When Black Country, New Road released their debut (last year’s For The First Time), they were lumped together with a slew of new UK bands who mixed post-punk arrangements, prog-rock structures, and half-spoken/half-sung vocals—bands like black midi, Squid, Shame, Dry Cleaning, and Sorry (among many others). But even within that group BCNR seemed like an…
While some artists have used the shutdown of normal life due to the pandemic to hibernate in their studios and record new music, former Smoking Popes songwriter and frontman Josh Caterer has now delivered his second “live” concert album, serving up some tasty covers along with choice songs from his deep catalog of material. Late…
While The Wombats, who got their start in Liverpool, have absorbed British pop and indie rock influences from across the last 5 or 6 decades, the trio’s brand of clever power-pop suggests a cosmic connection to acts as diverse at Big Star, Material Issue, and The Fountains of Wayne, with hints of the dark humor…
While 2021 may have been a rough year due to the pandemic, it was a great year for new music. At year’s end we saw a flurry of new releases, and some, like this sophomore full-length release by Snail Mail, warrant our attention before we turn whole-heartedly toward what the new year has to offer….
Singer-songwriter-pianist Neal Francis released one of the most warm retro groove records of 2021 with his sophomore album In Plain Sight. The entire record is a faithful nod to everything that was good about late 70s rock, as its songs could sit in a playlist beside the likes of Elton John, Billy Joel and Hall…
Before 2019, Liam Kazar had built a hefty reputation as a band member, dating back to work with the band Kids These Days, and more recently as support player with a variety of local artists, from Tweedy (Wilco leader Jeff Tweedy with his drummer son, Spencer), Steve Gunn, Daniel Johnston, to Chance the Rapper. Here…
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 released in 2003 and then the band faded away for 18 years with sporadic news of fresh material every year, new album talk constantly being whispered and dreamed about, and…
Just as Sufjan Stevens turned to video game culture to inspire the music of his triumphant 2020 release, The Ascension, often echoing the genre’s use of electronic sounds and fast beats, here in collaboration with Angelo de Augustine, they turn to a variety of movies as a jumping off point for A Beginner’s Mind. But…
Over the course of her nearly 40 year career, Aimee Mann has pretty much done it all. In the 80’s she led the new wave band ‘Til Tuesday, composing their biggest hit, “Voices Carry,” and even sang a rare duet with Rush’s Geddy Lee. When she went solo, Mann signed to an indie label start…
In many ways, Damon Albarn’s official second solo album is as influenced by his physical surroundings in Iceland, as his early breakthrough albums with the band Blur – Modern Life Is Rubbish, Parklife, and The Great Escape – offered a window into the British youth culture of ‘90’s. The singer/songwriter became an official citizen of…
