Pokey LaFargeIn The Blossom Of Their ShadeNew West Records [2021] Anyone familiar with the work of Pokey LaFarge will tell you that his music is deeply rooted in the music of the past, think the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s, before rock got to rolling, when pop on the radio mingled jazz, country and lots of … Read more
Parquet CourtsSympathy For LifeRough Trade Records [2021] For the past 10 years, Parquet Courts have been pushing the limits of indie rock. That is a big statement considering the band from the outside seems to stay below the radar with their overall slacker vibe rock style and almost spoken singing type vocals by A. Savage … Read more
Hand HabitsFun HouseSaddle Creek Records [2021] It is always nice to hear an artist grow with each album they release. I think that is exactly what you will find with Hand Habits third full length, Fun House, as Los Angeles-based musician Meg Duffy takes their time with every piece on this album and delivers a … Read more
Angel OlsenAisles EPSomethingscosmic/Jagjaguwar [2021] Ever walk through the store shopping and whatever is playing over the speakers as background noise catches your attention? We have all been there – humming some “Karma, karma, karma, karma, karma chameleon” from Culture Club looking for a shirt, singing along with Cyndi Lauper’s “Time After Time” as you are … Read more
Face To FaceNo Way Out But ThroughFat Wreck Chords [2021] Celebrating 30 years as a band is an accomplishment considering all the things that need to go right! For Southern California punks, Face To Face, that journey has not been without hurdles as they had a four year hiatus back in ’04 and founding member … Read more
illuminati hottiesLet Me Do One MoreSnack Shack Tracks/Hopeless Records [2021] After the success of Sarah Tudzin’s debut album, Kiss Yr Frenemies (2018), her moniker illuminati hotties had created the kind of anticipation you want for a sophomore album. However, things at Tudzin’s label, Tiny Engines, fell apart, and illuminati hotties were stuck in a contract … Read more
Madi DiazHistory Of A FeelingANTI- [2021] If there are actually five stages of grief, Nashville singer/songwriter Madi Diaz may have stumbled on a few more levels of pain on her ANTI- Records debut, History Of A Feeling, where she explores her sense of loss at the ending of a significant relationship. Diaz left the Berklee … Read more
The Wild FeathersAlvaradoNew West Records [2021] As Nashville’s Wild Feathers entered their second decade as a band, they were more or less forced to pause and reflect on their early successes, like when their 2013 Jay Joyce produced debut rose to number one on the Billboard magazine’s Heatseeker’s chart of up-and-coming acts, and the band’s … Read more
Steve GunnOther YouMatador Records [2021] Steve Gunn may have started out as a go-to sideman who worked with Kurt Vile, desirable for his estimable guitar chops, here on his sixth solo album the singer/songwriter has created a potent collection that allow all his musical gifts and influences to coalesce. Recorded on the left coast, the … Read more
HovvdyTrue LoveGrand Jury Music [2021] Hovvdy is the duo of Charlie Martin and Will Taylor, which now with True Love have four albums under their belt. This full length finds the pair both now married and Will became a father. It goes without saying that those life events easily can shape your current state of … Read more
The BethsAuckland, New Zealand, 2020Carpark Records [2021] Power pop/rock band The Beths are easily the best thing to come out of New Zealand since Crowded House. With two strong studio albums under their belt – Future Me Hates Me in ’18, and Jump Rope Gazers in ’20 – the band took advantage of their nation’s … Read more
José GonzálezLocal ValleyCity Slang/Mute Records [2021] Swedish folk singer/songwriter and guitarist, José González brings his unique finger picking approach and take on world music to his fourth studio album on Local Valley, drawing on influences from Latin America and Africa. His fluid, often groovy approach to folk is enhanced by his six nylon stringed Spanish … Read more
The Ophelias CrocusJoyful Noise Recordings [2021] The Ophelias, an indie folk/rock quartet which got their start in Cincinnati, return with a third studio album, Crocus. While the four members came together after playing the role of the “token girl” in a male band, their collaboration grew from their combined creativity marked by the unique voice … Read more
Heartless BastardsA Beautiful LifeSweet Unknown Records/Thirty Tigers [2021] Since Heartless Bastards’ debut, Stairs And Elevators, was released in 2005, lead singer founder Erika Wennerstrom’s voice has always been a focal point of the group. Over the years, and now on album number six, Heartless Bastards have had a different lineup of musicians but Erika’s soaring … Read more
Jeff Elbel + Ping The Threefinger OperaMarathon Records [2021] When life gives you lemons, the crafty among us make limoncello, the saying goes. If you have a talent for language and storytelling, you can turn any horrible event into The Great American Novel. But what if you are a musician and you have an injury … Read more
MotoristsSurroundedBobo Integral/We Are Time/Debt Offensive Records [2021] Toronto based Motorists have released one of the more interesting debuts I have heard this year. Surrounded covers an array of genres that swims in post-punk, jangle indie rock, power pop and a classic raw college radio sound from the 80’s. What works is that Motorists successfully combine … Read more
Son Volt: Ludlow Garage; Cincinnati, OH; Saturday, September 18, 2021 As someone who lived in St. Louis from late ’83 thru the middle of ’08 and wrote semi-professionally about music for many of those years – contributing to the two largest publications that followed the music scene, The Riverfront Times and Post-Dispatch, as well as a … Read more
CyanFor King And CountryTiger Moth Records [2021] Back before Prog made a comeback, before Welsh keyboardist Rob Reed formed Magenta, he dreamed of being in a band like Yes or Genesis. He formed a band called Cyan. Still a teenager in the 80’s he and his school chums shopped a four song demo they had … Read more
Mild High ClubGoing Going GoneStones Throw Records [2021] When we last saw the moniker Mild High Club it was paired with none other than King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard. There was once a time, way back in 2017, where Gizzard released 5 albums in one year. One of those was their collaboration Sketches of … Read more
Alanis Morissette, “Jagged Little Pill 25th Anniversary Tour”, w/ Garbage, and Cat Power: Riverbend Music Center; Cincinnati, OH; Wednesday September 15, 2021 When Alanis Morissette finally hit the stage on Wednesday night you would have a hard time remembering that 26 years had passed since the release of her “Jagged Little Pill” as she paced … Read more
High PonyAll We Did Was DreamSuper Wimpy Punch Records [2021] It won’t take you long into High Pony’s excellent third LP, All We Did Was Dream, to realize how much you miss some straightforward indie rock. The Brooklyn band is a testament to taking a step back and finding your true sound. After over 70 … Read more
YesThe QuestInside Out Music [2021] Love them. Hate them. There are few bands that generate the kind of emotions from audiences that Yes can. They are, by turns, confounding and astounding – often at the same time. Throughout their 52 years as a band there have been numerous lineup changes, lawsuits, multiple bands calling themselves … Read more
LowHey WhatSub Pop Records [2021] Hey What is the 13th studio album from Low, the curious noise band that juxtaposes challenging instrumentals against the sweet and often harmonious vocals of the married Minnesota duo, Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker. Like much of the contemporary compositions made in “serious music” circles (think modern takes on classical), … Read more
Alejandro Escovedo La CruzadaYep Roc Records [2021] Arriving 3 years after Alejandro Escovedo’s wonderful story about two young American immigrants – one from Italy, the other from Mexico – who bond over a love of punk rock and set out to explore the American cultural frontier, La Cruzada is that very same album, with all … Read more
Indigo De Souza Any Shape You TakeSaddle Creek Records [2021] At least twice a day, I hear someone complain about the state of modern music, often shaped by their belief that the music made when they were teenagers was “the golden era” of pop or rock, or music as a whole. What’s both sad and … Read more