Indie Rock

New album: Green/Blue || Paper Thin

By / / Garage Rock, Indie Rock, Jangle Pop, Punk / 3 Comments

Listen. We get it. There is a definite rebound effect to the pandemic. Records were shelved, tours were postponed. Bands and fans had to wait for what felt like forever to get reacquainted and celebrate their shared love of music. As such, we’ve seen so many releases this year that we’re struggling to keep up. But it gets worse when bands release not one but two great records a mere six months apart. So damn you, Green/Blue!

I’m looking at you, Jim Blaha (Blind Shake/Shadow In The Cracks), Annie Sparrows (Soviettes/Awesome Snakes), Dan Henry (Sgt 6 Assault/Dummies/France Has The Bomb), and Hideo Takahashi (France Has The Bomb/Sweet J.A.P./Nice & Neat Records). I know you are respected veterans of the Minneapolis scene, but you are turning us into spoiled little brats if you continue on this path. With your short and tight mid-fi mesmerizing new wavish, garagy, postpunky pop nuggets. With these ten tracks on Paper Thin that are just as great as the ten songs on Offering. Another reason to be kinda mad: how am I going to pick one of these records over the other in my AOTY list?

On Paper Thin, Green/Blue sound like a punkrock version of the Cure or like Arcade Fire on a diet of everything that is good about underground ’80s music, or like Jeff Burke (of Radioactivity/Marked Men fame) fronting either of these bands. It’s freakin’ great and out now through Feel It Records. But in all fairness, it should be the last Green/Blue record for at least six months.




Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Feel It Records

New album: Deadly Cliffs || Deadly Cliffs

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

Please meet new alternative rock duo Deadly Cliffs from Bergen, Norway, which is best done by listening to the eight tracks on their self-titled debut album. The song titles are stories in themselves – Nowhere Then, No Hair now!, I Want a Secret That I Can Tell Everyone, Between Facebook and Shitting in the Woods – and so is their music. Vegard Wikne and Sondre Veland play wild, drawn-out rock music with hard-hitting drums, heavy guitars and captivating vocals. You could call it prog rock, but you also hear influences from psych, blues and garage – unpredictable, and catchier than you would expect. RIYL White Denim, Ron Gallo, Deerhunter.

Deadly Cliffs is out now digitally and on vinyl LP through Apollon Records.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Teenage Tom Petties || Teenage Tom Petties

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

Tom Brown makes up half of Rural France, who last year released a quality record full of ’60s pop disguised as ’90s slacker indie rock. One of the songs on that record was called Teenage Tom Petty, and its plural is the name of Brown’s latest project. Under the moniker Teenage Tom Petties, Brown filled his Eastpak with his favorite ’90s slacker indie rock CDs, his ’80s underground pop 45’s, and some classic punk LP’s. He also took some primitive recording device along for the ride. Brown than recorded the eight songs that make up his self-titled solo debut in an abandoned shed somewhere around Wiltshire, all in one frantic and inspired take.

None of this is true (or is it?), but it’s how I like to imagine the birth of Teenage Tom Petties. Tom Brown banging away on his instrument, letting those creative juices flow, aiming for spontaneity and melody rather than polished perfection. I’d say mission accomplished. Play this one front-to-back. Repeat. What a blast!


Teenage Tom Petties is out now through Repeating Cloud and Safe Suburban Home Records.
Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Have You Ever Seen The Jane Fonda Aerobic VHS? || Maine Coon

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

If you’ve ever heard of Have You Ever Seen The Jane Fonda Aerobic VHS?, you probably haven’t forgotten either their band name or their sound, both quite original. With catchy organ riffs and distinctive female vocals, their first two LPs still spin regularly on my record player, and now the Finnish garage pop trio is back with a new full-length album, Maine Coon, picking up where they left off. Which means: nine cool hits with passionate harmony chanting and swinging keyboard melodies on a bed of heavy drumming, influenced by girl groups, power pop and garage rock. They are just as enthusiastic as on their previously released work, once again gratifying, infectious and unforgettable.

Maine Coon is out now digitally and on vinyl LP through VILD Recordings. Stream or order here.

New album: Extra Arms || What Is Even Happening Right Now?

By / / Indie Rock, Power Pop, Punk / 3 Comments

Extra Arms used to be the (brilliantly titled) backing band of Ryan Allen, but the collaboration quickly developed into something more. So Ryan Allen & The Extra Arms quickly became Extra Arms, and they sound particularly inspired on their new record What Is Even Happening Right Now? I was a big fan of Basement Punk (2016), but became more of a casual fan in the years since. But my total fandom returned with What Is Even Happening Right Now? It is something else, and my early impresion is it’s the best thing they’ve put out so far.

