Alternative Rock

New album: Ultrasonic Grand Prix || Instafuzz

By / / Alternative Rock, Psych / 1 Comment

And now for something completely different: American producer/multi-instrumentalist Shawn Lee and British singer/guitarist Barrie Cadogan (from the great Little Barrie) started exchanging ideas based on a shared passion for vintage instruments and music that sounds old school and futuristic at the same time, which led to the Ultrasonic Grand Prix project – one played on a borrowed Vox Ultrasonic guitar, the other had a Grand Prix, which literally and figuratively sounded like a good combination. Yet on Instafuzz, their debut album under this moniker, guitars play second fiddle. Expect a kind of psychedelic electro rock with fragments of influences from blues, rock, soul, jazz, acid house, etc, reportedly inspired by the Personal Space compilation with electronic soul tracks from 1974-1984. The twelve tunes are largely instrumental with creative guitar licks and melodies from deranged synths, on rhythms of analog drum machines, often in an inimitable way introduced by midwestern Baptist preacher The Prophet Five. There’s a lot to discover on this adventurous journey, which is quite strange and freaky, but also groovy and cinematic (think David Holmes), even enjoyable for guitar enthusiasts. Judge yourself.


Instafuzz is out now on CD and vinyl LP through Non Delux.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Discogs || Rough Trade

New EP: Jet///Lag || I’ll Be The Same

By / / Alternative Rock, Punk / Leave a Comment

This week, I kept returning to Jet//Lag’s new EP I’ll Be The Same. The three-piece from Seattle plays alternative punk rock that draws influence from the music of Blake Schwarzenbach (Jawbreaker, Forgetters, Jets To Brazil) and early Dinosaur Jr.  They alternate palm muted verses with loud anthemic choruses. It is a dynamic sound that works particularly well when played with a passionate emotional edge, and trust me, Jet//Lag has plenty of that!



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: The Stiletto Shakers || Keep On Keeping On

By / / Alternative Rock, Blues & Roots, Funk & Soul / Leave a Comment

It’s only been a few weeks that British roots rock duo The Stiletto Shakers delighted us with An EP, but they are already back at the front with full-length album Keep On Keeping On. Lewis West-Vimpany (guitar, vocals, keys, bass, drums) and John Vanek (keys, acoustic guitar, harmonica, melodica, vocals) deliver eight new songs (plus a bonus track with an alternative version) in which rock, blues, folk and soul merge. They give us fascinating stories, heartfelt vocals and memorable guitar melodies, with a warm sound and surprising twists and hooks. This is 43 minutes of fascinating music that could have gone on a little longer.



Keep On Keeping On, produced by Lewis West-Vimpany, is out now digitally (self-released).

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New single: The Dada Movement || I Was Wrong / Heart Heart

By / / Alternative Rock, Garage Rock / Leave a Comment

The Dada Movement could already be seen live here and there, and the London-based four-piece have now taken the next step by releasing their debut single, a promising one. George Linwood, Nicholas Edgings, Spike Davis-Yuille and Tobias Sinclair manage to combine nonchalant coolness with über-catchy tunes, somewhere between The Velvet Underground, The Courettes and Together Pangea, and we all know where that can lead. Both A-side I Was Wrong and B-side Heart Heart have the potential to become hits, danceable garage pop/rock with infectious rhythms and attractive harmony vocals. Awesome stuff.

I Was Wrong b/w Heart Heart, produced by David Bardon & Oscar Robertson, is out now streaming via Dock Road Records. We hereby put on our sweetest puppy look: please also press these songs on vinyl 7″.

New EP: I Before E || Criminal Record

By / / Alternative Rock, Punk / Leave a Comment

If you want to know where the three members of I Before E (Chattanooga, Tennessee) draw their influence from, draw a straight line to ’90s pop punk and punk rock. The human beings in the band weren’t even born back then (I think), making it all the more impressive how much they nail that sound, although I must add the notable ’90s college rock and alt pop influences as well.

My favorite part of I Before E is that they kinda sound like the demo version of some of the succesful bands of the ’90s alt scene, not unlike a mixture of Green Day, Lemonheads, and Big Drill Car. They sound scrappy and underproduced, with their special talent for melody and harmony clearly shining through.

