Category: Indie Rock

Five Cool Ones: Five New Albums Released This Week (March 21, 2025)

The dynamite is definitely going boom this week.

Hannah Cohen is bringing back ‘70s folk-pop.

Bryan Ferry teams up with Amilia Barratt on a new single, “Loose Talk”.

And, The Counting Crows have some new music in the pipeline.

But, that’s not all fellow muso’s. Here are five fresh off the presses playyers to enjoy this week.

The Damn Truth – The Damn Truth

This Canadian quartet operates on a planet of revved-up modern rock with a classic rock twist, and with this, their fourth proper long-player, their reputation that has been building as festival forces to be reckoned with should be permanently solidified.

Produced by Bob Rock, the same Bob Rock who twirled the knobs for Motley Crue, Bon Jovi, and The Offspring among many others, the sound is crisp, vocally energetic, with all of the top 40 panache you would expect with the hand-in-glove partnership of artist and producer.

“The Willow,”’a song that highlights the back of the arena pipes that belong to lead singer Lee-La Baum, is Zeppelin “stairway” worthy, “Addicted” bangs the head phones like a Beth Hart banger, and the anthemic “All Night Long” features AC/DC riffage alongside classic Bob Rock artistry.

This is a next-level record for a next-level rock and roll band.

Foxy Shazam – Animality Opera

This one tickles that G-spot between the flower-power psychedelic vibes of Jellyfish and the operatic bombast of the early Queen records.

A bit chaotic at times, less than cohesive for most of the album, this 11-track journey quite nicely puts the ethos of Foxy Shazam into a capsule that while being less accessible than its forebearers, is all the more of an interesting listen for it.

Tito & Tarantulas – !Brincamos!

Widely known as the house band in Quentin Tarantino’s From Dusk Till Dawn, Tito Larriva and his tarantulas have been mainstays of the Los Angeles punk and roll scene for decades with their genre-bending mix of rock, punk, Tejano, and surf music.

And now, with !Brincamos! the band has delivered a masterpiece of Latinx punk rock with raw ballads and energetic anthems leading the way. The opener “X the Soul” would have been perfect in the hands of Tom Waits, if Waits ever let things fly that is, 99.9 sounds like an Alejandro Escovedo garage rant from the nugget days, and “Sneer At The Drummer” could have been a Willy De Ville classic.

This is a real rock record from a real rock and roll band.

My Morning Jacket – Is

With this, their 10th record in 30-plus years of existence, the jam band-adjacent My Morning Jacket has entered into a new phase of their career for the first time in a decade, for them, an outside producer is in charge, Brendan O’Brien who has worked with Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam, and Phish.

Every song on this record is melodic, transcendental, and perfectly executed. The spirit is uplifting and “Everyday Magic” as well as “Time Waited” remind us of the underrated genius that is Jim James when it comes to crafting a love song.

This might not be the album of the year, but it will certainly be on heavy rotation on our turn tables for the rest of the year.

Brian D’addario – Till The Morning

When is a record really/not really a solo album? The answer is nuanced but in this case with the latest from Brian D’Addario, one-half of the Lemon Twigs twins, both answers may be correct.

The first release on the brothers new label Headstack Records, most of the songs were recorded with brother Michael who is also credited as co-producer.

Self described as country- baroque the entire record is full of Donovan-worthy gems. “Nothing On My Mind” would have been a perfect early Kinks single, “Only To Ease My Mind” is Brian Wilson-worthy, and if “This Summer” is not your summer anthem of the year you should have your ears examined.

It is too early in his career to say that Brian D’Addario has created his own Pet Sounds, but when all is said and done you might not be wrong.

Five Cool Ones: Five New Albums Released This Week (February 21, 2025)

While the world spins around us, there is peace and solace to be found in music. Thankfully, we are living in an age where music is better and more accessible than ever.

Case in point, Tyler Bryant and the Shakedown deliver Jerry Lee Lewis with “Bloodshot Baby.”

The high octane Rattlebacks scorch the earth with their Pearl Jam by way of GN’R dusted “How Calm The Silence.”

And, Joanne Shaw Taylor channels her inner Bonnie Raitt with “Hell Of A Good Time.”

And the riches keep getting better. Here are five highly excellent albums to drill into your earholes.

