Category: Americana

Five Cool Ones: Five Cool Records Released This Week (January 26, 2024)

The weather may be cold, but the music is hot this week as many artists are scrambling to give us a morsel of singles in advance of a proper release.

Blackberry Smoke shows that they can go mellow low and slow when they are not putting out barn stompers with “Azalea.”

Circles Around The Sun delivers on a psychic Laurel Canyon mushroom cloud with “After Sunrise.”

And, Joe Bonamassa and Peter Frampton burn the house down with their version of Humble Pie’s “Four Day Creep.”

But wait, don’t put up those winter jackets just yet. Here are five records to keep you warm this week.

Ty Segall – Three Bells

Ty Segall, renaissance man, Swiss army knife, and bell weather cow of the indie rock scene is out with Three Bells, another monstrous record by a monstrous artist.

Song after song our ears are treated to the sonic wizardry that is Ty Segall. Not known to be especially user-friendly to the ears, oftentimes bathing in a foggy haze of fuzz, this time out he delivers a one-hour set of intricate guitar chords, Jimi Hendrix-worthy riffage, and Seagall-ist production that is not only accessible, but also provides a texture to the proceedings that is both refreshing and sorely missed in today’s musical landscape.

If this record was a Jazz album it would be John Coltrane’s Giant Steps record with the melodic frenzy of “Giant Steps” morphing with the tempo-changing “Countdown.”

Impressive accomplishments, indeed.

Gurf Morlix – Melt Into You

The first thing that will hit you between the speakers is that Gurf Morlix, on his latest record, Melt Into You, sounds an awful lot like Ray Wylie Hubbard which makes perfect sense since he has been twirling the knobs for both Ray Wylie and Lucinda Wiians for the last several years.

Morlix tackles old age and lonely travels on “Melt Into You,” as well as the self-reflecting “Last Days of the Dinosaur,” wrapping things up with a sentiment all of us experience at one time or another on “A Meaningless Life.”

Stop at three shots of bourbon if you listening to this one in one sitting.

Sarah Jarosz – Polaroid Lovers

With the essence of 80’s ladies and Garth Brooks-era country, this Sarah Jarosz gem of an album covers all of the touchstones.

With her deft songwriting and classic Americana-centric vocal stylings the multi-instrumentalist, multi-Grammy winner apples her trade like a slightly less cool Jenny Lewis.

The opener, “Jealous Moon” could have been a K.T. Oslin hit from back in the day, closer “Mezcal and Lime” is a last-call woozy sort of affair, and “Runaway Train” will transport you back to a simpler era when the women ruled the country radio dial.

Katy Kirby – Blue Raspberry

With this, her sophomore record, Katy Kirby comes out strong chronicling new discoveries and first-time lesbian experiences on the exquisitely cool, Blue Raspberry.

The crystalline vocals pushed forwar in the mix means you will not need to consult a lyric sheet to ascertain the lyrics that highlight the little things women recognize in other women.

Listening to this record in total within the confines of a serious listen lends itself to a revelatory stroll in a forest of reflection as it surely does in the string-subtle “Party of the Century.”

You will be a better person for listening to this record.

The Umbrellas – Fairweather Friend

The Umbrellas, an Indie Pop band that brings to the minds-ear the classic sounds of bands like The Go-Betweens, The Bats, or even The Cranberries.

With jangle guitars and layered harmonized vocals, each song has a nostalgic feel to it that scantily varies throughout the song set. The lyrics, poetic in their simplicity, along with the alternating vocals are delivered with the honesty that should serve the band well as they continue on the path to critical acclaim and more.

Five Cool Ones: Five New Albums Released This Week (January 19, 2024)

The heat is on and there is a ton of new long- players to digest this round.

The mighty Saxon is scorching the earth with a new single and video.

Judas Priest never fails to amaze and will likely go on forever, case in point, their latest single and video, Panic Attack.

