Neil Young HomegrownReprise Records [2020] This long “lost” Neil Young album was recorded late in 1974, two years after his classic solo, commercial breakout album, Harvest, which contained some of Young’s best known and loved songs – “Heart of Gold,” “Are You Ready for the Country,” “Old Man,” “Alabama,” and “The Needle and the Damage … Read more
JPLSapiens – Chapitre 1/3: ExordiumQuadrifonic [2020] The first thing you hear is the devil’s interval – the tritone being playing by a French Horn that just seems too appropriate. It’s little more than a nod to Tales From Topographic Oceans but it sets the stage for everything to come. Jean-Pierre Louveton (known simply as JPL) … Read more
Thee MVPsScience FictionEeasy Records [2020] It seems like more and more these days I need to look harder through my email to find some really good riff driven rock music. I know the suppression of rock is coming from the bigger general listening audiences current tastes but if your band is not from Australia, there … Read more
Muzz MuzzMatador Records [2020] According the dictionary, “muzz” is a transitive verb which is British slang that means “to confuse” someone, or make them muzzy, which suggests that someone might be ill or drunk, while to make a picture “muzzy” means it’s unclear or out of focus. Which makes it a curious choice for a … Read more
Built To Spill Built To Spill Plays The Songs Of Daniel JohnstonErnest Jenning Record Co. [2020] Who: Indie rock icons, Built to Spill cover 11 tracks from another indie rock icon, Daniel Johnstone. Sound: Boise, Idaho indie rock legends play it safe and respectful to give a fitting and often times, endearing tribute to Daniel … Read more
Jaime Wyatt Neon CrossNew West Records [2020] Over the decades, county music has loved a hard luck story, a tears in your beer weeper about a romance gone bad, hard livin’ and hard lovin’ with the promise of a party on the weekend. But it also came with the expectation of authenticity, the idea … Read more
RVGFeralOur Golden Friend [2020] Melbourne’s RVG have returned with their sophomore album, Feral, and it completely rises the quartet to another level. There has been plenty of quality rock bands coming from Australia these days but where most of TFN highlights from that continent have been psychedelic garage rock, RVG will stun you with their … Read more
ICEThe Ice AgeRidingEasy Records [2020] In 2015 Riding Easy Records released the first volume in their Brown Acid series (compiled by Riding Easy’s Daniel Hall and Permanent Records owner Lance Baressi), which collects rare and unreleased tracks from the “underground comedown,” roughly defined as “after the first wave of psychedelia and before the emergence of … Read more
Jeff RosenstockNO DREAMPolyvinyl Records [2020] If you were to see Jeff Rosenstock walking down the street of Los Angeles you would have no idea that this is the dude that keeps punk rock alive and well in 2020. At 37, Rosenstock has become an unlikely hero in the scene with a band resume that includes … Read more
The 1975 Notes On A Conditional FormDirty Hit/Interscope Records [2020] By now, there are some constants that we can assert about The 1975. They like to dream big, and they love a wide concept with lots of room for experimentation. They come up with cool, often long album titles. Oh, and musically, well, they are … Read more
Rolling Blackouts Coastal FeverSideways To New ItalySub Pop Records [2020] Avoiding the sophomore album slump is a monumental task for any group that had a successful debut like Melbourne-based band Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever. Hope Downs (2018) had the college jangle at times like R.E.M., which then combined with the raw rock of The Replacements. … Read more
Dion Blues With FriendsKeeping The Blues Alive [2020] There are different levels of fame. There’s “one hit wonder” famous, and “once upon a time” famous, where you are remembered for your hits, and people flock around to remember when they were young. There’s that level of fame where the whole world knows you by just … Read more
Victor Wainwright And The Train Memphis LoudRuf Records [2020] Keyboard player Victor Wainwright may have grown up in Georgia, as he suggests in the title from his 2005 debut Piana from Savannah, but as he sings on the title track of his new album he is now Memphis Loud. That track alone goes a long … Read more
2nd GradeHit To HitDouble Double Whammy [2020] With such a heavy world right now the sophomore record from Philadelphia’s 2nd Grade is the perfect dose of indie power pop to brighten any mood. Hit To Hit offers 24 tracks over 42 minutes and if you do the quick math it equals a short song music … Read more
Thao & The Get Down Stay DownTempleRibbon Music [2020] After 2016’s A Man Alive release Thao Nguyen lost interest in her music and the group as she struggled with multiple life issues. The good news is that she has returned with the groups fifth album Temple and it probably represents one of the most personal … Read more
Perfume Genius Set My Heart On Fire ImmediatelyMatador Records [2020] You get the sense listening to the fifth album from Perfume Genius, aka Mike Hadreas, that at heart he’s a torch singer. Whatever the musical direction or production style an individual track takes – and he does just about everything here, from dirge-y electronica to … Read more
Kip & JJ Loui Show Me StateSelf-Released [2020] Show Me State is a country rock/Americana love letter from songwriters and spouses, Kip & JJ Loui to their home state of Missouri, with music support from members of The Bottle Rockets and Loui’s local club band, Diesel Island. Kip Loui has been a significant presence in … Read more
Steve Earle & The Dukes Ghosts of West VirginiaNew West Records [2020] In 2010, the worst mining disaster in American history happened at the Upper Big Branch coal mine in West Virginia, killing 29 miners in the explosion. Early this Spring, an Off-Broadway play telling the story of the victims and their families titled “Coal … Read more
WoodsStrange To ExplainWoodsist Records [2020] Strange To Explain is Woods 11th full length album (not counting collaborations, split LPs, EPs, and singles), and the 99th release on their Woodsist label. That 15 year longevity is a great accomplishment for any indie band and over the years Woods has evolved their sound as they have moved … Read more
EOB EarthCapitol Records [2020] EOB is the moniker used by Radiohead guitarist Ed O’Brien for this debut solo venture, Earth, the music of which he has said was inspired by a year of living in Brazil with his family and, oddly enough, the 1991 album from the band Primal Scream, Screamidelica. While we’ve heard several … Read more
Catholic ActionCelebrated By StrangersPalo Santo Records [2020] There is something rejuvenating about Glasgow’s Catholic Action and their style of guitar rock. On their sophomore album, Celebrated By Strangers, the band extends their more guitar driven debut with some synthesizers and finding more of a beat that is very in line with fellow Glaswegians Franz Ferdinand. … Read more
Diet CigDo You Wonder About Me?Frenchkiss Records [2020] I will tell you that I was all about Alex Luciano and Noah Bowman, of rock duo Diet Cig, back in 2015 with the release of their excellent EP, Over Easy, on Father/Daughter Records. I also will tell you that I was less enthusiastic about the New … Read more
Jason Isbell And The 400 Unit ReunionsSoutheastern Records [2020] In one of the songs on Jason Isbell’s seventh solo album since stepping away from the Drive-By Truckers, the singer sings again about his struggle to maintain his sobriety, “It gets easier, but it never gets easy.” He could just as easily be describing the work … Read more
DrakulasTerminal AmusementsDine Alone Records [2020] Drakulas, is an art-rock quartet from Austin, TX, that just recently released their sophomore full length Terminal Amusements. The group is made up of several experienced members with frontman Mike Wiebe (Riverboat Gamblers, High Tension Wires), guitarist Zach Blair (Rise Against, Hagfish) and a cast of Texas musicians including bassist … Read more
John Finbury American Nocturnes – Final Days of JulyGreen Flash Music [2020] This one comes with an admission that age has changed my musical tastes. In my teen years and college days I studied while listening to classic rock and The Clash, but here as I enter my 7th decade I can’t read or write … Read more