Five Cool Ones – Page 2 – Rock Is The New Roll

Five Cool Ones: Five New Albums Released This Week (March 7, 2025)

Wow, what a week is in store for your ears to enjoy, one week just gets better than the last.

The Baboon Show are percolating their wild vibes with their latest single “Forward In Reverse.”

Aussie legend shares “New Day,” a song that shares DNA with Tom Petty’s “Learning To Fly.”

And, Brian D’Addario, the youngest of The Lemon Twig boys is out with a sublime single ahead of his upcoming full length.

But, don’t push all of your chips to the center of the table just yet. Here are five freshly minted morsels to savor.

Neil Young – Oceanside Countryside

A previously “lost” record that was recorded in an earlier time but took 40 years to see the light of ear, Oceanside Countryside culls songs from Neil’s ‘70s American Stars ‘n Bars era.

Many of the songs represented here were previously released on Rust Never Sleeps, Hawks & Doves, or Comes A Time but in different versions. With two distinct sides, side 1 features only Young and his guitar while side 2 was recorded additional musicians.

Not that we needed a reminder, but listening to the versions here of “Dance Dance Dance” and “Pocahontas” reminds us of what a national treasure Neil Young really is.

Jason Isbell – Foxes In The Snow

Recorded in five days with just voice and guitar in Electric Ladyland studios with this, his tenth solo album, we see Jason Isbell coming out of the other side of the tunnel reflecting on a failed marriage, and the pitfalls of stardom following his brilliant star turn on Killers of the Flower Moon, and his battle with dangerous memories.

Every song presented here is good bordering on great with the elegantly sparse arrangements providing the backdrop to some of the best songwriting in Isbell’s career.

One of the few artists whose solo work is on par with the music that they make with their band, now that he has gotten a few things off his chest, most notably on “Eileen” and “Good While It Lasted,” despite the loneliness that permeates the record, the future looks very bright. Talent always wins the Day.

Sorrows – Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow

Self-described by guitarist and front-man Arthur Alexander, Sorrows is an intoxicating blend of The Who, The Kinks and The Easybeats with a touch of early-era Rolling Stones thrown in for good measure. Just listen to the opening bombast of “Have You Seen Your Mother Baby, Standing in the Shadows,” and tell us we’re wrong.

“What A Boy” is pure My Generation with a dose of Elvis Costello, and “Somethin’ Else” could have been an Eddie Cochran monster hit, because, of course, it was.

Mike Farris – The Sound Of Muscle Shoals

Returning to his roots as a rocker and a soil singer, Mike Farris lays down a solid set of Muscle Shoals adjacent songs that resurrect the souls of Sam Cooke and Otis Redding and preach on the alter of Al Green.

Chris Stapleton comes to mind on “On The Humble, while “Slow Train” is Al Green Gospel bliss. A solid well crafted listen.

Hotwax – Hot Shot

Meant to be played loud, this Hastings via Brighton post-punk band rocks like some devil hybrid of Deborah Harry fronting Nirvana.

The opener, “She’s Got A Problem” sets the stage for a Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride adventure down a careening bobsled track.

“Dress Our Love” has Chrissie Hind Pretenders on 78 vibes, and “Lights On,” a song that features Stella Mozgawa, is a burner of a gem.

This is the type of band that would headline CB GB’s one night and play Coachella the next without missing a fret.

Five Cool Ones: Five New Albums Released This Week (February 28, 2025)

A bit of a slow week on the new release front as artists get ready for the pre-summer avalanche, but we do the work so you don’t have to.

Easy Eye Sound is at it again with Little Barrie and his fuzz-toned single from his upcoming release Electric War.

UK Indie-Punk trio Hotwax unleash their much-anticipated new record Hot Shock on March 7.

And, The Speaker Wars, featuring founding Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers member and drummer Stan Lynch has a long player due out on May 30.

But lets not rest on our musical laurels here. There a five really cool releases queued up to tickle your earbuds.

The Devil Makes Three – Spirits

With their first proper record since 2018’s Chains are Broken, The Devil Makes Three trio still apply their trade on the rails of muscular roots rock.

This time out, Spirits features more stripped-down performances with an ear towards an expression of weariness emanating from trying to keep sane in a troubled world with “Hard Times” pretty much telling it like it is.

“It’s hard, hard, hard times

They’ll charge you dollars

While they’re paying you in dimes

When they said it was going to trickle down

You know that they were lying

Mostly made while Cooper McBean was mourning the loss of his mother, brother, and best friend lamenting “How Come we got to take a bigger hit, just to get half as high.” This one is a collaborative listen from a band that wallows in the trenches with the rest of us.

