Funk & Soul

Dusted || The Best New Cover Songs Of April 2026

By / / Alternative Rock, Blues & Roots, Country & Folk, Funk & Soul, Garage Rock, Indie Pop, Indie Rock, Jangle Pop, Power Pop, Punk, Surf / Leave a Comment

Not all new music is really new, as many artists cover songs. Sometimes these are songs by their favorite artists, e.g. 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 a kind of random order—a bunch of successful covers from last month—links to pages where you can add them to your wantlist included.

Fade To Black (Metallica) by The Tubs — digital track (Merge Records)

Don’t Look Back (The Remains) by The Peawees — from More Scraps LP (Wild Honey Records)

Problem Child (AC/DC) by Neo-Magics — from Leaving on a Jet Plane EP (Half A Cow Records)

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New album: Jackie Mendez || This Is Jackie Mendez

Rocksteady roots bloom into something new on summery debut LP

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We’ve been hearing songs from Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter Jackie Mendez for about ten years, but she finally steps into the spotlight for real with her first full-length album, which could only be titled This Is Jackie Mendez. Drawing from deep Jamaican roots while infusing a modern soulfulness, she delivers a set well-off in warmth, rhythm, and emotional punch.

The ten songs come across as a lovingly restored treasure from ska and rocksteady’s golden age, yet unmistakably alive in the present. Jackie Mendez’s magnetic voice glides effortlessly between smoky tenderness and full-throttle power, giving each track personality and staying power, which is further enhanced by the backing of tight musicianship and classic grooves.

This could very well be your favorite soundtrack for the coming summer.



This Is Jackie Mendez—recorded, mixed, and co-produced by Eric Mauries—is out digitally and on vinyl LP through Black Bird Records. Also featuring Zack Pike (guitar), Wally Caro (guitar), Eric Mauries (bass, backing vocals), Anthony Medina (keys, organ, backing vocals), and Chris Borbon (drums, percussion, backing vocals), with Ian jacks (backing vocals), Dan Loren ( backing vocals), Alfredo Barrios (trumpet), Ian Jacks (tenor sax), Robert Verdugo (trombone), Roger Rivas (organ), and Jeff Govan (bass) guesting on select tracks.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Discogs

New album: Aka Belle || All Time is Now, Now is All You Have + The Time for Love is Always Now

Commune-core psych jams for the end times (and the afterparty)

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The latest release from Boise, Idaho-based cult collective Aka Belle is intriguing on every level, doubling down on their homespun mysticism. It starts with the title of this double-header: All Time Is Now (side A) and Now Is All You Have (side B) make up a full-length album of new material, and The Time For Love Is Always Now is a compilation of previously digital-only releases on a second disc. Ultimately, it is about the music, which cannot be pigeonholed, but is essentially a mix of kaleidoscopic psych-folk, gritty garage rock, and soulful rhythm & blues, sprinkled with tropicalia sweetness and weird joy.

It plays like a technicolor dispatch from a commune that discovered both a fuzz pedal and a philosophy book at the same yard sale. The lyrics aim skyward (Mother Earth sermons, cosmic love notes, and gentle reminders to stay human in a distracted age), but the real catch is the communal spirit humming underneath it all. Theremin wails and vibraphone sparkle drift through twelve songs recorded live with the kind of loose chemistry you can’t fake, with infectious harmonies that put an exclamation mark behind it. Indeed, intriguing, like a lovingly chaotic séance with incense smoke drifting through a basement show.



All Time is Now, Now is All You Have + The Time for Love is Always Now is out digitally, on cassette, CD and vinyl 2-LP, through Moon Ruins Records. Featuring Catherine Merrick (vocals, vibraphone, percussion), Christine Nygard (vocals, guitar, theremin), Sam Merrick (guitar, vocals, percussion), Anthony Mulparry (stand up bass, vocals, percussion), and Jake Stigers (drums, vocals, percussion).

