SHARK-FIN AWARDS

The creative union of a singer/songwriter with a flute playing retired high school music teacher doesn’t bode bright for an exceptionally well-rounded release. Blonde & Grey confounds such superficial impressions from the outset. Neil Friend and Kathy Olsen begin their debut on a confident note with its title song “Face …

Crash Taylor’s 2022 album Retired Outlaw is another release we can thank COVID-19 for. Taylor’s written songs since he was ten and has since recorded many times but didn’t decide to release his first album until the pandemic caused him to consider it. Taylor is a writer as well and his lyrics …

From passive melodies ala “It’s Only a Paper Moon” to a quaint harmony around every bend in “Summertime,” Bettman & Halpin manage to cover all the bases with their new album Timeless, all while promoting a rather minimalistic attitude when it comes to songcraft. The majority of the songs in Timeless are standards, …

Working away at a brittle harmony in “You’re the One,” Kate Lynne Logan at once embodies the indulgent folk-pop of the past and the efficiency of the modern singer/songwriter. In “Better Life,” her affection for western melodicism protrudes into her poetry, carrying forth a message of solidarity with the rural …

Singer/songwriter Holt Vaughn’s latest release These Songs, Vol. 1 features a dozen songs. Half of these tracks are highlighted by contributions with some of the best vocal and instrumental talents working today. It’s as impossible to categorize their specific contributions to each song as it is to slap a label on These Songs as …

Noir Dream have no interest in being a copycat band. They’ve been cultivating their sound in the deep Portland underground, and despite COVID creating a chokehold on the independent music scene, they’ve managed to get even better at their craft in the past two years. Their new EP Within is scoring …

Max Feinstein’s journey leading him to write and record his album Redefine isn’t especially unusual. We’ve heard of artists, musicians or otherwise, overcoming medical difficulties to produce memorable and lasting work. It isn’t his struggle with hemophilia and its side effects that set him apart. It’s the wild and rollicking creativity present …

There’s something devilishly addictive about the giant beat that kicks off “Way Far Back,” and even without the presence of Steve Hill sitting in with Wave 21 for this performance, it would nonetheless feel like one of the hotter tracks on the band’s album Brace Yourself. The vocal harmonies are …

Greg Hoy’s EP Old Man and the Cinnamon Girl is a four-song collection of Neil Young covers. It’s fortuitous for the San Francisco, California-based singer/songwriter for this collection to emerge at the same time when Young’s music is a focal point in the recent Joe Rogan/Spotify controversy. Hoy’s a seasoned veteran, however, …

Dagan Thogerson’s nearly two-decade run as drummer for indie rock vets Murder By Death isn’t enough for the talented musician. He’s found another outlet for his restless creativity with the instrumental project Go to Space Die and the eight-track debut Red Air Don’t Care. He’s written vigorous progressive rock composition for …