If those fans haven’t yet caught up with [...]
SHOWER CURTAIN WORDS FROM A WISHING WELL ANGEL TAPES/FIRE TALK It’s always quite comforting when you hear an indie band combine some fuzzy, lightly distorted guitars with gentle, subdued vocal harmonies, particularly if the songwriting is [...]
OFFICE CULTURE ENOUGH RUINATION RECORDS There are a number of artists that rarely or never took the usual formulaic route when creating their music, something that you can call experimental pop/modern music. Listening to Enough, a sweeping [...]
JAMISON FIELD MURPHY IT HAS TO END RAMP LOCAL Sometimes, artists are involved with a fast-rising band, in this case it is Baltimore’s Tomato Flower. One of the band’s main songwriters Jamison Field Murphy, decided to do a solo [...]
JOHN DOUGLAS STILL OR SPARKLING? REVEAL RECORDS There are some compelling reasons Trashcan Sinatras’ John Douglas has made a name as a solo artist as well, as his self-titled album from this time last year showcased his impeccable [...]
TONY VAZ PRETTY SIDE OF THE UGLY LIFE JUBILEE GANG Tony Vaz is one of those mavericks in music that have a left-of-center concept in songwriting (think R. Stevie Moore gone everywhere), where it is so hard to put a finger (or ear) where his [...]
ERISY WATT NOT EITHER OR BUT EVERYTHING FIRST CITY ARTISTS As a singer songwriter in that late 60s, early 70s, there are two ways to go about creating your music. You can strictly stick to the ‘old’ cannons and stick to the form as [...]
PAUL SPRING KIND OF HEAVEN INDEPENDENT Queens, NY-based songwriter and guitarist Paul Spring recorded his latest album, Kind Of Heaven, live in two days, with only two guests to accompany him, quite a feat. With the help of drummer Jon Nellen [...]
THE CLEARWATER SWIMMERS THE CLEARWATER SWIMMERS NEW MARTIAN RECORDS How does a roots and slow core combination sound to you? Well, if it on first pitch sounds a bit incongruous, Portland/NYC band The Clearwater Swimmers escape the possible murky [...]
ADELINE HOTEL WHODUNNIT RUINATION RECORDS When artists pick up monikers, these may be telling signs, and yet, they may not be. Brooklyn’s Dan Knishkowy goes under one – Adeline Hotel, and based on his latest album Whodunnit, that [...]
BIG SHARE PRINTED PICTURES INDEPENDENT Some just might remember Bent By Elephants, a collaborative musical effort that produced some interesting music from 2009 to 2015. Part of that effort were Chesley Walsh & Luke Fowlie, the [...]
FUR TRADER WHOSE DREAM IS THIS INDEPENDENT It has become a sort of a tradition for artists to pick more than one role in the creation of their art, and in this case, music. So, it might come as no surprise thar Los Angeles singer/songwriter [...]
VARIOUS ARTISTS WHY DON’T YOU SMILE NOW: LOU REED AT PICKWICK RECORDS 1964-65 LIGHT IN THE ATTIC RECORDS Back in the sixties Pickwick Records were supposed to be a budget version of the then-dominating songwriter powerhouse that was New [...]
CLINIC STARS ONLY HINTING KRANKY RECORDS There’s always a specific feel to artists releasing their music through Kranky Records, but also a very individual take on that specific feel. There’s no exception to that ‘rule’ [...]
LEA THOMAS COSMOS FOREVER TRIPLE DOLPHIN RECORDS Dream pop in any shape and form has become a bit of a jaded (sub) genre these days if it is handled by the artists that only go through the motions and simply use it as an empty musical shell. [...]
ULNA GAZEBO INDEPENDENT Is there anything wrong when the music of a certain artist/band seems to follow in the footsteps of another? Not really, particularly if it is the footsteps of a great one, like in this case, late great Eliot Smith, and [...]
