SHARK-FIN AWARDS

There’s always a risk in revisiting a beloved song. Listeners carry their own memories into it, and any new version has to justify its existence rather than simply imitate the original. Fortunately, Daron Tate’s bluegrass take on Robert Earl Keen’s “Feelin’ Good Again” clears that hurdle with ease, delivering a …

Circus Mind carefully rolled out what culminated into Road Less Traveled through a steady stream of single releases over the last year, allowing listeners to experience the album’s evolution one chapter at a time. Now assembled as a complete work, the album reveals a much broader vision, showcasing a band unafraid to …

Tony Kamel’s latest album release is the live entry “Live from the Bunker”, eschewing overtly slick production value for a decidedly scaled back, straightforward sound accompanied by Kamel’s signature, slightly caustic vocals. As far as indie acts go, Kamel is one of the more exciting to have come across my …

Deer Fellow is a unique music project calling to mind some of my favorite acts, Down Like Silver and Bon Iver coming to mind. The duo behind Deer Fellow hail from Austin, Texas, which seems only fitting given the Bon Iver reference, along with the alternative pop sound they embrace …

Fred Presley is emerging as a formidable presence in the folk, country, and bluegrass-adjacent music scenes. It’s exciting to see an artist rise who doesn’t feel referential, firmly carves their own path courtesy of sheer merit, and produces music that balances the contemporary liking of entertainment value and quality being …

UniversalDice is a band that refuses to settle into predictable lanes. Their sound, while rooted in a sleek fusion of contemporary and classic rock textures, carries an undercurrent of ambition that stretches far beyond surface level appeal. There’s an intentionality in their work, songs that don’t just aim to entertain, …

Following many years of recording and performing, Chicago natives Go Time! return with 11, their tenth full-length release, a milestone that highlights both their longevity and creative energy. The lineup consists of Scott Niekelski (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Steve Grzenia (drums, backing vocals), Paul Schmidt (guitar, backing vocals), and Mark Marketti …

It Just So Happens, by Rob Alexander, features fifteen tracks deep and anchored by piano throughout. It’s the kind of record that earns your attention rather than demanding it. Alexander is no stranger to this platform. Despite this he never ceases to amaze and has managed to put together something …

The new wave of Americana influences in pop started not too long ago and has only gotten stronger in the last few years, and in 2024 it’s bringing forth an era in provocative alternative folk music that a lot of us simply didn’t see coming. Phoenix duo Dorsten’s cerebral folk …

You can’t ever accuse Universal Dice of aiming for the lowest common denominator. I believe songwriter Gerry Dantone and his cohorts merge thought provoking themes, adult subject matter, and beguiling musical settings better than many much more well-known contemporaries and are writing and recording music aglow with timeless attributes. Their …