Indie Rock

New album: The Feeders || Kerchoo

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

Here is a new release that brings me an equal amount of excitement and melancholy. Kerchoo is the debut full-length of The Feeders, featuring Chicago scene veterans Sam Vicari, Eli Caterer (Smoking Popes) and John Perrin (NRBQ). The sense of melancholy hit me immediately. It’s hard not to think of the late Kim Shattuck while listening to Kerchoo. But that sense of melancholy quickly makes room for excitement, because Kerchoo is so much more than a throwback to the Muffs. The altpop of the Feeders is catchy and punchy, a bit like Superchunk channeling Teenage Fanclub, or Superchunk playing good Weezer songs.

Shoutout to music writers who’ve already submitted their AOTY lists. You are missing out on this one. Quite the year for Eccentric Pop, who brought us the new Dan Vapid And The Cheats this week, and earlier this year that awesome Evening Shadows record.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Eccentric Pop

New album: Crabber || Who Let The Ducks Out?

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

Jigsaw Records is absolutely spot on by describing their latest release as a dead ringer for Washington DC’s Dot Dash with a touch of Comet Gain. Like Dot Dash, the music of Crabber (Hamburg, Germany) is influenced by a lot of the good elements of ’80s music. Call it janglepunk or reverb- and guitar heavy powerpop, Crabber sounds punchy and melodic. Timeless tunes destined to be overlooked of course, because this kind of music is unlikely to be regarded as hip or fashionable. Let’s hear it for bands that don’t care and write music like this regardless of current trends.
Oh, and don’t be fooled by the title, Crabber are no jokesters. This seriously is good music.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: James Sullivan || Light Years

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

The Stardumb Records logo essentially operates as a green light for blind purchases. If Stefan Stardumb decides to put out a record, you know it’s gonna be good. But whereas Stardumb once was home primarily to pop punk and ramonescore bands, in recent years we’ve seen the label broaden its horizons somewhat, for example with Local Drags, Lone Wolf and the most recent Geoff Palmer record. Stardumb’s latest addition probably is furthest yet from the typical Stardumb sound. James Sullivan’s debut LP Light Years is closer to Velvet Underground, Guided By Voices, and Paul Westerberg than to Groovie Ghoulies or the Apers.

James Sullivan is the frontman and guitar player of two excellent powerpop outfits (More Kicks and Suspect Parts). To get himself going in the pandemic, he decided to set himself the goals of writing a song a day for ten days. He then recorded the songs at home in North Londona on his half-broken Tascam 8-track. Rather than choosing a specific direction for the songs, he took the opportunity to try out different styles. The result is a diverse record that’s decidedly different than Sullivan’s past work, while still showcasing his great songwriting skills.

Album opener Lea Bridge is one of the albums highlights. I love how Sullivan talksings with a heavy accent over a steady beat and a cool guitar riff. The gorgeous punkrock ballad You Kept My Heart Alive is another standout and may be my favorite track on the record. But rather than talking about individual tracks, Light Years works really well as an album. I really like the flow of the record. A significant proportion of the record is mellow, but I’m never skipping any of the songs. Sullivan draws you in from the opening seconds and will leave you content after each play of Light Years.

Light Years has a Stardumb Records logo on it. It’s out now. What are you waiting for? Buy it!



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Stardumb Records || Discogs

New album: Parker Longbough || Off Front Street

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

Parker Longbough, the recording name of Anchorage, Alaska native Matthew Witthoeft, collected all the anxieties, fears, and worries of the year 2020 on Crackle/Hiss, his fifth full-length album, which was released in January this year. But apparently he hadn’t said everything that needed to be said yet, because here’s Off Front Street, album number six. It’s lo-fi, guitar driven indie pop / rock with occasional electronic sounds seeping through. Although the eight songs are mighty fine musically, the lyrics steal the show – not exactly cheerful stuff, but they give a fascinating glimpse into the psyche of the singer-songwriter.

