Matthew Sweet CatspawOmnivore Recordings [2021] As big a fan of “High Fidelity” as one can be, I’ve always been too much of a completist to settle for the “top five” of anything, especially desert island discs. Didn’t the invention of the digital media player kind of put the lie to the idea that you’d ever … Read more
Next up on Levitation Sessions: Dead Meadow – Live from The Pillars of God. The show premieres at 7PM CT on Saturday, February 20 and after checking out the video it looks to be another psych rock experience. In Fall 2020, Dead Meadow convened at Camp Mozumdar, hidden away in the mountains above Los Angeles, … Read more
Mister Goblin – the solo project of Sam Goblin (formerly of Two Inch Astronaut) is set to release his latest album, Four People In An Elevator And One Of Them Is The Devil, on February 19th via Exploding In Sound Records (Pile, Editrix, Thirdface). Here is the album’s first single, “Six Flags America,” a beautiful … Read more
AOW keeps rolling this week with three more different artists. Today TFN finds some excellent surf rock from Brazil’s Terremotor, a return of Dallas’ The Deathray Davies after a 16 absence and finally the pure folk from Australia’s Indigo Sparke, which had her record produced by Big Thief’s Adrianne Lenker. As always, make sure you … Read more
2020 was going to be the year of Van Weezer — the big riffs rock album Weezer made as an homage to the metal bands they loved growing up — until, thanks to the global pandemic, it suddenly wasn’t. The entire time, however, Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo was busy at the piano, writing a very … Read more
Fuzz Club Records · Mt. Mountain – Aplomb Australian five-piece Mt. Mountain will release their fourth album, ‘Centre’, on February 26th 2021 via London’s Fuzz Club Records. Hailing from Perth, Australia, Mt. Mountain deal in a sprawling, motorik psychedelic rock sound that journeys between tranquil, drone-like meditations and raucous, full-throttle wig-outs that’ll blow your mind … Read more
shameDrunk Tank PinkDead Oceans [2021] How about a record that embraces the isolation of current times with a simmering post-punk that will hit your core? If that peaks 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 … Read more
To celebrate Dolly Parton’s birthday yesterday, Kishi Bashi shared an excellent new cover of “Early Morning Breeze,” from her formative 1971 album Coat Of Many Colors. The cover introduces a subtly transformed sonic palette, including a short violin solo from the string extraordinaire. “I’ve always loved Dolly Parton,” he explains. “I think an artist’s personality … Read more
Australian singer/songwriter Michael Beach is an architect of a sound that’s both well-built and ramshackle, straightforward and indeterminably complex, out of the norm yet familiar in all the best ways. Today he returns with an epic fourth album that explores the duality of the human condition. It encapsulates human futility, passion, desire, anger, frustration, and … Read more
Here are the initial demos that eventually became Neal Francis’ debut album, Changes. Since releasing his debut album, Neal has toured the country headlining and supporting acts such as Black Pumas, Lee Fields & The Expressions, and The Revivalists. As he prepares for his sophomore LP, here is a peek into the initial sketches at … Read more
CheekfaceEmphatically No.New Professor Music [2021] Los Angeles band Cheekface has returned with their sophomore album Emphatically No. and it is an entertaining listen from front to back. It is an album that completely soars on its lyrics as guitarist/talk singer Greg Katz provides a swagger mix of humor and honesty as the band tackles all … Read more
Ian Sweet – the musical project of Jilian Medford – has officially announced her first album for Polyvinyl, Show Me How You Disappear, out March 5th. Dizzying and enthralling, Show Me How You Disappear is the sound of someone coming apart and putting themselves back together — the moment an old mantra, repeated into the … Read more
Stay Gone by CALYX Is the grass really greener on the other side? Who can really say for certain, but it’s a New Year, and Calyx is prepared to ask the tough questions. The Pittsburgh-based trio of Caitlin Bender (she/her), Jon Ahn (he/him), and Garett Cassidy (he/him) brings their “complex chemical bond that’s very powerful … Read more
The Postal Service Everything Will ChangeSub Pop Records [2020] 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 … Read more
Legendary punk band Descendents have a new track “That’s The Breaks.” The track follows the politically-charged two-song single Suffrage, released ahead of the 2020 general election encouraging voting to take down the Trump administration. In triumph, “That’s The Breaks” serves as a farewell to 45 ahead of the upcoming inauguration. As you might expect, Descendents do not hold back … Read more
Cheekface’s Emphatically No. is the second full-length album from the Los Angeles indie rock trio of guitarist/singing person Greg Katz, bassist/other singing person Amanda Tannen and drummer Mark “Echo” Edwards. This is a record obviously influenced by great American talk-singers like Lou Reed, Jonathan Richman and Stephen Malkmus, British post-punk bands like Wire and The … Read more
AOW is ready to officially kick of 2021 with three completely different artists. This week finds Montreal’s Bell Orchestre making a return after 10 years with a mesmerizing new record, a rising artist out of Phoenix named Danielle Durack and the cool home-recording out of New York from Black Nash. So far 2021 has already … Read more
Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever have shared a new video for “The Only One” from Sideways To New Italy, their sophomore album released last year. Directed by Mike Ridley, the video for fan-favorite, “The Only One” follows the beloved character of Pie Man as he wanders the streets of the Northern-Melbourne suburbs. “The places are real, … Read more
First Time On Vinyl!Reissue of one-off 2003 project by Doug Martsch (Built to Spill), featuring Ned Evett, Ian Waters, and John Mullin. Boise Cover Band’s “Unoriginal Artists” is basically a Built to Spill album, the vision of its founding member Doug Martsch. The Ultra Clear Vinyl variant with LOTS of Electric Blue, Mustard, and Red … Read more
Sonny FallsAll That Has Come Apart/Once Did Not ExistPlastic Miracles [2020] If we would have gotten hold of Sonny Falls new double album before December it would have landed in our 2020 Top 50 end year list. The album was actually released in three parts starting on August 7th, when the first cassette was released, … Read more
Already earning an avalanche of critical acclaim and multiple placements on “Artists To Watch” lists for 2021, Claud has released the third track from their forthcoming debut album. “Cuff Your Jeans”, is another constructed lovelorn pop gem. Claud’s debut album, Super Monster, will be released on February 12th via Saddest Factory Records. Says Claud of … Read more
The Reverberation Appreciation Society has announced the second entry of its Live at Levitation series with festival founders — The Black Angels. The LP captures a slice of the early days, recorded at Austin Psych Fest 2010, 2011 and 2012, with 6 tracks from their first two albums. The artists and sets showcased on Live at Levitation have been chosen from over a … Read more
Glitterer has a new track with “Didn’t Want It” which is off the new album Life Is Not A Lesson out February 26th via ANTI-. “Didn’t Want It” was the first song I wrote for the new record,” Glitterer aka Ned Russin explained. “Despite having no road map for how the rest of the songs would turn … Read more
OseesPanther RotateCastle Face Records [2020] Anymore it is almost a given that some of John Dwyer’s output will lean towards the experimental side of things. Especially, after the visceral release of Protean Threat, it only makes sense that Panther Rotate was billed as a remix album of its big brother. Turns out, Panther Rotate is … Read more
Seattle-based soul-jazz groove-machine Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio are set to release their sophomore studio album, I Told You So, on January 29th via Colemine Records. Their first single “Call Your Mom,” should get you ready for another organ driven jazz experience. DLO3 conjures the smoky 1960s jazz stylings of Jimmy Smith and Baby Face Willette, … Read more