Country & Folk

New album: Heather Evans || Songs I Didn’t Think About

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Can anyone tell me what is so special about Marquette (Michigan)? The only conclusion of my Google search is that it looks like a gorgeous place to live, especially in the fall. But that doesn’t explain the disproportiate amount of good music coming out of there.

Somehow, the band Liquid Mike is involved in all of these releases. Liquid Mike, I believe, is a volcano waiting to erupt in terms of international acclaim – a new record will be out soon. But the quality of the members’ solo work is impossible to overlook as well. It’s no surprise we wrote about Michael Maple’s solo work, Raymond Little’s extremely fun recent record (Those lyrics!). And now it’s Heather Evans’ turn.

Songs I Didn’t Think About is an 8-track mini album produced by her Liquid Mike bandmate Michael Maple.  Evans immediately grabs your attention in album opener I Hope Heaven’s Just a Porch, combining palm muted acoustic guitar work with poetic lyricism. “Watching the sunrise over the seedy motels on the west side of my hometown // Wondering what my friends are doing // They live all around the world now.” Those are just the first couple of lines on the record, and they make you want to pull up the lyric sheet when listening to this record – something I recommend strongly by the way.

Both Evans’ lyrics and vocal delivery remind me of Courtney Barnett at times (i.e., listen to A Lot Like You), but Heather Evans has a more alternative folk/country sound. It’s also quite easy to imagine how effective songs like Jobs, Just Me And You and My Hair would be in a powerpop or punkrock version.

Go give Songs I Didn’t Think About  a try. Oh, and the comments section is open for theories about Marquette.




Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Raymond Little || Raymond Little

By / / Country & Folk / 3 Comments

Alternative folk with a punk rock feel and a good dose of humor, that’s what Raymond Little delivers on his new, self-titled album. The American singer-songwriter, who we know from The Thirties and Liquid Mike, has recorded twelve delightful gems in his self-built cabin with generator power. These are songs that make you spontaneously shout “yee-haw” one moment (Drink Too Much swings irresistibly), make you laugh a little later (“Well it’s cold and it’s dark out there // Reading Steinbeck in my underwear // He can follow his nose but not the dialog // I love these days with my dog” ​​- from Muddy’s Song), or proclaim an important message that you want to share immediately because it maybe can change certain men’s minds (You Can Do Both is one to sing along to). Both lyrically and musically – great musicians play along – this is a diverse and very entertaining record.

Raymond Little is out now digitally and on CD through Lost Dog Records.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Paper Lips || The Sound Of Sound

By / / Country & Folk, Psych / Leave a Comment

The imaginary award for the most nerdy cover art of recent months goes to Paper Lips’ debut album The Sound Of Sound. Fortunately, the music is more exciting than the graphics suggest. Paper Lips is a solo project by English singer-songwriter Mike Whittaker, who we know from garage rock / rhythm ‘n’ beat bands The Baron Four, The Jack Cades and Thee Vicars, but what he does here is fundamentally different – no less good though. You’ll hear ten psych folk songs, nine originals and a cover of 13th Floor Elevators’ Splash 1, with chiming guitars, relaxed vocals and summery melodies. They take some time to get used to, but slowly but surely enchant you. Connoisseurs will be able to name the precise audio frequency spectrum, but even without that knowledge you feel that The Sound Of Sound is on the right wavelength.

The Sound Of Sound is out digitally and on vinyl LP through Dangerhouse Skylab and Mono-Tone Records.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Discogs

Dusted || The 10 Best Cover Songs Of June 2022

By / / Alternative Rock, Blues & Roots, Country & Folk, Funk & Soul, Garage Rock, Indie Pop, Indie Rock, Power Pop, Psych / 2 Comments

Not all new music is really new, as many artists cover songs. Sometimes these are songs by their favorite artists, eg as a tribute to such a musical hero for a special reason, or they simply feel that a song deserves to be dusted and polished to reacquaint fans with great songs from the past. Other times, bands cover songs as a parody. Regardless of intent, some of those cover versions are so good or so much fun, we’d like to put a spotlight on them. Chosen from a wide range, here are – in random order – ten of our favorite covers from last month – links to the pages where you can add them to your wantlist included.

