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. I also feel like it is a given that his output will be witty, complex and challenging. Chloë And The Next 20th Century, his fifth … Read more
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 “Chaise Lounge” from the British indie band Wet Leg. Its surprise not surprised delivery tone is just one of the cool moments you will hear … Read more
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 best songs were going to last for the long-haul. Dancing around the stage in nothing but their socks they were built for speed, not for … Read more
PATTERN-SEEKING ANIMALS LINKSWebsite | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Inside Out Music
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 angular rock to another level. The band shines with their mostly shouted rotating female/male vocals as they deliver their opinion and bring more awarness to … Read more
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 Dan Auerbach’s Easy Eye Sound. So they arrive on Sweet Unknown with a distinct sound and a highly developed sense of band identity that’s deeply … Read more
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, which recorded six months after the departure of their previous frontman and singer/songwriter, Tim Smith. And if early listens of For the Sake of Bethel … Read more
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 news that you can hear a new record right now, that you didn’t even know existed a minute before, is off the charts. Oso Oso … Read more
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 percussive jazz orchestrations, and Tamara Lindeman’s heady mix of smart song-craft and lyrical reflections on the challenges of modern life, the planetary crisis, and the … Read more
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 singer/songwriter Alynda Segarra, who currently dwells in New Orleans and also fronted the “hobo band” Dead Man Street Orchestra. My first encounter Hurray was an … Read more
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 late 2019. Like many other artists, the global pandemic put a halt on playing live music but it created an opportunity for the group to … Read more
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 show. This was before Nirvana and Pearl Jam, so the closest thing to “grunge” on mainstream rock radio was NY&CH; but still, I thought it … Read more
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 his bandmates, they quarantined and ended up staying for 9 months. The creative flow took place and the group produced not one but two records. … Read more
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 to finish, emphasizing the band’s 2021 release, The Million Masks of God, but playing enough choice selections from their older albums to satisfy die-hard fans … Read more
M Ross PerkinsE Pluribus M RossColemine/Karma Chief Records [2022] Colemine Records is best known for their soul and funk acts like Durand Jones & The Indications, Monophonics, and Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio, but lately they’ve been putting out a lot of great records on their Karma Chief imprint. Whether it’s the psychedelic soul sounds of … Read more
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 the sale of Bloodshot Records, delayed the release. Out now, in time to hit the road where the band has won their strongest notices, Shook … Read more
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 artists across the musical spectrum, from U2 and Van Morrison to punk bands who weren’t convinced that third chord was entirely necessary. In “Pain Free … Read more
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 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 time. It’s the more grandiose version of “I’m fine.” And like many of the songs here by Ben Bridwell and his Band of Horses, the … Read more
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 quickly released a 4 song EP several months later but then spent 2021 writing and recording their debut LP, Meadow Flower. The time was well … Read more
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 Dead, she’s no doubt best remembered for her biggest hit, the quirky folk pop of “One of Us” from her debut album, Relish in 1995. … Read more
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 music from Elvis Costello, Tears for Fears, and now Australia’s gift to the alternative rock world, Midnight Oil. When the band returned after a long … Read more
MARILLION LINKSWebsite | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Racket Records
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 produced by the band and recorded at their self-made studio in Seattle’s Central District. The Dip brings a stylistic combination of soul and R&B while … Read more
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 the Beatlesque pop psychedelia of their 1989 follow-up, The Seeds of Love, the British duo do tend to come from a pretty dour place. It … Read more