Kim GordonThe CollectiveMatador Records [2024] Album Overview: The Collective is Kim Gordon’s follow-up to her 2019 solo debut album, No Home Record. Produced by Justin Raisen (Lil Yachty, John Cale, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Charli XCX) and featuring additional production from Anthony Paul Lopez, the album explores themes of communication, commercialism, and sensory overload. It diverges … Read more
Rip Van WinkleThe Grand Rapids EPSplendid Research [2024] Album Overview: Rip Van Winkle was originally announced as a mysterious Robert Pollard project. Now, with its release, we know a bit more about the EP as several members of Joseph Airport—Ben Perry (guitar), Joe Patterson (bass), and Jason Short (drums)—round out the band, with Pollard, of … Read more
Hooper CrescentEssential TremorsSpoilsport Records [2024] Album Overview: Essential Tremors is the sophomore album from Brunswick, Australia’s Hooper Crescent. It marks a significant progression from their debut, Object Permanence (2020), and showcases their melodic, off-kilter sound through 11 tracks of sonic experimentation and playful songwriting. The album comes off fresh from their polished studio environment … Read more
Real EstateDanielDomino [2024] Album Overview: Daniel is the sixth full-length album by Real Estate, recorded in nine days at RCA Studio A in Nashville with producer Daniel Tashian (Kacey Musgraves). It marks a return to the band’s roots while incorporating newfound maturity and self-acceptance. The album features 11 soft and tuneful songs that blend the … Read more
Levitation RoomStrange WeatherONErpm / The Reverberation Appreciation Society / Greenway Records [2024] Album Overview: Strange Weather is Levitation Room’s third album, marking a vibrant new chapter in their modern psychedelic rock journey. It builds upon the Los Angeles quartet’s established cosmic sound while delving deeper into dreamy, lo-fi atmospheres and ’60s-inspired sonics. The album explores … Read more
CheekfaceIt’s SortedSelf-Released [2024] Album Overview: It’s Sorted is Cheekface’s fourth album, following their excellent 2022 LP Too Much To Ask. It finds the band in a slightly different place from previous records, with a more cohesive overall connection of tracks, yet still maintaining their hallmark funny-sad-funny lyrical style. The album reflects on questions of individuality … Read more
Ryan AdamsHeatwaveStar Sign1985Sword & StonePAX-AM [2024] Album Overview: There are a lot of opinions floating around about singer/songwriter Ryan Adams and his attempts to rebuild his career. But even a casual observer would agree, this guy is prolific. After releasing an album each in 2020 and ’21, Adams unleashed four of his own imagining in … Read more
David Nance & Mowed SoundDavid Nance & Mowed SoundThird Man Records [2024] Album Overview: David Nance & Mowed Sound marks the self-titled debut record of David Nance’s latest group and recording project. Led by Nance on vocals and guitar, the album features a crew of veteran Omaha musicians, including Kevin Donahue on drums, James Schroeder … Read more
OrgōneChimera3 Palm Records [2024] Album Overview: Established over a decade ago, Orgōne is a dynamic West Coast 8-piece soul band that draws from diverse influences such as Afrobeat, Southern soul, psych-rock, and raw funk. Their newest release, Chimera, offers a unique and immersive groovy musical experience that transcends conventional soul records boundaries. This record is … Read more
Dead YearsNight ThoughtsMy Ruin/Dirt Cult Records [2024] Album Overview: Night Thoughts is the sophomore album by Dead Years, a post-punk trio from Bielefeld, Germany. It follows their self-titled debut LP released in 2022 and presents a intense concept album exploring the theme of the night, its thought circles, and the quest for liberation. Released on … Read more
The SmileWall Of EyesXL Recordings [2024] Album Overview: While their first album, A Light For Attracting Attention, could have been a one-and-done, The Smile returns! Thom Yorke, Johnny Greenwood, and Tom Skinner have assembled once more with the follow-up, Wall of Eyes. Wall of Eyes takes a different approach with longer, more dynamic song setups … Read more
TopographiesInterior SpringDark Entries Records [2024] Album Overview: San Francisco band Topographies sophomore LP, Interior Spring, delves into themes of guilt, inherited trauma, and recovery. It’s an exploration of the complexities of human existence, where the title symbolizes both renewal and the persistence of past struggles. Through ten songs, the album offers atmospheric compositions, introspective lyrics, … Read more
