Monthly Archives: May 2023
LINDA FROM WORK – JEALOUS [SINGLE]
Label: Linda From Work (Self-Published)RIYL: Veruca Salt, Letters to CleoFCC: Safe! Slightly grungy girl-rock, interesting vocals and guitar. Play!
JESUS PIECE – …SO UNKNOWN [HARDCORE]
Blending hardcore and metal, Jesus Piece has returned with melodic yet hard-hitting guitar riffs and lyrics for a brutal second album. Frontman Aaron Heard’s screams will call you into the pit and ring in your ears for days. Label: Southern Lord Start w/ 3, 5, 7 FCC: Clean, except for 1, 2, 4 RIYL: Knocked […]
Verboten – Strange Rehab Ch. 2 (Ghost Mountain) [LOCAL]
Local artist Verboten (aka Foster Powell) writes and performs retro piano-driven power pop gems with a soft-spoken vocal delivery. Track Picks: 1, 2, 3 FCC: 4 RIYL: Jon Brion, Elliott Smith, The Lemon Twigs, Sage Hatfield
Michael Chorney and Dana Lyn – The Melodia of Freeway Clyde (Self-released) [LOCAL]
Guitarist Michael Chorney teams up with violinist Dana Lyn for a series of beautiful acoustic duo reworkings of compositions previously performed by Chorney’s band Freeway Clyde. All the pieces hold up on their own, but they also flow brilliantly together as a single listening experience. Track Picks: 1, 3, 7 FCC: Clean RIYL: John Fahey, […]
Amelia Wilcox – Thought Gazebo (Orange Store) [LOCAL]
Ethereal vocals and vibed-out electronic instrumentals make up the latest album from local indie pop artist Amelia Wilcox. Track Picks: 2, 4, 7 FCC: 1 RIYL: Mitski, Marika Hackman, Sufjan Stevens, Francesca Blanchard
Thoughts and Prayers–Music by Larry Bell
Some lovely works in tribute and memorium to individuals murdered or dead.
Symphonic Chronicles Vol. 1
Varied works for orchestra–jazz, minimalism etc. all contemporary.
Intersections–Khemia Ensemble
For voice, with abstract, mostly quiet chamber/electronics.
Drain – Living Proof
Label: Epitaph Release Date: May 5, 2023 Drain injects a serious dose of relatability—not to mention catchiness—into hardcore’s penchant for toughness and brutality. FTS (KYS) is an ode to sobriety where chainsaw guitars and a brawling rhythm section battle against rousing roars to reinvent yourself and ‘kill all the parts that you don’t love’. There […]
Anti-Flag – Lies They Tell Our Children
Label: Spinefarm Release Date: January 6, 2023 Pittsburgh punks Anti-Flag may just have written the soundtrack to the greatest underdog story of all-time: The People vs… well, all of the insane nonsense we’re up against right now. Sure, that’s a relatively small silver lining in the scheme of things but, c’mon, they’re just one band. Lies They […]
Mysterious Love – Geese (Single) (Partisan Records)
Release date: May 9, 2023 RIYL: Squid, The Lounge Society, Parquet Courts FCC: 2 (one instance of “motherf*cker at the very end of the track – easy to censor) Like classic rock shot through with weirdness. A little punk, a little country, a little discordant, a lot chaotic, and a lot of fun!
Slow Pulp – Cramps (Single) (Anti/Epitaph)
Release date: February 27, 2023 RIYL: Momma, Castlebeat, Superchunk FCC: None Noisy, fuzzy, run indie rock track about the dangers of over-idealized self-expectations. Play!
