St. Vincent: Daddy’s Home World Tour w/ Ali Macofsky: ICON Music Center; Cincinnati, OH – Tuesday, September 7, 2021 With the return of live music events, one of the concerts on my must-see list was St. Vincent, following the release of Daddy’s Home earlier this year, and year’s of hearing stellar reports about her artful … Read more
Colleen GreenCoolHardly Art Records [2021] After 2015’s solid I Want To Grow Up we were fully prepared to see much more of Colleen Green’s guitar pop smarts and then she went quiet. After 6 years we finally have new material in Cool from Colleen Green that is full of mature guitar pop which is direct, … Read more
Amyl And The SniffersComfort To MeATO/Rough Trade Records [2021] I am not sure there is a world in which I would not love the new sophomore record, Comfort To Me, from Amyl And The Sniffers. The Australian quartet, led by the fierce Amy Taylor, has harnessed all of their pent up pandemic energy from 2020 … Read more
The Bevis FrondLittle EdenFire Records [2021] The Bevis Frond is an English rock band formed in 1986 in East London and has been the moniker used by Nick Saloman for the last 35 years. He has consistently released an indie neo-psychedelic alt-rock style that has always been driven from strong writing and purpose. His newest … Read more
Golden ApplesShadowlandLame-O Records [2021] Formally called Cherry, Russell Edling has changed his moniker to Golden Apples for his new album Shadowland. Not only does the name change help eliminate a very hard google search for the band but Golden Apples is a new level of indie rock from Edling. Lockdown punched everyone in the gut … Read more
King Crimson w/ The Zappa Band: Rose Music Center; Dayton, OH – Thursday, September 2, 2021 It needs to be said right from the start, that King Crimson is a unique anomaly among progressive rock bands from the earliest era of rock music history. How early? Crimson released their fourth studio album 50 years ago, … Read more
Meatbodies333In The Red Records [2021] Meatbodies’ Chad Ubovich has kept busy over the last decade playing in Mikal Cronin’s backing band, playing along Ty Segall and Charlie Moothart supplying the killer bass in Fuzz, and then releasing two albums and touring to support his own Meatbodies. The group now returns with the seven song 333 … Read more
GA-20Try It…You Might Like It!Karma Chief/Alligator Records [2021] Boston’s GA-20 proved on their 2019 release, Lonely Soul, that the blues can be for everyone. The group crossed genres with their pristine technique, electric style, and funky groove. The band now returns with a smoldering tribute record to the legendary Chicago bluesman Theodore Roosevelt “Hound Dog” … Read more
TurnstileGlow OnRoadrunner Records [2021] I don’t think earlier this year you could have convinced me that a hardcore/punk band could release a more alternative rock sounding record that would turn out to be one of the best albums released this year. Well, Turnstile’s newest album Glow On has quickly changed those previous thoughts as it … Read more
NMB (The Neal Morse Band)Innocence & DangerInside Out Music/Sony [2021] The Neal Morse Band may have had a descriptively inaccurate name all along but the label wanted the Morse name-recognition thing to help sales. With all five members actively writing and arranging (and four of the five singing lead) it was probably the right time … Read more
WonderBus Music And Arts Festival (Day 2): Columbus, OH – Sunday, August 29, 2021 Despite a forecast that threatened rainstorms, the second day of the WonderBus music festival in Columbus on the lawn of the Chemical Abstracts Service came off without a hitch, with the two final bands of the evening delayed only a half … Read more
The Killers Pressure MachineIsland Records [2021] Well-paired back-to-back songs are a constant feature of The Killers’ discography. On their 2004 debut Hot Fuss, the songs “Mr. Brightside” and “Smile Like You Mean It” are united by a very specific bitterness. On Sam’s Town, the urgency of “When You Were Young” tees up the desperation and … Read more
Phil Madeira Hornet’s NestMercyland Records [2021] With three jazzy piano albums under his belt in the last couple years, it’s no surprise by now that one of Phil Madeira’s musical heroes is jazz icon Thelonious Monk. That may be a surprise to anyone who’s only heard Madeira at his day job, playing backup to one … Read more
