Jay Gonzalez joined Drive-By Truckers in 2008, filling in for Spooner Oldham on keyboards, and eventually sharing lead guitar duties with Mike Cooley to compensate for the absence of third guitarist Jason Isbell. Left to his own devices on this second full-length solo album, Gonzalez displays his interest in 70’s pop rock influences, whether it’s…
British trio Maxïmo Park combine the big guitars of modern rock acts with the catchy electro-pop melodicism of 80’s new wave on their solid seventh full-length album, Nature Always Wins. With the departure of long-time keyboard player Lukas Wooller, the remaining trio of players have regrouped to create a record that showcases their strengths at…
Singer/songwriter Joyann Parker brings her big, soulful voice to a set of originals that lean toward the traditional pop side of Americana’s spectrum of musical influences, from rootsy R&B to blues, country and rock & roll. Parker co-writes with her band’s guitarist Mark Lamoine, with whom she regularly performs a tribute show celebrating the life…
Despite having just two early singles to date, Black Country, New Road came into 2021 with their debut, For The First Time, being one of the most highly anticipated records of the year. The critics picked up on their Black Midi vibe early and quickly crowned this London band as the next big thing with…
At this point, with seven studio albums under their belt since debuting on the scene in 2004, The Hold Steady have locked down a pretty reliable piece of rock & roll real estate around the storytelling narratives of singer/songwriter Craig Finn. The band’s 2019 album, aptly titled Thrashing Thru The Passion, featured five new songs…
With the pandemic postponement of the Hella Mega Tour with co-headliners Green Day and Fall Out Boy, Weezer has delayed the release of their promised Van Weezer record designed to re-visit the big noisy guitars of their hard rock and metal influences a la the likes of KISS, Sabbath, and of course, Van Halen. In…
Great music always finds a way to captivate its audience and find new listeners. That is the way I feel about this excellent new record from Seattle-based soul-jazz group Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio. The group’s sophomore studio album, I Told You So, will turn your ears and erase any expectations upon hearing it as it…
How about a record that embraces the isolation of current times with a simmering post-punk that will hit your core? If that piques your interest then Shame’s sophomore record, Drunk Tank Pink, is a release that you need to spin right now. The band presents a much more mature sound from their debut, Songs of…
In 2003, Death Cab For Cutie’s lead singer/songwriter Ben Gibbard and electronica musician Jimmy Tamborello (sometimes known as Dntel) released an album of songs they had recreated primarily by mailing tracks back and forth, thus the band moniker, The Postal Service. Late in the process of making their one studio album, Give Up, Jenny Lewis,…
French psychedelic trio SLIFT started things off back in 2017 when they released their debut EP, Space Is The Key, via one of our favorite labels in Howlin’ Banana Records. Their debut LP, La Planète Inexplorée, then followed in 2018 and found the band exploring their garage psych sound and taking more time to experiment…
