The Roseline — Blood
The Roseline have been around a while, and that shows in Blood‘s DNA. I wouldn’t call it bar rock, though it has that driving beat and sticky nostalgia that has defined many bands before them. But these songs are reserved…
Jackie Venson — Transcends
Jackie Venson has been hitting the road and shredding it up for quite some time. Venson’s songs have a gentle charm that is accented by her face-melting blues solos. While each of Venson’s successive recordings has highlighted her guitar work,…
The Duke of Surl — Ham Radio
We can’t build time machines, but sometimes a band does such a good job of hitting the nail on the head that it’s just as good. The Duke of Surl does just that — enthusiastically and confidently transporting us back…
Nick Ferrio — Soothsayer
Nick Ferrio is no stranger to this blog. His previous album, Amongst the Coyotes and Birdsong, was one of my favorite albums of the year, even though it didn’t make it to the top 10 (sorry.) Trust me — it’s…
Worriers — Survival Pop
I’d like to issue a formal apology to all of the artists who are waiting for me to review their work, but I’m packing it in. Between Survival Pop and Worriers’ first album, Imaginary Life (which I thought I’d written…
Anna Tivel — Small Believer
This is post 1100-something and it is still a truth universally acknowledged (by me) that Tivel’s previous album, Heroes Waking Up, is one of the best albums I have listened to in the past five years. That album tells larger-than-life…
PREMIERE: Sonia Tetlow — “Now”
I owe a lot to Sonia Tetlow, and if you’ve been reading the blog for a while, then you do too. This whole thing pretty much exists because I got tired of harassing Ninebullets to feature her work. (Now that…
Morning Music!
1. Carver Commodore — “Ring Ain’t Free” is a meditation on maturity that brings the funk without the masturbatory solos. 2. Captains of April — “Groovy Tuesday” leads from an expansive intro into a crisp pop-punk banger. 3. Dar Stellabotta…