Author Archives: Local Music Director
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
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 […]
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 […]
Moondogs – Switchback (Aqua Bear) [LOCAL]
Burlington’s Moondogs have wisely spent the entire post-lockdown era becoming one of the area’s tightest, most in-demand live acts before heading into the studio for their first single as a full band. Like its name implies, the lengthy track switches back and forth between a syncopated funk groove and a soaring rock chorus, with a […]
Pale Blue Dot – Enough / Divided (Self-released) [LOCAL]
The first two singles from local hard rock outfit Pale Blue Dot are all about dark moods and hard grooves. The band is tight as a drum, with locked-in riffs and sinister-sounding vocal harmonies. FCC: Clean RIYL: Audioslave, Queens of the Stone Age, Clutch, The Mountain Says No
Honey and Soul – Lady King (Joy of Music) [LOCAL]
The latest single and title track from Honey and Soul’s upcoming album is based around a gorgeous fingerpicked acoustic guitar figure, over which a beautiful tapestry of piano, rolling drums, strings, and three-part harmonies is woven. FCC: Clean RIYL: Brandi Carlile, May Erlewine, The Chicks, Emma Cook
CONANT – Gavia Immer (Self-released) [LOCAL]
Vergennes-based singer-songwriter Chad Conant’s debut EP has a spare sound centered around banjo, dobro and mandolin. His lyrics run the gamut from marveling at the beauty of nature, to lamenting the isolation and misery that plagues modern life, to the goofball celebration of rural living that is “White Trash Toaster.” Fellow local folk musicians including […]
Charlie Hill – Chuck Pond (CL Productions)
The artist formerly known as Chazzy Lake brings his heartfelt brand of Americana into high definition on his latest record. Country steel guitar flourishes mingle with synth and sitar behind Hill’s twangy Orbison-esque croon. Track Picks: 2, 3, 5 FCC: 4 RIYL: Fruit Bats, Wilco, Kurt Vile, Danny and the Parts
The Personal Salvation Project – Memories of Energy (No Fun Intended) [LOCAL]
Winooski-based electronic artist The Personal Salvation Project blends disco grooves, throbbing synths, and avant-garde flourishes on their latest release. Track Picks: 1, 3 FCC: Clean RIYL: Cassius, Sofi Tukker, Justice, Daft Punk
Ayden Flanigan – Wa-Wa-Wawa-Wa! (Flanigan Sound) [LOCAL]
The latest single from Flannigan’s upcoming album lives up to its title: a garage-rock number with a wah’d out guitar line over a dirty four-on-the-floor groove and a ranted vocal that sounds like it was shouted down a megaphone. FCC: Clean RIYL: The Record Company, Franz Ferdinand, King Khan and BBQ Show, Greg Freeman
Ayden Flanigan – Friends (Flanigan Sound) [LOCAL]
When he’s not performing as the drummer for punk noisemakers Brunch, local musician Ayden Flanigan crafts a brand of twangy alt-rock, as heard in this new single from an upcoming album, which describes the confusion that arises when a friendship turns into something more. FCC: Clean RIYL: Pavement, Wilco, Fruit Bats, Greg Freeman
A Box of Stars – Wallflower (Self-released) [LOCAL]
Local folk ensemble A Box of Stars’ latest EP sounds like the band’s name – homespun and cozy, with a sense of spacious wonder. Gentle, warm vibes and deep vocals abound. Track Picks: 2, 3 FCC: Clean RIYL: Sufjan Stevens, Nick Drake, Big Thief, HAMSA
Charlie Hill – LA Fever / Dive In (CL Productions)
Charlie Hill may have left Burlington for Nashville, abandoning his former stage name of Chazzy Lake in the process, but his brand of Americana-flavored power-pop songwriting is as brilliant as ever on his two latest singles from the upcoming album “Chuck Pond.” FCC: Clean RIYL: Wilco, Fruit Bats, Kyle Craft, Danny and the Parts
Chris Walton – Ruminating Thoughts (Self-released)
Bostonian singer-songwriter Chris Walton pulls from folk, funk, and neo-soul to create a smooth, heartfelt sound centered around his beautiful guitar picking and passionate vocals. Lyrics focus on the ups and downs of romance and relationships. Track Picks: 2, 5, 6, 10 FCC: 4, 8 RIYL: Son Little, Lianne La Havas, Michael Kiwanuka, John Mayer
maari – Waldosia (99 Records) [LOCAL]
Burlington musician Maari (rhymes with “sorry”), of superstar hip-hop collective 99 Neighbors, takes a solo turn on this new single, which blends passionate, reflective R&B verses with a stuttering drum’n’bass hook. FCC: Clean RIYL: Frank Ocean, the xx, Everything But the Girl, 99 Neighbors
Fattie B – Rewarmed Second Servings: The GUMBO Remixes (Equal Eyes) [LOCAL]
This collection of adventurous reworkings and mashups of tracks from last fall’s hip-hop opus is currently only available for purchase or streaming at https://equaleyesrecords.bandcamp.com/album/rewarmed-second-servings-the-gumbo-remixes – contact local@wruv.org if you need a download copy. Track Picks: 3, 7, 8, 12 FCC: 2, 5, 11RIYL: Jurassic 5, The Roots, Terrace Martin, Belizbeha
![Amelia Wilcox - Thought Gazebo (Orange Store) [LOCAL]](https://wruv.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/a3729195146_10.jpeg?resize=40%2C40){kind=small}
![Bae Radbury - Solid Lines (Self-released) [LOCAL]](https://wruv.files.wordpress.com/2022/03/a4081392594_10.jpeg?resize=40%2C40){kind=small}
![Amelia Wilcox - Better Versions (Self-released) [LOCAL]](https://wruv.files.wordpress.com/2022/03/a1115960196_10.jpeg?resize=40%2C40){kind=small}
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