Sam Fender – People Watching

Starting with the openening title track that travels down the highway like the best of Don Henley’s drivable tunes, Sam Fender and his latest, People Watching” is the kind of friendly, all-inclusive record the likes of Bryan Adams and John Fogerty used to make.

Riding on the coattails of his highly excellent 2021 release Seventeen Going Under, this latest release evokes a certain “Springsteenism” in the songwriting as Fender grapples with growing fame and increased expectations.

Patterson Hood – Exploding Trees and Airplane Screams

The blueprint has not changed much for Patterson Hood whether he is driving by with his main gig as head honcho of the Drive-By Truckers, or here on the batch as a solo act.

The Delines-centric other side of the tracks characters are all alive and well here with the sparse instrumentation, often just Hood and his piano adding to the foreboding atmosphere on this one.

With guest sit-ins courtesy of Kevin Morby, Steve Berlin, Lydia Loveless, and Waxahatchee, this one deserves a secluded listen in a safe space.

The Stylistics – Falling In Love With My Girl

Remarkedly, Falling In Love With My Girl with the original members of The Stylistics is more listenable than it really should be. With collaborations-aplenty on this set of original songs, singer Airrion Love seems to be in fine vocal form.

With Elton John original band members Nigel Olsson and Davey Johnstone setting the foundation there are plenty of notable performances delivered courtesy of Shania Twain, Billy Gibbons, Ray Parker Jr., Tower of Power, and Justin Hawkins from the Darkness. Feel free to slide right on by “Don’t Leave Me Here,” a song that features the vocal prowess, or lack thereof of Gene Simmons.

Give this on a listen, the production is spot-on, and who doesn’t need a bit of Tower of Power in their life?

Mandrake Handshake – Earth-Sized Worlds

If Laura Nyro and Grace Slick had a love child together the resulting spawn might sound a bit like Mandrake Handshake.

Self-described on their various platforms as a multi-dimesional collective showcase of ‘flowerkraut’: a hedonistic brain-frying feast of Krautrock, art-pop and psychedelia, sliced with enigmatic grooves and fearless improvisations, this one is a hippy-dippy feast for the ears.

A grower after several well-induced listens for sure.

The Liminanas – Faded

Lionel and Marie Liminana, the curators of their band The Liminanas have birthed a band that is tailor-made for a Tarantino soundtrack or a vampire movie.

This one features a bunch of guests including Bobby Gillespie, Jon Spencer, and French actor Bertrand Belin all adding to the sultry-cool atmosphere.

Spend some time with “Space Baby.” Where else are you going to hear Bridgette Bardot’s classic single “Contact” wedged into a song?

Come for the Francophile swagger of Bertrand Belin on “J’adore le monde,” but stay for the epic Francoise Hardy cover, “Ou Va La Chance.”

Five Cool Ones: Five New Albums Released This Week (January 24, 2024)

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.

Five Cool Ones: Five New Albums Released This Week (January 17, 2025)

With the new Eric Clapton, Rose City Band, and Delines records in the hopper, 2025 is shaping up to be a boffo year.

The Waterboys have a Dennis Hopper themed record ready to be released soon.

Swedish rockers The Hellacopters have a new record out on January 31. Overdriver.

And Frontier Records own, Perfect Plan delivers the AOR goods on their latest “We Are Heroes.”

And here, in an abundancy of riches, here are five new records that saw the light of ear this week.

David Gray – Dear Life

On his 13th album and first since 2021, David Gray gets a bit more sparse and introspective than we are used to from the artist that first hit our ears with the mega-hit “Babylon.”

Recorded mostly in his home London studio, this time out Gray reflects on things getting old on “Plus & Minus,” on “I Saw Love” he is heavily influenced by Raymond Carver short stories, and “Leave Taking” with its horns and intricate production is worth a headphone listen.

The Weather Station – Humanhood

With Humanhood Tamara Lindeman and Weather station doubles down on the jazz-inflected pop sound version of the band that she brought to our ears going back to the 2021 release, Ignorance.

“Body Movement” has a certain Joni Mitchell element to it, while “Neon Signs” will float you on a Suzanne Vega cloud.

The instrumentation on this record with bass, sax, and flute delicately dispersed throughout the record is next-level quality. Listening to this one while chemically induced will take you back to the ‘70’s sitting under a tree deep in a forest.

20/20 – Back To California

Think of the spawn of the Flying Burrito Brothers and The Little River Band and you will have a bit of an idea of what this band is all about.

