DIIV —Andrew Bailey, Colin Caulfield, Ben Newman, and Zachary Cole Smith—announce their fourth album, Frog in Boiling Water. Produced by Chris Coady and set for release on May 24th via Fantasy Records, Frog In Boiling Water was a four-year process that nearly broke the band before the album was completed. With an aim to push their sound, make a record … Read more
Allison RussellThe ReturnerFantasy Records [2023] In an unusual turn of events, the first two times I saw Allison Russell perform live I was a complete blank slate, I’d not heard any of her recordings or the work of her numerous musical collaborations beforehand. The first time was over Memorial Day weekend in 2017 at the … Read more
Tedeschi Trucks BandI Am The Moon: IV. FarewellFantasy / Concord Music [2022] There’s a satisfying sense of closure flowing nicely through the six songs of this final chapter in the Tedeschi Trucks Bands’ I Am The Moon project, with 18 songs spread over three previous EPs released monthly over the summer. The subtitle Farewell captures … Read more
She & HimMelt Away: A Tribute To Brian WilsonFantasy / Concord Music [2022] She & Him is the occasional musical duo that consists of actress and singer Zooey Deschanel, from the TV sitcom “New Girl” and films like “500 Days of Summer” and “Elf,” and M. Ward, who besides making about a dozen solo albums … Read more
Tedeschi Trucks BandI Am The Moon: III. The FallFantasy / Concord Music [2022] The amazing enterprise that the Tedeschi Trucks Band undertook by dropping an EP of material from their massive master-work, I Am The Moon, for four straight months, continues with the 6-song collection, III. The Fall which builds on the musical breadth and … Read more
Tedeschi Trucks BandI Am The Moon: II. AscensionFantasy/Concord Music [2022] As promised, a month after the initial EP from the “I Am The Moon” project, Tedeschi Trucks Band returns with this 7-song second chapter, a further continuation of this thought experiment fleshed out in the band’s rich, musical vocabulary. On I. Crescent, especially in the … Read more
Tedeshi Trucks BandI Am The Moon: I. CrescentFantasy/Concord Music [2022] When singer/songwriter Susan Tedeschi, already with six albums and a storied career to her credit, and slide guitar wunderkind and Allman Brothers Band acolyte Derek Trucks joined their romantic lives, and then their two bands together, it was obvious they were a courageous lot. Now, … Read more
Allison RussellOutside ChildFantasy Records [2021] In her solo debut album, Outside Child, Allison Russell finally gets around to telling her own story, in her own unique way. Previously in the Vancouver roots music group Po’ Girl, Russell migrated to the American midwest where she formed Birds of Chicago with her now husband JT Nero, mixing … Read more
Prophets Of Rage Prophets Of Rage Fantasy Records [2017] Fire Note Says: This rap/rock supergroup converts the live energy and potent political lyrics of their past works into new rage-filled music for these challenging times. Album Review: One of the best live tours in the Fall of last year’s election season was the collaboration of … Read more
Richard Thompson Still Fantasy Records [2015] Fire Note Says: Still works as a re-introduction of an artist that any serious music fan will want to hear for yourself. Album Review: Richard Thompson has been a music critics’ favorite since his early days in the premier British folk rock group of the late 60’s, Fairport Convention, … Read more