Danny Elfman: Big Mess [Album Review]
Danny Elfman Big MessANTI-/Epitaph Records [2021] Rarely has an artist captured the tone and energy of their recording project as accurately and succinctly as Danny Elfman does here in the…
The Mountain Goats: Dark In Here [Album Review]
The Mountain Goats Dark In HereMerge Records [2021] It’s hard off the top of my head to imagine a more prolific and talented songwriter currently working today than John Darnielle,…
Garbage: No Gods No Masters [Album Review]
Garbage No Gods No MastersStunvolume/Infectious Music [2021] Ever since Garbage came out of the box in 1995, the band – boasting Scottish front woman Shirley Manson and oft-lauded producer Butch…
Black River Delta: Shakin’ [Album Review]
Black River Delta Shakin’SofaBurn Records [2021] After a couple of listens to the hardcore blues rock of Black River Delta’s third album, Shakin’, you’d likely be surprised to learn that…
Pardoner: Came Down Different [Album Review]
PardonerCame Down DifferentBar/None Records [2021] It is not hard to look around to find indie rock but it’s always exciting to find an album that takes it to the next…
Liz Phair: Soberish [Album Review]
Liz Phair SoberishChrysalis Records [2021] When Liz Phair’s debut album, Exile In Guyville, was released in 1993, she was a critic’s darling and an indie rock superhero for her gutsy…
Grave Flowers Bongo Band: Strength Of Spring [Album Review]
Grave Flowers Bongo Band Strength Of SpringCastle Face Records [2021] When Grave Flowers Bongo Band’s debut album Flower Pot came out on L.A.’s Permanent Records in 2018, it was something…
Gary Louris: Jump For Joy [Album Review]
Gary Louris Jump For JoySham/Thirty Tigers [2021] As befits this year of the pandemic lockdown, Jayhawks’ leader and main songwriter Gary Louris has delivered his second solo album, Jump For…
Chrissie Hynde: Standing In The Doorway – Chrissie Hynde Sings Bob Dylan [Album Review]
Chrissie Hynde Standing In The Doorway: Chrissie Hynde Sings Bob DylanBMG [2021] Chrissie Hynde was fresh from the release of another very good Pretenders’ album, Hate For Sale, when everyone…
The Routes: Mesmerised [Album Review]
The Routes MesmerisedAction Weekend / Bickerton Records [2021] The Routes are exactly why the quote “rock n’ roll can never die” exists. Mesmerised represents the eighth long-player to date from…
Lambchop: Showtunes [Album Review]
Lambchop ShowtunesMerge Records [2021] Lambchop is a loosely defined collaborative focused by the artistic vision and voice of Kurt Wagner, who has defined this latest project as “Showtunes for people…
James: All The Colours Of You [Album Review]
James All The Colours Of YouVirgin Music [2021] In 1993 when Manchester, England band James had a break-out single with “Laid,” no doubt as much for all of its talk…
Reigning Sound: A Little More Time With Reigning Sound [Album Review]
Reigning Sound A Little More Time With Reigning SoundMerge Records [2021] Reigning Sound’s singer/songwriter Greg Cartwright has returned to Memphis to record a collection of power-pop tracks that get back…
Mdou Moctar: Afrique Victime [Album Review]
Mdou MoctarAfrique VictimeMatador Records [2021] If I was asked to name a stand out guitarist on the indie scene today I would absolutely and confidently say Mdou Moctar. This name…
black midi: Cavalcade [Album Review]
black midiCavalcadeRough Trade Records [2021] When taking a look at UK’s black midi, they earn the admiration of music fans. How do they do this? To break music rules like…
Jackson Reid Briggs & The Heaters: Waiting In A Corner [Album Review]
Jackson Reid Briggs & The HeatersWaiting In A CornerLegless/Drunken Sailor Records [2021] If you took Melbourne’s Jackson Reid Briggs & The Heaters temperature from the opening riff on their new…
John Hiatt With The Jerry Douglas Band: Leftover Feelings [Album Review]
John Hiatt With The Jerry Douglas Band Leftover FeelingsNew West Records [2021] It’s hard with a songwriter like John Hiatt, who seems to wear his heart on his sleeve, to…
Beachy Head: Beachy Head [Album Review]
Beachy HeadBeachy HeadGraveface Records [2021] Beachy Head is a new group but it features members of Slowdive, The Flaming Lips, The Casket Girls, The Soft Cavalry, Mojave 3, Monster Movie…
St. Vincent: Daddy’s Home [Album Review]
St. Vincent Daddy’s HomeLoma Vista Recordings [2021] One of the most intriguing aspects of the musical artistry of St. Vincent, aka Annie Clark, is that as she adapts her musical…
The Black Keys: Delta Kream [Album Review]
The Black Keys Delta KreamEasy Eye Sound/Nonesuch Records [2021] Ten studio albums and two decades into their career, any fans of The Black Keys who’ve dug in past their string…
Damien Jurado: The Monster Who Hated Pennsylvania [Album Review]
Damien Jurado The Monster Who Hated PennsylvaniaMaraqopa Records [2021] The Monster Who Hated Pennsylvania, the 17th album for singer/songwriter Damien Jurado and first for his own label Maraqopa Records, is…
Tim Foljahn: I Dreamed A Dream [Album Review]
Tim Foljahn I Dreamed A DreamCart/Horse Records [2021] Guitarist Tim Foljahn has been around for a while. In addition to making six albums with the New Jersey outfit, Two Dollar…
Jeff Rosenstock: SKA DREAM [Album Review]
Jeff RosenstockSKA DREAMPolyvinyl Records [2021] A good song is a good song. That is why single covers work so many times for artists. Full album covers can be a bit…
Squid: Bright Green Field [Album Review]
SquidBright Green FieldWarp Records [2021] It is always fun to see certain musical movements take over an area of the world. TFN has been getting very accustomed to looking to…
Weezer: Van Weezer [Album Review]
Weezer Van WeezerCrush Music/Atlantic Records [2021] Back in 2018, when Weezer shared a co-headline tour with The Pixies, everything about the former’s end of set theatrics suggested the band’s need…
Finn’s Motel: Fireworks Or Lightning [Album Review]
Finn’s Motel Fireworks Or LightningVictory Over Gravity [2021] One of the pleasures of advanced age is being around long enough to experience the development of a musician or artist over…
Teenage Fanclub: Endless Arcade [Album Review]
Teenage Fanclub Endless ArcadeMerge Records [2021] In 1991, when Scottish band Teenage Fanclub first broke in No. America with their third album, Bandwagonesque, their sound was brimming with electric guitars…
Guided By Voices: Earth Man Blues [Album Review]
Guided By VoicesEarth Man BluesGBV Inc. [2021] The 33rd Guided By Voices album, Earth Man Blues, is one of the most in sync records that members Pollard, Gillard, Bare Jr.,…
Manchester Orchestra: The Million Masks Of God [Album Review]
Manchester Orchestra The Million Masks of GodLoma Vista Recordings [2021] The sixth album from Atlanta alt/rock quartet Manchester Orchestra feels like the culmination of their 15 years as recording artists,…
Cast: Vigesimus [Album Review]
CastVigesimusProgressive Promotions Records [2021] Sometimes a band just nails it right off the rip. Fully-formed debut albums are a rarity to be sure. So what to make of a band…