In business under various configurations going back as far as 1979 and their eponymous record, these guys are all Laurel Canyon all the time.

The opening title track has an R.EM. bent to it, “The End Of Summer” could have been a Bodeans B side, and “Laurel Canyon” is pure power pop.

If you are looking for a record full of melodic nirvana wrap your ears around this one.

Mick Clarke – Bad Whisky Blues

Recorded entirely in his Surrey, UK studio Bluesman Man Mick Clarke delivers up a set of whisky-drenched songs that run the gamut from stone-cold classic covers to self-penned tumblers.

“Killing Floor” and “Smokestack Lightning” are adequately covered and “Watch Your Step” is a ZZ Top worthy jam.

This one is the perfect soundtrack for that next bender, but make sure that you cleanse the palette with a nice single malt before extinguishing the flame.

Ex Void – In Love Again

A behemoth of an Indie Rock record, everything that you thought of the genre is wrapped up for you in one tight package.

My Bloody Valentine, check. The Smiths Check, The Cranberries, Dinosaur Jr., check, check, check. Cobbled together from several indie-pop U.K. bands of stirling quality including Joanna Gruesome and The Tubs, the dual frontpeople consisting of Lan McArdle and Owen Williams take center stage on this one that is sure to be top 10 contender.

And, if you don’t believe us have your ears take a gander at the Lucinda Williams cover, “Lonely Girls.”

Five Cool Ones: Five New Records Released This Week (January 10, 2025)

Amazingly, 2024 is in the books and we are ready to do the work since you don’t have to to find the best music, according to us anyway, to hit your ear-waves.

The new record comes out in March, but in the meantime check this out with vocal help from Fivers Simone Schmidt. This one is the leader in the clubhouse for video of the year.

Youth Lagoon, the project of Idaho-based singer-songwriter Trevor Powers has released a single in advance of his February 21 record, Rarely Do I Dream.

And, Horsegirl has released a new single, “2468” in advance of the Chicago-based trio’s album Phonetics On And On

But wait, don’t jump off the train just yet. Here are five new records to keep the toes moving and the heart beating.

Lambrini Girls – Who Let The Dogs Out

Labrini Girls will remind you of the night you left the party with that wild girl and ended up in the alley with a ripped shirt and no socks on top of a pile of beer cans and cigarette butts.

“Big Dick Energy” careens down the black diamond slope like a ski racer with Tourettes, and “Filthy Rich Nepo Baby” is the GoGos on steroids. And, thankfully there is nary a cover of “Who Let The Dogs Out” to be found in this rambunctious set.

Ringo Starr – Look up

Not since the iconic Buck Owens cover of “Act Naturally” have we heard Ringo Starr embrace country music with the fervor that he does here with his lasted record, Look Up.

Guest spots abound, both country and laymen, with Molly Tuttle, Alison Krause, Billy Strings, and Larkin Poe leading the way.

This one is a listenable record that we can put in our pocket waiting for the next Paul McCartney album.

Franz Ferdinand – The Human Fear

Scottish Indie rockets Franz Ferdinand shows whats under their kilt with their latest, The Human Fear. Buoyant and danceable, there is nothing not to like on this one.

“Everdaydreamer” sounds like U2 if Bono actually decided that he wanted to have fun, “The Doctor” bounces like Duran Duran on the bumper cars at the amusement park, and “Hooked” is Devo set to 78rpm at the disco with their side piece The Talking Heads.

A ray of sunshine in a gloomy world.

Early James – Medium Raw

With Medium Raw, his third effort for Dan Auerbach and his Easy Eye sound label, Early Janes takes things low and slower with this set recorded at a 100-year-old house in Nashville dubbed The Honky Chateau using an old tube console mostly recorded in one take.

A young man with an old soul, the record brings out the blues side of the singer mostly known for his Americana leanings. This stripped down affair may not be as favored as its more polished predecessors, but discovering another layer of this still-up-and-coming artist bodes well for the future.

Joan Armatrading – How Did It Happen And What Does It Now Mean Now

Having never really gone away, with her latest, How Did It Happen And What Does It Mean Now, Armatrading combines disco-light, yacht Rock, and straight-up pop on a set that is pleasant enough fare albeit lacking a bit of the heart that we are used to from an iconic artist.

Wholly produced in her home studio, sometimes adding polish to silver doesn’t make it shine any brighter.