Cimarron 615 – Cimarron 615

It would be auditorially impossible for a band that contains three former members of Poco and one Flying Burrito Brother to be anything but stellar. And, this latest effort, the sophomore record from the supergroup Cimarron 615, is just that, stellar and sublime in every way.

With a nostalgic mellow country-rock vibe that veers dangerously close to yacht rock in some places, as evidenced by “Fallin’,” the entire proceedings are a hot tub time machine that will take you back to simpler times.

“Butte La Rose” could have been a Don Henley single back in the day and “Night At The Radio” resonates like a late-era Eagles B side.

This one deserves more credit than it is likely to get.

Diamond Dogs and Chris Spedding – Macon Georgia Giant

For a group of renaissance rockers that typically do business in the dark alleys of 70’s British rock and roll to pay homage to Little Richard says a lot about The Diamond Dogs and even more about the king of rock and roll.

With a panoply of hits, deep cuts, and band favorites every note on this record is a scorcher. The opener, “The King Of Rock And Roll” starts things off with a bang, and things never let up all the way to the closer “Bama Lama Bama Loo.”

If this record has you scurrying to reintroduce yourself to Little Richard’s back catalog, job well done.

Split Dogs – Here To Destroy

Recklessly careening into your speakers like Ricky Bobby on a bender, Split Dogs are Lita Ford on speed run through a Motorhead filter.

Punk music like it is supposed to sound like “Monster Truck” is an absolute banger and “Precious Stones” would make The Sex Pistols blush.

This one grabs you by the gonads and doesn’t let up until you end up legs akimbo at the bottom of the black diamond slope.

Perfect Plan – Heart Of A Lion

Just wait long enough and what is old will be new again, and what was once considered lame is now being served at the cool kid’s table. And here, with melodic rock mavens Perfect Plan and their latest record Heart Of A Lion your inner ’80s Survivor jones will be satisfied and then some.

“We Are Heros” climbs out of your cable box MTV style, “Turn On Your Radio” sounds like the epic over the top, in a good way, a monster hit that the band Europe wishes they would have released back in the day, and “Little Miss Danger” would have been a Loverboy smash single right up there with “The Kid Is Hot Tonight.”

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 (February 14, 2025)

The year is zooming along with great new releases all over the place.

“Lady On Fire” is the over the top third single from glam-prog rocker Bobbie Dazzle from her latest record Fandabidozi.

Robert Jon and the Wreck are “Sittin’ Pretty with their high-octane single from their upcoming long player.

And, Elton John and Brandi Carlile are set to release a proper great album in April.

But don’t stop there. Here are five really cool albums put forward for your listening pleasure.

Crazy Lixx – Thrill Of The Bite

With a slightly revamped band following the departure of drummer Joel Cirera leaving only one original band member since their debut in 2007, Crazy Lixx is out with their latest long player of unflinching, never wavering Sunset Strip sleaze rock. And it’s glorious.

The opener “Highway Hurricane” is AC/DC on steroids complete witj just the right nuance of cowbell, “Midnight Rebel” could have been a great call and response early era Bon Jovi song, and who can argument with the sentiment expressed on “Who Said Rock And Roll Is Dead”

If you are looking for a less than nuanced guilty pleasure listen that will take you back to the good time freewheeling days, the swinging Swedes in Crazy Lixx will scratch that itch.

Honey Crisp – Yesteryears

Hailing from Helsinki Poland, Honey Crisp draws from the melodic side of the singer-songwriter esthetic that was popular back in the day.

Wandering from a less vocally talented Brian Wilson to a lower register Leo Sayer and a Greg Kihn clone, the record carries a bit of nostalgia about it while still maintaining a certain freshness.

Thankfully, just when the waters are starting to venture into yacht-rock territory the course is triangulated into a smooth ride of 60’s crooner proportions that would make Peter Noone blush.

The Altons – Heartache In Room 14

The Altons, and their latest record Heartache In Room 14, just might be the salve that is needed to cure all of the negativity swirling around the world right now.

With a blend of a Soul and Jazz infusion, it is somewhat incongruous to believe that this record was birthed in 2025 and not in the back of a dimly lit Soho Jazz bar with a drugged-up Niba Simone commanding the smoke-filled room.

The musicianship here is on point. The production is not pristine but is perfectly tuned to the retro vibes that the record is going for.

This one is a refreshing listen meant to be heard in one sitting.

The Delines – Mr. Luck Ms. Doom

The Delines, courtesy of Willy Vlautin, crown prince of the dour, disenfranchised, and the down-and-outers, are back with another set of vignettes that give you a glimpse of what it looks like on the other side of the street. If you don’t already live there that is.

