Kevin Morby: This Is A Photograph [Album Review]
Kevin MorbyThis Is A PhotographDead Oceans [2022] This Is A Photograph is singer/songwriter Kevin Morby’s 7th album which once again is a record that captures his look at life with…
The Black Keys: Dropout Boogie [Album Review]
The Black KeysDropout BoogieNonesuch Records [2022] For the last 20 years, the former Akron, Ohio duo that make up The Black Keys have been refining their own take on the…
Kikagaku Moyo: Kumoyo Island [Album Review]
Kikagaku MoyoKumoyo IslandGuruguru Brain Records [2022] It is always better to go out on your own terms. So many times, things can implode and just leave a very unsatisfying “what…
Arcade Fire: WE [Album Review]
Arcade FireWEColumbia Records [2022] Nobody accuses Canadian band Arcade Fire of lacking ambition. In a brief paragraph attached to the CD-ROM version of their 6th album, WE, Win Butler describes…
Pink Mountaintops: Peacock Pools [Album Review]
Pink MountaintopsPeacock PoolsATO Records [2022] Peacock Pools is the first Pink Mountaintops album in 8 years, and its creation was inspired by a wide range of subjects that includes early…
Sunflower Bean: Headful Of Sugar [Album Review]
Sunflower BeanHeadful Of SugarMom + Pop Music [2022] Like many smaller, working bands, the pandemic forced the power punk/pop trio, Sunflower Bean, to stop playing out, calling their future into…
Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever: Endless Rooms [Album Review]
Rolling Blackouts Coastal FeverEndless RoomsSub Pop Records [2022] Melbourne, Australia’s Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever is a band that has the appearance of following an older music model. I believe with…
Jon Spencer & The HITmakers: Spencer Gets It Lit
Jon Spencer & The HITmakersSpencer Gets It LitBronze Rat/Shove Records [2022] All the way back to his early years in Pussy Galore, Jon Spencer has been wild, loose and unpredictable….
Diane Coffee: With People [Album Review]
Diane CoffeeWith PeoplePolyvinyl Records [2022] Diane Coffee is the solo creative pop music project and nom de guerre of Shaun Fleming, who played drums for a while for Foxygen,…
The Head And The Heart: Every Shade Of Blue [Album Review]
The Head And The HeartEvery Shade Of BlueReprise/Warner Records [2022] The band, The Head and the Heart, arrived along with a new class of indie folk/rock acts in the early…
Bloc Party: Alpha Games [Album Review]
Bloc PartyAlpha GamesInfectious/BMG [2022] Alpha Games is the sixth studio record from London’s Bloc Party and right from the opening track you can hear the dance-punk band reaching back for…
Ryan Adams: Chris [Album Review]
Ryan AdamsChrisPAX-AM [2022] Ryan Adams is playing for redemption on his 19th studio album, Chris, which he’s described as the third part of a trilogy that began with his 2020…
Mister Goblin: Bunny [Album Review]
Mister GoblinBunnyExploding In Sounds Records [2022] Sam Goblin (Two Inch Astronaut) returns with his third long player under the Mister Goblin moniker titled Bunny. The album is the quick follow…
Curse Of Lono: People In Cars [Album Review]
Curse of LonoPeople In CarsSubmarine Cat Music [2022] The path to wrapping your head around the London band Curse of Lono and its third album, People In Cars, is nothing…
Kurt Vile: (watch my moves) [Album Review]
Kurt Vile(watch my moves)Verve Records [2022] (watch my moves), the ninth studio album from Kurt Vile if you include his collaboration with Courtney Barnett on 2017’s Lotta Sea Lice, finds…
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard: Omnium Gatherum [Album Review]
King Gizzard & The Lizard WizardOmnium GatherumKGLW Records [2022] Over the last decade, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard have followed their muse wherever it happens to take them. From…
Christian Lee Hutson: Quitters [Album Review]
Christian Lee HutsonQuittersANTI- [2022] In the songs from his ANTI-Records debut, 2020’s Beginners, modern folk/rock singer/songwriter Christian Lee Hutson wrote songs that looked back to one’s formative years and experiences,…
Psychedelic Porn Crumpets: Night Gnomes [Album Review]
Psychedelic Porn CrumpetsNight GnomesMarathon Artists [2022] From the outside looking in, the Psychedelic Porn Crumpets have been a band that I’ve always had interest in but have never pursued. Today…
FonFon Ru: Collapse Of The Silver Bridge [Album Review]
FonFon RuCollapse Of The Silver BridgeRepeating Cloud Records [2022] The sophomore album from Portland, Maine, post-punkers FonFon Ru is full of energy as it covers multiple sounds of the genre…
Weezer: SZNZ – Spring [Album Review]
WeezerSZNZ: SpringCrush Music/Atlantic Records [2022] Even if you haven’t loved every step on the journey with Weezer, you have to be impressed by composer/bandleader Rivers Cuomo’s work ethic and high-quality…
Tim Kasher: Middling Age [Album Review]
Tim KasherMiddling Age15 Passenger Records [2022] “What a shitty thing to say; the good die young.” is a line out of the track “The John Jouberts” from Tim Kasher’s fourth…
Good Grief: Shake Your Faith [Album Review]
Good GriefShake Your FaithEverything Sucks Music/HHBTM Records [2022] Liverpool band Good Grief formed in 2012 by guitarist/vocalist Will Fitzpatrick, bassist/vocalist Paul Abbott and drummer Matiss Dale. The band released a…
Calexico: El Mirador [Album Review]
CalexicoEl MiradorANTI- [2022] When Calexico’s primary members and writing team, Joey Burns and John Convertino convened in Tucson at the home studio of their keyboard player Sergio Mendoza last summer…
The Linda Lindas: Growing Up [Album Review]
The Linda LindasGrowing UpEpitaph Records [2022] Two sisters, a cousin, and their close friend with an average age of 14. That is the make up of L.A.’s The Linda Lindas…
Shaylee: Short-Sighted Security [Album Review]
ShayleeShort-Sighted SecurityKill Rock Stars [2022] Performing as Shaylee, Portland, Ore. singer songwriter Elle Archer has delivered a true ‘Do-it-yourself’ tribute to the music that inspired her to make music in…
Yumi Zouma: Present Tense [Album Review]
Yumi ZoumaPresent TensePolyvinyl Records [2022] While Yumi Zouma is most comfortable in gentle confines of the midtempo electronic tones of classic Euro-pop sounds, the band which got its start in…
Father John Misty: Chloë And The Next 20th Century [Album Review]
Father John MistyChloë And The Next 20th CenturySub Pop Records [2022] At this point in Father John Misty’s career I feel like his unpredictability is part of his musical mystery….
