Bill Mallonee & The Big Sky Ramblers A Clamoring Of GhostsSelf-Released [2021] Bill Mallonee knows all the words, and he’s not afraid to use them. After 10 years of slogging it out on road throughout the 90’s, as the singer/songwriter that came to define Athens, GA alternative rock band, Vigilantes of Love through a … Read more
Cheap Trick In Another WorldBMG [2021] When guitarist Rick Nielsen formed Cheap Trick in Rockford, IL back in 1973, it seems more than doubtful that he could have imagined that he be releasing the band’s 20th studio album 48 years later. For a band with such staying power, it’s a bit strange that their greatest … Read more
Jay Gonzalez Back To The HiveMiddlebrow Records [2021] Athens, GA musician Jay Gonzalez joined Drive-By Truckers in 2008, filling in for Spooner Oldham on keyboards, and eventually sharing lead guitar duties with Mike Cooley to compensate for the absence of third guitarist Jason Isbell. Left to his own devices on this second full-length solo album, … Read more
Lake Street Dive ObviouslyNonesuch Records [2021] Lake Street Dive have carved out a unique place on the current musical landscape rooted in time honored pop music songcraft informed by classic R&B, with just the right dash of dance floor funk, delivered in jazzy arrangements that push the soulful lead vocals of Rachel Price to the … Read more
GlittererLife Is Not A LessonANTI- [2021] Washington, D.C. resident and northeastern Pennsylvania native Ned Russin co-fronted Title Fight for many years before the band went on hiatus and Russin became Glitterer. So far, Glitterer has self-released two EP’s and his 2019 ANTI- debut LP Looking Through The Shades. That brings us to the rowdy and … Read more
Har Mar Superstar RosevilleLove OnLine Records [2021] I’ll admit that the first and only time I saw Har Mar Superstar play live, opening for Afghan Whigs in Cincinnati in the Fall of 2017, more than once in the band’s nearly hour long set I wondered if it was a joke, that somebody had forgotten to … Read more
The MuckersEndeavorGreenway Records [2021] Brooklyn’s The Muckers deliver hot steamy rock n roll that was inspired by The Strokes but at times sounds like it is right out of the 70’s arena rock era. Their debut, Endeavor, maintains a modern flare but does include a throwback approach that has bits and pieces of past rock … Read more
Joyann Parker Out Of The DarkHopeless Romantic Records [2021] Joyann Parker, a Minneapolis-based singer/songwriter, brings her big, soulful voice to a set of originals that lean toward the traditional pop side of Americana’s spectrum of musical influences, from rootsy R&B to blues, country and rock & roll. Parker co-writes with her band’s guitarist Mark Lamoine, … Read more
Black Country, New RoadFor The First TimeNinja Tune [2021] Despite having just two early singles to date, Black Country, New Road came into 2021 with their debut, For The First Time, being one of the most highly anticipated records of the year. The critics picked up on their Black Midi vibe early and quickly crowned … 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
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
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
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
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
King Gizzard & The Lizard WizardK.G.Flightless Records [2020] After releasing a handful of live releases earlier this year, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard have now returned with the new studio album K.G., their sixteenth since they formed in 2010. It represents a collection of songs that saw the six members of the band home … Read more
The Nels Cline Singers Share The WealthBlue Note Records [2020] Wilco fans can no doubt remember when experimental jazz guitarist Nels Cline came on board, appearing for the first time on the band’s 2005 double live album, Kicking Television; Live In Chicago. While the band had plenty of experience coloring outside the lines – consider … Read more
Matt Berninger Serpentine PrisonBook Records [2020] Given the constant chaos and change in our world right now, we hold on to any signs of consistency, something reliable and true. Well, one thing we can count on is this: it’s reasonable to suggest that it’s inevitable for the lead singer of any popular band to want … Read more
Elvis Costello Hey ClockfaceConcord Records [2020] By now, Elvis Costello’s fans have gotten used to his experimental collaborations and explorations of new musical territory. After all, he’s the same stripped-down punk rocker who gave us My Aim Is True in ’77, but by ’82 had delivered the lush, textured Imperial Bedroom. In 1986, he delivered … Read more
Kathleen Edwards Total FreedomDualtone Records [2020] Kathleen Edwards, Canadian singer/songwriter, returns after 8 years of relative silence with another fine album of exemplary folk/pop songcraft. Edwards had built a solid following with four solid albums, including 2012’s “Voyager,” which was produced by Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon. Edwards left music after touring that album with Vernon, … Read more
Kevin MorbySundownerDead Oceans [2020] Kevin Morby knows isolation and he is probably one of the best at using it as a tool to create thought provoking and engaging music. Much like some of his earlier work, his new 10 song album, Sundowner, is a product of secluding himself in his own studio (in this case … Read more
Laura Jane Grace Stay AlivePolyvinyl Records [2020] If 2020 had gone as planned, Laura Jane Grace expected to have recorded a new album with Against Me! by now, maybe spend the late summer and fall months on tour. But when the world shut down due to the viral pandemic, she found herself stuck in Chicago … Read more
Travis 10 SongsBMG [2020] Scottish quartet, Travis, while often credited for breaking ground for bands like Coldplay and Keane, has always been a bigger deal in the UK than here stateside. With their early albums, lead singer and songwriter Fran Healy led the band to the top of the British pop charts which resulted in … Read more
Throwing Muses Sun RacketFire Records [2020] When Kristen Hersh finds a certain metallic tonality on her electric guitar and settles into a steady driving groove with Throwing Muses’ rhythm section of bassist Bernard Georges and drummer David Narcizo, they tend to grind out a truly righteous noisy groove. And here on Sun Racket, the band’s … Read more
Lydia Loveless DaughterHoney, You’re Gonna Be Late Records [2020] In the nearly four years since Lydia Loveless’ last album, Real, the country rock singer/songwriter has divorced her bass player husband, left her record company, and moved from Columbus, OH to Raleigh, NC, before writing and recording her new record, which has been released on her … Read more