Mouse Rat The Awesome AlbumDualtone/Entertainment 720 [2021] Everyone’s heard the famous Oscar Wilde quote that “Life imitates Art far more than Art imitates Life,” but who could have guessed that the mythical band Mouse Rat from the TV comedy “Parks & Recreation” would announce their intention to release an album into the real world on … Read more
SupergrassIn It For The Money (Expanded Remastered Edition)BMG [2021] So when you are signed to Parlophone Records and release the biggest selling debut album for the label since The Beatles’ Please Please Me, I think you have a good thing going. That is exactly how things went for Britpop stars Supergrass and their 1995 debut … Read more
Tim EastonYou Don’t Really Know MeBlack Mesa Records [2021] For over twenty years, Tim Easton has been successfully combining elements of indie rock, folk and a little bit a blues to create his own genre that also consistently adds excellent songwriting and tons of heart to round out his musical ingredients. Easton is now on … Read more
Tropical Fuck StormDeep StatesJoyful Noise Recordings [2021] Australia’s Tropical Fuck Storm continue to be one of the most interesting groups on the indie scene with their new third album, Deep States. I say this because their style is disjointed and sometimes weirdly hard to capture in one setting. At times, their music gasps for air … Read more
Fashion Pimps And The GlamazonsJazz 4 JohnnyFeel It Records [2021] There is absolutely nothing pretty about Cleveland’s Fashion Pimps And The Glamazons debut record Jazz 4 Johnny. The music is raw, rough, loud, noisy, post-punky, unkempt and gritty. It is as almost like the foursome got together and figured out a musical style that would … Read more
WednesdayTwin PlaguesOrindal Records [2021] Indie rock is alive and well with the Asheville, North Carolina band Wednesday. On their sophomore album, Twin Plagues, the quintet turns up the amps and make a glorious guitar fueled album that is driven by vocalist Karly Hartzman. The band still uses their shoegaze skills found on their debut but … Read more
Jackson Browne Downhill From EverywhereInside Recordings [2021] Mention Jackson Browne’s name these days and folks’ eyes tend to glaze over while they try to explain the difference between folk/rock and soft rock as if it matters. But both as a songwriter and a performer, he’s always had a lot more going on artistically than those … Read more
The Joy Formidable Into The BlueHassle Records [2021] On its 5th full-length release, Welsh alternative rockers The Joy Formidable continue to deliver on The Big Roar, the title of its 2011 debut. A decade later on Into The Blue, the trio continue to evolve beyond their influences by wall-of-distortion shoegaze bands like My Bloody Valentine … Read more
L’RainFatigueMexican Summer [2021] Sometimes records exist outside any conventional genres and challenge your ear around every corner. These albums also can produce some of the most intricate and addicting moments that you just really can’t capture with words. L’Rain’s sophomore record, Fatigue, is one of those albums. Brooklyn artist Taja Cheek, aka L’Rain looks all … Read more
T. Hardy Morris The Digital Age Of RomeNew West/Normaltown Records [2021] Sometimes an artist or musician taps a universal theme of love, hope, or purpose that transcends the everyday, and feels relevant in any context in which it is experienced because it’s not specific to any event or era. Classic rock songs may suggest a … Read more
Media JewelerThe Sublime Sculpture Of Being AliveFire Talk Records [2021] If you are looking for some good old indie rock that is odd, quirky and catchy then LA’s Media Jeweler’s third LP, The Sublime Sculpture Of Being Alive, is an album you should be checking out. The album arrives three years after the band’s second … Read more
The UmbrellasThe UmbrellasSlumberland Records [2021] The San Francisco bay area has long been an place where jangly indie pop has soared from 90’s groups The Aislers Set and The Fairways to the more recent bands like The Mantles and The Reds, Pinks & Purples. Now you can add The Umbrellas to the current contemporary list … Read more