Wet Leg: Wet Leg [Album Review]
Wet LegWet LegDomino Recording Company [2022] “Excuse me?”, “What?” is the inquisitive back n’ forth question that gets repeatedly posed between Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers on the catchy single…
Red Hot Chili Peppers: Unlimited Love [Album Review]
Red Hot Chili PeppersUnlimited LoveWarner Records [2022] Nobody who caught the Red Hot Chili Peppers in the mid-80’s imagined that the LA funky punk boys that rapped most of their…
Pattern-Seeking Animals: Only Passing Through [Album Review]
PATTERN-SEEKING ANIMALS LINKSWebsite | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Inside Out Music
Pinch Points: Process [Album Review]
Pinch PointsProcessMistletone/Exploding In Sound Records [2022] Melbourne’s Pinch Points released an excellent record of post-punk with their 2019 debut Moving Parts but their sophomore album, Process, takes their style of…
Ceramic Animal: Sweet Unknown [Album Review]
Ceramic AnimalSweet UnknownEasy Eye Sound [2022] Ceramic Animal, the 5-piece rock & pop band out of Doylestown, PA, had already released three independently produced albums before signing with Black Key’s…
Midlake: For The Sake Of Bethel Woods [Album Review]
MidlakeFor The Sake Of Bethel WoodsATO Records [2022] Midlake, a band a UK reviewer described succinctly as “the Texan masters of folk-proggy-Americana, return nine years after their last album, Antiphon,…
Oso Oso: Sore Thumb [Album Review]
Oso OsoSore ThumbTriple Crown Records [2022] The surprise album release is something I really can get accustomed to because the adrenaline rush a music lover gets when you receive the…
The Weather Station: How Is It That I Should Look At The Stars [Album Review]
The Weather StationHow Is It That I Should Look At The StarsFat Possum Records [2022] The Weather Station’s 2021 release, Ignorance, won widespread critical acclaim with its more expansive and…
Hurray For The Riff Raff: Life On Earth [Album Review]
Hurray For The Riff RaffLife On EarthNonesuch Records [2022] While this is Hurray for the Riff Raff’s is its debut on the Nonesuch label, it’s the 7th studio album from…
Posmic: Sun Hymns [Album Review]
PosmicSun HymnsLet’s Pretend Records [2022] Posmic was formed by David Van and Emily Ferrara (both of Post Pink) with Zach Inscho (Wildhoney) and DC native Luke Reddick (Ultra Beauty) in…
Sonic Youth: In/Out/In [Album Review]
Sonic YouthIn/Out/InThree Lobed Recordings [2022] Okay, my favorite time seeing Sonic Youth they were on tour opening for Neil Young & Crazy Horse in 1991, with Social Distortion opening the…
Young Guv: GUV III [Album Review]
Young GuvGUV IIIRun For Cover Records [2022] In the spring of 2020, Ben Cook — a.k.a. Young Guv — was grounded in New Mexico due to the pandemic. Along with…
Manchester Orchestra: Million Masks Of God Tour [Concert Review]
Manchester Orchestra w/ Foxing & The Michiganders: KEMBA Live; Columbus, OH; Friday, February 11, 2022 Friday night’s sold-out Manchester Orchestra concert at KEMBA Live! was a solid rock show from start…
M Ross Perkins: E Pluribus M Ross [Album Review]
M Ross PerkinsE Pluribus M RossKarma Chief/Colemine Records [2022] Colemine Records is best known for their soul and funk acts like Durand Jones & The Indications, Monophonics, and Delvon Lamarr…
Sarah Shook & The Disarmers: Nightroamer [Album Review]
Sarah Shook & The Disarmers NightroamerThirty Tigers [2022] North Carolina’s Sarah Shook & The Disarmers return with their third album, actually recorded just prior to the pandemic, which along with…
Dashboard Confessional: All The Truth That I Can Tell [Album Review]
Dashboard ConfessionalAll The Truth That I Can TellHidden Note Records/AWAL [2022] Harlan Howard’s oft repeated description of country music as “three chords and the truth,” has been picked up by…
JPL: Sapiens – Chapitre 3/3 – Actum [Album Review]
JPL Review History: Sapiens – Chapitre 2/3 – Deus ex Machina (2021) / Sapiens – Chapitre 1/3 – Exordium (2020) JPL LINKSWebsite | Facebook | Bandcamp | Quadrifonic Records
Band Of Horses: Things Are Great [Album Review]
Band Of HorsesThings Are GreatBMG [2022] We all know, Things Are Great is what you say, when you don’t want to tell people that you’re really going through a challenging…
Star Party: Meadow Flower [Album Review]
Star PartyMeadow FlowerFeel It Records [2022] Star Party began in March of 2020 as a Seattle living room project between Carolyn Brennan and Ian Corrigan (Gen Pop, Vexx). The group…
Joan Osborne: Radio Waves [Album Review]
Joan OsborneRadio WavesWomanly Hips [2022] Although Joan Osborne has kept recording solo albums, touring, and collaborating with the likes of the Funk Brothers, Phil Lesh and other members of The…
Midnight Oil: Resist [Album Review]
Midnight OilResistSony Music [2022] The standing joke among those of us old enough to remember is that the opening months of 2022 feel a lot like the 80’s, with new…
Marillion: An Hour Before It’s Dark [Album Review]
MARILLION LINKSWebsite | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Racket Records
The Dip: Sticking With It [Album Review]
The DipSticking With ItDualtone Records [2022] Sticking With It is the third full length release from Seattle-based seven-piece band The Dip, and its first with Dualtone Records. The album was…
Tears For Fears: The Tipping Point [Album Review]
Tears For FearsThe Tipping PointConcord Records [2022] For all the bright, dance floor potency of Tears for Fears’ 1985 smash hits “Shout” and “Everybody Wants to Rule the World,” and…
Guided By Voices: Crystal Nuns Cathedral [Album Review]
Guided By VoicesCrystal Nuns CathedralGBV Inc. [2022] If I asked you today to make me a list of current rock bands that have been putting out consistent albums over the…
Various Artists: Highway Butterfly – The Songs Of Neal Casal [Album Review]
Various ArtistsHighway Butterfly; The Songs Of Neal CasalNeal Casal Music Foundation [2022] There’s no way to avoid the bittersweet feeling that hovers nearby this lovely collection of songs by noted…
Johnny Marr: Fever Dreams Pt. 1-4 [Album Review]
Johnny MarrFever Dreams Pt. 1-4BMG [2022] While it’s only natural to look for echoes of The Smith’s in Johnny Marr’s solo work, he was only with that band for 6,…
Kendra Morris: Nine Lives [Album Review]
Kendra MorrisNine LivesKarma Chief/Colemine Records [2022] Kendra Morris has been releasing music for over a decade, putting out several albums, EPs, and singles since 2011 while collaborating with the likes…
Superchunk: Wild Loneliness [Album Review]
