Originally released in 1972 on French label, Saravah, Brigitte Fontaine’s eponymous second solo album finally arrives stateside.
Originally released on a small French label in 1975, Heldon’s heady second album finally receives its first proper domestic vinyl release.
After an enthusiastic reception to his first volume of home recordings, 1984-1990 (HHBTM, 2011), Dead Milkmen guitarist, Joe Jack Talcum, graciously presents his humble sequel.
Unavailable domestically since the mid-‘90s, The Gun Club’s highly influential 1981 debut finally gets the proper reissue it deserves.
With Luke Walsh of Blank Realm on board as producer, Ex Slug Guts member Cameron Hawes creates an album that references sounds from the late 80’s and early 90’s UK underground with minor revelations.
The entire album is inviting and comforting yet piercing like a warm cup of coffee. Rise Up For Love_ is an album you can sink into immediately, but you’ll be surprised how quietly it’ll immediately affect you.
Origins is a fantastic retrospective on one of the genre’s [undeservingly] lesser known acts. Theirs is a finely tuned sound that, while limited in terms of variability and experimentation, is masterfully performed nevertheless, and fans of the style (especially artists like District 97 and Kamelot) will surely find it appealing.
Like a story from the book of Half Japanese, Witham began his life in music by finding a beaten up guitar in a dumpster, and began to write songs, propelled solely upon a desire to make music.
“Being one of the greatest guitarists in the world simply is not very important to me,” John Fahey states near the end of the biography Dance of Death. “Oh, but if you took it away somehow I would be very unhappy.” Self-serving? Contradictory? You bet.
After being tragically out of print for at least ten years, The Flesh Eaters’ seminal second album from 1981 finally receives a proper reissue on both vinyl and CD.
After a pair of excellent 7“s, North London synth-pop quintet, Cosines, finally deliver their debut album and fulfill the promises made on those initial short bursts of vinyl.
In a hybrid of Northern and Southern California dance music production, Motofightr, comprised of San Francisco’s Miles Gabriel and Los Angeles-based Alec Feld (Expensive Looks), delivers an innovative five-song EP that draws heavily from vintage European disco.
Shortly after transitioning into a sextet with the addition of NYC soap maker/vocalist, Missy Bly, Burlington, VT’s The Smittens deliver a powerful mini-album of dreamy pop with a dark sense of humor.
Wand is one of the latest Los Angeles bands to try on the psychedelic outfit, and so far, it’s looking really promising.
In a striking departure from their respective styles, indie rocker Joel RL Phelps of Silkworm and Downer Trio fame, and G. Stuart Dahlquist, bassist of Burning Witch, Sunn O))) and Asva, join forces to create a compelling duo born from their respective strengths.
After the success of their debut, La Busta Gialla, Il Sogno Del Marinaio, the trio of bassist Mike Watt, guitarist Stefano Pilia and drummer Andrea Belfi, return with a more focused effort that clearly defines the band’s sound.
This Uppsala, Sweden quartet release their seventh LP, following 2011’s excellent Staying Alive in a Country Industrialized. If it’s solace you crave, this LP provides an ample dose, both in its music and words.
There’s been a trend of British acts trying to copy certain American sound, something that has always existed and in a reciprocal fashion as well, but what’s unique about The Healing is that they actually succeed.
After forty-two years of relative obscurity, songwriter PF Sloan, the man who penned Barry McGuire‘s “Eve of Destruction,” Johnny Rivers‘ “Secret Agent Man” and “A Must to Avoid” for Herman’s Hermits, delivers an ambitious album that blends classical music with a keen pop sensibility dedicated to composer Ludwig van Beethoven.
Brown’s ambitions and unique viewpoints make for a perfectly endearing and charming album, and it sounds so familiar and inviting, and it may just feel like putting on an old, comfortable pair of shoes.
On their latest and first for Merge Records, Lateness of Dancers finds Hiss Golden Messenger affirming their past considerations and handing hope to their fiction.
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.