With Amy Boone providing the world-worn vocals, the listener is presented with a woman who is on the lam after robbing a drug operation in “Maureen’s Missing,” a failed criminal and a housekeeper in the title track, and “Nancy & The Pensacola Pimp,” where a woman takes revenge on her pimp.

Listen to this live-affirming set of Raymond Chandler-noir short stories set to music in a leather chair with a good whisky and a cigar.

Spiders – Sharp Objects

There is a freshness about the Swedish rock band Spiders that is contrary to its classic rock roots. Drawing inuences from 80’s Sunset Strip, British New Wave, and Garage rock scenes, their latest record rides the rails with the smoothness of a bullet train.

“What’s Your Game (Miss Insane) could have been an Adam Ant B Side, Opener “Rock ‘n’ Roll Band” has a bit of Faces by way of Boston about it, and “Fun In The Sun,” courtesy of front-woman Anne-Sofie Hoyle’s vocal prowess is The Go Go’s on steroids.

Spanning era’s genres, and styles, this is a band that 13 years in may just be hitting their stride.

Five Cool Ones: Five New Records Released This Week (February 7, 2025)

Need a palate cleanser from the Grammys? There are some cool new records to envelope your ears this week.

Ricky Warwick is out with his solo single “The Crickets Stayed In Clovis.”

Manic Street Preachers are tickling our ears with “Brushstrokes of Reunion.”

And finally, Ginger Wildheart, overcoming some mental health issues, is front and center with this single in advance of what might be his best record yet, and that’s saying something.

The Jellybricks – Dreaming In Stereo

Released on Wicked Cool Records, so it must be great, the Harrisburg, PA power popsters continue to impress with their own brand of melodic, harmony-driven coolness.

The title track would make Cheap Trick blush, “Let You Down” carries a whiff of The Knack in its essence, and “Shine On” could have been a lost Raspberry’s classic.

The only band with four songs from one album ensconced as one of “The Coolest Songs In The World” on Little Steven’s XM radio show. The Jellybricks should be firmly take residence on your radar.

Joe Ely – Love and Freedom

On the pantheon of the living legends of Texas Troubadours Joe Ely stands tall right up there with Willie Nelson, Ray Wylie Hubbard, and Terry Allen, and with Love and Freedom, his latest release, culled from his immersive archives, Ely cements his legacy.

“Adios Sweet Dreams” is a ripped from the headlines treatise on the immigration issue from the perspective of those fleeing their country to find a better life for themselves, and Ely Rips the heart out of the Townes Van Zandy staple “Waiting Around To Die” creating an instant cover classic.

Here, with nine originals and four covers Ely is in fine voice with a lot of miles still left in the saddle.

Horsebath – Another Farewell

As debut albums go Another Farewell courtesy of Canadian Americana rockers Horsebath should get serious consideration for best debut record once the end-of-the-year lists come around. The band combines the vintage Tex-Mex of the Sir Douglas Quintet, the Canada-centric songwriting of Gordon Lightfoot, and the vintage refrains of Lee Hazelwood all rolled up into one hell of a bar band.

The opener Hard to Love has a Lukas Nelson feel about it and would have fit in quite nicely on the B side of a Doug Sahm single, and if the closer “Turn My Lover Loose” is not autobiographical it will be soon.

Listen to the entirety of this record from an exciting new find.

Thundermother – Dirty & Divine

In yet another glorious redemption story for Thundermother, front-woman Fillipa Nassil has assembled yet another band of Swedish femme-fatales with her latest version of the band that wouldn’t die.

The record had us at Cowbell from the ripping opening track, “So Close,” “Speaking of the Devil” is a lover-scorned rampage that would have fit in quite well blaring from the bars on the Sunset Strip,” and “Bright Eyes” sound likes it could have come from the vaults of the early days of Def Leppard when they rocked heavy, and “American Adrenaline” is Van Halen fronted by the kick-ass version of Suzi Quatro.

Did the rock record of the year just rear its head? You heard it here first.

Gyasi -Here Comes The Good Part

At first, from the opening salvo of “Sweet Thing” from the latest album from Gyasi (pronounced Jah-See), yours won’t be the first set of ears to think that you have fallen into a very deep rabbit hole of demos and B-sides from a deluxe box set of David Bowie’s Jean Jeanie album.

This is one hell of a wham-glam thank you, ma’am rock and roll record. No band this side of Luke Spiller and the Struts or Darkness is putting the glam vibes out into the ether with the ferocity of Gyasi, and its a wonder to behold.

With so many great songs and more hooks and earworms than an episode of Dangerous Catch, this is the foot-tapper, feel-good record that you have been waiting for.

Five Cool Ones: Five New Albums Released This Week (January 31, 2024)

We’re in the waning hours of the first month of the year, and for those that say that there is no new music released anymore we at Rock is the New Roll say: nay nay.