SuperchunkWild LonelinessMerge Records [2022] Wild Loneliness opens with a simple acoustic strum as Mac McCaughan’s familiar voice starts Superchunk’s newest musical journey that reflects pandemic times. It is an album…
Frank Turner: FTHC [Album Review]
Frank TurnerFTHCXtra Mile Recordings [2022] Frank Turner has always been a punk rocker at heart, even his “folk” albums are roiling with punk attitude and energy, or as he describes…
Thank: Thoughtless Cruelty [Album Review]
ThankThoughtless CrueltyBox/Exploding In Sound Records [2022] “There’s never been a good band from London,” is declared multiple times from vocalist Freddy Vinehill-Cliffe on Thank’s “Dread,” which is a powerful highlight…
The Flower Kings: By Royal Decree [Album Review]
The Flower Kings Review History: Islands (2020) THE FLOWER KINGS LINKSWebsite | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Inside Out Music
El Camino Acid: Sunset Motel [Album Review]
El Camino AcidSunset MotelSelf-Released [2022] When I hear the name Conor Stratton I think about a couple of things, Yellow Springs’ Spring Fest and Crooked Spines. Now, I can add…
North Mississippi Allstars: Set Sail [Album Review]
North Mississippi AllstarsSet SailNew West Records [2022] For brothers Luther Dickinson, who played with the Black Crowes from 2007 – ’11, and Cody Dickinson, the core of the North Mississippi…
The Cactus Blossoms: One Day [Album Review]
The Cactus BlossomsOne DayWalkie Talkie Records [2022] The music of the Cactus Blossoms is a reminder that the origins of rock & roll predated the Beatles by at least a…
Big Nothing: Dog Hours [Album Review]
Big NothingDog HoursLame-O Records [2022] There is definitely something refreshing upon hearing Big Nothing’s newly released sophomore record Dog Hours, as its timeless sound is instantly engaging. The Philadelphia band…
Beach House: Once Twice Melody [Album Review]
Beach HouseOnce Twice MelodySub Pop Records [2022] In their nearly 20 years of recording, Beach House has lived into their music’s most common description as “dream pop” with each new…
Modern Nature: Island Of Noise [Album Review]
Modern NatureIsland Of NoiseBella Union [2022] Modern Nature is at its core an exercise in folk rock meeting improvisational jazz in uncluttered rustic rural setting, brought about under the direction…
St. Paul & The Broken Bones: The Alien Coast [Album Review]
St. Paul & The Broken BonesThe Alien CoastATO Records [2022] Caught live, St. Paul & The Broken Bones is a full-fledged rock & soul review fronted by the soaring tenor…
Jonas Lindberg: Miles From Nowhere [Album Review]
JONAS LINDBERG LINKSWebsite | Facebook | Instagram | Inside Out Music
Green/Blue: Offering [Album Review]
Green/BlueOfferingHoZac Records [2022] The sophomore album from Minneapolis’ Green/Blue will instantly pull you into the band’s world with its tight as hell guitar play, fuzzy lo-fi vocals and foot pumping…
Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio: Cold As Weiss [Album Review]
Delvon Lamarr Organ TrioCold As WeissColemine Records [2022] Ever since their debut album Close But No Cigar dropped in 2018, Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio has been one of the most…
Spoon: Lucifer On The Sofa [Album Review]
SpoonLucifer On The SofaMatador Records [2022] With the release of Everything Hits At Once: The Best of Spoon and a summer tour opening for “The Night Running” amphitheater tour, with…
Big Thief: Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You [Album Review]
Big ThiefDragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You4AD [2022] No one will ever accuse Big Thief of holding anything back. In 2019, the band released two full length albums….
Erin Rae: Lighten Up [Album Review]
Erin RaeLighten UpThirty Tigers [2022] On her third album, Nashville singer/songwriter Erin Rae is making an effort to Lighten Up, with help from her new producer Jonathan Wilson. After establishing…
Mitski: Laurel Hell [Album Review]
MitskiLaurel HellDead Oceans [2022] On Mitski’s last record, Be The Cowboy (2018), she found herself on top of the indie world with an ever growing fanbase that was selling out…
The War On Drugs: 2022 North American Tour [Concert Review]
The War On Drugs: KEMBA Live; Columbus, OH; Friday, February 4, 2022 Fans of the band The War On Drugs’ albums, might be curious how an artist as meticulous as singer/guitarist/songwriter…
Black Country, New Road: Ants From Up There [Album Review]
Black Country, New RoadAnts From Up ThereNinja Tune [2022] When Black Country, New Road released their debut (last year’s For The First Time), they were lumped together with a slew…
Pedro The Lion: Havasu [Album Review]
Pedro The LionHavasuPolyvinyl/Big Scary Monsters [2022] Singer/songwriters have been offering proof of the truth that “what is most personal is most universal,” first posited by psychologist Carl R. Rogers in…
Pinegrove: 11:11 [Album Review]
Pinegrove11:11Rough Trade Records [2022] Pinegrove is back with their sixth album, 11:11, and it quickly proves that they are one of the most consistent indie groups on the current scene….
Eels: Extreme Witchcraft [Album Review]
EelsExtreme WitchcraftE Works/PIAS [2022] Thirty years and 16 studio albums in, Mark Oliver Everett (aka E) and his band Eels is a known entity. After a couple solo works, Everett…
Jethro Tull: The Zealot Gene [Album Review]
Jethro Tull’s 22nd studio album is discussed and rated. Look for a Ranking The Studio Albums episode on this great band soon!!! Jethro Tull WebsiteJethro Tull FacebookJethro Tull InstagramInside Out…
Jason Isbell And The 400 Unit: 2022 Tour [Concert Review]
Jason Isbell And The 400 Unit w/ Adia Victoria: Palace Theatre; Columbus, OH; Thursday, January 27, 2022 For live music fans, one of the biggest challenges of the on-going pandemic has…
Cloakroom: Dissolution Wave [Album Review]
CloakroomDissolution WaveRelapse Records [2022] Picture a world “in which an act of theoretical physics — the dissolution wave — wipes out all of humanity’s existing art and abstract thought. In…
Three Merry Widows: Which Dreamed It? (30th Anniversary Reissue)
Three Merry WidowsWhich Dreamed It? (30th Anniversary Reissue)Self-Released [2021] At the risk of dating myself, Three Merry Widows was one of the St. Louis bands in that city’s burgeoning original,…
Reptaliens: Multiverse [Album Review]
ReptaliensMultiverseCaptured Tracks [2022] Portland, Ore.-duo, Reptaliens have stepped away from the dreamy sounding synth drenched work on their two previous albums, to pick up bass and guitars and return to…
Honey Radar: Play-Box Relay EP [Album Review]
Honey RadarPlay-Box Relay EPSelf-Released [2021] Lo-fi experts Honey Radar released this 8 song, 16 minute 12″ at the end of last year and it ranks right up there with the…
