Review: Singer, songwriter, former Navy sailor and Oklahoma native Zach Bryan first rose to fame in 2019 with his self-released debut country album DeAnn. Bryan's raw storytelling approach attracted a dedicated following, justifying many follow-ups - his latest EP Summertime Blues included. Something of a sibling piece to the recent album American Heartbreak, the EP deploys sweet vocal lilts, banjo strums and fiddle bowings to channels many brooding, blue-collar emotions, reflecting lives lived on the road and bittersweet days gone by.
Review: Deer Tick has announced their new EP Contractual Obligations," set for release via ATO Records to considerable excitement among their fans. The EP features eight tracks recorded during the sessions for their recent album, Emotional Contracts. According to singer/guitarist John McCauley, the band was pleased with the material that didn't make it onto the album, leading to this compilation. The band, including guitarist Ian O'Neil, drummer Dennis Ryan, and bassist Christopher Ryan, recorded these tracks with producer Dave Fridmann, aiming to capture the raw energy of their creative process. The EP includes the new single 'Sacrosanct,' a track the band has reworked multiple times. McCauley notes that Fridmann's production provided the necessary spark to bring the song to life and Contractual Obligations continues the band's tradition of heartfelt, dynamic rock-and-roll.
Review: Every album bands and artists release usually results in a tour, but not every album bands and artists release is really worthy of all that noise. Not so with British singer-songwriter Elles Bailey, whose first LP for the Cooking Vinyl imprint, Beneath The Glow, explored love and its various forms and guises. The unwavering adoration of two good friends. The rare flames of passion that burn long, not just bright. The heartbreak that follows a love that didn't last all time. You get the point - hyper emotional stuff which resonates universally. Backed by her critically acclaimed band, the record led many to once again position Bailey as a blues, Americana, rock artiste extraordinaire. While we're sure she didn't mind the praise, it's worth noting her view that none of those boxes really suit someone who purposefully plays with, bends and twists genres so freely.
Review: Chitarre Folk, a pioneering exploration in library music, now gets its first official vinyl reissue under Sonor Music Production. Originally conceived in July 1974 and produced by the small publishing company Nike, this album showcases the virtuosity of guitarists Bruno Battisti D'Amario and Silvano Chimenti. Backed by lush arrangements from Maestro Sandro Brugnolini and ethereal vocals by Edda Dell'Orso, the record delves into avant-folk themes as its psych-folk melodies evoke imaginary landscapes reminiscent of John Fahey and Robbie Basho, all of which cement its status as a visionary work.
Review: Birdie's debut album, Some Dusty, first graced the music scene in 1999 and is now experiencing a well-deserved revival with a remastered vinyl reissue by Slumberland Records. The album's origins trace back to 1992 when Debsey Wykes (Dolly Mixture) and Paul Kelly (East Village) joined Saint Etienne's live band, sparking a connection over their shared admiration for '60s and '70s sunshine pop and soft rock. This bond led to the formation of Birdie in 1994, and the release of their 'Spiral Staircase' 7" single in 1997 on Summershine. Some Dusty was crafted in the summer of 1998 with producer Brian O'Shaughnessy (Denim, Moose, The Clientele). The album's deep and beautiful soundscapes are enriched by Debsey's sweet and soulful vocals, perfectly matched with the melodic, understated yet sophisticated arrangements. The quest for the quintessential pop moment is evident in every track, from the shimmering chimes of 'Port Sunlight' to the intricate interplay of acoustic guitar, trumpet, and keyboards on 'Let Her Go,' and the gentle wah guitar on 'One Two Five.' The addition of lush string arrangements by Sean O'Hagan of The High Llamas elevates the album to classic status. The reissue of Some Dusty allows a new generation to experience its timeless charm and impeccable production, solidifying its place as a pop masterpiece.
