Sufjan Stevens The AscensionAsthmatic Kitty Records [2020] By now, fans of Sufjan Stevens have learned to approach each new project with an open mind. On his most successful effort to date, 2005’s Illinois, Stevens revealed the breadth of his musical interests, from indie folk to pop/rock all the way to showtunes with full orchestrations, and … Read more
Bob Mould Blue HeartsMerge Records [2020] Bob Mould was raging against the machine a full decade before Rage Against the Machine was a band. Early albums with the Minneapolis-based punk trio Husker Du, including the monumental Zen Arcade, proved provocative and influential, due largely to Mould and drummer/singer Grant Hart’s penchant for writing fast, edgy … Read more
Tobin SproutEmpty HorsesFire Records [2020] Tobin Sprout will always be the member from Guided By Voices that consistently changed the pace of the albums and wrote many, what I would consider “softer” tracks for the band. These songs were dependable and steady while able to find a balance with Robert Pollard’s dominant songwriting. Fast-forward to … Read more
Rose City BandSummerlongThrill Jockey Records [2020] Summerlong is the sophomore record from Ripley Johnson’s Rose City Band. Already a staple in the psychedelic world as leader of Wooden Shjips and part of Moon Duo, Summerlong takes Johnson’s Rose City Band moniker to new heights and moves beyond his simpler 2019 self-titled debut which was much … Read more
Neal MorseSola GratiaInside Out Music [2020] If the idea of religion as subject matter for progressive rock seems a little ridiculous at first then I completely understand. I do. But in all actuality nothing could be better suited for the complexity and grandiosity of the genre. Certainly bands like Yes always had a spiritual quality … Read more
Sweeping PromisesHunger For A Way OutFeel It Records [2020] Sometimes simplicity is the key to great music and what you actually don’t hear can sometimes be the highlight. That is exactly what the Boston post-punk unit Sweeping Promises delivers on their debut album Hunger For A Way Out. The groups’ swagger, controlled intensity and focused … Read more
KnotKnotExploding In Sound Records [2020] I will totally admit that I was saddened in 2015 when I heard the news that Boston’s Krill had called it quits. The band produced some really good records that could be counted on for some powerful and quick post-punk. My mourning place for Krill was healed this year when … Read more
Chris Taylor Born On The BeatSelf-Released [2020] Chris Taylor, a San Antonio artist, both a singer/songwriter and painter, is exemplary of how real indie rock artists (not those bands we call “indie rock” even though they’re signed to a major label) are struggling to get by, made all the more “interesting” by the current global … Read more
DehdFlower Of DevotionFire Talk Records [2020] Dehd, the Chicago-based trio of Emily Kempf (vocals/bass), Jason Balla (vocals/guitar), and Eric McGrady (drums), have made grand steps forward on their latest album, Flower Of Devotion. Their 2019 record, Water, was all about not surrounding the songs with extras. Simple instruments, simple singing, and simple overall compositions. The … Read more
The Psychedelic Furs Made Of RainCooking Vinyl [2020] As influential as UK post/punk rock band The Psychedelic Furs has been in modern music circles, it’s pretty surprising to look back at their discography and realize that the entirety of their studio recordings can be found on seven albums released over eleven years, between 1980 and … Read more
ProtomartyrUltimate Success TodayDomino Records [2020] You might think Detroit’s Protomartyr had a crystal ball when they were writing and recording their fifth album Ultimate Success Today last year as it feels like a closing statement to all things doom and gloom but may just be the cleanse we all need right now. The interesting thing … Read more
Illuminati HottiesFREE IH: This Is Not The One You’ve Been Waiting ForBig Scary Monsters [2020] Sometimes the best thing to do as an artist when you feel pissed off is to just write about it! That is exactly what songwriter and producer Sarah Tudzin did as her Illuminati Hotties ended up stuck in a contract … Read more
Phoebe Bridgers PunisherDead Oceans [2020] Phoebe Bridgers’ solo sophomore album arrives amid a growing demand for the young indie rock singer/songwriter. After the release of her debut, Stranger in the Alps in 2017, Bridgers formed the group Boygenius with Julian Baker and Lucy Dacus, releasing and EP in ’18 and then touring. In early ’19, … Read more
HumInletEarth Analog Records [2020] Anymore, it always takes something a little extra to surprise us and on June 23rd, Chicago’s Hum did just that as they dropped Inlet, their first album in 22 years. If you have been following Hum’s movements over the last couple years the existence of new music shouldn’t be that shocking … 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
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
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
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
Lucinda Williams Good Souls Better AngelsHighway 20/Thirty Tigers [2020] Lucinda Williams has a remarkable, ragged, resilient singing voice, that is the perfect instrument for her honest, world-weary songs. I’m often reminded when I hear her singing that it was to Williams that Elvis Costello turned to in 2004 to share vocals for his song “There’s … Read more
X AlphabetlandFat Possum Records [2020] Of the bands that came out of the L.A. scene in the late 70’s and early 80’s, I tend to connect X with those bands that had a strong roots music connection that fueled their creativity. X arrived on the punk scene playing hard, fast sounds, sparked by the unique … Read more
Soul Asylum Hurry Up And WaitBlue Élan Records [2020] Soul Asylum came of age in the early 80’s in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis/St. Paul playing the same clubs as Husker Du, The Replacements, The Suburbs, who all went on to sign major label record deals. Led by singer David Pirner and guitarist Dan Murphy, … Read more
Soccer Mommy color theoryLoma Vista [2020] On her fourth full-lenth album, Soccer Mommy (born, Sophie Allison) has used color coding to telegraph the emotional content of her songs, but her tactic of hiding her darker, emotionally charged lyrics in up-tempo pop melodies remains on “color theory.” In fact, her quick rise in popularity following the … Read more
WaxahatcheeSaint CloudMerge Records [2020] There are typically several times in a year when a record comes out that you just know it is good from the first track. Really good! That is exactly the feeling I experienced with Waxahatchee’s fifth record Saint Cloud. “Oxford” is the lead track and in the first several lines of … Read more
Porridge RadioEvery BadSecretly Canadian [2020] What started out as a bedroom project from singer Dana Margoiln has quickly evolved into a much bigger indie band sound of what Brighton’s Porridge Radio is today. On the band’s sophomore record, Every Bad, the group delivers everything they have to offer and then some, one intense song at … Read more
Shell Of A Shell Away TeamExploding In Sound Records [2020] Who: Nashville, Tennessee quartet, Shell of a Shell ramp up the tension for their debut LP. Sound: Shell of a Shell continue to impress. Their sound makes me think of a blend of Pile’s or Rodan’s edginess and unconventional arrangements mixed with a contrasting side … Read more