Today, we premiere a special record from a special band. Risen out of the ashes of Uh Bones, meet Charlie Reed aka the Chicago all-star cast that is Luke Trimble (Uh Bones), Colin Croom (Twin Peaks), Nick Beaudoin (Spread Joy), Nora & Nolan Chin, Tyler Bixby (Spread Joy), and Justin Vittori (Diviño Niño). Their debut LP Eddy is out tomorrow (July 21) through Earth Libraries. You can stream the record in full below.
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Anytime Gentlemen Rogues (Austin, Texas) puts out a new release, they have my eyes and ears. And that even applies when the release technically consists of previously released tracks. This week, the band released A History Of Fatalism, which combines their A History So Repeating and Fatal Music EPs. Both EPs were remixed and remastered, and most importantly: pressed on vinyl for the first time.
It’s a joy to revisit these songs. There is a throwback quality to the guitar-driven powerpop of Gentlemen Rogues. They have that same knack for creating polished yet powerful songs as Bob Mould and Superchunk. And although I wouldn’t call Gentlemen Rogues punk, there clearly is some punk energy to their sound. If you are looking for some quality rockin’ powerpop, pick this one up. You get three bonus tracks with the digital stream (and vinyl download). Of the three I like Fuck And Run the most – a song I at first misheard as Fuck Enron and only later discovered to be a Liz Phair cover. Sigh.
A History Of Fatalism is out now through Snappy Little Numbers and Rocket Heart Records.
Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Snappy Little Numbers || Rocket Heart Records
Funny how you now can still discover an album that you overlooked last April. I was pointed to new single Promises b/w Portrait of a Morning by American singer-songwriter/guitarist Forrest “Fo” Daniels, which turned out to be stripped-down bonus tracks to complete his debut LP Imitation Roses that came out three months ago. That album is so good I don’t want to keep it from you. It contains ten powerful songs recorded completely live, along with Charlie Holt (drums), Selby Austin (bass), and Darby Mcglone (guitar) in the same room, in just one day. That makes the result raw and authentic, yet the energetic indie rock with alt-country influences sounds well thought out, with an eye for balance and detail. These are great guitar-driven tracks – well played and sung, superbly produced – that should prevail on alternative radio stations and festival grounds.
Add to wantlist: streaming only for now
We are excited to premiere the (*spoiler alert* excellent) self-titled debut LP of Near Beer, a three-piece from LA fronted by Joey Siara (of The Henry Clay People and Fakers) who is joined by Brent Stranathan (drums) and Jeremy Levy (bass, backup vocals). Press play below, and continue scrolling to find out more about the band.
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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.
Right now, Bay Area songwriter R.E. Seraphin has 333 monthly listeners on Spotify. And although I think monodigit numbers are fun and all, I am convinced this number should grow with at least three digits to truly reflect the quality and appeal of Seraphin’s music.
For me, two things stand out in the music of Seraphin. One, he clearly is a talented songwriter. Week In Pop recently dubbed Seraphin as The Bay Area’s Modern Saint Of Power Pop. His discography includes releases by Talkies, Razz, Mean Jolene, Lenz, Glitz, Apache and Impediments. His 2020 debut (Tiny Shapes) under his own name featured many standouts (e.g., listen to the powerpop hit Exploding Head), and his recent Swingshift EP (covered here) provides top notch songwriting, layered instrumentation and cool covers (Television Personalities and Wipers). If you are new to Seraphin’s music, I recommend checking out Playing House, Big Break or watching the recently released video for Stuck In Reno below.
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Gimme 5! R.E. Seraphin Shares Five Songs That Inspired His Recent SongwritingRead More »
Zoe, Noah, Nancy and Eli make up Parlor Hour, a slacker twee outfit from Portland, Oregon. This 4-minute single is my introduction to the band, and I sure hope we’ll meet again. The two songs are scrappy and infectious, just the way we like it at ATW.
“I sat down to write a cute song // But i have reality // on my shoulder // looking over.”
Add to wantlist: Bandcamp
Last year, San Jose’s Star 99 dropped their excellent debut EP My Year In Lists. I almost forgot about that one, so I was happy to have Bandcamp notify me of new Star 99 material.
The new single has three songs: Born To Run (not a cover), Vegas, and Wyoming – The latter sounded so familiar, I was searching my brain for the original artist only to discover it’s a rerecorded version of a Star 99 original from last year’s EP. The new version strips away all instrumentation of the original except for the guitar and vocals. In doing so, it places a spotlight on the songwriting skills of Star 99.
The two additional tracks on the single (Born To Run and Vegas) further solidify my appreciation for the melodic indiepunk/altpop of Star 99. I have yet to hear a weak song from this band, and am curious to see where they go next.
Add to wantlist: Bandcamp
In 2007 Scottish indie rock band 1990s released their debut album Cookies, featuring entertaining anthems like You Made Me Like It, You’re Supposed to Be My Friend and Cult Status. Their 2009 sophomore full-length Kicks was somewhat less successful, and after that it became quiet around the trio. As it turns out, they recorded a third LP in 2011, and after all these years you can finally listen to it! The album title that you shouldn’t google shows the youthful humor of the band members, the 13 hooky songs prove that they were still full of fun ideas. Standout tracks Psyche-Ward Pick-Up No. 9 and Walk The Plank would have been hits on the indie dance floors and alternative radio stations 10 years ago, but it’s never too late to catch up, right? The 1990s sound remarkably fresh in 2022, very nice that Nude Restaurant still sees the light of day. The band has reportedly reunited and will be touring again, so you can experience whether they still look and smell fresh too.
Nude Restaurant is out now on vinyl LP through Last Night From Glasgow.
Add to wantlist: Discogs || Last Night From Glasgow || Rough Trade
“A record that conveys and rises above rock’s latest trends all at once.” New York singer-songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Quinton Brock, formerly of surf rock duo The Get Money Squad, has released his solo debut album My Shadow, setting the bar high: “We’re changing rock music forever.” It’s not hard to imagine that this ambition will be realized, because this is one of the most surprising, cool and versatile records of recent times. It has a NY sound without being reminiscent of The Velvet Underground or The Strokes, and the musicians have the personality and charisma to become crowd favorites. The energetic songs fly in all directions – in terms of influences you can tick indie, slacker rock, alternative, hip hop and surf – and one minute you hear jangly guitars and the next a funky R&B beat, interrupted by a few skits. All tracks are written, performed and produced by Quinton Brock, but somewhere also Travie McCoy, Pink Siifu, Portugal. The Man, Dane Orr, Griffin Smith, Don Hanson, Peter Enriquez, Gengis Don and Elijah Allen show up. This LP is unconventional and probably not for everyone, but isn’t that true of all groundbreaking changes?
My Shadow is out now digitally via Shadow Panther (Quinton Brock’s own label).
Add to wantlist: Bandcamp
Matteo Sattler, Thomas Hammer and Selina Galka of Austrian indie rock trio Interstellar Bungalow are back with their sophomore EP Cargo. Its five new tunes, jointly written, performed, recorded and mixed by the three band members, are melodic, melancholic and mesmerizing, with a lo-fi sound which is best consumed at too loud volume, in the semi-darkness, late at night. Standout track Hull Breach is the hit here, but especially noisy song Lay Down shows what the band stands for.
Cargo is out now digitally (self-released). Add to wantlist: Bandcamp