And, if AOR is your jam, Grand and their new single “Kryptonite” will wet your early Journey and Europe whistle.

But grab the popcorn, the main event is coming up with five new platters the likes of which we have not heard in a very long time.

Sleater – Kinney – Little Rope

Returning from a ten-year hiatus, Sleater Kinney is releasing their 11th album. One of the more taut efforts from Carrie Brownstein and Corin Tucker, the guitar lines seem to be crisper, and the vocals are more textured than we are used to coming from the OG’s of the riot grrrl movement in the Pacific northwest.

The angst is still there front and center on “Six Mistakes” and the no-flinching songwriting has not been lost most notably with the lyric “get up girl, and dress yourself in clothes you love for a world you hate” as exhibit A.

The Love Gone Wrong song “Say It Like You Mean It” might be the poppiest of the pop songs the band has ever written, and “Don’t Feel Right” jumps right out of the speakers.

Look for this one staking a claim in the end of the year lists. The welcome return of a band we had forgotten we missed.

Chemtrails – The Joy of Sects

One of the rare female-centric Post Punk bands in the game today, Manchester-based Chemtrails has almost created their own sub genre, Garage Pop.

The opener “Detitrus Andronicus” sucks you in with the first bouncy guitar riffs, with the distinct vocals of Mia Lust and Laura Orlova introducing themselves to your ears.

Most, at first listen, will have a love-hate relationship with the Cindy Lauper fronting the B-52’s vocal stylings that some might find irrating at best, unlistenable at worst.

A record that needs to be savored in the correct setting, don’t jump off the island until you check out the “Rock Lobster” vibing of “Superhuman Highway.”

Lizzie No – Halfsies

Emerging Folk-Americana artist Lizzie No, with her latest record, Halfsies, is poised to be one of the hottest break-out artists of 2024.

A New York to Nashville transplant, Lizzie combines the best of the musical melting pot waving the inclusion flag in everything she does.

All of the hot spots are touched here with elements of Country, Bluegrass, Folk, Pop, and Rock all represented with aplomb.

80’s ladies’ country is all over “The Heartbreak Store,” “Lagunita” is a straight-up rocker, and “Deadbeat” is pure Laurel Canyon Joni Mitchell.

This record is a stunner well worth your aural respect.

Green Day – Saviors

Green Day is one of those bands that will immediately transport you to a place in time from your not so distant past where life was simpler and music was real.

With this, their 14th album Billie Joe and the fellas build that bridge connecting 1994’s Dookie, American Idiot, their most popular record, and now Saviors.

Weighing in at a compact 15 songs in 45 minutes, this one has Green Day doing what they do best, melding a scattershot of socially relevant songs around a soundscape of Post Punk fury that is unique to the band.

The opener, “The American Dream Is Killing Me” will remind you why you fell in love with the band in the first place, and “Corvette Summer” could be a long lost Jellyfish B-Side.

A welcome return from a band of our youth.

Emperor Penguin – Emperor Thieves

“What’s The Worst That Could Happen,” the leadoff single from Psych Pop band Emperor Penguin pre-dispositions the template on this one with the early Beatles rock and roll groove and psychedelic undertones.

“ I Wouldn’t Put It Like That” is Elvis Costello at his poppiest, “You And Me” will envelope you in the secondhand smoke of a Sgt. Pepper sit-in listening party and the band goes all hipster French on “Sonnez Les Martines.”

Pristine Power Pop for pure people.

Song of the Day: LJ Makkay And The Six – Bad Weather Blues

With a voice that seemingly comes from Hades that floats somewhere Between Johnny Cash and Leonard Cohen, Long John Makkay and his 66 crew ride the Americana/Country Rock range.

The songwriting is first-rate storyteller fare with a big sound along with varying soundscapes that make every song an immersive experience. Consider us among the several that missed placing their latest record, Bridges, on our album of the year poll for 2023. It was well deserving.