The Lumineers: BRIGHTSIDE [Album Review]
The LumineersBRIGHTSIDEDualtone/Decca Records [2022] Aside from The Lumineers break out hit, “Ho Hey,” with the novelty impact of the regular shouts of the title,” the band’s airplay singles like “Stubborn…
Kids On A Crime Spree: Fall In Love Not In Line [Album Review]
Kids On A Crime SpreeFall In Love Not In LineSlumberland Records [2022] You might need to check your indie memory on Bay Area’s Kids On A Crime Spree because outside…
Josh Caterer: The SPACE Sessions [Album Review]
Josh CatererThe SPACE SessionsPravda Records [2021] While some artists have used the shutdown of normal life due to the pandemic to hibernate in their studios and record new music, former…
Ryley Walker: So Certain EP [Album Review]
Ryley WalkerSo Certain EPHusky Pants Records [2022] In so many different ways the pandemic continues to cripple artists that includes new rounds of tour postponements and long delays in the…
Elvis Costello & The Imposters: The Boy Named If [Album Review]
Elvis Costello & The Imposters The Boy Named IfEMI/Capitol Records [2022] Forty five years and 37 albums – give or take if we count all his collaborative efforts – into…
The Dream Syndicate: What Can I Say? No Regrets… Out Of The Grey + Live, Demos & Outtakes [Album Review]
The Dream SyndicateWhat Can I Say? No Regrets… Out Of The Grey + Live, Demos & OuttakesFire Records [2022] Ask someone if they know the band Dream Syndicate, and if…
The Wombats: Fix Yourself, Not The World [Album Review]
The WombatsFix Yourself, Not The WorldAWAL [2022] While The Wombats, who got their start in Liverpool, have absorbed British pop and indie rock influences from across the last 5 or…
Karfagen: Land Of Green And Gold [Album Review]
Karfagen WebsiteKarfagen FacebookKarfagen BandcampCaerllysi Music
Adia Victoria: A Southern Gothic [Album Review]
Adia VictoriaA Southern GothicCanvasback Music [2021] The third album from Nashville-based singer/songwriter Adia Victoria, A Southern Gothic embodies everything that title suggests. Vibrating thanks to the deconstructive approach of executive…
Failure: Wild Type Droid [Album Review]
FailureWild Type DroidFailure Music [2021] Failure, the L.A.-based trio of Ken Andrews, Greg Edwards and Kellii Scott, have been considered one of the more influential alt rock bands from the…
Dion: Stomping Ground [Album Review]
Dion Stomping GroundKeeping The Blues Alive Records [2021] It was quite a surprise in 2020 when the then 80 year old Dion Dimucci, who had pop radio hits in the…
Elbow: Flying Dream 1 [Album Review]
ElbowFlying Dream 1Polydor Records [2021] The ninth studio album from acclaimed British band, Elbow, has the gentle, dreamy feel of a long, reflective quarantine nap. Largely composed separately, the band…
Snail Mail: Valentine [Album Review]
Snail MailValentineMatador Records [2021] As the “best of year” lists – here at The Fire Note, and everywhere music fans and music critics connect – 2021 may have been a…
Aeon Station: Observatory [Album Review]
Aeon StationObservatorySub Pop Records [2021] How do you ever follow up a record that is as highly revered in the indie rock world as The Wrens’ Meadowlands? The album was…
Liam Kazar: Due North [Album Review]
Liam KazarDue NorthWoodsist Records [2021] Before moving to Kansas City in 2019, Liam Kazar had built a hefty reputation around Chicago as a band member, dating back to work with…
Andrew Gabbard: Homemade [Album Review]
Andrew GabbardHomemadeKarma Chief/Colemine Records [2021] If you’ve paid any attention to the Dayton/Cincinnati music scene over the last two decades, you’ve probably encountered the music of Andrew Gabbard at some…
Hushdrops: The Static [Album Review]
HushdropsThe StaticPravda Records [2021] Chicago-band, Hushdrops, are considered a supergroup around those parts, the trio perhaps better known for the folk they support in other settings. Guitarist and vocalist John…
Porto Geese: Duck [Album Review]
Porto GeeseDuckSheep Chase Records [2021] The debut album from Oslo’s Porto Geese is an intense mix of shoegaze and post-punk that is filled with strategic transitions, an array of instrument…
Aimee Mann: Queens Of The Summer Hotel [Album Review]
Aimee MannQueens Of The Summer HotelSuperEgo [2021] Over the course of her nearly 40 year career, Aimee Mann has pretty much done it all. In the 80’s she led the…
Velvet Starlings: Technicolour Shakedown [Album Review]
Velvet StarlingsTechnicolour ShakedownKitten Robot/SoundX3 Records [2021] Velvet Starlings is a 60’s infused garage rock ‘n’ roll band hailing from Los Angeles and the beach cities of Southern California. The band…
Damon Albarn: The Nearer The Fountain, More Pure The Stream Flows [Album Review]
Damon AlbarnThe Nearer The Fountain, More Pure The Stream FlowsTransgressive Records [2021] In many ways, Damon Albarn’s official second solo album is as influenced by his physical surroundings in Iceland,…
Big Heet: Playing The Bug [Album Review]
Big HeetPlaying The BugLiving Lost Records [2021] David Settle has been on a hot streak for releasing music this year as the Philadelphia musician is responsible for The Fragiles back…
Ovlov: Buds [Album Review]
OvlovBudsExploding In Sound Records [2021] Connecticut four-piece Ovlov has released two LPs and a handful of EPs over the last decade and have called it quits more times than their…
Robert Plant | Alison Krauss: Raising The Roof [Album Review]
Robert Plant | Alison KraussRaising The RoofRounder Records [2021] The huge success created by the first collaboration by Led Zep rock howler Robert Plant and Americana/bluegrass darling of the Grand…
Ross Jennings: A Shadow Of My Future Self [Album Review]
Ross JenningsA Shadow Of My Future SelfGraphite Records[2021] Ross Jennings is not a household name. Nor are either of his bands, Haken and Novena. But Haken are, in fact, one…
An Evening With Gary Clark Jr. [Concert Review]
Gary Clark Jr.: Express LIVE; Columbus, OH; Tuesday, November 9, 2021 Before the lights went down and Gary Clark Jr. led his band to the stage of Express LIVE in Columbus…
Sufjan Stevens & Angelo De Augustine: A Beginner’s Mind [Album Review]
Sufjan Stevens & Angelo De AugustineA Beginner’s MindAsthmatic Kitty Records [2021] Just as Sufjan Stevens turned to video game culture to inspire the music of his triumphant 2020 release, The…
Curtis Harding: If Words Were Flowers [Album Review]
Curtis HardingIf Words Were FlowersANTI- [2021] Atlanta’s psychedelic vintage soul champion Curtis Harding set the bar high with his first two albums, 2014’s Soul Power and 2017’s Face Your Fear….