Although the title clearly references a world in turmoil or existential crisis, and the lyrics hint upon mental health struggles, the record sounds more like a celebration. The powerpop/pop punk of Extra Arms is powerful, energetic, catchy and rockin’, and the huge choruses have arena size fistpumpin’ potential – Listen to Fun Guy and Life In A Cube. What I love about the record is how it sounds modern but you can also hear influences going back to Elvis Costello, The Cars and similar artists of the late ’70s and early ’80s – Feeling Alright is a good example of this direction. There is an impressive list of guest appearances as well, including Matthew Caws (Nada Surf), Bob Nanna (Braid/Hey Mercedes) and Gregory Macdonald (Sloan).

If anything, What Is Even Happening Right Now? is proof that, whatever is going on in our world and personal lives, music is often the best coping mechanism we’ve got. It is out now through Forge Again Records.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Forge Again Records

New EP: Stay Put || 2

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

Stay Put made a strong entrance to the scene with their debut EP last year. They return even more strongly with their second EP which simply is called 2. The four new songs showcases Stay Put’s exciting blend of punk rock, college rock and altpop. The B-side of this 7″ contains the two major hits Zap Gun and Working Holiday which reveal the poppy side of Stay Put, but it may very well be A-side Big Slump that is my favorite by the band so far. I’m really enjoying the trajectory this band is on, and can’t wait to discover what’s next.



2 is out now on pink 7″ through Crew Cuts (UK) and Blind Rage Records (US).

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Crew Cuts || Blind Rage Records

New album: conk creet || better late than never

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

Californian indie rock band conk creet – although they took their name from a bad meme written in capitals, they only use lower case letters themselves – released their sophomore album better late than never and I can’t get enough of it. It consists of seven short guitar-driven songs with punk, surf and garage rock influences – lo-fi and dark, but always energetic and super-catchy. Pretty cool. RIYL Together Pangea, FIDLAR, Dead Ghosts, Wavves, etc.

better late than never is out now on all streaming platforms.

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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Dusted || The 10 Best Cover Songs Of May 2022Read More »

New album: Ross Storm || The Meridian

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

Instrumental music that is a blend of “prog & math rock, with notes of jazz and post-punk” is not something I expected to like. But somehow I’ve been enjoying The Meridian by Storm Ross quite a lot. Apparently, it’s already Ross’ fourth release on Already Dead Tapes, but relative to previous releases it’s more of a team effort. On The Meridian, Ross is joined by Yuma Uesaka on tenor sax and Skeleton Birds bandmates Jeremy and Jonathan Edwards on bass and drums respectively.

According to Ross, this is some of his best work to date. And although I’m unfamiliar with his previous output, I’m taking his word for it. The Meridian is as exciting as it is hypnotic, and as vibrant and colorful as the album art. These are no bedtime instrumentals to make you fall asleep, nor will they provide a relaxed start to your day. But I expect the songs on The Meridian to keep you fully awake at work. In fact, I’m pretty sure A/B testing will show The Meridian will significantly raise your focus, productivity and quality of your day.

The Meridian is out now on Tape at Already Dead Tapes.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New EP: LiquidLight || Even Keeled

By / / Indie Rock, Power Pop, Punk / Leave a Comment

Note: I updated this post May 27 after discovering that Even Keeled is not a 3-song EP, but a 9-song full length that will be out June 3rd.

When I read that LiquidLight, a four-piece band from Portland, recorded the three teaser trackers of their new album Even Keeled live at Interlace Audio without relying on overdubs or click tracks, I became even more impressed. Here’s a band that, in different line ups, have released several EPs and full lengths over the past ten years, but I hadn’t heard before. Perhaps that’s a good thing and I’m catching them at their best yet, who knows. But these three songs absolutely shred, and make me stoked about the upcoming record. Rather than live, LiquidLight sounds extremely alive on the songs. Operating on a scale that goes from college/indie rock through powerpop through punk rock, LiquidLight is loud, melodic, energetic, and emotionally intense. Frontman and bassist Anthony Medici has a killer voice and absolutely sings his heart out. The band also has a great feeling for dynamics, and seem to know perfectly when to shred and when to let their songs breathe.

On the three songs released so far from Even Keeled, Liquidlight kinda sound like a complex and accomplished blend of Guided By Voices, Replacements, Dinosaur Jr. and those ’90s punk bands opting for a more rockin’ emo sound.  Listen below, and if you like it, make sure to watch the video’s of the live recordings on Youtube. Even Keeled will be out next Friday, June 3rd.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

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