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, bringing together their early guitar rock inclinations with the orchestrated compositional depth that came later. 2017’s A Black Mile to the Surface embraced a cinematic, … Read more
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 that records their masterpiece after 43 years and nineteen albums? Yes, Vigesimus is Latin for “twentieth” and after toiling in the relative silence of the … Read more
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 packages. The needling guitar and pacing stop short drums keep every song from Spread Joy in a perfect sequence and create a seamless experience from … Read more
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 working/schooling at home, binging TV series at an alarming rate and snacking endlessly to assuage the haunting sense of ennui, many of our favorite artists … Read more
Spirit Of The BeehiveENTERTAINMENT, DEATHSaddle Creek Records [2021] The saying always goes that change is good. If you are a believer in that moto then the new Spirit Of The Beehive record will strike your interest. For the Philadelphia band there is plenty of “change” that runs throughout their fourth LP, ENTERTAINMENT, DEATH, and it … Read more
The Choir Deep CutsGalaxy21 Music [2021] Originally formed in the 80’s, The Choir’s long creative partnership between singer and guitarist Derri Daugherty and drummer and lyricist Steve Hindalong continues to reap rich musical rewards on the band’s 16th studio album. While no band thrives through multiple decades without some willingness to adapt to changing musical … Read more
Dry CleaningNew Long Leg4AD [2021] New Long Leg is London-based band Dry Cleaning’s debut album and it easily was one of the most anticipated releases of 2021 after their pair of excellent EPs released in 2019. It is record of control as the group mesmerizes you with background guitar runs fronted by the modern spoken … Read more
TUNSDuly NotedMurderecords [2021] There is nothing better than a killer power pop record and TUNS sophomore album, Duly Noted, may just be one of the best ones you might hear this year. If you are already familiar with TUNS this should not be a shocking statement as members Chris Murphy (Sloan), Mike O’Neil (The Inbreds), … Read more
JPLSapiens – Chapitre 2/3: Deus ex MachinaQuadrifonic Records [2021] Coming in hot after last year’s Album Of The Year designation, JPL has unleashed part two of his Sapiens space rock opera and it hits hard and fast. The pressure of repeating a classic album is nothing new to Jean-Pierre Louveton though. Back in 2006 his … Read more
Too Much Joy Mistakes Were MadePeople Suck Music [2021] Along with the quick arrival of life saving vaccines, you can count the return to recording by the late 80’s/early 90’s power pop/punk rockers Too Much Joy as something good that came from our year of COVID-19 shut-down. The Scarsdale, NY natives achieved a modicum of … Read more
The Martha’s Vineyard FerriesSuns Out Guns OutErnest Jenning Record Co. [2021] The Martha’s Vineyard Ferries have one of the best indie rock resumes in the game and they completely flex a high level talent on their new album Suns Out Guns Out. The group features bassist/vocalist Bob Weston (Volcano Suns, Shellac. Mission Of Burma), drummer/vocalist … Read more
Maxïmo Park Nature Always WinsProlifica Inc. [2021] British trio, Maxïmo Park combine the big, rock 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 … Read more
Mister GoblinFour People In An Elevator And One Of Them Is The DevilExploding In Sound Records [2021] Mister Goblin is the solo project of Sam Goblin (formerly of Two Inch Astronaut) and his sophomore album, Four People In An Elevator And One Of Them Is The Devil, is the best recording he has released to … Read more
Jeff Johnson & Phil Keaggy RavennaArkMusic [2021] Ravenna is the fourth instrumental collaboration from keyboardist Jeff Johnson and guitarist Phil Keaggy, this time inspired by 5th and 6th century mosaics from the Byzantine era, housed in 8 early Christian monuments in Ravenna, Italy, all now on the World Heritage List. As such this lush, layered … Read more
TransatlanticThe Absolute UniverseInside Out Music [2021] For fans of Progressive Rock the name Transatlantic resonates like few others. They need no introduction to the faithful but to the rest of the world they better known by their day jobs: Neal Morse (ex-Spock’s Beard), Mike Portnoy (ex-Dream Theater), Roine Stolt (The Flower Kings) and Pete Trewavas … Read more
Cub Scout Bowling PinsHeaven Beats IowaGBV Inc. [2021] It didn’t take too long before Cub Scout Bowling Pins was revealed to be the current lineup of Guided By Voices. That news of course heightened the excitement behind the release of this EP, Heaven Beats Iowa. That elation is because if you have followed the storied … Read more
Aaron Lee Tasjan Tasjan! Tasjan! Tasjan!New West Records [2021] To get a sense for the vast musical inspirations that fuel Aaron Lee Tasjan’s eclectic pop style, expressed across the 11 strong tracks of his fourth full-length album Tasjan! Tasjan! Tasjan! you just have to consider the list of artists he’s collaborated with in one way … Read more
Delvon Lamarr Organ TrioI Told You SoColemine Records [2021] 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 … Read more
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
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
Ghost Funk OrchestraAn Ode To EscapismKarma Chief/Colemine Records [2020] Sometimes you come across an album that feels like it’s tailor-made for you. Maybe the songs perfectly fit what’s going on in your life at the time. Maybe they hit just the right mix of genres and styles, to the point that it feels like it … Read more
The ChivesThe ChivesSuper Wimpy Punch [2020] Sometimes shit just comes together. That statement can apply to so many things like money, relationships, projects and occasionally – music. Case in point today is the Boston garage punk collective called The Chives. The group is made up of members from bands Blue Ray, Brittle Brian, Squitch, and … Read more
SUPER-XSUPER-XPolaks/Spoilsport Records [2020] Melbourne’s SUPER-X is propelled by brothers Harrison and George Ottaway on muscle flexed guitars while being glued together by Kaelan Emond’s roaring drums. Their self-titled debut has been in the works for 5 years but the fantastic wall of fuzzy post-punk war they wage here was 110% worth the wait. The best … Read more
Kimono Drag QueensSongs Of WorshipCopper Feast Records [2020] Since their formation in 2016, Sydney’s psych-rock band Kimono Drag Queens have released a string of singles, and have been slowly leading up to finally releasing their debut, Songs Of Worship. It’s taken the seven-piece two years to record but I believe it was worth the wait … Read more
Bee Bee SeaDay RipperWild Honey Records [2020] Italian trio Bee Bee Sea have returned with their third LP, Day Ripper, and if a title could ever capture the overall mood of a record this band has nailed it. Day Ripper is a super high energy indie rocker that jams incredibly hard as it dips … Read more