Mike Adams At His Honest WeightGraphic BlandishmentJoyful Noise Recordings [2022] In spite of the inevitable earworm infestation, power-pop has proven to be one of the most reliable and long-lasting musical genre trends. Early British Invasion bands laid the groundwork, and iconic bands like Big Star, Cheap Trick, Weezer, and my personal favorite Material Issue have … Read more
Flogging MollyAnthemRise Records [2022] Although they were formed in Los Angeles in the late 90’s, Flogging Molly is a Celtic rock band led by Irish-born lead singer and songwriter Dave King. Taking their name from the first Irish pub that supported the band, Flogging Molly has followed the time-honored path of bands like The Pogues … Read more
King’s XThree Sides Of OneInside Out Music [2022] When a band with a 40-plus year history and a modest but devoted following returns to the recording studio for the first time in 14 years, you can expect heightened expectations among their most ardent fans. Such is the case for King’s X, a rock power trio … Read more
Rhett MillerThe MisfitATO Records [2022] When Rhett Miller recorded his solo debut in 1989 with his friend and producer Murry Hammond, the two had not yet imagined that they’d go on to form Old 97’s – Miller on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, Hammond on bass – and record a dozen albums over the course … Read more
The BethsExpert In A Dying FieldCarpark Records [2022] With the release of their third studio outing, Auckland, New Zealand, power-pop/indie rock quartet The Beths are three for three. In 2018, Future Me Hates Me found vocalist/songwriter Elizabeth Stokes delivering powerful melodies, big power-pop guitars, and delightful vocal harmonies from the boys in the band, a … Read more
BoonBad MachineWindow Sill Records [2022] Bad Machine, the fourth album from Philadelphia experimental rock and pop band Boon, is the second release from the now established quartet of Brendan Principato, Drew Sher, Andy Senken, and Dan Lynch. On the album’s first single, “Talking To” the bright guitar tones weave together like the poppier side of … Read more
The Afghan WhigsHow Do You Burn?Royal Cream/BMG [2022] Greg Dulli has led The Afghan Whigs, which originally formed in Cincinnati, through two distinct yet memorable periods. The singer songwriter once described the band’s sonic ethos as an attempt to bring together the musical sensibilities of The Band, The Temptations, and Neil Young’s Crazy Horse, revealing … Read more
Ezra FurmanAll Of Us FlamesANTI- [2022] Singer/songwriter Ezra Furman draws the title of her 7th album from the song “Book of Our Names,” a declaration from the marginalized trans community where she insists “the names will be our real ones that are ours/Not the ones given us by the enemy powers.” Given the disposable nature … Read more
GordiInhuman (EP)Jagjaguwar [2022] Gordi is the stage name adopted by Sophie Payten, an Australian artist once described as “folktronica,” for her unique mix of simple acoustic folk songs with lush atmospheric electronica and the heavy reverb and studio effects that give her voice an otherworldly feel. “Way I Go” opens with a strummed acoustic guitar, … Read more
Tall DwarfsUnravelled: 1981 – 2002 (Box Set)Merge Records [2022] Curiously, I’ve come across a number of American bands who might have 3 albums in their catalog even though they’re playing to small crowds here at home, yet their bio suggests that they’re “big in New Zealand.” Well, Tall Dwarfs are actually a New Zealand band … Read more
Ben HarperBloodline MaintenanceChrysalis Records [2022] Ben Harper’s longevity as an artist has been enriched by a series of smart collaborations. Known for favoring a Weissenborn lap slide guitar and opening for Dave Matthews’ Band and discovering Jack Johnson, Harper won jam band fans early on, before he and Johnson performed with reggae royalty Toots & … Read more
Cass McCombsHeartmindANTI- [2022] There are some musical artists who are all heart, they play to the emotions, wear their feelings on their sleeves, seek to win over the crowd with heart-felt appeals to commonly shared emotions. Some others are all mind, focused on craft and eager to impress with impressive vocabulary, smart arrangements that tease … Read more
DawesMisadventures Of DoomscrollerRounder Records [2022] It’s very likely that even if you think you’re unfamiliar with LA band Dawes, you’ve probably heard the band’s omnipresent 2015 single “All Your Favorite Bands,” and probably sung along with its nostalgic chorus that hopes “your brother’s El Camino runs forever/I hope your worlds sees the same person you’ve … Read more
The SadiesColder StreamsYep Roc Records [2022] Toronto band, The Sadies are practically a Canadian indie-rock institution. Playing a mix of rock, country, psychedelia and punk – often in the same song – the quartet has recorded and toured with the likes of Garth Hudson of The Band, Neil Young, Neko Case, John Doe of the … Read more
The Mountain GoatsBleed OutMerge Records [2022] Singer/songwriter John Darnielle and The Mountain Goats have been on a solid run for a while now, and here on their 21st studio outing they’re out for revenge. Well, to be more accurate, just as the band has released concept albums focused around themes like professional wrestling (Beat the … Read more
Ryan AdamsFMPAX-AM [2022] All art is created within a larger social/cultural/political context, and when an artist makes a personal statement with their art or music, it will also to one degree or another say something about that person’s inner life, thoughts, and may reflect on their relationships, their experience in relation to the larger context. … Read more
of MontrealFreewave Lucifer f<ck f^ck f>ckPolyvinyl Records [2022] If the Polyvinyl bio is to be trusted, Kevin Barnes shaped of Montreal’s January 2020 release UR FUN with the concert stage and live performance in mind. We all know how that went, 2020 the year of the pandemic shutdown, isolation, and closures. When the going gets … Read more
Elvis Costello & The Imposters w/ Nicole Atkins; The Boy Named If & Other Favorites Tour: Rose Music Center; Dayton, OH; Saturday, August 6, 2022 Elvis Costello has been a singer and songwriter of note for going on 45 years, but as we were reminded at his concert on Saturday night at the Rose Music Center, … 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
Andrew Bird / Iron & Wine Outside Problems Tour w/ Meshell Ndegeocello: PNC Pavilion; Cincinnati, OH; Thursday, August 4, 2022 The sky was dark with storm clouds on Thursday evening as fans began to gather in the PNC Pavilion, the smaller venue at the Riverbend/Coney Island park, and while there was a loud crack of thunder … Read more
Amanda ShiresTake It Like A ManATO Records [2022] On 2018’s To The Sunset, singer/songwriter and self-described fiddle player Amanda Shires made it clear that she wasn’t interested in limiting her musical expressions to country music alone. Beyond playing a supportive role in her husband Jason Isbell’s band, The 400 Unit, Shires brought together The Highwomen … Read more
WireNot About To DiePinkflag [2022] When an unofficial bootleg of this collection of band demos and sonic experiments first surfaced in the early 80’s, we’re told that the members of UK post-punk band Wire were none too pleased. But here, four decades later, with the band – three of the original members still intact – … Read more
Steve Earle & The DukesJerry JeffNew West Records [2022] Steve Earle remembers playing the Sand Mountain Coffee House in Houston, TX, when just starting out. He says there was a mural on the club’s back wall with the painted faces of Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark, and Jerry Jeff Walker; he could see the mural … 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
Jack WhiteEntering Heaven AliveThird Man Records [2022] When Jack White released the hard-hitting rock album Fear of the Dawn, back in April, he promised a second “folk” album was just months away. And for those of us who were curious what White meant exactly by the term folk – was this going to be Woody … Read more