DEVIN SHAFFER PATIENCE American Dreams Many artists these days start out by releasing music completely on their own, including recording their music wherever they could, without initially getting to a proper studio. That is exactly the way Devin [...]
TOMO NAKAYAMA OCEAN PORCHLIGHT RECORDS Seattle via Japan musician Tomo Nakayama isn’t an artist that likes to stand still and tie himself to a certain genre or a specific musical setting. He’s been making music for over two decades, [...]
CATHERINE BROOKMAN IF A SONG FADES OUT, IT’S PLAYING FOREVER SOMEWHERE LONG ECHO RECORDS Brooklyn-based Catherine Brookman presents herself as a performer and composer, rather than going under the somewhat worn-out term of singer and songwriter, [...]
STRANGE PASSAGE A FOLDED SKY MERITORIO RECORDS Do you remember the heyday of the ‘80s guitar-driven indie rock where bands like R.E.M., Felt, The Feelies, The Church and the melody-oriented phase of Hüsker Dü were among those spearheading some [...]
SPIRACLE OSSIPHAGE (EXTENDED) ROPE OR GUILLOTINE RECORDS Coming up with a debut album that presents a fully formed artist, who previously officially had only three tracks available, just might be a miracle these days. In this case it is [...]
VARIOUS ARTISTS BROWN ACID: THE TWENTY-FIRST TRIP RIDINGEASY RECORDS With the 21st issue of the Brown Acid series that covers all proto-heavy/hard rock releases of its first era, a number of questions come up to mind. First question could be the [...]
THE BEATROOT ROAD HUMANIMAL INDEPENDENT In most cases when artists/bands attempt to cover as many genres as possible or subgenres on a single album, the first thing that might come to mind to many listeners is that old saying, or a variation of [...]
ISABEL RUMBLE HOLD EVERYTHING LIGHTLY INDEPENDENT There’s not that many chances for singer-songwriters to hide behind others. Both good and bad music they create is solely connected to their name and it is a make or break. At the same [...]
ADELINE HOTEL WATCH THE SUNFLOWERS RUINATION RECORDS Come to think of it, you could easily classify the music of Dan Knishkowy and Adeline Hotel as autumnal. After all, if you look at the band’s back catalogue, the last five albums, [...]
THE NOISY THE SECRET INGREDIENT IS EVEN MORE MEAT Audio Antihero Listening to The Secret Ingredient Is Even More Meat, you start seeing why The Noisy have had quite a strong following on Philadelphia’s local music and performance scene. [...]
JOYER ON THE OTHER END OF THE LINE JULIA’S WAR RECORDINGS Is alternative/indie rock, as it was known during its prime in the late ‘90s, a dying breed? Not if you ask brothers Nick and Shane Sullivan, the duo known artistically as Joyer, [...]
TIMOTHY LAROQUE THE FLORIDA EFFECT DEF CAT RECORDS These days it is nothing unusual if a singer-songwriter hails from Hollywood, California. Yet, what about the case when that singer-songwriter comes from Hollywood, but the one located in [...]
HEATHER AUBREY LLOYD PANIC ROOM WITH A VIEW INDEPENDENT Is having great, emotional, gritty vocals enough to come up with a very good album? Well, such vocals can create an impact, and Heather Aubrey Lloyd certainly has it, but is that enough? [...]
JULESY FLIP THE BED STRONG PLACE MUSIC Finding your own place in music circles isn’t easy these days, even for fully accomplished artists, let alone those that are practically starting out, particularly if they are coming up with a debut [...]
THE DREAM SYNDICATE MEDICINE SHOW: I KNOW WHAT YOU LIKE (DELUXE EDITION) DOWN THERE/FIRE RECORDS Whatever the reason was that The Dream Syndicate didn’t become one of the biggest bands around at their 80s prime it is a damn shame, (and the [...]
CHARLIE KAPLAN A HAT UPON THE BED GLAMOUR GOWNS If you’re an avid reader of Spill Magazine, you have certainly come across Charlie Kaplan’s name at one point or another. Along with some nifty albums, Kaplan is also the bassist of Office [...]
ALEXANDRA ALDEN WHEN IS IT TOO LATE? INDEPENDENT Picture this . . . You put high hopes and incredible effort into your second album, decide which track is going to be the single for it, and submit that single to your country’s Eurovision [...]
GREAT LAKE SWIMMERS CAUGHT LIGHT PHEROMONE RECORDINGS/HARBOUR SONGS INC. Yes, Great Lake Swimmers have been around for a while, and have a slew of recordings under their belt, but that is not the sole reason they are one of the greatest current [...]
LARKIN POE BLOOM + AN ACOUSTIC COMPANION VOL. II TRICKI-WOO RECORDS Rebecca and Megan Lovell (more professionally known as the duo, Larkin Poe) have become favourites for fans of blues and rock, even though they have had a relatively muted [...]
DAVID GARLAND THE SPARK INDEPENDENT Looking at the track records of many artists, it is no wonder anymore that some old hands keep on producing music at later stages in their life. Some keep making great music, some don’t, and others keep [...]
BADLANDS NOBODY DIES RITE Badlands is transboundary Swedish producer, composer, and sound designer Catharina Jaunviksna, who has so far released some quite intriguing albums, and her latest, Nobody Dies, is her fourth. So, what would that [...]
PURITY RING PURITY RING THE FELLOWSHIP MUSIC LABEL No, Purity Ring’s self-titled album is not the duo’s first, it is actually their fourth. There could be a variety of reasons why bands and artists come up with a self-titled album [...]
AFTERNOON BIKE RIDE RUNNING WITH SCISSORS FRIENDS OF FRIENDS MUSIC Another not so easy to define Montreal band, this time a trio that goes by the name of Afternoon Bike Ride. Their third full-length album, Running With Scissors, is more proof [...]
CUDDLE MAGIC UNDERWATER EGGHUNT RECORDS Is there such a thing as ambient folk or folky dream pop, or both? Of course, there is a resounding yes there, as bands and artists like Big Thief have amply shown, and now you can add Cuddle Magic to that [...]