In June we heard some covers on the soundtrack of Baz Lurhmann’s biopic film ELVIS, The Routes’ did a surf rock Kraftwerk tribute, Elvis Costello celebrated Paul McCartney’s 80th birthday, a project of Disclotch Records contained 27 home recordings to pay homage to Daniel Johnston, and previously we wrote about releases from Thee Escapees, Mikey Erg, Reverendo Band, Runaway Lovers and Townies with some successful cover versions. Below we list the 10 best that we haven’t mentioned yet.

Hound Dog || Cover: The Record Company || Original: Big Mama Thornton
The iconic rock ‘n’ roll track Hound Dog was written by Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller, first released by blues singer Big Mama Thornton (1953), and made famous by Elvis Presley (1956). The ELVIS soundtrack features an honorable cover by Shonka Dukureh, but as a fan of American roots rock band The Record Company, it’s their version that you see here (not related to the movie). It’s not a Thornton or Presley imitation: as always The Record Company gives it its own twist. In case you don’t know: they previously worked on Beastie Boys’ So What’Cha Want, still one of my favorite covers ever.

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New album: Matt Moody || Still A Kid In A Painted Sky

By / / Country & Folk, Indie Pop / 1 Comment

Los Angeles based singer-songwriter/guitarist Matt Moody has the name and the voice as well as the songs to become as much of a hero as his role models Tom Petty and Jonathan Wilson. His full-length debut album Still A Kid In A Painted Sky has just been released and already feels like a classic. This is richly orchestrated and diverse indie folk rock, full of dreams about better times after a dark period, about convincing yourself that you’re worth living – doing what feels right – and that everything will be fine in the end. Moody has a pleasantly gritty voice with a wide range, with which he manages to convey his poetic but vulnerable stories in a captivating way. His skilled band – Lee Kolarik (drums, percussion), Todd Marshall (bass), Mike Abbadini (keys, whistles), Jacob Wynne (trumpet), David Kasper (sax, flute) and Megan Sullivan (violin) – knows how to create the right, warm atmosphere for every story with its varied set of instruments. “It feels like I’ve been yappin’ my best // But I don’t have much left, that ain’t been said // Except we’ll all be dead // Like rocks and such // And I don’ t mind, it too much”, you hear in standout song I Don’t Mind, but this LP is something to remember anyway.

Still A Kid In A Painted Sky is out now digitally (self-released). Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Widespread Haze || Move

By / / Blues & Roots, Country & Folk, Garage Rock, Psych / 1 Comment

Tommy Whiteside (drums, vocals), Matthew Campbell (guitar, vocals) and Kristi Rifenbark (bass, vocals) describe their band Widespread Haze as “a time-travelling, hip-shaking, psychedelic rock ‘n’ roll trio, specializing in organic earworms and lyrical hash.” That’s pretty adequate phrasing for the sound on their self-recorded and self-produced debut full-length album Move – “a lifetime of genre-bending emotion, jam-packed into an hour-long joy ride” – although the local record store probably will file it under Southern rock. The 15 tracks here are bluesy and folky, raw and authentic, lighthearted and laid-back, entertaining and danceable, soulful and groovy, summery and cool, diverse and timeless. The musicians from Roseburg, Oregon (US) convey a live feeling, all three know how to sing and play to strike the right chord. When you put so much passion for Waffles into your opening track, you really can’t go wrong with what follows. This introduction to Widespread Haze is love at first hearing.

Move is out now digitally, and on CD via Atomic Disc. For fans of Natural Child, G. Love, Nude Party, The Lee Sankey Group.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Widespread Haze

Gimme 5! T.E. Yates Shares 5 Albums He Listened To During His Most Prolific Phase As A Songwriter

By / / Country & Folk, Indie Pop / Leave a Comment

With ‘Gimme 5!’ we take a peek into the collections of artists we admire. The premise is simple: artists WE like share five records THEY love.

Thomas Edward Yates aka T.E. Yates is a gifted multi-disciplinary artist – singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, illustrator, animator – based in Bristol (UK). After a single in 2012 and an EP in 2013, he released his debut full-length Silver Coins and White Feathers (Debt Records) in 2017, followed by the EP Strange Weather (self-released, self-designed) late last year, with six songs from the same recording sessions. It’s richly orchestrated indie folk, with a well-thought-out structure and beautiful, sincere vocals. The video for Condition showcases Yates’ qualities as musician and creator, but Palace of Your Master is his personal favorite (for me Jack of All Trades is the track that stands out – just saying).

