Art pop band Elk City shares “That Someone”, a song exploring the dual nature of self and other, excitement and dismay. The sound is vibrant, raw-edged, guitar-driven and maybe even a little scary. The shadow-laden accompanying video was filmed in New York City and Montclair, New Jersey, as well as edited, by Ray Ketchem.
An outgrowth of musicianly friendships and idle time during the pandemic best spent writing and recording music, Night Crickets brings together singer/songwriters/multi-instrumentalists David J (from Love & Rockets and Bauhaus) and Darwin Meiners (who records solo as Darwin) with drummer Victor DeLorenzo (Violent Femmes) for a sort of alternative rock supergroup.
Ahead of their long-awaited TAINTED 2022 tour, iconic darkwave-postpunk pioneers Pink Turns Blue present the single “Not Gonna Take It’” the first taste of their TAINTED Tour-2022 EP, which will be released on September 2 when the tour kicks off in Seattle.
Cowherd’s no speed demon, preferring to play rippling lines that let the songs unfold, rather than charge forward, which clearly suits Blade and Patitucci perfectly.
While Jamaica, Florida and Cali lay claim to many of the reggae and dancehall greats, a new quartet from West Tennessee is ready to change the frame, up the game, create some waves and alter brains with their infectious wordplay. Armed with a Samurai’s integrity, a free-flowing style and a heavy dose of sunshine, it’s time to Bonzai!
Though there’s little here that would rattle the windows, that doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty going on, with complex tunes, intricate arrangements and strong ensemble playing.
UK alt-rockers, Kicking Edgar seem to be going from strength to strength at the moment, and following on from their last single “In My Head”, comes “Fever Dream” which will be available on 5th September.
Saxophonist and composer Miguel Zenón has long been at the forefront of modern jazz – synthesizing post bop and Latin jazz in ways his peers and predecessors have hinted at, but never fully realized as well as he has.
Mining a rich vein somewhere between avant-garde jazz and minimalist classical music, Battle Trance creates pieces full of vivid textures and hidden details.
Suffice it to say that if you have any passing interest in indie or alternative rock or if you are a R.E.M. fan who’s somehow missed it all these years, you need to hear this.
Inspired by the way the social commentary in Mingus’ music reflects ongoing societal aches and pains, Philion directs a mini-big band, frontloaded with saxophones, trumpets and trombones, on a set of eight Mingus classics and deep cuts.
Oddly never quite as celebrated as his inspirations and peers, drummer Al Foster nonetheless became a key rhythmic collaborator for a dream list of bandleaders.
Austin to Houston, Marina Rock’s fourth album, is, partially, a reflection on her journey from her native Austin to her adopted home of Houston. In addition to engineering the recording, she sang all the parts and played almost all the instruments, including on the closing number “Sleepy Hollow (Revisited),” a spiritually-infused instrumental.
This fortieth anniversary edition is the first time Chronic Town has appeared en toto on shiny compact disk. Go figure.
Face à Face unites Phillips with Hungarian electronicist György Kurtág jr., son of the eponymous composer, for a series of improvised duets.
In the sweepstakes for longest time between albums, bassist Neil Swainson finally follows up his 1987 debut 49th Parallel with this year’s Fire in the West.
Soulful art-rock outfit Seal Party presents their rich and captivating debut album MMXXII, a meaningful and timeless place that is filled with improvisation, fury, and lyrical beauty, Evoking ‘70s soul, rock and R&B while maintaining a raw and exploratory approach, this eclectic work meshes unusual songwriting and musicianship with a style that is at once playful and rebellious.
Sweden’s Mammoth Volume made a trio of quirky, prog-infused stoner rock records in the late nineties and early ‘aughts, earning itself critic’s darling status in a field not normally known for that label.
Ree-Vo is Andy Spaceland (AKA Andy Jenks) and T. Relly. Recorded, produced and mixed by Andy at Bristol’s Christchurch Studios, known as the home of _Mezzanine_-era Massive Attack, this album was tweaked and fine-tuned during the summer of 2020.
Casting a wide net, Keezer brings a swath of influences – hard bop, fusion, postbop, third stream – to his music.
LA-based singer-songwriter and Grammy-winning producer Rich Jacques has released his debut EP Everything Must Change, a 6-track collection that takes the listener through his soothing sonic world and a single of the same name. Wonderfully beguiling, this music is uplifting amidst dark times as politics, environmental concerns and Covid-related concerned have significantly weighed on everyone’s minds.
Ultimately what this session comes down to is pure fun – these guys clearly enjoy their musical interaction, playing everything with a relaxed intensity.
This 7” platter features live performances from 1970 of two songs that would soon appear in studio versions on CCR’s Cosmo’s Factory album.
Alternative / indie rockers ON – a trio comprised of Toronto music scene veterans, formerly of popular 90’s outfits Acid Test, Danko Jones and Rocket Science – present their brazen new single “Underdog” as they reveal dates for their impending Ontario tour.
Grammy-winning trumpeter and composer Brian Lynch continues his Songbook series with Vol. 2: Dance the Way U Want To, a reclamation of his back catalog through remakes and reinvention.