Off Front Street is out now digitally. Add to wantlist: Bandcamp 

New album: Evening Standards || Rainbow Shrimp

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

Basement Pop is the home of the collective musical projects of musicians Chris Mott & Daun Fields. It is also an apt description of the music of my favorite Basement Pop band: Evening Standards. Mott (guitar) & Fields (bass) take on dual vocal duties in Evening Standards, and are joined by Jacob Hamilton on drums. They play a kind of punkrock and indie rock that is hard to pinpoint. They don’t seem to care about speed, or attitude, or what is cool or happening. What they do care about is writing heartfelt tunes with a lot of melody. That show of heart, that emotional aspect, but also the dual vocals and harmonies give the songs almost an americana or alt country feel. While destined to be overlooked by many, Evening Standards are an easy band to fall for if you just give them a chance.

Rainbow Shrimp is the band’s third album, and if this is your first taste of the band, I highly recommend checking out the band’s previous output. Rainbow Shrimp builds on the previous records, but sounds slightly more lo-fi. It’s another great collections of songs that gets better with each play slowly crawling its way on your end-of-the-year lists. Enjoy the two Evening Standards’ basement pop tunes below, and get ready to develop warm feelings  for this band.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp 

Dusted || The 10 Best Cover Songs Of October 2021

By / / Alternative Rock, Blues & Roots, Country & Folk, Garage Rock, Indie Pop, Indie Rock, Punk / 2 Comments

Not all new music is really new, as many artists occasionally play a song they know from one of their heroes. Often they are songs that deserve to be dusted and polished, simply because they should not be forgotten. Some of those cover versions are so good, 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.

Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door || Cover: The William Loveday Intention || Original: Bob Dylan
It’s unbelievable how much good music Billy Childish continues to create, with originals and covers, but also adaptations of his own earlier work. Last month, with CTMF, he released the great single Bob Dylan’s Got a Lot to Answer For (“Even an idiot must admit that Bob Dylan made some great tunes, but despite his many achievements it must also be said that Bob has got a lot to answer for, so we wrote him a complementary tune”), and from the moniker of The William Loveday Intention also appeared an impressive cover of the master’s Knockin’ On Heavens Door. It’s a classic that has been covered many times, but this is possibly the most epic one. That goes for the 10-minute vocal version (with extra lyrics added), but the even longer instrumental is even more compelling. Out on 12″ vinyl through Squoodge Records and digitally via Damaged Goods.

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New album: Diamondtown || Diamondtown

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

Diamondtown is made up of veterans of the Nova Scotia underground scene, whose past bands include Eric’s Trip, Dog Day, and Century Egg. The band has about 2.1 million fewer monthly listeners on Spotify than The War On Drugs. And yet, I can envision a lot of those TWOD fans fall for the new self-titled record of Diamondtown. To me, Diamondtown operates in that same realm of spacious, tension building, accessible guitar pop/rock, particularly on songs like Flame, Truth and Outtamind.

But rather than the dad rock-vibe of TWOD with its Dire Straits influences, the songs of Diamondtown  seem substantially informed by ’80s new wave and ’60s jangly pop. They are more concise as well.  Perfect for a late summer beach day, or on your commute with a coffee-to-go in your hand.

Listen to Stride, a perfect and timeless jangle pop tune, and let the sound of Diamondtown gently wash over you.



Diamondtown is out now on Label Obscura.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Mythical Motors || A Rare Look Ahead

By / / Indie Rock, Jangle Pop, Power Pop, Psych / 1 Comment

When Robert Pollard looks in his rearview mirror it’s likely he will see Mythical Motors. Mythical Motors is a four-piece from Chattanooga, Tennessee and their latest release A Rare Look Ahead is the band’s 15th (!) album. The prolific songwriting and album releasing is not the only link between Mythical Motors and Guided By Voices. A chance encounter between Matt Addison and Brad Smith at the very first Robert Pollard solo show in 2006 led to the start of Mythical Motors. Mike Brown joined on bass soon after, and it took some line up changes before the band settled on Johnny Wingo as 2nd guitarist. Sonically, the gbv-fi is strong as well. A Rare Look Ahead has twenty (!) songs, and the indie rock of Mythical Motors is straightforward, up tempo and lo-fi.