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Moon Ruins

New album: Parlor Greens || Emeralds

Instrumental funk that actually says something

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Adam Scone (Scone Cash Players, The Sugarman 3) on organ. Jimmy James (True Loves, Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio) on guitar. And Tim Carman (GA-20) on drums. That is right, Loveland, Ohio’s Parlor Greens are back, having never really been away. It has been less than two years since their debut LP In Green We Dream came out, and singles like Eat Your Greens, Drop Top, and Emeralds came along in the meantime, as well as an inimitable Jolene cover. Those tunes are all present on their sophomore album, Emeralds, a tight, heavy, and emotionally resonant set that almost feels like a ‘best of’ compilation.

In essence, this is a grooving mix of soul, funk, and jazz, but the gritty character also gives the eleven songs an unmistakable rock vibe. All instrumental, until the voice of Jimmy’s mother can be heard in the subdued closing track Queen Of My Heart, a beautiful tribute since she is no longer with us. Road-tested chemistry meets something deeper here.




Emeralds—produced by Parlor Greens and Leroi Conroy—is out now digitally, on cassette, CD and vinyl LP, through Colemine Records.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Colemine || Discogs

New single: Abby Jeanne and the Shadowband || Queen Bee/Baby Come Love Me

“Oooo yeah yeah yeah (oooh yeah yeah yeah)”

By / / Funk & Soul, Garage Rock / Leave a Comment

From New York City, Abby Jeanne and the Shadowband release a marigold 7″ that echoes 60s girl group soul and garage rock grit into a modern voice. A-side Queen Bee is a bold declaration of independence and self-power, with the narrator rejecting control and asserting dominance in love and identity. In contrast, flipside Baby Come Love Me explores vulnerability and longing, capturing the push-and-pull of a hesitant romance where desire persists despite emotional uncertainty. In the end, it’s Abby Jeanne’s powerhouse vocals, equal parts raw emotion and commanding force, that leave the deepest impression here, carrying both tunes with striking authenticity.

Queen Bee b/w Baby Come Love Me is out digitally and on vinyl 7″ through Food of Love.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

Dusted || The Best New Cover Songs Of March 2026

By / / Alternative Rock, Country & Folk, Funk & Soul, Garage Rock, Indie Pop, Indie Rock, Power Pop, Psych, Punk, Surf / Leave a Comment

Not all new music is really new, as many artists cover songs. Sometimes these are songs by their favorite artists, e.g. 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 a kind of random order—a bunch of successful covers from last month—links to pages where you can add them to your wantlist included.

Can’t Seem To Make You Mine (The Seeds) by Sky Saxon — from The King Of Garage Rock LP (Cleopatra Records)

Working Too Hard (Paul Collins’ Beat) by SOFTJAW — digital track (Dandy Boy Records)

Put the Message in the Box (World Party) by Mary Chapin Carpenter & the Mountain Goats — from Put the Message in the Box / Migrations 7″ (Cadmean Dawn)

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New album: The Guy Hamper Trio featuring James Taylor || 5 Miles To Jerome

Rough and ready, loud and out of line

By / / Funk & Soul, Garage Rock, Psych / 1 Comment

This week James Taylor released Shadows and Dreams, a new album with twelve classical piano pieces. Great for those who love Bach and Beethoven, but on the same day the brilliant Hammond organist also returned with The Guy Hamper Trio, and that’s probably more up your alley. The 5 Miles To Jerome LP is their fifth in as many years (you’ve seen this band before here), but we can’t get enough of this beautifully scrappy brilliance.

Across twelve Hammond-heavy cuts, all instrumentals except for opener Children Of The Sect, the four veterans deliver a gritty groove with zero interest in playing it safe. As always, it’s a mix of fresh and familiar, encapsulated in a jumble of raw garage rock, greasy rhythm & blues, and psychedelic soul. Loose, loud, and lethal. To cool down, read the first sentence for what you can put on next.



Volume V: 5 Miles To Jerome, engineered by Jim Riley. is out digitally, on CD and vinyl LP, through Spinout Nuggets. Featuring Guy Hamper aka Billy Childish (guitar), James Taylor (Hammond organ, vocals), Julie Hamper (bass), and Wolf Howard -(drums, percussion).

