THE PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART PERFECT RIGHT NOW: A SLUMBERLAND COLLECTION 2008-2010 SLUMBERLAND RECORDS Some 15 to 16 years ago (2009 to be precise), we got to hear a band with a very long name making some very substantial music. They went [...]
THE HAROLD WHEELER CONSORT BLACK CREAM REAL GONE MUSIC Perhaps best known for his jingles written for McDonald’s, Coca Cola, Kool Aid, Pan Am Airlines, and Boone’s Farm Wines, Harold Wheeler released his only album, Black Cream, in 1975. For the [...]
BENJAMIN RUSSELL WAVES TCBE RECORDS Benjamin Russell is certainly busy. Hot on the heels of last year’s fantastic album, Pleasure Center, he brings us Waves. Russell is an artist, a visual artist, and a musical artist. In fact, quite often they [...]
GRATEFUL DEAD ROAD TRIPS VOL. 1 NO. 1 REAL GONE MUSIC Grateful Dead has always been the band you can count on, and their latest album, Road Trips Vol. 1 No. 1, proves it! Talk about a blast from the past! This gem captures the magic of their [...]
GARY KEMP THIS DESTINATION EAST WEST RECORDS Gary Kemp has had a fascinating career and quite frankly continues to surprise even his most ardent fans. He was a principal writer for Spandau Ballet, an actor, and is a member of Nick Mason’s [...]
EBO TAYLOR EBO TAYLOR JID022 JAZZ IS DEAD As a pioneering force among the Afrobeat genre, Ebo Taylor has enjoyed a career that has spanned over six decades. Releasing his latest album at the age of 88, Ebo Taylor JID022, Taylor has collaborated [...]
CIRCA WAVES DEATH & LOVE PT. 1 LOWER THIRD There’s immediate joy in Circa Waves’ new album; “American Dream” opens in a blaze of sound and classic indie pop, an explosion of euphoria after trauma, which is probably not that far [...]
D. D. DANAHY HALF – BAKED INDEPENDENT D. D. Danahy is an interesting and talented artist, perhaps best known for being one half of Keldari Station or most recently for the music he has made with The Amaretto Sours. He has also released a [...]
ERIC CANNATA HOLDING ONTO THE HOLY INDEPENDENT Eric Cannata is known for being the songwriter, guitarist, and producer for indie rock band Young The Giant, who had several hit songs in the 2010s, most notably “Cough Syrup”, “My Body”, and “Mind [...]
MOGWAI THE BAD FIRE TEMPORARY RESIDENCE LTD After 30 years on the music scene, you can’t really call Scottish giants Mogwai really productive, as they have come up with only 11 albums, including this new one titled The Bad Fire. And while [...]
LARKIN POE BLOOM TRICKI-WOO RECORDS There was always a dilemma for the Lovell sisters – how to stay in touch with their love of blues roots and move forward with their music, without leaving blues out at any point. Or was there any dilemma [...]
MAGANA BAD NEWS AUDIO ANTIHERO RECORDS For some artists it can be a problem living a double life—playing with other artists and doing your own music. LA-based multi-instrumentalist and photographer Jeni Magaña, who is also a bassist for Mitski [...]
IGGY POP LIVE AT MONTREUX JAZZ FESTIVAL 2023 earMUSIC With a truly legendary, yet somehow sublime, career that has spanned seven decades, The Godfather of Punk, none other than one Iggy Pop, has released an array of live records. His latest, [...]
TOKYO TEA ROOM NO RUSH INDEPENDENT Is there a perfect match between an album title and the music it depicts within the grooves (or bites, if you will) these days? If you have a hard time finding such a combination, then look no further that the [...]
TON ROOMS RE-TON RECORDS TON, from Berlin, started off as an electronic and sample project by Julien Siemann. However, very quickly he enlisted the help of Vincent Wedel, Lizz, and Karen Dhios on a variety of things from vocals, mixing, and [...]
PRISM SHORES OUT FROM UNDERNEATH MERITORIO RECORDS If you would want to characterize the state of interesting indie pop/rock at the start of 2025, you probably wouldn’t have to go further than Montreal’s Prism Shores and their new [...]
BLUE LAKE WEFT TOTAL UNION With modern instrumental music that relies on more subtle, gentler sounds there was always a line (a very thin one at that) between being excellent and aural wallpaper. Even the most careful and knowledgeable artists [...]
FLORA HIBBERD SWIRL 22TWENTY RECORDS New singer-songwriters seem to crop up in a single day, and the competition (if it really exists) for the attention of an audience is even stiffer. Some of these artists can show what they are made of on a [...]
GEOWULF THE CHILD NETTWERK MUSIC GROUP Australia’s Geowulf is an intriguing dream pop project driven by the songwriting and singing of one Star Kendrick with the help of her longtime friend and collaborator, Toma Banjanin. With a series of [...]
TELEVISION PERSONALITIES TUNE IN, TURN ON, DROP OUT – RADIO SESSIONS 1980-1993 FIRE RECORDS Television Personalities formed at the tail end of the UK punk scene, in 1977. They released their debut EP, Where’s Bill Grundy Now? (referring to [...]
BUCKCHERRY 15 (20th ANNIVERSARY DELUXE EDITION) REAL GONE MUSIC Buckcherry is scheduled to mark its 20th anniversary by releasing an extended double album, 15, which has been remixed for its reissued release on January 17th, 2025. After a [...]
THE WEATHER STATION HUMANHOOD NEXT DOOR RECORDS/FAT POSSUM At the core of The Weather Station is Tamara Lindeman. It has always been her project and vision. Humanhood is the seventh album and the first album since the very successful and [...]
STEVE HACKETT LIVE MAGIC AT TRADING BOUNDARIES CENTURY MEDIA RECORDS It has become a tradition for Steve Hackett to perform at Trading Boundaries, in Sussex, UK. He usually schedules shows every year between Christmas and New Year. This is a [...]
TERRY DRAPER INFINITY TERRY TUNES RECORDS Terry Draper is a brilliant artist and one of the hardest working musicians in the business. His most recent solo album, In The Beginning, was released in 2023. It was his 13th album. This year he also [...]