And yet, in spite of all these similarities, it would be selling the band short to project them as mere copycats of GBV. In fact, the songs on A Rare Look Ahead harbor many influences, including The Clean, Wire, R.E.M, Superchunk, and the C-86 scene. The songs are short, and filled with hooks and poppy melodies. That pop sensibility has a strong ’80s vibe. Underground pop that is. Overall, the songs display more vulnerability than the typical GBV record.

If you are like me, by the end of the record you will be siked to take another trip alongside Mythical Motors. And yeah, I know, way too much motor vehicle references in this post. Sorry…But really, give this one a spin.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Rural France || RF

By / / Indie Pop, Indie Rock, Jangle Pop / 2 Comments

I cannot emphasize enough how much I appreciate labels that consistently release terrific records. It is worth a great deal when you get excited whenever a label announces a new release, when you can blindly rely on a label’s good taste. Take Spanish label Meritorio Records. The label’s batting average in 2021 is off the charts. Basically, all of their recent releases are worth your money (i.e., Wurld Series, The Telephone Numbers, Monnone Alone, Real Numbers, Stephen’s Shore).

Meritorio’s latest homerun is the debut LP (RF) from Rural France, a duo (Tom Brown and Rob Fawkes) that actually lives in Rural England (Wiltshire). Rural France plays ’60s pop disguised as ’90s slacker indie rock. The guitars are fuzzy and jangly, and the lo-fi songs are short and forward moving. Oh, and there is the occasional synth lick saying hi, how are you. If you are looking for 25 minutes of worriless escapism powered by solid songwriting, look no further than RF. What I like most about this release is how coherent and accomplished it is as a full album. Usually, it’s easy to pick out the highlights of a record, but this one I would actually recommend listening in full. And the record still keeps getting better with each listen, despite being accessible right from the bat.

For some reason, it took Rural France (“The hardest working, nineties-influenced indie rock band in West Wiltshire”) several years to record and release RF. “The songs were mostly written during the heatwave of 2018, spurred on by Beach Boys bootlegs and a World Cup. Half-drunk on the sun and Brian Wilson’s genius, I’d make the short journey from the garden to my guitar to try and get down some vague ideas that were forming in the haze of that sweltering suburban summer,” Brown explains. Not sure if it had any influence on the band name or the songwriting, but France won that 2018 World Cup.

So yeah, Meritorio hit another one out of the park. And (spoiler alert) the next one is coming soon (Semi Trucks, out November 26).



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Meritorio Records

Gimme 5! Lake Artifik Shares His Five Favorite Albums

By / / Alternative Rock, Country & Folk, Indie Pop, Indie Rock / 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 5 records THEY love.

One of my favorite discoveries of 2021 is Lake Artifik. This is the moniker under which Swiss musician Carlos E. Cordero writes and records beautiful, dreamy acoustic guitar songs. His debut album Dream Park consists of nine layered, mysterious and slightly sad tracks about past memories, a very suitable soundtrack for Sunday mornings. In the meantime he has also released the EP Bloom, with three new songs that are a bit more straightforward, pop oriented, and positive. Landgraaf in particular caught my attention, because I went to Pinkpop there a few times. The lyrics are about the fantasies that Carlos and his best friend at the time had about playing at the festival; as teenagers they dreamed of ‘making it’ with their band, thinking they were the coolest kids around since they performed gigs for their 60 fans (“For all the times we saw the sky // Thinking that we could fly // Jamming our songs through the night // Waiting for our time to shine”).

This seemed like a good reason to ask Carlos about his sources of inspiration. The explanations of his favorite albums make it clear that we are dealing with an artist who is a good listener, who also knows how to describe it well.

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