Blues & Roots

New album: Common Railers || Changes Come

A soulful Americana journey with heart and hope

By / / Blues & Roots, Country & Folk / Leave a Comment

Common Railers is a roots rock quartet from Ithaca, New York, Changes Come is their fourth record. It gives us no less than seventeen high-quality songs that distinguish themselves by a warm sound in which —in addition to inviting vocals and usual instruments—accordion, upright bass, and saxophone take the stage, with choices to embrace around every corner. The lyrics are also not to be sneezed at (like in Election Day: “You are my brother, come sit by my side // Although we hear the voices of different minds // You are my sister, don’t run and hide // You and I are not from enemy tribes”), but above all it is the intimate atmosphere that makes this album so enjoyable.




Changes Come, recorded by Gordon Rowland and Peter Glanville, is out digitally (self-released). Featuring Peter Glanville (guitars, vocals), Gordon Rowland (reeds, accordion, vocals), Mike Costello (upright and electric bass), and Shane Hartman (drums, cymbals).

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Half Deaf Clatch || Outsider Blues

More unpolished perfection from a singular voice

By / / Blues & Roots, Country & Folk / Leave a Comment

I don’t know how he pulls it off, but not a month goes by without new music from Andrew McLatchie as Half Deaf Clatch. After a number of thematic releases, the British singer/songwriter/guitarist has now once again delivered a normal full-lengther, as far as you can speak of normal with this extraordinary musician. In his own words, Outsider Blues is “an original, modern, stomping country blues album, chock full of acoustic slide guitar, tenor banjo, acoustic bass, organ, percussion, and gravelly vocals” and that’s exactly what it is.

These are eight self-penned tracks, recorded live without any artificial frills, including new versions of The Lighthouse II (2024) and Too Poor To Die (2020). The guitar complexities and vocal delivery are as captivating and magnificent as we always hope for, but the lyrics are also consistently masterful and congenial: “You’ve never heard it on the radio // Or on a YouTube video // There’s only one place it can ever be found // That’s here right now, where it’s safe and sound” (from Secret Song). Truly unique.


Outsider Blues—written, performed, recorded, mixed, and mastered by Andrew McLatchie—is out now digitally and on CD through Speak Up Recordings.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Eli Winter || A Trick of the Light

Genres fade and emotion leads in six experimental instrumentals

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Eli Winter doesn’t care much about conventions. The Chicago-based composer/guitarist kicks off his new album A Trick of the Light with an inimitable version of Don Cherry and Ed Blackwell’s Arabian Nightingale, an instrumental story of almost 17 minutes. It opens listeners’ senses to the five atmospheric tracks that follow—including Carla Bley’s Ida Lupino—and with good reason: this is a sophisticated fusion of experimental folk, jazz, rock, world, and blues, rich in both arrangements and instrumentation. The maestro himself says it better: “It has nothing to do with genre or idiom or homage or pastiche. It has everything to do with learning what the music wants, how it feels, and trusting when it wants something or doesn’t want it.”

The death of Jaimie Branch—she played on his 2022 eponymous album—and other (smaller) losses shaped a lot of this music: “Learning to love through failure, imperfection and pain. Moving through a wilderness without a map. And piano, saxophone and pedal steel.” Vocals are superfluous with a sound as mind-blowing as this.



A Trick of the Light, engineered & mixed by Cooper Crain, is out now digitally and on vinyl LP through Three Lobed Recordings. Featuring Eli Winter (electric guitar, acoustic guitar, piano), Sam Wagster (pedal steel guitar), Andrew Scott Young (upright bass, electric bass), and Tyler Damon (drums), with Gerrit Hatcher (tenor saxophone), Eli Schmitt (harmonium), David Grubbs (electric guitar), Mike Watt (electric ‘lead’ bass), Luke Sutherland (violin), Kiran Leonard (cittern), and Alex McKenzie (bass clarinet).

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Discogs

Dusted || The 10 Best New Cover Songs Of April 2025

By / / Alternative Rock, Blues & Roots, Funk & Soul, Garage Rock, Indie Pop, Indie Rock, Power Pop, Psych, 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.

Paisley Park || Cover: Best Bets || Original: Prince & The Revolution
Following the iconic Purple Rain LP, Prince released Around The World In A Day 40 years ago. To celebrate that anniversary, New Zealand power pop quartet Best Bets covers its first single, Paisley Park (“Admission is easy, just say you // Believe and come to this // Place in your heart”), in their own unique style—free to download.

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Dusted || The 10 Best New Cover Songs Of April 2025Read More »

New album: Johnny Maraca And The Marockers || Little Heart

Rock-'n'-roll romance

By / / Blues & Roots, Garage Rock, Punk / Leave a Comment

I know nothing about Johnny Maraca, and yet after two or three songs from his new album with The Marockers, I’m convinced he’s a true rock-‘n’-roll romantic. Little Heart is pure proto-punk, soaked in rock-‘n’-roll tropes and dripping out of a dingy basement—think Johnny Thunders by way of Jack Oblivian.

Little Heart is raw and proudly unpolished, turning its rough edges into a strength. At their core, these songs are fully melodic, and the twinkly guitar bits work like a charm, making it almost impossible not to whistle along. Maraca’s voice sounds duct-taped together, but that lived-in quality only adds character and authenticity to the songs.

There’s a track about a Hot Boy and one about a Bad Girl. There’s a high level of self-awareness too, with the anthem called Shut Up And Play A Rock n Roll Song. The album closes on a high note with Sunflower Kisses.