Alice Phoebe Lou – Open My Door
Label: Self-Released Incredible new single released by Alice Phoebe Lou. The piano melodies give the piece a sort of oldies, jazzy feel, but the vocals and percussion bring the song to a modern indie rock genre. Open My Door features unbelievably beautiful lyrics centering around self-reflection. RIYL: Adrianne Lenker, Billie Marten, Lucy Dacus, Kate Bollinger […]
Palace – How Far We’ve Come
Label: Fiction Records (Universal Music Operations Limited) Palace’s newest release includes two new singles, “How Far We’ve Come”, and “All We’ve Ever Wanted”. Like most of Palace’s work, the songs have a very dreamy, spacey vibe driven by a repetitive but strong drum beat. These tracks have a bit more of a darker feel compared […]
Moondogs – Aurora (Aqua Bear) [LOCAL]
The 2nd full-band release by local jammers Moondogs harkens back to the psychedelic hip-hop flavor of their debut album with spacey synths and an unexpected rap verse from frontman Will Sturcke, but the group’s togetherness as a unit is what allows this song to take off into the stratosphere. A killer Santana-esque guitar hook and […]
Shir Frum – Party Pooper (Raw Tapes)
From promoter: Shir Frum (pronounced sheer froom) and collaborator Yotam Agan have crafted a debut album “full of heavy emotions but playful melodies, classical guitar and a drum machine, light touches of piano, and Frum’s multiple, beautiful voices. Totally self-recorded inside their shipping container studio over the next two years, Party Pooper is the sound […]
Fruit Bats – A River Running To Your Heart (Merge)
From promoter: “After two decades of making music, hard-earned emotional maturity has clearly seeped into [Eric D.] Johnson’s already inviting songs, resulting in a sound that’s connected with audiences like no other previous version of the band. A River Running to Your Heart represents the fullest realization of Johnson’s creative vision to date. It’s a […]
Various Artists- Weedian 420
Various Artists/Weedian- 420Release date: 2023Apr20Label: Heavy Psych SoundsRating: 4/5 Released on 4/20, this is a compilation of thirteen excellent tracks. Baby Goat Sick from Dopefight drips with sludge. Hippie Stick from Bongzilla is lush with bluesy riffs. Can’t wait to get in-depth with the new album soon! 9 Joint Spiritual Whip from Iron Monkey is […]
Piles of Smiles – Seven Pillars of Shame (Self-released) [LOCAL]
The debut album from Piles of Smiles, the duo of Burlington’s Derrick Burt and Brooklyn’s Liam Wynne, is a dirty, fuzzy collection of homespun lo-fi rock tunes. Amid crushing distorted guitars and drums, off-kilter vocals deliver lyrics ranging from abstract imagery to clever slices of life. Fellow local musician Aida O’Brien contributes guitar and songwriting […]
Lillian Leadbetter – Sophia (Self-released) [LOCAL]
Local singer-songwriter Lillian Leadbetter (of Lillian and the Muses) takes her sound in a folkier direction on this new single, a warm-hearted, slightly melancholy message to a friend living across the ocean. FCC: Clean RIYL: The Innocence Mission, Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus, Francesca Blanchard
Low Lily – Angels In the Wreckage (Self-released) [LOCAL]
Brattleboro folk group Low Lily’s tight harmony vocals pair brilliantly with their Appalachian-flavored folk sound showcasing strings both bowed and plucked. The songs mostly consist of timeless-sounding originals (with lyrics occasionally venturing into timely politics) and a few choice covers ranging from Shawn Colvin to Jethro Tull. Track Picks: 1, 2, 4, 5, 9 FCC: […]
Honey and Soul – Lady King (Joy of Music) [LOCAL]
Local vocal trio Honey and Soul explore a variety of sounds on their debut album, from blues to folk to neo-soul. Their enveloping harmonies and spiritually evocative lyrics linking these potentially disparate elements together into a cohesive whole. Track Picks: 3, 5, 6, 9, 14 FCC: Clean RIYL: Lucius, May Erlewine, Brandi Carlile, Low Lily
Ayden Flanigan – “Friends” and other songs (Flanigan Sound) [LOCAL]
Ayden Flanigan continues to prove himself one of Burlington’s greatest songcrafters on his latest album, which brings a greater sonic diversity to his established brand of twangy lo-fi rock by dabbling in Beatles-esque piano pop, funky wah-wah grooves, retro drum machine beats and more. Track Picks: 2, 3, 6, 9, 10 FCC: Clean RIYL: Wilco, […]
Eastern Mountain Time – More Buses and Trains (Self-released) [LOCAL]
The latest album from Sean Hood’s project Eastern Mountain Time (in this incarnation, largely a collaboration with Albany-based musician Willoughby Morse) is a plaintive, heartfelt and downbeat collection of country-folk laments. It’s a melancholy affair (understandably, since it was largely a lockdown project), but there are glimmers of hope. Track Picks: 3, 4, 5, 7 […]
STÖNER – Boogie To Baja
STÖNER – Boogie To BajaRelease date: 2023Feb24Label: HEAVY PSYCH SOUNDS RecordsRating: 5/5 This is an EP of tracks that didn’t make it onto their latest album, totally…. STÖNER Theme (Baja Version) is self-explanatory with epic, spacey riffs from the godfather of desert rock, Mario Lalli (Fatso Jetson). City Kids on the other hand is a […]
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