Courtney Barnett: Things Take Time, Take Time [Album Review]
Courtney BarnettThings Take Time, Take TimeMilk!/Mom+Pop Music/Marathon Artists [2021] Aussie indie/rock singer/songwriter Courtney Barnett’s third album, Things Take Time, Take Time, is the kind of intimate reflection on the small…
Laura Jane Grace: At War With The Silverfish (EP) [Album Review]
Laura Jane GraceAt War With The Silverfish (EP)Polyvinyl Records [2021] By now fans of Laura Jane Grace are well acquainted with her transitional journey, the physcial culmination of her songs…
My Morning Jacket: My Morning Jacket [Album Review]
My Morning JacketMy Morning JacketATO Records [2021] From all reports, there was a pretty good chance that the last music recorded by the members of My Morning Jacket playing together…
Lilly Hiatt: Lately [Album Review]
Lilly HiattLatelyNew West Records [2021] Nashville singer/songwriter Lilly Hiatt had the misfortune to release her last album, the Lincoln Parish (formerly of Cage the Elephant) produced Walking Proof, in March…
Neal Francis: In Plain Sight [Album Review]
Neal FrancisIn Plain SightATO Records [2021] Chicago-based singer-songwriter-pianist Neal Francis has just released one of the most warm retro groove records of the year with his sophomore album In Plain…
Radiohead: Kid A Mnesia [Album Review]
RadioheadKid A MnesiaXL Recordings [2021] Radiohead has never been a band to rest on their laurels-or really even care. Yes, they defined what a guitar could do in the early…
Chime School: Chime School [Album Review]
Chime SchoolChime SchoolSlumberland Records [2021] Chime School is the project of San Francisco musician Andy Pastalaniec. His self-titled debut is a solid slice of indie jangle pop that falls right…
Mac McCaughan: The Sound Of Yourself [Album Review]
Mac McCaughanThe Sound Of YourselfMerge Records [2021] One of the perks of owning a record company would have to be that you get to make an album every now and…
Ada Lea: One Hand On The Steering Wheel The Other Sewing A Garden [Album Review]
Ada LeaOne Hand On The Steering Wheel The Other Sewing A GardenSaddle Creek Records [2021] All of the songs Ada Lea wrote for her follow-up to her 2019 release, What…
The War On Drugs: I Don’t Live Here Anymore [Album Review]
The War On DrugsI Don’t Live Here AnymoreAtlantic Records [2021] It’s hard to imagine a new release with more anticipatory buzz than this new studio album from The War on…
Allison Russell: Outside Child [Album Review]
Allison RussellOutside ChildFantasy Records [2021] In her solo debut album, Outside Child, Allison Russell finally gets around to telling her own story, in her own unique way. Previously in the…
Spirit Was: Heaven’s Just A Cloud [Album Review]
Spirit WasHeaven’s Just A CloudDanger Collective Records [2021] Spirit Was is the new moniker used by multi-instrumentalist and illustrator Nick Corbo which found his primary music project, LVL UP, calling…
La Luz: La Luz [Album Review]
La LuzLa LuzHardly Art Records [2021] La Luz continue to refine their sound with every record they release and when their drummer left the band, reducing the group to a…
Guided By Voices: It’s Not Them. It Couldn’t Be Them. It Is Them! [Album Review]
Guided By VoicesIt’s Not Them. It Couldn’t Be Them. It Is Them!GBV Inc. [2021] It wouldn’t feel like the year is coming to an end without getting one more Guided…
Pokey LaFarge: In The Blossom Of Their Shade [Album Review]
Pokey LaFargeIn The Blossom Of Their ShadeNew West Records [2021] Anyone familiar with the work of Pokey LaFarge will tell you that his music is deeply rooted in the music…
Parquet Courts: Sympathy For Life [Album Review]
Parquet CourtsSympathy For LifeRough Trade Records [2021] For the past 10 years, Parquet Courts have been pushing the limits of indie rock. That is a big statement considering the band…
Hand Habits: Fun House [Album Review]
Hand HabitsFun HouseSaddle Creek Records [2021] It is always nice to hear an artist grow with each album they release. I think that is exactly what you will find with…
Angel Olsen: Aisles EP [Album Review]
Angel OlsenAisles EPSomethingscosmic/Jagjaguwar [2021] Ever walk through the store shopping and whatever is playing over the speakers as background noise catches your attention? We have all been there – humming…
Face To Face: No Way Out But Through [Album Review]
Face To FaceNo Way Out But ThroughFat Wreck Chords [2021] Celebrating 30 years as a band is an accomplishment considering all the things that need to go right! For Southern…
illuminati hotties: Let Me Do One More [Album Review]
illuminati hottiesLet Me Do One MoreSnack Shack Tracks/Hopeless Records [2021] After the success of Sarah Tudzin’s debut album, Kiss Yr Frenemies (2018), her moniker illuminati hotties had created the kind…
Madi Diaz: History Of A Feeling [Album Review]
Madi DiazHistory Of A FeelingANTI- [2021] If there are actually five stages of grief, Nashville singer/songwriter Madi Diaz may have stumbled on a few more levels of pain on her…
The Wild Feathers: Alvarado [Album Review]
The Wild FeathersAlvaradoNew West Records [2021] As Nashville’s Wild Feathers entered their second decade as a band, they were more or less forced to pause and reflect on their early…
Steve Gunn: Other You [Album Review]
Steve GunnOther YouMatador Records [2021] Steve Gunn may have started out as a go-to sideman who worked with Kurt Vile, desirable for his estimable guitar chops, here on his sixth…
Hovvdy: True Love [Album Review]
HovvdyTrue LoveGrand Jury Music [2021] Hovvdy is the duo of Charlie Martin and Will Taylor, which now with True Love have four albums under their belt. This full length finds…
The Beths: Auckland, New Zealand, 2020 [Album Review]
The BethsAuckland, New Zealand, 2020Carpark Records [2021] Power pop/rock band The Beths are easily the best thing to come out of New Zealand since Crowded House. With two strong studio…
José González: Local Valley [Album Review]
José GonzálezLocal ValleyCity Slang/Mute Records [2021] Swedish folk singer/songwriter and guitarist, José González brings his unique finger picking approach and take on world music to his fourth studio album on…
The Ophelias: Crocus [Album Review]
The Ophelias CrocusJoyful Noise Recordings [2021] The Ophelias, an indie folk/rock quartet which got their start in Cincinnati, return with a third studio album, Crocus. While the four members came…
Heartless Bastards: A Beautiful Life [Album Review]
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Jeff Elbel + Ping: The Threefinger Opera [Album Review]
Jeff Elbel + Ping The Threefinger OperaMarathon Records [2021] When life gives you lemons, the crafty among us make limoncello, the saying goes. If you have a talent for language…
Motorists: Surrounded [Album Review]
MotoristsSurroundedBobo Integral/We Are Time/Debt Offensive Records [2021] Toronto based Motorists have released one of the more interesting debuts I have heard this year. Surrounded covers an array of genres that…
Son Volt: Electro Melodier Tour [Concert Review]
Son Volt: Ludlow Garage; Cincinnati, OH; Saturday, September 18, 2021 As someone who lived in St. Louis from late ’83 thru the middle of ’08 and wrote semi-professionally about music for…
Cyan: For King And Country [Album Review]
CyanFor King And CountryTiger Moth Records [2021] Back before Prog made a comeback, before Welsh keyboardist Rob Reed formed Magenta, he dreamed of being in a band like Yes or…
Mild High Club: Going Going Gone [Album Review]
Mild High ClubGoing Going GoneStones Throw Records [2021] When we last saw the moniker Mild High Club it was paired with none other than King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard….