Review: Childhood friends and multi-instrumentalists Axel Concato and Barth Corbelet are the pair behind new duo Bolbec which debuts here with Victime De L'aube on Batov Records. Merging diverse musical influences-from spiritual jazz and folk to classical and electronic-they create an imaginary soundtrack akin to the works of Piero Piccioni and Michel Legrand. The album features the duo playing over a dozen instruments and all supported by the Nostalgia 77 rhythm section. The title, meaning "Victim of the Dawn," reflects the emotional journey from night to morning and the opening track 'Rue Nue' somas captures you. It hints at the album's mysterious tones, while 'Vengeance Tropicale' blends spirited jazz with joropo influences, 'Feuille D'orage' showcases bossa jazz, and "A L'instar Du Flair" offers a modal jazz journey reminiscent of Yusef Lateef.
Review: In the 70s, sharing a name with the main protagonist of the Peanuts comic strip got you nowhere. No, it's talent that got you going: no sooner did the swelling vocal lopes of Charles Brown, only one or two letters remiss of the former identity, blew the band Sleepy Creek away, did they set about recording this establishing record. Then only in high school, Charles Brown nonetheless laid down the eponymous, deeply emotionally intelligent ballad, decrying the retreat into privacy as a misappropriation of the act of love. Now on top of this star single comes this 15-song LP, which gathers Brown's solo and band work from 1976-82; Jon Freeman's enclosed essay dissects the origin story of this private press pioneer.
Review: After six years, Buffalo Tom returns with Jump Rope, their tenth studio album. During lockdown, the band exchanged ideas, resulting in a backlog of songs. Despite their hiatus, Buffalo Tom remains a beacon of guitar rock, their timelessly crafted songs transcending trends. BBC praises their deeper take on indie, Magnet highlights their authenticity over posturing. The album reflects a shift towards acoustic, quieter production, yet retains Buffalo Tom's signature intensity. Rehearsing quietly, the band added electric guitars and overdubs, culminating in a beautiful and thrilling new release. Jump Rope solidifies Buffalo Tom's enduring legacy in the alternative rock scene. This edition comes on beautiful magenta vinyl complete with insert inside for more information on the release.
Review: Berlin-based composer Andrea Burelli's new album Sonic Mystics for Poems (of Life and Death of a Phoenix) is an autobiographical work that draws on the vulnerability of the human existence. It takes the form of 15 pieces written for polyphonic voices, strings, and synthesizers and arrives on super limited, hand-numbered 180 g vinyl. The pieces are all intricately constructed with rich harmonic structures taking inspiration from experimental electronica, classical from both the West and the Middle East, plus folk from across all of Europe. It's a beautiful, confessional and thought-provoking work that makes a devastating impact despite its delicate artistry.
Review: Bill Callahan comes alive in Chicago, with Jim White, Matt Kinsey and special guests Nick Mazzarella, Pascal Kerong'A, Nathaniel Ballinger and Natural Information Society's Joshua Abrams & Lisa Alvarado. In answer to the question of why he made this album, Bill responded: "Songs tend to mutate after they've been recorded. These songs were mutating faster than usual. Like whatever happened to Bruce Banner in the lab - I knew these songs were about to get superpowers" this change needed to be documented." Resuscitate! was thus born out of a pulmonary metamorphosis, its ten avant-folk pieces recalling themes of rebirth after lung failure and/or clinical death and NDE. A live album of collective jams, viola-tremolos, rural connotations and deep vocal charges as ever from Callahan; all are given fresh mutative life.
Review: Melissa Carper apparently banjo and bluegrass legend Ralph Stanley use the phrase "borned in ya" to describe an artist's ability to play old timey songs. At that moment, she began jotting down ideas as to how that could be turned into a song. "I knew I had to write that song," one quote states. "I was turning over in my mind wha it means to have something 'borned in ya'... The song evolved as I was writing it to be more about having your soul 'borned in ya' and the more life experience you have, you hopefully grow to embody the highest version of yourself that you can be." It's hard to argue with the logic, or the album itself. Borned In Ya, which opens on the title track before jumping on the horse and riding off across the Badlands of yesteryear, is a vivid and visceral record, capable of transporting us to another time, if not entirely another world, calling off at campfire folk, barroom country and plenty more besides.
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