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Discogs || Spinout Productions

PS
In case you’re wondering why the album doesn’t have a title track, the instrumental tune 5 Miles To Jerome is on the B-side of a separate 7″ released the same day. Be sure to check out the A-side Come My Way, a steaming garage rock hit written and sung(!) by James Taylor.

New album: Tito Ramirez || Sonido Conquistador

Mambo mayhem and boogaloo bliss for the fearless dancefloor

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Look who’s back with an instant party classic. With Sonido Conquistador, masked genius Tito Ramírez dials the heat past boiling point and delivers his most exotic set yet. Following the suave swing of The Kink of Mambo (2019; still looking for a copy) and El Prince (my favorite album of 2023), this third chapter is pure tropical combustion: nine summery tunes of mambo, cha-cha-chá, boogaloo, rumba, cumbia, and rhythm & blues, all sweat-soaked and dangerously danceable.

Recorded with the whole band in one room and barely any overdubs, the grooves hit like a back-alley block party stretching from Madrid to Mexico City. Even if you don’t understand the largely Spanish lyrics, you sense that we’re at the intersection of tradition and trouble, in the best possible way. You’ll hear less rock ‘n’ roll influences than on the previous record, but it’s still raw, rebellious, and romantic, built for adventurous music fans who like their soul with grit.



Sonido Conquistador—produced by Oscar Martos—is out now digitally and on vinyl LP through Discos Antifaz and El Volcán Música. Featuring Tito Ramírez (lead vocals, guitar), Jesus Alonso (drums), Rayco Gil (bongos), Fernando Favier (timbales), Manuel Espinosa (bass), Enma Fernández (keys), Pablo García (saxophone), Gury Quintero (trombone), Luis Soler (trumpet), and Werlink Casanova (trumpet).

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Antifaz || El Volcán

Dusted || The Best New Cover Songs Of February 2026

By / / Alternative Rock, Blues & Roots, Country & Folk, Funk & Soul, Garage Rock, Indie Pop, Indie Rock, Jangle Pop, Power Pop, Psych, Punk, Surf / 1 Comment

Not all new music is really new, as many artists cover songs. Sometimes these are songs by their favorite artists, e.g. 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 a kind of random order—a bunch of successful covers from last month—links to pages where you can add them to your wantlist included.

California Sun (originally recorded by Joe Jones, popularized by the Ramones) by The Linda Lindas — digital track (Epitaph)

Vitamin C (Can) by Calibro 35 — from Mister Magic 7″ (Record Kicks)

Jump (Van Halen) by Sammy Kay — from Born To Run EP

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New album: It’s All You, Cowboy || I Can’t Eat

And now for something completely different, it's Frankie Furillo!

By / / Funk & Soul, Indie Pop, Psych / Leave a Comment

Frankie Furillo spent 15 years playing experimental grindcore with The Central, but that tells you nothing about what to expect from his pop project It’s All You, Cowboy. I Can’t Eat is what happens when someone who’s mastered extreme music decides to make something catchy you can actually dance to: a unique brand of sophisto-pop that’s part AOR, part yacht rock, part ’80s/’90s neo-soul, and a whole lot more. Think Michael McDonald’s solo records filtered through basement show desperation and too much caffeine and sugar. It should be a mess, but it’s the exact opposite. Tenement gets namedropped too, and indeed, some of the vocal melodies are reminiscent of that band. Of course Tenement’s Amos Pitsch is involved, though not in production but rather in art direction, and his Crutch of Memory label is releasing the record.

I Can’t Eat is a sonically rich album packed with different styles, layered vocal harmonies, and key-driven hooks that burrow into your brain. Lyrically, it’s a tour through self-deprecation, romantic dysfunction, and the grinding mundanity of just trying to get through the day. Furillo documents what it’s like to exist with relationships that fall apart and a brain that won’t shut up. Absurdism and tenderness go hand in hand in these songs.

Furillo treats his songs with precision and care. Clearly a lot of attention to detail went into the arrangements, and yet this is not a sterile record. Snark, sparks, and snickers all go together, and this is way more fun to listen to than I expected before pressing play. And the video for Loser? Hang it in your local modern art museum!

I Can’t Eat is out now on Crutch of Memory as a digital album and double-cassette. It’s pretty special.


Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

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