Alanis Morissette, “Jagged Little Pill 25th Anniversary Tour” [Concert Review]
Alanis Morissette, “Jagged Little Pill 25th Anniversary Tour”, w/ Garbage, and Cat Power: Riverbend Music Center; Cincinnati, OH; Wednesday September 15, 2021 When Alanis Morissette finally hit the stage on…
High Pony: All We Did Was Dream [Album Review]
High PonyAll We Did Was DreamSuper Wimpy Punch Records [2021] It won’t take you long into High Pony’s excellent third LP, All We Did Was Dream, to realize how much…
Yes: The Quest [Album Review]
YesThe QuestInside Out Music [2021] Love them. Hate them. There are few bands that generate the kind of emotions from audiences that Yes can. They are, by turns, confounding and…
Low: Hey What [Album Review]
LowHey WhatSub Pop Records [2021] Hey What is the 13th studio album from Low, the curious noise band that juxtaposes challenging instrumentals against the sweet and often harmonious vocals of…
Alejandro Escovedo: La Cruzada [Album Review]
Alejandro Escovedo La CruzadaYep Roc Records [2021] Arriving 3 years after Alejandro Escovedo’s wonderful story about two young American immigrants – one from Italy, the other from Mexico – who…
Indigo De Souza: Any Shape You Take [Album Review]
Indigo De Souza Any Shape You TakeSaddle Creek Records [2021] At least twice a day, I hear someone complain about the state of modern music, often shaped by their belief…
St. Vincent: Daddy’s Home World Tour [Concert Review]
St. Vincent: Daddy’s Home World Tour w/ Ali Macofsky: ICON Music Center; Cincinnati, OH – Tuesday, September 7, 2021 With the return of live music events, one of the concerts…
Colleen Green: Cool [Album Review]
Colleen GreenCoolHardly Art Records [2021] After 2015’s solid I Want To Grow Up we were fully prepared to see much more of Colleen Green’s guitar pop smarts and then she…
Amyl And The Sniffers: Comfort To Me [Album Review]
Amyl And The SniffersComfort To MeATO/Rough Trade Records [2021] I am not sure there is a world in which I would not love the new sophomore record, Comfort To Me,…
The Bevis Frond: Little Eden [Album Review]
The Bevis FrondLittle EdenFire Records [2021] The Bevis Frond is an English rock band formed in 1986 in East London and has been the moniker used by Nick Saloman for…
Golden Apples: Shadowland [Album Review]
Golden ApplesShadowlandLame-O Records [2021] Formally called Cherry, Russell Edling has changed his moniker to Golden Apples for his new album Shadowland. Not only does the name change help eliminate a…
King Crimson: Music Is Our Friend Tour 2021 [Concert Review]
King Crimson w/ The Zappa Band: Rose Music Center; Dayton, OH – Thursday, September 2, 2021 It needs to be said right from the start, that King Crimson is a…
Meatbodies: 333 [Album Review]
Meatbodies333In The Red Records [2021] Meatbodies’ Chad Ubovich has kept busy over the last decade playing in Mikal Cronin’s backing band, playing along Ty Segall and Charlie Moothart supplying the…
GA-20: Try It…You Might Like It! [Album Review]
GA-20Try It…You Might Like It!Karma Chief/Alligator Records [2021] Boston’s GA-20 proved on their 2019 release, Lonely Soul, that the blues can be for everyone. The group crossed genres with their…
Turnstile: Glow On [Album Review]
TurnstileGlow OnRoadrunner Records [2021] I don’t think earlier this year you could have convinced me that a hardcore/punk band could release a more alternative rock sounding record that would turn…
NMB (The Neal Morse Band): Innocence & Danger [Album Review]
NMB (The Neal Morse Band)Innocence & DangerInside Out Music/Sony [2021] The Neal Morse Band may have had a descriptively inaccurate name all along but the label wanted the Morse name-recognition…
WonderBus Music And Arts Festival (Day 2) feat. Wilco & Black Pumas [Concert Review]
WonderBus Music And Arts Festival (Day 2): Columbus, OH – Sunday, August 29, 2021 Despite a forecast that threatened rainstorms, the second day of the WonderBus music festival in Columbus…
The Killers: Pressure Machine [Album Review]
The Killers Pressure MachineIsland Records [2021] Well-paired back-to-back songs are a constant feature of The Killers’ discography. On their 2004 debut Hot Fuss, the songs “Mr. Brightside” and “Smile Like…
Phil Madeira: Hornet’s Nest [Album Review]
Phil Madeira Hornet’s NestMercyland Records [2021] With three jazzy piano albums under his belt in the last couple years, it’s no surprise by now that one of Phil Madeira’s musical…
Mouse Rat: The Awesome Album [Album Review]
Mouse Rat The Awesome AlbumDualtone/Entertainment 720 [2021] Everyone’s heard the famous Oscar Wilde quote that “Life imitates Art far more than Art imitates Life,” but who could have guessed that…
Supergrass: In It For The Money (Expanded Remastered Edition) [Album Review]
SupergrassIn It For The Money (Expanded Remastered Edition)BMG [2021] So when you are signed to Parlophone Records and release the biggest selling debut album for the label since The Beatles’…
Tim Easton: You Don’t Really Know Me [Album Review]
Tim EastonYou Don’t Really Know MeBlack Mesa Records [2021] For over twenty years, Tim Easton has been successfully combining elements of indie rock, folk and a little bit a blues…
Tropical Fu*k Storm: Deep States [Album Review]
Tropical Fuck StormDeep StatesJoyful Noise Recordings [2021] Australia’s Tropical Fuck Storm continue to be one of the most interesting groups on the indie scene with their new third album, Deep…
Fashion Pimps And The Glamazons: Jazz 4 Johnny [Album Review]
Fashion Pimps And The GlamazonsJazz 4 JohnnyFeel It Records [2021] There is absolutely nothing pretty about Cleveland’s Fashion Pimps And The Glamazons debut record Jazz 4 Johnny. The music is…
Wednesday: Twin Plagues [Album Review]
WednesdayTwin PlaguesOrindal Records [2021] Indie rock is alive and well with the Asheville, North Carolina band Wednesday. On their sophomore album, Twin Plagues, the quintet turns up the amps and…
Jackson Browne: Downhill From Everywhere [Album Review]
Jackson Browne Downhill From EverywhereInside Recordings [2021] Mention Jackson Browne’s name these days and folks’ eyes tend to glaze over while they try to explain the difference between folk/rock and…
The Joy Formidable: Into The Blue [Album Review]
The Joy Formidable Into The BlueHassle Records [2021] On its 5th full-length release, Welsh alternative rockers The Joy Formidable continue to deliver on The Big Roar, the title of its…
L’Rain: Fatigue [Album Review]
L’RainFatigueMexican Summer [2021] Sometimes records exist outside any conventional genres and challenge your ear around every corner. These albums also can produce some of the most intricate and addicting moments…
T. Hardy Morris: The Digital Age Of Rome [Album Review]
T. Hardy Morris The Digital Age Of RomeNew West/Normaltown Records [2021] Sometimes an artist or musician taps a universal theme of love, hope, or purpose that transcends the everyday, and…
Media Jeweler: The Sublime Sculpture Of Being Alive [Album Review]
Media JewelerThe Sublime Sculpture Of Being AliveFire Talk Records [2021] If you are looking for some good old indie rock that is odd, quirky and catchy then LA’s Media Jeweler’s…
The Umbrellas: The Umbrellas [Album Review]
The UmbrellasThe UmbrellasSlumberland Records [2021] The San Francisco bay area has long been an place where jangly indie pop has soared from 90’s groups The Aislers Set and The Fairways…
Robert Finley: Sharecropper’s Son [Album Review]
