The War On DrugsI Don’t Live Here AnymoreAtlantic Records [2021] It’s hard to imagine a new release with more anticipatory buzz than this new studio album from The War on Drugs. Following the band’s break out 2014 album, Lost in the Dream, which solidified the bona fides of Adam Granduciel’s songwriting, the band’s cohesion, and … 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
Spirit WasHeaven’s Just A CloudDanger Collective Records [2021] Spirit Was is the new moniker used by multi-instrumentalist and illustrator Nick Corbo which found his primary music project, LVL UP, calling it quits in 2018. On his debut studio album, Heaven’s Just A Cloud, Corbo showcases his use of musical time and space as he creates … Read more
illuminati hottiesLet Me Do One MoreSnack Shack Tracks/Hopeless Records [2021] After the success of Sarah Tudzin’s debut album, Kiss Yr Frenemies (2018), her moniker illuminati hotties had created the kind of anticipation you want for a sophomore album. However, things at Tudzin’s label, Tiny Engines, fell apart, and illuminati hotties were stuck in a contract … Read more
CyanFor King And CountryTiger Moth Records [2021] Back before Prog made a comeback, before Welsh keyboardist Rob Reed formed Magenta, he dreamed of being in a band like Yes or Genesis. He formed a band called Cyan. Still a teenager in the 80’s he and his school chums shopped a four song demo they had … Read more
High PonyAll We Did Was DreamSuper Wimpy Punch Records [2021] It won’t take you long into High Pony’s excellent third LP, All We Did Was Dream, to realize how much you miss some straightforward indie rock. The Brooklyn band is a testament to taking a step back and finding your true sound. After over 70 … Read more
Amyl And The SniffersComfort To MeATO/Rough Trade Records [2021] I am not sure there is a world in which I would not love the new sophomore record, Comfort To Me, from Amyl And The Sniffers. The Australian quartet, led by the fierce Amy Taylor, has harnessed all of their pent up pandemic energy from 2020 … Read more
Golden ApplesShadowlandLame-O Records [2021] Formally called Cherry, Russell Edling has changed his moniker to Golden Apples for his new album Shadowland. Not only does the name change help eliminate a very hard google search for the band but Golden Apples is a new level of indie rock from Edling. Lockdown punched everyone in the gut … Read more
TurnstileGlow OnRoadrunner Records [2021] I don’t think earlier this year you could have convinced me that a hardcore/punk band could release a more alternative rock sounding record that would turn out to be one of the best albums released this year. Well, Turnstile’s newest album Glow On has quickly changed those previous thoughts as it … Read more
The Killers Pressure MachineIsland Records [2021] Well-paired back-to-back songs are a constant feature of The Killers’ discography. On their 2004 debut Hot Fuss, the songs “Mr. Brightside” and “Smile Like You Mean It” are united by a very specific bitterness. On Sam’s Town, the urgency of “When You Were Young” tees up the desperation and … Read more
SupergrassIn It For The Money (Expanded Remastered Edition)BMG [2021] So when you are signed to Parlophone Records and release the biggest selling debut album for the label since The Beatles’ Please Please Me, I think you have a good thing going. That is exactly how things went for Britpop stars Supergrass and their 1995 debut … Read more
L’RainFatigueMexican Summer [2021] Sometimes records exist outside any conventional genres and challenge your ear around every corner. These albums also can produce some of the most intricate and addicting moments that you just really can’t capture with words. L’Rain’s sophomore record, Fatigue, is one of those albums. Brooklyn artist Taja Cheek, aka L’Rain looks all … Read more
Media JewelerThe Sublime Sculpture Of Being AliveFire Talk Records [2021] If you are looking for some good old indie rock that is odd, quirky and catchy then LA’s Media Jeweler’s third LP, The Sublime Sculpture Of Being Alive, is an album you should be checking out. The album arrives three years after the band’s second … Read more
Psychic FlowersFor The UndertowLiving Lost / RIP Records [2021] Philadelphia’s Psychic Flowers are not slowing down after releasing two new albums last year (Gloves To Grand Air and Freedom Of Failure). For The Undertow is the groups fourth overall album and already is my favorite of their releases with its blow-out power-pop song structure that … Read more
Son Volt Electro MelodierTransmit Sound/Thirty Tigers [2021] There was a time back in the day, when Uncle Tupelo, the band often credited with kick-starting the alternative country craze, would close their shows with encore covers of Neil Young rocker “Cortez the Killer” or maybe “Cinnamon Girl,” Jay Farrar playing lead guitar through his worn SG. … Read more
Los Lobos Native SonsNew West Records [2021] When a band that’s been around just two years short of half a century puts out an album of covers, you might be tempted to think they were creatively running on fumes, about to run out of gas. But when Los Lobos creates an album celebrating the … Read more
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 level. That is the one line I would use to describe San Francisco’s Pardoner and their third LP, Came Down Different. The band takes a … Read more
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 of “passionate love,” and that “she only comes when she’s on top,” the band was on their fifth album and had previous British radio hits … Read more
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 for sure would get blank stares from many and I would follow up my answer with something like “C’mon, you don’t know the Tuareg guitarist … Read more
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 style to match the artistic aim of each project, she evolves in the way she presents herself, adapting a character to fit the concept. On … Read more
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 Australia for fresh psychedelic rock and now with Squid, London is the “it” place to be for mind bending genre jumping post-punk. First black midi … Read more
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., Shue and March have released together. For those not as familiar with the band, you might question how this could be since so many groups … Read more
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, bringing together their early guitar rock inclinations with the orchestrated compositional depth that came later. 2017’s A Black Mile to the Surface embraced a cinematic, … Read more
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 that records their masterpiece after 43 years and nineteen albums? Yes, Vigesimus is Latin for “twentieth” and after toiling in the relative silence of the … Read more
Spread JoySpread JoyFeel It Records [2021] Chicago’s Spread Joy are an intensely tight post punk band that gives everything they got on their 14 minute debut in exciting and short packages. The needling guitar and pacing stop short drums keep every song from Spread Joy in a perfect sequence and create a seamless experience from … Read more