CalyxStay GonePlastic Miracles / Ethospine Noise / Chumpire / Salinas Records [2021] I always enjoy when I come across a record that just bursts with raw energy. That is exactly how I would quickly describe Calyx’s full length debut, Stay Gone, as the Pittsburgh trio has perfected their brash style of indie punk rock. The … 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
Foo Fighters Medicine At MidnightRoswell/RCA Records [2021] Nobody who heard Foo Fighters’ self-titled debut in 1995, which featured Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl playing all the instruments and singing all the leads, could have guessed that 10 albums and 26 years later Grohl & Co. would be one of the most successful rock acts in the … 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
Frankie SunsweptTurningRomanus Records [2021] You may know of Frankie Sunswept from his previous band Crushed Out which played a higher octave fuzz guitar with several beats mixed into the song structures. Now out on his own, Sunswept’s debut, Turning, provides a solid kaleidoscope of pop, soul, rock, blues and psychedelia for a satisfying listen from … Read more
Charlie Peacock Skin And Wind UTR Media [2021] Unless you’re someone who studies the small print credits list when you pick up a new album, you likely have never heard of Charlie Peacock, the producer of The Civil Wars’ 2011 debut, Barton Hollow, which picked up two Grammy’s for Best Folk and Best Country Duo Performance. … 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
Ryan Adams WednesdaysPAX-AM [2020] Early in 2019, Ryan Adams announced that he had three albums set for immanent release, but that was before the New York Times released a story in which seven women, including his ex-wife Mandy Moore, Liz Phair, and Phoebe Bridgers, accused him of sexual misconduct and abuse. Adams denied the allegations … Read more
Weezer OK HumanCrush Music/Atlantic Records [2021] With the pandemic postponement of the Hella Mega Tour with co-headliners Green Day and Fall Out Boy, Weezer has delayed the release of their promised Van Weezer record designed to re-visit the big noisy guitars of their hard rock and metal influences a la the likes of KISS, Sabbath, … Read more
Lucero When You Found MeLiberty & Lament/Thirty Tigers [2021] On the tenth studio album from long-time Memphis band Lucero, singer and songwriter Ben Nichols leads his bandmate crew through 10 songs that celebrate the rock & roll influences he heard on the radio throughout his youth in a series of story songs that reflect his … Read more
Steve Earle & The Dukes J.T.New West Records [2021] Steve Earle, one of the founding fathers of Outlaw Country and Americana, has gotten awfully good at something he likely never hoped to be known for. Especially this time. Back in 2009, Earle released Townes, a tribute to his friend and mentor, Townes Van Zandt, who … Read more
Kikagaku Moyo Live At LevitationThe Reverberation Appreciation Society [2021] Kikagaku Moyo’s name translated means “geometric patterns.” The group hails from Tokyo, Japan and has been active since 2012. The band also hosts their own label, Guruguru Brain, which has some of the best psychedelic artists on their roster in music today. When this album hit … Read more
Kiwi Jr.Cooler ReturnsSup Pop Records [2021] I always like to watch bands grow from their debut and attempt one of the biggest moments in any band’s career which is to avoid the dreaded sophomore slump. Toronto’s Kiwi Jr. for sure is in that watch group following their catchy 2019 debut Football Money on Canadian label … 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
shameDrunk Tank PinkDead Oceans [2021] How about a record that embraces the isolation of current times with a simmering post-punk that will hit your core? If that peaks your interest then shame’s sophomore record, Drunk Tank Pink, is a release that you need to spin right now. The band presents a much more mature sound … 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
The Postal Service Everything Will ChangeSub Pop Records [2020] In 2003, Death Cab For Cutie’s lead singer/songwriter Ben Gibbard and electronica musician Jimmy Tamborello (sometimes known as Dntel) released an album of songs they had recreated primarily by mailing tracks back and forth, thus the band moniker, The Postal Service. Late in the process of … Read more
Sonny FallsAll That Has Come Apart/Once Did Not ExistPlastic Miracles [2020] If we would have gotten hold of Sonny Falls new double album before December it would have landed in our 2020 Top 50 end year list. The album was actually released in three parts starting on August 7th, when the first cassette was released, … Read more
OseesPanther RotateCastle Face Records [2020] Anymore it is almost a given that some of John Dwyer’s output will lean towards the experimental side of things. Especially, after the visceral release of Protean Threat, it only makes sense that Panther Rotate was billed as a remix album of its big brother. Turns out, Panther Rotate is … Read more
Aaron FrazerIntroducing…Dead Oceans/Easy Eye Sound [2021] One element that helped make the last record from Durand Jones and The Indications, American Love Call, a success was the quality songwriting and elegant falsetto coming from drummer Aaron Frazer. Has creativeness and voice was the perfect balance for the band but also put a large spotlight on … Read more
The White Stripes Greatest HitsThird Man Records/Columbia Records [2020] Here in 2020, 13 years after the last studio release from The White Stripes, it’s funny for those of us who saw the band live in their heyday in the 00’s because apart from hearing “Seven Nation Army,” on what’s left of alternative rock radio, probably … Read more
Phoebe Bridgers Copycat Killers EPDead Oceans [2020] After releasing her critically acclaimed sophomore release, Punisher, back in the summer only to have it earn her 4 Grammy nods including Best New Artist, singer/songwriter Phoebe Bridgers has collaborated with orchestrator Rob Moose to re-present 4 songs from that strong indie rock collection. Moose is best known … Read more
Jason HennJazz Pigs In High SchoolCara Records [2020] Over the past 12 years, Jason Henn has been writing and recording compact and catchy lo-fi pop songs under the moniker of Honey Radar. Now without his band mates, Jazz Pigs In High School is Henn’s first solo record under his own name. Like most solo records, … Read more
The Dirty Knobs Wreckless AbandonBMG [2020] Guitarist Mike Campbell, like Little Stephen Van Zandt (E Street Band) and Nils Lofgren (Crazy Horse & E Street Band), has both the distinction and anonymity of being a rock star’s sideman, playing for the better part of 50 years in the shadow of Tom Petty. While the Heartbreakers’ … Read more