Little Heart is out now on LP through K Records and Perennial Records.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || K Records

New album: Little Barrie & Malcolm Catto || Electric War

UK trio rises above itself on groovy trip through mind-blowing soundscapes

By / / Alternative Rock, Blues & Roots, Psych / Leave a Comment

Rock ‘n’ roll, blues, psych, funk, soul, kraut and jazz fight a respectful battle, with spiritual guitar licks and a hypnotic groove driven by motorik rhythms and sample-worthy breakbeats as weapons of choice. That’s right, Little Barrie is back on the front lines. Singer/guitarist Barrie Cadogan, bassist Lewis Wharton and drummer Malcolm Catto up their game on their new full-length album Electric War, a cinematic and exciting journey along rock’s experimental edges.

The seasoned musicians use their arsenal of skills and creativity to the fullest in eight songs that are both laid-back and intense. Few are given the ability to make rhythms and melodies sound so controlled, intelligent and tight, while at the same time conveying the freshness of a spontaneous jam. While the distinctive vocals are as enchanting as ever, the instrumental seven and a half minutes of Creaky show that they can also tell a compelling story without words.



Electric War it out now digitally, on CD and vinyl LP, through Easy Eye Sound.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Discogs || Easy Eye

New album: Jeff Timm || Meltdown

A raw and poetic journey through collapse and clarity

By / / Alternative Rock, Blues & Roots / Leave a Comment

Meltdown is the sophomore full-length album by Poughkeepsie, New York native Jeff Timm. Don’t be discouraged by the title, because the ten songs are not only about breaking down but also about building back up. The singer/songwriter hears some dark echoes of the past in the back of his mind, but he also has a keen eye for what’s going on now, resulting in an urgent ode to resilience and reckoning.

These are heartfelt stories set to roots rock—solid but soulful Americana—in which hard and soft naturally go hand in hand, just like Tom Petty could do. Together they make up a pure and powerful record, with a live feel and a big sound.



Meltdown—recorded, mixed, and mastered by Ray Ketchem—is out now digitally via Magic Door Record Label. Featuring Jeff Timm (vocals, acoustic guitar), with James Mastro (electric guitars, bass, mandolin), Kevin March (drums), and Renee LoBue (backing vocals), except for You Know Better, with Phil Chieco (electric guitars), John VanLuyk (bass), and Mike Wallner (drums).

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New single: Current Foxes || Bandits

Groove-driven anthems with a big sound

By / / Alternative Rock, Blues & Roots / Leave a Comment

If you were wondering if there’s any good music coming out of Liverpool these days, the answer is a resounding yes. Just listen to Current Foxes, Callum Eve’s band that builds a solid wall of sound with rock, blues and psych elements. Their new single Bandits is an exhilarating hit with an indomitable groove and infectious sing-along choruses, which moves boldly and brilliantly towards a climax: “Steal every thought // It’s time to say goodbye.” Flipside Concrete Blues shows how well this works live. Electrifying.

Bandits b/w Concrete Blues is out now digitally (self-released).

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Ryan Sambol || Friend Of The Show

An intimate, one-take recording session at Sweetheart Studios in Elgin, Texas on July 15th, 2024

By / / Blues & Roots, Country & Folk / Leave a Comment

Texas-based singer-songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Ryan Sambol will always be remembered as one of The Strange Boys, but he also knows his way around as a skilled dude solo. His latest full-lengther, Friend of the Show, is everything fans could hope for—a rich tapestry of blues, jazz, folk and rock, woven into a kind of late-night barroom boogie where wonderful piano and guitar melodies set the stage for the artist’s unmistakable vocals.

The album’s twelve self-penned tracks, some of them instrumental, were recorded in a matter of hours on a sweltering summer day last year. The raw, four-musicians-live-in-the-room approach lends the record an intimate, spontaneous quality that feels both immediate and personal, yet with a remarkable richness that extends beyond its instrumentation to its evocative lyrics.

All that’s missing is the sound of applause, a few cheers, and admiring nods—you’ll have to supply those yourself.




Friend Of The Show, recorded by Jimmy Wildcat and Ryan Lee, is out now digitally via Double Alligator / Abrahamic Music BMI. Featuring Ryan Sambol (vocals, guitar, piano, harmonica), Joe Roddy (piano, guitar, trumpet, accordion), Jack Montesinos (upright bass, guitar) and Jon Alderson (drums).

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Beans & Fatback || Hold Fast

Amsterdam duo pays tribute to New York's gritty past

By / / Blues & Roots, Garage Rock / Leave a Comment

During the time Joseph Rodriguez was driving a cab in New York City, he picked up a camera to document the gritty and incredible street life he saw on the job. It led to the fascinating and telling book TAXI: Journey Through My Windows 1977–1987, which now inspired (and provided the cover picture for) Amsterdam-based Beans & Fatback‘s new full-lengther Hold Fast, their first in ten years. Onno Smit and Paul Willemsen deliver eleven new tunes around themes of temptation, loss and perseverance, in which—as we are used to—unpolished garage rock and soulful blues (with a touch of glam) blend into an energetic and catchy sound. Earlier single Tight Ripped Jeans could have been a hit by The Black Keys (comparisons are less evident elsewhere), but actually all tunes are easier to embrace than the late 1970s New York post-punk on which this record builds. It is a soundtrack clinging to humanity through raw soundscapes in a controlled manner, matching the aforementioned photo book.


Hold Fast is out now on CD and vinyl LP through AT EASE.

Add to wantlist: AT EASE

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