I am a firm fan of Melanie Rogers’ latest single “R.U.O.K”. Her previous single release “Fever” played like a fresh breath of musical air during the pandemic and announced the arrival of a major new songwriting talent. I predict Rogers will not toil for long in semi-obscurity and will, with …
Read More »Joe Piket “Everything Is Different” (LP)
Long Island singer/songwriter Joe Piket has earned a variety of well-meaning labels over the years but defies them all. His idiosyncratic songwriting shares a common frame of reference with older performers such as Billy Joel, among others, but his album Everything is Different feels more like a wholly personal release than his …
Read More »Heartour “Divert the Asteroid” (EP)
Led by its ethereal melody, entirely synthetic in substance and yet capable of drawing us closer in the same way an acoustic instrument would, “What This Means” has all the guts and glory of a lead single like “Little Waves” or “When the Lights Go Down,” but as a deep …
Read More »Bill Abernathy “Who Are You, Who Am I?” (EP)
Bill Abernathy’s new EP release Who Are You, Who Am I? is a four song collection continuing in the same vein as his past two releases 2017’s Find a Way and its follow-up Crossing Willow Creek. His preceding efforts have experienced considerable commercial success charting on the Roots Music Report Traditional Folk category, winning December …
Read More »Willie and the Goodsouls Self-Titled (LP)
The standard of living in Finland really does seem like it’s the best. Seriously, look at the fact that it’s been voted the happiest country in the world for four consecutive years. Even when faced with the daunting aspect of six months of winter and darkness, there’s a heartfelt community …
Read More »Rohan Solomon “We Demand Change” (SINGLE)
It’s said that the only constant in life is change. For Rohan Solomon, his patience is being tested. With his new single, “We Demand Change,” Rohan Solomon puts racism on blast, and does so with a combination of sorrow and zeal. “We Demand Change” is a song that is demanding …
Read More »Raine Mara “7 Habits of the Highly Disorganized” (LP)
Raine Mara has fronted several bands in the Texas indie punk scene for almost twenty years and, when her last band MeanGirls broke up in 2019, Mara saw an opportunity to pursue long-deferred solo aspirations. She spent the bulk of the COVID-19 pandemic writing, producing, and performing her debut solo …
Read More »Jeff Lake & Cellophane Flowers “Within You Without You / Tomorrow Never Knows” (SINGLE)
Jeff Lake & Cellophane Flowers “Within You Without You / Tomorrow Never Knows” The chaos of the instruments. The raspy melodic cry of the vocal. The incomparable thrust of the percussion in the backdrop. Yes, these are the most recognizable traits one thinks of when recalling the rich listening experience …
Read More »Juha Jyrkäs “Hämärästä aamunkoihin” (SINGLE)
The first thirty seconds or so of the new single “Hämärästä aamunkoihin” from Juha Jyrkäs initially bewitch us with ambient themes that seem like they could go on for an endless amount of time, their textural presence commanding so much of our attention that seemingly not much else could match …
Read More »Trevor Drury “Alice” (SINGLE)
In a pop music world that is infatuated with pop culture, Trevor Drury dares to be different. His new song “Alice” is a complexity of honesty, riveting beat and lush, dreamy string arrangements. That’s not even half of it – Drury’s vocals bond together movie-star good looks and sensitive artistry. “Alice”, a song that Drury dreamed …
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