Given his versatility, we wondered what Tom’s influences are. He was kind enough to provide his response in some interesting stories.

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New album: L’Resorts || Explorers

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Explorers is L’Resorts follow up toVacation (2021), and if those names alone don’t bring a positive mood, wait until you hear the music. L’Resorts is the musical project of love interests Martha Cannon (Lady Cannon) and Vincent Kircher (Jaill) who draw influences from Velvet Underground, Camera Obscura, ’60s pop, folk and country. The result is a playful folky take on indiepop that has a strong country feel in part due to the vocal performances of Cannon and Kircher.

If you have time for just one song today, I strongly recommend Blasting Off or Pieces Of My Love, arguably the most sunny and upbeat sounding songs on Explorers. Better yet, join L’Resorts on all of their explorations, and let their generous and gorgeous melodies wash all over you.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Blake || The Book on Love

By / / Country & Folk, Indie Pop / Leave a Comment

Countless books have been written about love, but rarely as melodic as English singer-songwriter / DIY musician Julian Pugsley aka Bernard Blake has now. The Book on Love, his new album under the moniker of Blake, contains eleven songs that keep on misleading you without feeling cheated. “I very slowly started writing lines // And I learned from the very best // My parents told me I was wasting time // So I knew I was passing the test”, he explains beautifully in standout track Lost Ground . I assume he’s referring to the great folk artists of the 70s, because that’s where the roots of Blake’s music lie. He does give it his own twist though, each chapter has a different sound, tempo and gear, without losing sight of the bigger picture. Sometimes rocking, sometimes meandering, sometimes waltzing, etc., always providing a familiar but fresh and optimistic look. In every way it has been worth the effort: this is a book we’ll be opening up more often, if only for memorable phrases like “If we surrender what’s the cost // If the fighting stops we’ll see exactly what we’ve lost” (from the title track). Whether you like to read or not, listening is a pleasure.

The Book on Love is out now digitally and on CD through Subjangle. Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

Dusted || The 10 Best Cover Songs Of May 2022

By / / Alternative Rock, Country & Folk, Indie Pop, Indie Rock, Power Pop, Punk / Leave a Comment

Not all new music is really new, as many artists cover songs. Sometimes these are songs by their favorite artists, eg as a tribute to such a musical hero for a special reason, or they simply feel that a song deserves to be dusted and polished to reacquaint fans with great songs from the past. Other times, bands cover songs as a parody. Regardless of intent, some of those cover versions are so good or so much fun, we’d like to put a spotlight on them. Chosen from a wide range, here are – in random order – ten of our favorite covers from last month – links to the pages where you can add them to your wantlist included.

In May we saw A Tribute to Jawbreaker’s Dear You collection (Sell The Heart Records subscriber exclusive), The Black Crowes’ 1972 EP (Amazon exclusive), Todo Muere SBXV (artists from the Sacred Bones roster covering their favourite tunes), Sarah Brown singing Mahalia Jackson and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band doing Bob Dylan, the previously announced Coverama compilation, Lester Greenowski tackling the discography of Kiss on Kover All Over and various ladies performing songs of The Boss, Bryan Ferry’s smooth Love Letters EP, and nice releases from The Soul Jacket, R.E. Seraphin, Ditches, Zeno Jones, Walker Brigade, Praise, The Christian Family and Rat Tamango with some successful cover versions. And there was a lot more, but below you hear the 10 best that we haven’t mentioned yet.

It’s Raining || Cover: JD McPherson || Original: Irma Thomas
American singer-songwriter/guitarist JD McPherson’s released The Warm Covers EP, Vol. 2, a great sequel to his 2014 cover collection (the new 5-track EP is out now digitally through New West Records, a physical edition including additional bonus tracks will follow sometime in 2023). The obvious choice here would be his interpretation of a song originally performed by Iggy Pop or Pixies, but thanks in part to It’s Rainin’ (4am) by Bob Forrest’s The Bicycle Thief, I don’t miss a chance to listen to this Irma Thomas classic. Heartfelt rhythm ‘n’ blues the way it’s meant to be.

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