As on St. Paul, MN alt-country/Americana architect Devaney’s 2002 second album September, you’ll find yourself happily succumbing to this sixth LP’s intoxicating spell.
After a series of highly regarded EPs, London-based artist/musician, Paul Snowdon, AKA Time Attendant, finally delivers his astonishing debut album.
Clocks & Clouds are a three-piece (drums/cello/violin) from Minneapolis, and after releasing their EP The Creation of Matter last year, they are back with a new single, “Aliantha.”
With numerous albums under his belt, underground folk singer, Stanley Brinks, collaborates with his old pal, French solo singer-songwriter Freschard, for a dull collection of duets that stands out as a low point in their respective careers.
On Christmas Day, 2013, Beijing, China’s swamp rock stomper, GuiGuiSuiSui, and electronic experimentalist, Noise Arcade, joined forces to record a perplexing album that, somehow, perfectly blends the two artists’ distinct styles.
Hailing from England’s Sussex countryside, Men Oh Pause deliver four dark, anxiety-ridden synthpunk tunes awash in paranoia.
Many people may hold their ears and run from that, as they might from Crabe, but those that remain are like the first 5 people that thought Primus was the shit and bought a tape. The prescient among us might twig to what obvious genius and true punk sorcery is being offered in the oeuvre of this phenomenal band.
Kilgour’s newest chapter, End Times Undone, is a collection of songs that lie between his hazy jangle and that heavenly heavy-vibed treble clang only he can produce.
NYC-based songstress Simone Stevens has a sumptuous, sultry voice that immediately impresses. Her new quartet’s music tones down the alt country/folk of past releases, in favor of dreamy mood-pop.
Forty-four years after releasing her first solo album, 1970’s Constant Companion, Ruthann Friedman, the mysterious writer of The Association‘s 1967 hit, “Windy,” finally delivers her sophomore effort.
Speaking of veteran artists making some of the best music of their career, here is the best Stiff Little Fingers album since at least 1982’s Now Then
Mould is in his mid 50s and at the very top of his game now.
Dedicated to founding member of Soft Machine and prolific solo artitist, Kevin Ayers, NYC-based singer-songwriter Edward Rogers delivers a powerful fifth album inspired by the psychedelic rock of 1970s England.
Katie Kate releases “Sadie Hawkins,” a melodic pop gem from her upcoming album.
For their final album, Shanghai, China’s Pairs return to their scrappy punk roots for an exciting last statement that marks a high point in the duo’s catalog.
Capital X is either fortunately or unfortunately only twenty six minutes long. It’s so short you can’t help but wonder if there is any territory still left unexplored, yet you may find yourself grateful that some of the sillier tracks fly by.
“Passage” peels back the layers of reverb and lets you dive in a bit closer to its sonic heart, but Jane emotes from a great distance, and you’re no closer to figuring out what it all means.
Abandoned Dancehall Dreams is a delightful record that, like everything else Bowness does, explores the human condition with wisdom, frailty, and intelligent eccentricity.
On his sophomore effort, Craft Spells creator Justin Vallesteros tones down his sound, opting for the mellower aspects of the ’80s.
The winds of change blow through us all, and Mark is moving toward more experimental synth pop with occasional jazz overtones, and seems less inclined to trot out traditional song structures.
For their final release, Shanghai, China’s self-described “spazz pop” trio, Hu Jia Hu Wei, deliver five powerful songs that perfectly blend dissonance with melody.
The Morning Birds, a duo comprised of Jennifer Thorington and Samuel Markus sounding like an earthier, silkier version of Wild Belle are releasing a new EP with a really interesting concept.
On his debut album, novelist Tommy Wallach expands on the sparse sound of his eponymous 2008 debut EP (Decca) with rich production that perfectly compliments his dramatic, literary style.
As he adds more paint to his palette, Rogers continues his evolution into one of the more interesting and distinctive singer/songwriters out there.
At last, Helios Creed has delivered an album under the Chrome moniker that not only lives up to the name he established with founder Damon Edge (RIP), but also rises as a high point in his entire career as a solo artist.
Heylel immerses themselves in the classics of progressive rock from later Pink Floyd to King Crimson, adding a more operatic sensibility and touches of heavy metal and Black Sabbath-esque sludge.
And oh, “Ruby”, where have you been all my life? What a shimmering jewel of chamber pop this is. I love its ornate stylings as it unfolds in the best tradition of bands like The Left Banke.
On their third album, Welsh duo, The Lowland Hundred, complete their trilogy of spacious anthems with an astounding work that blends ambient sound with music concrete and pop sensibility.
Comprised of Yorkshire, UK-based Matt Bower (The Revenant Sea, Wizards Tell Lies) and Louisiana’s April Larson, Isobel Ccircle~ deliver a debut so disturbing it should be the soundtrack to a horror film.
Brighton, UK’s premiere experimental jazz dynamic duo return for a monolithic collection of sprawling explorations into surreal darkness.
Stoneburner recasts psychedelic sludge in its own image on its second slab Life Drawing.
Under Satan’s Sun, songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Anders Manga‘s third LP as Bloody Hammers, keeps dark faith with the first two, but more so.
Under the pseudonym of Joseph Nanner, a mysterious character from New York City, known only Owen, delivers his stellar debut recordings as a cassette double pack via London experimental label, Exotic Pylon.
When Summer’s Gone combines a hard rock grit with a poeticism reminiscent of someone like Bruce Springsteen and a certain cynicism that can only come from being raised in the rust of an old steel town.
Two years after their debut, Who’s a Fuzzy Buddy?, Roanoke, VA’s The Bastards of Fate continue their uncompromising onslaught of demented pop with an incredibly strong sophomore effort.
The entirety of Secrets of the Deep! is unlike anything else being done today and it’s perfect for anywhere from the dance floor to your own bedroom.
This is music for communing with constantly rotating objects in motion, such as planets in orbit.
For their second full-length collaboration, improvisational guitarists Tom Carter (Charalambides) and Pat Murano (No-Neck Blues Band) deliver an intense double LP comprised of four tracks clocking in at one side each.
On Roohan’s solo-billed second LP, the sweet coo that graced her debut has gained a more full-bodied presence and punch.
Picking up right where they left off, C86 compilation heroes, Scotland’s Close Lobsters, return with their first new recordings since 1989.
… a marvelously detailed and meticulously researched story of the little band that could from Zion, Illinois…
On her third solo album since 2007, Matteah Baim (ex-Metallic Falcons) builds on her dark psychedelic sound by adding lush production and orchestral accompaniment to her wistful compositions.
Previously one half of Oakland lo-fi industrial duo, Primary Colors, San Francisco artist, Michael Wood, releases his debut solo album, a continuation of his budget wave electronic signature.
The album is warm and gently consistent in its approach and feels like a largely intimate experience, as if you’re witness to a private home concert with Mitchell.
Comprised of Dutch italo disco producers Alden Tyrell and Mr. Pauli with vocalist Zarkoff, Sumerian Fleet finally releases their powerful debut full-length after four years of collaboration and a pair of EPs.
