The year is careening along and there are plenty of gems to savor this week, but don’t sleep on the one-offs.
ZZ Ward lays down some bone-rattling down home blues on her latest single.
Rock is the New Roll favorites Sunset Strip rockers Crazy Lixx are back and better than ever.
And, Lake Street Dive is releasing selective singles live from the road. “Walking Uphill” is spectacular.
But don’t put away those head phones just yet, it is a stellar week for new releases.
Larkin Poe – Bloom
With a consistently morphing sound, this time into the world of country-rock, the sisters Poe might be the best band you never listen to, but should.
“Pearl” is a proper country-glam rager, “Bluephoria” dips their toes into soul territory and “Bloom Again” is a tender ballad showing off their versatile chops.
If these descendants of Edgar Allen Poe are not your cup of musical tea, seek help pronto.
Matt Berry – Heard Noises
More widely known as the vampire Lazlo in the hit series What We Do In The Shadows, Matt Berry is more mostly known as a musician and has 13 Albums under his vampire belt.
Known for his 60’s influenced jazz-tinged beats and an Austin Powers esthetic, this record is set somewhere squarely in the late ’60s, early ‘70s
“Sky High” has a spooky vibe that would fit in perfectly in a remake of the X files, the hipness of “Stay on the Ground” comes across like a slightly stoned David Byrne, and “I Gotta Limit” soars in the Box Tops “Cry Like A Baby”Mold.”
With the hippy beats and unicorn song textures this one is the leader in the clubhouse for party recording of the year.
Jeannie Piersol – The Nest
A card-carrying member of the San Franciso psychedelic scene of the ‘60s Jeannie was a Grace Slick-adjacent singer and a founding member of the enigmatic band The Great Society.
And now, High Moon Records has released an anthology of her work that includes demos, outtakes, and performances.
With a quick listen it will become auditorially apparent why Piersol never reached the heights of her fellow scenesters Grace Skick and Janice Joplin, but since beauty is in the ear of the beholder there is a lot to savor here with a few spins of this record. The title track is worth the price of admission alone.
Rose City Band – Sol Y Sombra
If Poco, The Pure Prairie League, and a Grateful Dead cover band merged together they would sound suspiciously like Rose City Band. A self-professed space-aged country jam band their latest effort Soul Y Sombra would have been a ‘70s country rock fm radio fixture back in the day.
Opener “Lights On The Way” lives and breathes Grateful Dead’s “Sugar Magnolia showcasing Barry Walker’s stellar pedal steel guitar, “Open Roads” might be the driving tune of the year thus far, and “Seeds Of Light” is a hippy-dippy mellow wonderment.
Stop taking life so seriously for a minute and bathe yourself in this one Grateful-Dead style.
C Duncan – It’s Only A Love Song
Lush, atmospheric, and it couldn’t be more beach boy adjacent and without fighting with Mike Love, the latest fom C Duncan, the love child of Todd Rundgren and Brian Wilson is a smooth ride down a river of rose petals.
The opening title track introduces the piano-centric artist in all his Barry Manilow meets England John and John Ford Coley glory.
The understated vocals along with the lush orchestration will meander your ears back to a timeless era when pop was king and Carole was Queen.
Rock Is The New Roll 