Guided By VoicesCrystal Nuns CathedralGBV Inc. [2022] If I asked you today to make me a list of current rock bands that have been putting out consistent albums over the last several years what names would you write down? Still thinking? Is Guided By Voices on your list and looking fairly lonely at the top? … Read more
Various ArtistsHighway Butterfly; The Songs Of Neal CasalNeal Casal Music Foundation [2022] There’s no way to avoid the bittersweet feeling that hovers nearby this lovely collection of songs by noted guitarist and songwriter Neal Casal, recorded by friends and fans as a tribute to his legacy as a respected musician and collaborator, who ended his … Read more
Johnny MarrFever Dreams Pt. 1-4BMG [2022] While it’s only natural to look for echoes of The Smith’s in Johnny Marr’s solo work, he was only with that band for 6, albeit, very productive years, and in the decade that followed he cut a wide musical swatch playing in bands as diverse as Modest Mouse, The … Read more
Kendra MorrisNine LivesColemine/Karma Chief Records [2022] Kendra Morris has been releasing music for over a decade, putting out several albums, EPs, and singles since 2011 while collaborating with the likes of Czarface and Chico Mann along the way. She joined the ever-expanding roster of Colemine Records imprint Karma Chief in 2021 with her excellent single … Read more
SuperchunkWild LonelinessMerge Records [2022] Wild Loneliness opens with a simple acoustic strum as Mac McCaughan’s familiar voice starts Superchunk’s newest musical journey that reflects pandemic times. It is an album that battles all the isolation of the last few years and highlights things to be thankful for. Now 30 years into a career, Superchunk deliver … Read more
Frank TurnerFTHCXtra Mile Recordings [2022] Frank Turner has always been a punk rocker at heart, even his “folk” albums are roiling with punk attitude and energy, or as he describes “punk adjacent.” Of course, Turner only started working as a solo act after the break-up of the hardcore punk band Million Dead, naming his first … Read more
ThankThoughtless CrueltyBox/Exploding In Sound Records [2022] “There’s never been a good band from London,” is declared multiple times from vocalist Freddy Vinehill-Cliffe on Thank’s “Dread,” which is a powerful highlight from the noise rock band’s debut album, Thoughtless Cruelty. The confidence that emerges out of this song is just one sample of their catchy arrogance … Read more
The Flower Kings Review History: Islands (2020) THE FLOWER KINGS LINKSWebsite | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Inside Out Music
El Camino AcidSunset MotelSelf-Released [2022] When I hear the name Conor Stratton I think about a couple of things, Yellow Springs’ Spring Fest and Crooked Spines. Now, I can add one more name to that list, El Camino Acid. Composed of members from Caamp, Blond, Crooked Spines, and Smizmar, El Camino Acid returns with their … Read more
North Mississippi AllstarsSet SailNew West Records [2022] For brothers Luther Dickinson, who played with the Black Crowes from 2007 – ’11, and Cody Dickinson, the core of the North Mississippi Allstars, making music is best when it’s a family affair. Speaking of themselves as second generation musicians, they are the sons of Memphis musician and … Read more
The Cactus BlossomsOne DayWalkie Talkie Records [2022] The music of the Cactus Blossoms is a reminder that the origins of rock & roll predated the Beatles by at least a decade, and likely much longer. Black artists like Chuck Berry and Ike Turner were plugging in electric guitars and finding a vital connection between R&B, … Read more
Big NothingDog HoursLame-O Records [2022] There is definitely something refreshing upon hearing Big Nothing’s newly released sophomore record Dog Hours, as its timeless sound is instantly engaging. The Philadelphia band plays a very straightforward guitar rock that is full of layered harmonies and thought stirring lyrics which seamlessly blends a modern indie style with Americana … Read more
Beach HouseOnce Twice MelodySub Pop Records [2022] In their nearly 20 years of recording, Beach House has lived into their music’s most common description as “dream pop” with each new recording. In 2018, they collaborated with producer Sonic Boom for the first time, creating 7, which many believe to be their most eclectic release to … Read more
Modern NatureIsland Of NoiseBella Union [2022] Modern Nature is at its core an exercise in folk rock meeting improvisational jazz in uncluttered rustic rural setting, brought about under the direction of singer/guitarist Jack Cooper collaborating with co-arranger Jeff Tobias, who plays bass clarinet, alto sax and adds vocals. According to Cooper, he taped this quote … Read more
St. Paul & The Broken BonesThe Alien CoastATO Records [2022] Caught live, St. Paul & The Broken Bones is a full-fledged rock & soul review fronted by the soaring tenor vocals of Paul Janaway, who registers as a cross between a backsliden Baptist revival song-leader, a blue-eyed soul singer wearing his Sam Cooke influences in … Read more
JONAS LINDBERG LINKSWebsite | Facebook | Instagram | Inside Out Music
Green/BlueOfferingHoZac Records [2022] The sophomore album from Minneapolis’ Green/Blue will instantly pull you into the band’s world with its tight as hell guitar play, fuzzy lo-fi vocals and foot pumping rhythmic drums. Offering feels and sounds urgent with each track having the potential to erupt given that its 10 tracks have a total runtime of … Read more
Delvon Lamarr Organ TrioCold As WeissColemine Records [2022] Ever since their debut album Close But No Cigar dropped in 2018, Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio has been one of the most consistent bands on the Colemine Records roster, pumping out instrumental jazz-funk that recalls the greats from the 60s and early 70s. The deceptively simple setup—which … Read more
SpoonLucifer On The SofaMatador Records [2022] With the release of Everything Hits At Once: The Best of Spoon and a summer tour opening for “The Night Running” amphitheater tour, with co-bill headliners Beck and Cage the Elephant, it felt like Spoon was poised in 2019 to step up to the next level. A new single, … Read more
Big ThiefDragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You4AD [2022] No one will ever accuse Big Thief of holding anything back. In 2019, the band released two full length albums. U.F.O.F., their third album, earned a nomination for a Grammy for Best Alternative Music Album, then a little over 7 months later the released Two … Read more
Erin RaeLighten UpThirty Tigers [2022] On her third album, Nashville singer/songwriter Erin Rae is making an effort to Lighten Up, with help from her new producer Jonathan Wilson. After establishing herself as a songwriter in the Joni Mitchell school of folk/Americana, Rae works to stretch herself here, bringing that Laurel Canyon touch of psychedelia to … Read more
MitskiLaurel HellDead Oceans [2022] On Mitski’s last record, Be The Cowboy (2018), she found herself on top of the indie world with an ever growing fanbase that was selling out tour dates and just about landed on every critics best of list for the year. With that momentum, you would think nothing was going to … Read more
The War On Drugs: KEMBA Live; Columbus, OH; Friday, February 4, 2022 Fans of the band The War On Drugs’ albums, might be curious how an artist as meticulous as singer/guitarist/songwriter Adam Granduciel is reported to be in preparing his recordings for release, since he’s often described as notoriously precise about, well… everything on his band’s … Read more
Black Country, New RoadAnts From Up ThereNinja Tune [2022] 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). … Read more
Pedro The LionHavasuPolyvinyl/Big Scary Monsters [2022] Singer/songwriters have been offering proof of the truth that “what is most personal is most universal,” first posited by psychologist Carl R. Rogers in the early 60’s, since the early blues artists first complained why they “woke up this morning” with the blues. Whether it’s been James Taylor reacting … Read more