Americana, as a genre, is having a much-deserved moment in the sun. And with it are coming some incredibly original bands that normally wouldn’t be getting a listen if not for folks like The Avett Brothers and Shovels & Rope treading a path to acceptance. Among those that deserve a listen is the brilliant Nashville, by way of LA, -based duo Freddy & Francine (Curiously, there is neither a Freddy…
It’s difficult to relay just how influential Jeff Lynne and his group Electric Light Orchestra was and remains to this day, despite release their last big hit in the early 1980s.
Wayne Kramer and his bandmates in the MC5 helped put down the foundations of punk rock, alongside fellow Detroiters Iggy Pop and The Stooges, paving the way for everyone from The Ramones to The Clash to make careers out of their music. Unfortunately, Kramer was in a federal prison in Lexington, KY, serving time for a botched drug deal when punk was just taking off. And at the time, the…
For a guy who’s better known as the drummer behind less-than-mellow folks like Ben Folds and War Against Drugs, Darren Jessee can certainly lay down a mellow vibe.
The Bar Stool Preachers latest, “Grazie Governo” (“Thank You Government”), just so happens to be the punk rock album we need at this fucked up moment in time.
Hard to believe it’s been five years since The Devil Makes Three last put out a record of all-original material (2016’s satisfying Redemption & Ruin was a creatively curated covers album that spoke to a general theme). And it takes just one or two songs into their new one, Chains Are Broken, for you realize just how much they were missed.
When Omnivore Recordings first announced their re-release of the Posies’ debut “Failure,” it was just a matter of time before they got around to the band’s two best efforts, 1990’s “Dear 23” and 1993’s “Frosting on the Beater.”
The English-based alt rock band James has turned to a familiar topic throughout Living in Extraordinary Times, their 15th studio album: the current, global political landscape. President Trump and his fellow right wing, nationalist contemporaries in the UK have brought every racism and jingoism to the forefront of everyone’s day to day life, so it’s not surprising that musicians from countless genres are tapping the Grand Wizard In Chief for…
It’s taken five albums – albeit all really good releases – but Texas native Amanda Shires has finally put out a career-defining record.
There is seems to be a strong sense of inauthenticity with the vast number of bands who are suddenly unplugging their guitars and calling themselves “Americana” now. But soon enough, another genre will come along and be ripe for exploitation. And when it does, you can bet Riley Moore, a refreshingly genuine voice in the Americana/Folk movement, will still be playing his brand of no frills, but deeply satisfying music…
Over the past several years, when not on their seemingly endless global tour, Mike Peters and his bandmates have been busy breathing new life into old classics. First came the 30th anniversary of their debut, “Declaration,” which saw the songs re-interpreted and re-recorded for a new decade, followed quickly by “Peace Train,” another series of re-recordings, this time of lesser known B-Sides. But, after an eight-year break, the band is…
U2 is the latest in line to get the re-release treatment on vinyl and the occurrence serves as a great reminder of the band’s ability to redefine their style again and again. Their latest records to get a proper 180-gram double LP treatment are 1991’s Achtung Baby, 1993’s Zooropa and their first of two hits packages, “The Best of 1980-1990”. Achtung Baby was their first proper studio album in four…
England’s classic street punk torchbearers The Filaments had a couple of solid releases under their belts before calling it a day in 2005 when their singer emigrated to the U.S.
Arguably one of the best punk rock/goth supergroups of all time, The Lords of the New Church was sadly close to being forgotten by an entire generation. Comprised of Dead Boys singer Stiv Bators, Brian James from the Damned, Sham 69’s Dave Tregunna, The Barracuda’s Nick Turner and occasionally the Damned’s Rat Scabies, the band’s fantastic 1982 self-titled debut mixed punk rock, British goth and some of the earliest hints…
It’s been decades since the Elephant Six Collective was founded on a shared love for 1960s pop, but many of the scene veterans are still just as vital years later. You need look no further than the latest by Great Lakes – the Brooklyn by way of Athens, GA indie pop band – for proof.
Over the years, the music documentary genre has become fairly predictable. There’s the childhood background story, the rise and ultimate fall of the musician or band (usually a result of drugs, inter-band squabbles or changing musical trends), followed by the relaunch after years of soul searching, all told though interviews with those close to the band. VH1 set up the template years ago with Behind the Music and a whole…
Margo Timmins is one of just a handful of singers, alongside Nick Cave, PJ Harvey and the late Leonard Cohen, who consistently manage to take vulnerability and emotional rawness and translate it into powerfully moving records time and time again. “All That Reckoning,” the Canadian band’s latest, is certainly no exception.
Jesus, who knew it would take a band of 20-somethings to perfectly, organically resurface the vibe of ‘70s rock – from the swagger of the Stones to the swamp funk of Leon Russell – for the modern era.
Los Angeles-based Power Pop band The Quick may have only put out one album in their short existence, but that one record, Mondo Deco, helped to bridge the gap between glam music and the then burgeoning punk rock scene.
It’s been more than 35 years since the Dave Wakeling-fronted group, The English Beat (known outside of Canada and the U.S. as simply The Beat) last put out a record of new music. Maybe it’s the fact that the band has been touring fairly frequently for the better part of the last decade – and still putting on an amazing show, by the way – but it’s hard to believe…