Robert Finley Sharecropper’s SonEasy Eye Sound [2021] Robert Finley is a classic late bloomer. As the title of his sophomore album for Dan Auerbach’s Easy Eye label suggests, he’s a…
Acid Dad: Take It From The Dead [Album Review]
Acid DadTake It From The DeadGreenway Records/The Reverberation Appreciation Society [2021] Acid Dad has evolved since we first started covering them back in 2016 with their EP release, Let’s Plan…
Descendents: 9th & Walnut [Album Review]
Descendents 9th & WalnutEpitaph Records [2021] Classic punk band Descendents newest album, 9th & Walnut, is actually a collection of songs written from 1977 through 1980. They were on a…
Emmylou Harris & Los Lobos Tour [Concert Review]
Emmylou Harris & Los Lobos: Rose Music Center; Dayton, OH – Saturday, August 7, 2021 Emmylou Harris was singing alternative country before it was cool, long before it was called…
Yola: Stand For Myself [Album Review]
Yola Stand For MyselfEasy Eye Sound [2021] 2019 was a great year for British singer/songwriter, Yola, who’s debut solo album Walk Through Fire earned her a Best New Artist nomination…
LYSOL: Soup For My Family [Album Review]
LYSOLSoup For My FamilyFeel It Records [2021] Raw, rocking and relentless is a great way to describe Seattle’s LYSOL. The band’s newest record, Soup For My Family, walks a line…
James Taylor w/ Jackson Browne [Concert Review]
James Taylor & His All-Star Band w/ Jackson Browne: Wright State Nutter Center; Dayton, OH – Wednesday, August 4, 2021 Given the boyish grin on 73-year-old James Taylor’s face throughout…
Ty Segall: Harmonizer [Album Review]
Ty SegallHarmonizerDrag City Records [2021] Nothing like a surprise album from Ty Segall to shake up your Tuesday as he dropped Harmonizer on world this week without any notice. The…
Guardian Singles: Guardian Singles [Album Review]
Guardian SinglesGuardian SinglesTrouble In Mind Records [2021] Guardian Singles hail from Auckland, New Zealand, and their self-titled debut was sadly overlooked last year with its small local indie release from…
Psychic Flowers: For The Undertow [Album Review]
Psychic FlowersFor The UndertowLiving Lost / RIP Records [2021] Philadelphia’s Psychic Flowers are not slowing down after releasing two new albums last year (Gloves To Grand Air and Freedom Of…
Durand Jones & The Indications: Private Space [Album Review]
Durand Jones & The IndicationsPrivate SpaceDead Oceans/Colemine Records [2021] Durand Jones & The Indications is easily one of the first bands I would point someone to if they wanted to…
Son Volt: Electro Melodier [Album Review]
Son Volt Electro MelodierTransmit Sound/Thirty Tigers [2021] There was a time back in the day, when Uncle Tupelo, the band often credited with kick-starting the alternative country craze, would close…
Los Lobos: Native Sons [Album Review]
Los Lobos Native SonsNew West Records [2021] When a band that’s been around just two years short of half a century puts out an album of covers, you might…
Night Beats: Outlaw R&B [Album Review]
Night BeatsOutlaw R&BFuzz Club Records [2021] I am always about an artist stretching out their musical vision as they progress through a career but sometimes getting back to your roots…
Mudhoney: Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge (30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition) [Album Review]
Mudhoney Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge (30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)Sub Pop Records [2021] Mudhoney, a band name that just screams Seattle “grunge,” formed in 1988 after the demise of the…
Wavves: Hideaway [Album Review]
WavvesHideawayFat Possum Records [2021] It is hard to believe that Wavves broke out over a decade ago with the release of their third record, King Of The Beach, on Fat…
Hiss Golden Messenger: Quietly Blowing It [Album Review]
Hiss Golden Messenger Quietly Blowing ItMerge Records [2021] On the current single from his new album, “Sanctuary,” singer/songwriter MC Taylor, a.k.a. Hiss Golden Messenger, gets that the world is a…
Vanishing Shores: Maps [Album Review]
Vanishing Shores MapsSelf-Released [2021] Cleveland, Ohio band Vanishing Shores delivers the kind of high energy, anthemic rock on their debut full-length release Maps, that aspires to fill arenas with big…
Cub Scout Bowling Pins: Clang Clang Ho [Album Review]
Cub Scout Bowling PinsClang Clang HoGBV Inc. [2021] If you are going into this band completely blind then it is important to know that Cub Scout Bowling Pins is a…
Rose City Band: Earth Trip [Album Review]
Rose City Band Earth TripThrill Jockey Records [2021] Rose City Band is guitarist Ripley Johnson, a celebrated guitarist from Portland, Ore. who also sings and plays guitar with psychedelic rock…
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard: Butterfly 3000 [Album Review]
King Gizzard & The Lizard WizardButterfly 3000KGLW [2021] If you have been with the Fire Note for a while, I feel like King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard is a…
Faye Webster: I Know I’m Funny haha [Album Review]
Faye Webster I Know I’m Funny hahaSecretly Canadian [2021] Atlanta-based, singer-songwriter Faye Webster got the biggest boost to her career when the first single from her new album, “Better Distractions,”…
The Wallflowers: Exit Wounds [Album Review]
The Wallflowers Exit WoundsNew West Records [2021] By the time Jakob Dylan stepped into the studio with his band The Wallflowers to record Bringing Down the Horse, the band’s breakthrough…
Needles//Pins: Needles//Pins [Album Review]
Needles//PinsNeedles//PinsDirt Cult Records [2021] There is so much music that was created during the pandemic year that it honestly has been hard to keep up with the volume. With the…
Qlowski: Quale Futuro? [Album Review]
QlowskiQuale Futuro?Maple Death/Feel It Records [2021] As far as I am concerned there is always room at the table for another post-punk band if their debut is as solid as…
Lucy Dacus: Home Video [Album Review]
Lucy DacusHome VideoMatador Records [2021] Lucy Dacus returns with her third album, Home Video, and it arrives at a perfect time as her profile on the indie scene has only…
Modest Mouse: The Golden Casket [Album Review]
Modest MouseThe Golden CasketEpic Records [2021] The Golden Casket is Modest Mouse’s seventh-studio album which explores the degradation of America’s psychic landscape through the glass of the smartphone screen. With…
Richard X Heyman: Copious Notes [Album Review]
Richard X Heyman Copious NotesTurn-Up Records [2021] Richard X Heyman, like most power-pop artists who came of age in the 80’s, draws on earlier generations for influences, most obviously the…
The Murlocs: Bittersweet Demons [Album Review]
The MurlocsBittersweet DemonsATO/Flightless Records [2021] Melbourne-based five-piece The Murlocs always will be tagged with an asterisk that describes them as having two members of the ever growing popular King Gizzard…
Danny Elfman: Big Mess [Album Review]
Danny Elfman Big MessANTI-/Epitaph Records [2021] Rarely has an artist captured the tone and energy of their recording project as accurately and succinctly as Danny Elfman does here in the…
The Mountain Goats: Dark In Here [Album Review]
The Mountain Goats Dark In HereMerge Records [2021] It’s hard off the top of my head to imagine a more prolific and talented songwriter currently working today than John Darnielle,…
Garbage: No Gods No Masters [Album Review]