Sarah JaroszPolaroid LoversRounder Records [2024] Album Overview: Sarah Jarosz’ seventh album is a real change of pace for the folk/Americana singer/songwriter who was viewed as a bluegrass prodigy on mandolin and banjo. Largely known as a folk artist, here Jarosz stretches out to work with a few other songwriters—Daniel Tashian, Natalie Hemby, Jon Randall, and … Read more
The UmbrellasFairweather FriendSlumberland Records [2024] Album Overview: The Umbrellas’ sophomore album, Fairweather Friend, follows their self-titled debut in 2021. This album sounds bigger in every way with enhanced songwriting, top-notch production, and even more confident vocals from Matt Ferrara and Morgan Stanley, which once again play off each other perfectly with alternating male/female leads. The … Read more
Ty SegallThree BellsDrag City Records [2024] Album Overview: Following his 2022 acoustic album, “Hello, Hi,” Three Bells takes Ty Segall on a deeper, wilder journey into the center of self. Ty is known for never making the same album twice, and this record represents a more profound and adventurous expansion of his continually evolving … Read more
SLIFTILIONSub Pop Records [2024] Album Overview: The French trio SLIFT presents ILION, a sonic behemoth reminiscent of a distant wave growing in intensity as it approaches. This marks the band’s third full-length album, following their 2020 release, UMMON, which secured the top spot in TFN’s Top 50 that year. ILION continues the relentless exploration of … Read more
SPRINTSLetter To SelfCity Slang [2024] Album Overview: Dublin’s four-piece SPRINTS just released their debut full-length, Letter To Self, on January 5th. The record is filled with brooding and building guitar rock that exhibits both intensity and unrelenting passion. Musical Style: Brutally mixing rhythms and sounds, SPRINTS captures your ear with rhythmic tracks that build and … Read more
Ken KaseKen Kase (EP)Self-Released [2023] This fast, fun power-pop 5-song EP from Ken Kase is a quick display of the kind of musical alchemy that the singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist has been bringing to the St. Louis live music scene for 30 years. Kase has shown up in a variety of live music venues throughout his … Read more
MJ LendermanAnd The Wind (Live and Loose!)ANTI- [2023] This review should serve as a wake-up call to all our readers who have not yet embraced the excellent music of Asheville’s MJ Lenderman or his primary band, Wednesday. The new live album, And the Wind (Live and Loose!), is compiled from two sold-out summer 2023 shows … Read more
Golden ApplesBananasugarfireLame-O Records [2023] Philadelphia’s Golden Apples’ latest album, Bananasugarfire, is a vibrant addition to indie guitar music. The album showcases a cohesive band lineup and the most genuine bond among its members on record. The album was recorded in various studios and the band members’ homes, featuring dynamic guitar work, sugary vocal interplay, and … Read more
Blonde RedheadSit Down For Dinnersection1 [2023] Given Blonde Redhead’s early experiments in the no wave movement and early noisy angular indie rock recordings for Steve (Sonic Youth) Shelly’s label, Smells Like, along with engagements with the cosmopolitan art scene in New York City where the band formed 30 years ago, it might be surprising that … Read more
Dion LunadonSystems EdgeIn The Red Records [2023] Systems Edge from Dion Lunadon is a blistering third solo record that catapults listeners into a raucous world of garage rock brilliance. Hailing from New Zealand and now residing in Brooklyn, Lunadon bursts out of this new album with infectious energy and a sound that pays homage to … Read more
The AscendentsThe Fellowship Of The BrokenSelf-Released [2023] It’s a curious thing when musicians take a busman’s holiday and step away from their main gig to join up with players and singers from other bands to experiment with a previously untried collaboration. Golden Smog was a loose affiliation that included members of Wilco, Jayhawks, Soul Asylum, … Read more
Hotline TNTCartwheelThird Man Records [2023] Brooklyn-based Hotline TNT’s latest album, Cartwheel, unfolds as a captivating exploration of life’s complexities, love, and the ongoing journey of self-discovery. Will Anderson, the creative force behind the band, infuses the album with a blended indie rock and shoegaze sensibility that is raw and unfiltered. Cartwheel signifies a significant evolution … Read more
Guided By VoicesNowhere To Go But UpGBV Inc. [2023] Sixteen. That’s how many albums the current lineup of Guided By Voices has managed to release since they formed in 2016. The band (as a concept) just celebrated its 40th anniversary a few months ago, with a pair of shows in Dayton that drew fans from … Read more