The four-song Criminal Record is out now on Puppy Love Records. It’s hard to ignore the thought that had it been released three decades ago, record labels would be lining up to sign I Before E.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New single: Natasha Sandworms || Natasha Sandworms

By / / Alternative Rock, Indie Pop, Indie Rock / Leave a Comment

The intriguing name Natasha Sandworms is bound to pique anyone’s curiosity, and the three songs featured on the new single from this San Jose-based band undeniably are impressive. Natasha Sandworms channels a contemporary take on ’90s alt-pop, with God’s Vlog emerging as a standout and early highlight of 2024. The song is constructed around a repetitive yet addictive guitar lick, seamlessly alternating between a talk-singing verse delivered with bite and conviction, and a sweet, high-pitched chorus. I believe this self-titled single/EP is streaming only for now, but I am pretty sure that, sooner or later, Natasha Sandworms will find their way in many record collections worldwide.


Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: The Get Alongs || Weather Permitting

By / / Alternative Rock, Garage Rock, Indie Rock / 1 Comment

The Get Alongs are a guitar rock band from Toronto, Ontario, featuring Harrison Pickernell (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Rory Pickernell (lead guitar, backing vocals), Eric Wood (bass, backing vocals) and Tristan Catenacci (drums). On their full-length debut album Weather Permitting you’ll hear ten diverse and dynamic songs in which inviting eagerness and cool nonchalance go together. It’s hard to pigeonhole, but expect a mix of surfy garage rock reminiscent of Together Pangea, alternative rock in the tradition of Dinosaur Jr. and shoegazy new wave like Echo & The Bunnymen, familiar yet original. Exciting raw melodies and nothing left to lose vocals, 27 minutes of soulful escapism.



Weather Permitting is out now digitally (self-released).

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New EP: Von Cube || Dance Party with Von Cube

By / / Alternative Rock, Garage Rock / Leave a Comment

Seattle-based rockers Grady Eddins (vocals, guitar, bass) and Nick Hagen (drums) celebrate 45 years of playing together with four new tracks. A year after they finally debuted under the moniker of Von Cube (with Two Songs Live), they continue their journey with over 25 minutes of exciting music, a Dance Party with Von Cube indeed. It’s quite a session (opening track Choo Choo clocks in at 07:29), but the structure of the songs keeps the tension high, as if you are witnessing a live show in which you watch the guitar violence in awe.


Dance Party with Von Cube, written and arranged by Grady Eddins, is out now digitally and on CD through Green Monkey Records.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Wisconsin Anger Team || Archie

By / / Alternative Rock, Punk / Leave a Comment

Much like bread crumbles to draw music fans to their new record, bands nowadays have a go-to strategy to generate excitement around their latest record. Typically, this involves a pre-release schedule: the announcement of the record a few months ahead, the unveiling of a teaser single, followed by subsequent single releases every two to four weeks, often accompanied by engaging (lyric) videos. Even though we wait until the full album is out and our upcoming releases page is full of records we eagerly anticipate, I am perfectly okay with the approach. But still, I have a soft spot for bands without a prominent social media presence, bands that skip the teasing phase and just release their damn thing. Finding a surprise Bandcamp notification of new music by a favorite band never gets old.

Wisconsin Anger Team did exactly that yesterday, releasing their fourth album since their debut in 2021. I missed the first two records, but album #3 was one of my favorites of 2023 – a record I described as a mix of Hüsker Dü at its most melodic, early Green Day and Neutral Milk Hotel. Archie, album #4 is its logical successor. While most bands evolve to a more mature or more polished sound on subsequent records, Wisconsin Anger Team defies such conventions. And rightly so, because there is nothing broken about their sound. And so, if you were as excited about Beyond the Everest Crater II as I was, Archie delivers a similar level of excitement and satisfaction.

From its DIY album cover collage to its 12 anthems, there is just so much to like about this record. Archie is vibrant and lively, an antidote against complacency. It’s volume is in-the-red high, but the songs are all punctuated with melody and passionate and soulful singing. By the time closer Both Sides Of The Shield arrives, Wisconsin Anger Team has loaded all bases and once the acoustic intro breaks at the one-minute break, they knock one out of the park.




Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Frat Mouse || Flea House

By / / Alternative Rock, Indie Rock / Leave a Comment

Frat Mouse is a three-piece from L.A. that sounds Midwestern rather than Californian. For a college rock band they sound pretty emo, and for an emo band they sound pretty poppy and accessible. They have a new album out that is called Flea House, and I quite like it.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

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