If you don’t believe us, The Darkness is out with their latest single “Rock and Roll Cowboy Outlaw,”

Skunk Anansie is prepping up a new record, and if An Artist is An Artist” is any indication, the record is going to be a banger.

And, after retiring from his main gig as bass player for Aerosmith, Tom Hamilton is out front and center with his new band Close Enemies.

And now, strap on those earbuds, plug in that Marshall stack, and envelope yourself in these Five new records released into the wild this week.

Thorbjorn Risager – House Of Sticks

Dutch Blues Rock is a pretty big deal these days and Thorbjorn Risager and the Black Tornado are the torchbearers.

Blasting a high-energy blend of Swamp Rock, cinematic Blues-Rock, and Soul Ballads, “Already Gone” is a great way to gain an introduction to the band. “Light of You Love” mourns along like Robert Cray’s best single, and the closer “Fine Summer Night” resonates like a later Day Eric Clapton album.

As eclectic a record as you are sure to find this year, this one has everything you would want in a blues rock record.

Bonnie “Prince” Billy – The Purple Bird

Recorded in Nashville, Purple Bird, the latest record courtesy of Will Oldham under the Bonnie “Prince” Billy moniker, is a country-adjacent record in the John Prine mold.

Working together with Nashville OG songwriting veterans along with a wrecking crew of talented musicians, the resultant song set includes the rambunctious “Turned to Dust,” the spot-on Prine delivery on “One Of These Days (I’m Gonna Spend The Whole Night With You),” and the forlorn “Boise, Idaho.”

The songs presented here, with the lap steel guitar and electric mandolin, play to the old school soul of country music and can be compared favorably to the Johnny Cash American series.

For some artists relocation to Nashville signals the beginning of the end with the artist getting caught up in the machinery. For Oldham, the rebirth is refreshing, and if this one is any indication, there is hope for the Roger Miller, Tom T Hall, and Don Williams patois than the Post Malone and Beyoncé oeuvre that is all the rage today in country music.

The Hellacopters – Overdriver

Let there be Rock! And if the Swedish band Hellacopters have anything to say about it, 30 years in, good, pure rock and roll is back, and here to stay.

Burning down the highway, these retro-riffers deliver on a swagger of early-era Aerosmith, prime Stooges, and accessible Ramones.

“Don’t Let Me Bring You Down” is the best tune on the record and should be the leader in the clubhouse for rock song of the year, and “(I Don’t Wanna Be) Just A Memory” is the best song Cheap Trick never wrote.

This one is quite simply a great rock and roll record.

Lilly Hiatt – Forever

As the daughter of Americana legend John Hiatt, the talent apple doesn’t fall far from the talent tree for Lilly Hiatt as supremely demonstrated on her latest record, Forever.

A jaunty blend of rock and country with a voice that is both vintage and sultry Hiatt also demonstrates her songwriting chops on the Wilbury worthy “Ghost Ship” and the simplistic subject matter of “Evelyn’s House.”

Overall, this may not be her best, Walking Proof to our ears takes that honor, but this one is certainly a worthy record that our ears can get behind.

Circa Waves – Death and Love, Pt. 1

More than 10 years now into their Indie Rock career Circa Waves have evolved into a Vampire Weekend worthy band of evolving expectations and emotionally powerful offerings.

Given the mortality reckoning that the lead singer Kieren Shudall experienced following his diagnosis in 2023 of a heart condition, it makes sense that this record would be a sort of soul-soothing mantra grappling with the fragilities of life.

“We Made It” is a perfect festival-ready wave your hands in the air Indie Rock anthem, and “Let’s Leave Together” is as buoyant a pop song as you are likely to hear all year.

Ultimately, this is a record that extolls the virtues of living in the moment because it’s all we have.

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.

Five Cool Ones: Five New Songs To Rock Your Roll

Beaux Gris & The Apocalypse – I Told My Baby

Lay this platter in the jukebox at your next New Years Eve party and you will be the belle of the burlesque ball with this turbo groove machine Austin Powers stinker.

Aly Venable – Do You Cry

An in-studio version of her latest single, this vulnerable belted reaches the depths of the soul and the heights her back of the barroom wail. Meep your ears open for this artist. She is reaching the peak of her powers.

The Darkness – I Hate Myself

That pot you hear percolating on the stove is Justin Hawkins and The Darkness fiddling about in the studio prepping a new record. It is sure to be Glam-erous.

The Hellacopters – (I Don’t Wanna Be) Just A Memory

This prime power pop lollapalooza couldn’t be any more cheap trick unless they played Budokan.

Throw off those icicles in your hair and warm up the cockles with this early AC/DC riffing monster. Be sure not to miss the brief “School’s Out” interlude mid-song.