Iconic shoegaze/postpunk outfit A Shoreline Dream is back with a new album after a pandemic time-out. Loveblind_will arrive on September 23 via Latenight Weeknight Records, following their critically acclaimed _Melting album (2020). Ahead of this, the band presents the infectious lead track “Alarms Stop Ringing”, previewing 40 minutes of goth-induced progressive walls of sound. Loveblind promises to be an album that shoegazers, post-rock lovers and daydreamers should take note of.
Singer, songwriter and all-round music impresario Tim Bowness operates in a fairly unique artistic area.
UK-based soulful indie pop duo Karamelien present their debut single “Ascension Heights”, a laid-back and groovy summer tune inspired by and featuring Top Topham’s track of the same name. While technically a new project, this soaring perfect pop offering actually has a rich and touching backstory.
Glasgow*-based *Starry Skies are set to release their fourth studio album Small Wonders via Fox Star Records, following up 2020’s long player Do It With Love. With a brilliant mix of classic rock, power pop and folk-pop, the band is back with a crowdfunded album of shimmering delights
Drummer Billy Drummond has long been a rhythm keeper’s rhythm keeper, the demand for which might explain why he hasn’t headlined a recording since 1996.
With a new single “Ghosts” out, an album of covers behind them, and new material coming along thick and fast, it was the perfect time to sit down with Dan Kubrinski of Deadfinger and find out what was happening in their world.
The solo guitar extravaganza Electric Git Box draws on songs from throughout his career, from his 1976 debut Clarity, Circle, Triangle, Square to 2019’s WHENUFINDITUWILLKNOW.
Led since their 2014 inception by guitarist/vocalist Matt Dudzik, these guys probably can’t cross the street without sneering at oncoming traffic, but they know from hooks.
While this follow-up resembles its predecessor Dark Americana: Stories and Songs in mood and style, it feels more ambitious and expansive, with intricate arrangements that conjure Ennio Morricone’s spacious, evocative spaghetti western soundtracks.
Dublin future-retro electronic artist Circuit3 (the electronic pop alias of Peter Fitzpatrick) presents his third album ‘Technology For The Youth’ LP. Released via Manchester’s AnalogueTrash label, this album was mastered by Richard Dowling, known for his work with Paul McCartney, Kylie Minogue, Motorhead, David Bowie, Foo Fighters, New Order and Sparks.
London*-based alt-rock / metal artist *Grace Solero their new Metamorphosis,a power-packed labour of love that is raw, grungy, dreamy and atmospheric all at the same time
Boston singer/songwriter Abbie Barrett likes good, catchy songs and guitars. In what style those things come together depends entirely on what the tune demands – even if that’s several things at once.
Austin*-based rock duo *The Caughtery presents their debut Self-Titled EP, released on July 15. Mixed by the legendary Tim Palmer (Robert Plant, Ozzy Osbourne, Tin Machine, The Mission, HIM, U2, Pearl Jam), who jointly produced it together with David Gayler, this EP was recorded by Lee Jackson at Studio71West near Austin. Tim Palmer also contributes guitar on this glorious debut.
Clay Joule is a singer, drummer and multi-instrumentalist, songwriter. After the success of the previous single “Funky Sphere,” it was only natural that we hunted down the latest release, the aptly titled “Summer Breeze” and found out what this next single was all about.
Scruffy synths and existential despair add up to a mesmerizing debut.
With In Tense, his second album as a leader, Raghavan has staked a claim as one of modern jazz’s most interesting composers and bandleaders.
With Chicago dropping their 38th album of their career, one of the tracks in particular, “The Mermaid” featuring Joanna Pearl, sums up their collaborative prowess and eclectic musical approach perfectly.
Manchester art-rock quartet Weimar has released its debut album Dancing On a Volcano digitally via German Shepherd Records and on CD via Marlene’s Hat Records; 12 tracks take the listener on an unpredictable excursion through the socio-political and personal challenges of our modern age.
How many times have we seen a person in their twilight years, still doing it, whatever it is, and making us think, “Man, I hope I still have that much fire at their age.” Well, folks, please welcome Sheila Jordan to the stage.
Ernest Moon are Steven Doran and Brian Murphy, two highly creative songsters with a gift for wise cracks and impactful one-liners, brought together by a liking for eggs on toast. They offer lush lyrics, heavy hands and a rat-arsed sincerity. Their sound has been described as pushy pop, “filling the gap between pretentious lyrical art and bog standard pop music”.
San Antonio’s long-running Krayolas didn’t attract the power pop tastemakers back when the genre flourished in the eighties, never seeming to break out of their region until thirty-odd years later.
The next generation of Orange Country rock.
Sons Of features four lengthy modular synthesizer compositions from Sam Prekop and John McEntire, first forged across the duo’s improvised 2019 European tour.
Soulful art-rock outfit Seal Party presents their new single ‘Kaleka’, a stunning Bowie-esque piano-based composition that complements the band’s most recent single ‘Maison’ featuring R&B organ wizard Chris Rob (Kanye West, Stevie Wonder, John Legend, Anita Baker, Talib Kweli). Both songs are rich and captivating tasters of their forthcoming debut album ‘MMXXII’, bringing the listener to a meaninful and timeless place.