Garbage No Gods No MastersStunvolume/Infectious Music [2021] Ever since Garbage came out of the box in 1995, the band – boasting Scottish front woman Shirley Manson and oft-lauded producer Butch…
Black River Delta: Shakin’ [Album Review]
Black River Delta Shakin’SofaBurn Records [2021] After a couple of listens to the hardcore blues rock of Black River Delta’s third album, Shakin’, you’d likely be surprised to learn that…
Pardoner: Came Down Different [Album Review]
PardonerCame Down DifferentBar/None Records [2021] It is not hard to look around to find indie rock but it’s always exciting to find an album that takes it to the next…
Liz Phair: Soberish [Album Review]
Liz Phair SoberishChrysalis Records [2021] When Liz Phair’s debut album, Exile In Guyville, was released in 1993, she was a critic’s darling and an indie rock superhero for her gutsy…
Grave Flowers Bongo Band: Strength Of Spring [Album Review]
Grave Flowers Bongo Band Strength Of SpringCastle Face Records [2021] When Grave Flowers Bongo Band’s debut album Flower Pot came out on L.A.’s Permanent Records in 2018, it was something…
Gary Louris: Jump For Joy [Album Review]
Gary Louris Jump For JoySham/Thirty Tigers [2021] As befits this year of the pandemic lockdown, Jayhawks’ leader and main songwriter Gary Louris has delivered his second solo album, Jump For…
Chrissie Hynde: Standing In The Doorway – Chrissie Hynde Sings Bob Dylan [Album Review]
Chrissie Hynde Standing In The Doorway: Chrissie Hynde Sings Bob DylanBMG [2021] Chrissie Hynde was fresh from the release of another very good Pretenders’ album, Hate For Sale, when everyone…
The Routes: Mesmerised [Album Review]
The Routes MesmerisedAction Weekend / Bickerton Records [2021] The Routes are exactly why the quote “rock n’ roll can never die” exists. Mesmerised represents the eighth long-player to date from…
Lambchop: Showtunes [Album Review]
Lambchop ShowtunesMerge Records [2021] Lambchop is a loosely defined collaborative focused by the artistic vision and voice of Kurt Wagner, who has defined this latest project as “Showtunes for people…
James: All The Colours Of You [Album Review]
James All The Colours Of YouVirgin Music [2021] In 1993 when Manchester, England band James had a break-out single with “Laid,” no doubt as much for all of its talk…
Reigning Sound: A Little More Time With Reigning Sound [Album Review]
Reigning Sound A Little More Time With Reigning SoundMerge Records [2021] Reigning Sound’s singer/songwriter Greg Cartwright has returned to Memphis to record a collection of power-pop tracks that get back…
Mdou Moctar: Afrique Victime [Album Review]
Mdou MoctarAfrique VictimeMatador Records [2021] If I was asked to name a stand out guitarist on the indie scene today I would absolutely and confidently say Mdou Moctar. This name…
black midi: Cavalcade [Album Review]
black midiCavalcadeRough Trade Records [2021] When taking a look at UK’s black midi, they earn the admiration of music fans. How do they do this? To break music rules like…
Jackson Reid Briggs & The Heaters: Waiting In A Corner [Album Review]
Jackson Reid Briggs & The HeatersWaiting In A CornerLegless/Drunken Sailor Records [2021] If you took Melbourne’s Jackson Reid Briggs & The Heaters temperature from the opening riff on their new…
John Hiatt With The Jerry Douglas Band: Leftover Feelings [Album Review]
John Hiatt With The Jerry Douglas Band Leftover FeelingsNew West Records [2021] It’s hard with a songwriter like John Hiatt, who seems to wear his heart on his sleeve, to…
Beachy Head: Beachy Head [Album Review]
Beachy HeadBeachy HeadGraveface Records [2021] Beachy Head is a new group but it features members of Slowdive, The Flaming Lips, The Casket Girls, The Soft Cavalry, Mojave 3, Monster Movie…
St. Vincent: Daddy’s Home [Album Review]
St. Vincent Daddy’s HomeLoma Vista Recordings [2021] One of the most intriguing aspects of the musical artistry of St. Vincent, aka Annie Clark, is that as she adapts her musical…
The Black Keys: Delta Kream [Album Review]
The Black Keys Delta KreamEasy Eye Sound/Nonesuch Records [2021] Ten studio albums and two decades into their career, any fans of The Black Keys who’ve dug in past their string…
Damien Jurado: The Monster Who Hated Pennsylvania [Album Review]
Damien Jurado The Monster Who Hated PennsylvaniaMaraqopa Records [2021] The Monster Who Hated Pennsylvania, the 17th album for singer/songwriter Damien Jurado and first for his own label Maraqopa Records, is…
Tim Foljahn: I Dreamed A Dream [Album Review]
Tim Foljahn I Dreamed A DreamCart/Horse Records [2021] Guitarist Tim Foljahn has been around for a while. In addition to making six albums with the New Jersey outfit, Two Dollar…
Jeff Rosenstock: SKA DREAM [Album Review]
Jeff RosenstockSKA DREAMPolyvinyl Records [2021] A good song is a good song. That is why single covers work so many times for artists. Full album covers can be a bit…
Squid: Bright Green Field [Album Review]
SquidBright Green FieldWarp Records [2021] It is always fun to see certain musical movements take over an area of the world. TFN has been getting very accustomed to looking to…
Weezer: Van Weezer [Album Review]
Weezer Van WeezerCrush Music/Atlantic Records [2021] Back in 2018, when Weezer shared a co-headline tour with The Pixies, everything about the former’s end of set theatrics suggested the band’s need…
Finn’s Motel: Fireworks Or Lightning [Album Review]
Finn’s Motel Fireworks Or LightningVictory Over Gravity [2021] One of the pleasures of advanced age is being around long enough to experience the development of a musician or artist over…
Teenage Fanclub: Endless Arcade [Album Review]
Teenage Fanclub Endless ArcadeMerge Records [2021] In 1991, when Scottish band Teenage Fanclub first broke in No. America with their third album, Bandwagonesque, their sound was brimming with electric guitars…
Guided By Voices: Earth Man Blues [Album Review]
Guided By VoicesEarth Man BluesGBV Inc. [2021] The 33rd Guided By Voices album, Earth Man Blues, is one of the most in sync records that members Pollard, Gillard, Bare Jr.,…
Manchester Orchestra: The Million Masks Of God [Album Review]
Manchester Orchestra The Million Masks of GodLoma Vista Recordings [2021] The sixth album from Atlanta alt/rock quartet Manchester Orchestra feels like the culmination of their 15 years as recording artists,…
Cast: Vigesimus [Album Review]
CastVigesimusProgressive Promotions Records [2021] Sometimes a band just nails it right off the rip. Fully-formed debut albums are a rarity to be sure. So what to make of a band…
Spread Joy: Spread Joy [Album Review]
Spread JoySpread JoyFeel It Records [2021] Chicago’s Spread Joy are an intensely tight post punk band that gives everything they got on their 14 minute debut in exciting and short…
Proper Nouns: Feel Free [Album Review]
Proper Nouns Feel FreePhone Booth Records [2021] Feel Free is the debut Baltimore’s Proper Nouns, a power pop three-piece led by singer/songwriter and guitarist Spencer Compton. Joined by Jon Birkholz…
Todd Snider: The Agnostic Church Of Hope And Wonder [Album Review]
Todd Snider The Agnostic Church of Hope and WonderAimless Records [2021] Here in the pandemic that defined 2020 and this first half of ’21, while most of us have been…
Dinosaur Jr.: Sweep It Into Space [Album Review]
Dinosaur Jr. Sweep It Into SpaceJagjaguwar [2021] In a case of being in the wrong place at the right time, alternative rock power trio Dinosaur Jr. had their best-selling, major…