Blues & Roots

New EP: Jared Hart || The Condor

A heartfelt tribute to a dear friend

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

New Jersey-based singer-songwriter Jared Hart (Mercy Union, The Scandals) returns with three originals and a cover of Mac Miller’s Come Back To Earth, collected on an EP entitled The Condor. This first new solo offering in ten years examines our mortality and the lasting imprints that loved ones who have passed continue to place onto our own lives. It is one that had to be made: it is dedicated to the life and memory of his close friend Chris Duffy, who called himself The Condor.

You will understand that these are personal songs, pure and heartfelt, emphasized by those characteristic gritty vocals, but the guitars also cry along. It has everything roots rock should have.

The Condor, produced by Jared Hart & Matt Olsson, is out now digitally and on 12″ Coke bottle clear vinyl through Mt. Crushmore Records. Featuring Jared Hart (guitar, vocals) and Mark Masefield (keys, organ), with contributions fromMatt Olsson, Nick Jorgensen, Casey macalush, Tommy Gunn, Sean Carney and Rocky Catanese on select tracks.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Mt. Crushmore

Dusted || The 10 Best Cover Songs Of December 2024

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.

Da Doo Ron Ron || Cover: The Peawees || Original: The Crystals
First the good news: Italian punk rock band The Peawees have finally released a studio version of their cover of this Phil Spector classic—always a highlight in their live shows—on 7″ vinyl, as the flip side to their self-penned song Drive (taken from this fall’s One Ride LP). The inevitable bad news: the single was a present for the 300 attendees of the Wild Honey Christmas Party, that reportedly never will be reprinted. A cold comfort: you can download it for free.

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New album: Wild Billy Childish & The Chatham Singers || Step Out!

A fine selection of Chicago-style blues songs that feel like a greatest hits compilation

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

In what feels like the emptiest release week since we started our blog, we can safely leave it to Billy Childish—who else?—to fill the void. He is present, this time with The Chatham Singers, for another full-lengther, entitled Step Out!. You’ll hear twelve raw Chicago-style blues tunes that sound like familiar hits. This can be explained by the fact that some of the songs were previously available as limited 45s, have been released in a different form, and/or are covers of classics (Billie Holiday’s Fine and Mellow and I Love My Woman, Bo Diddley’s I Can Tell, Muddy Waters’ Rollin’ And Tumblin’ and I Just Want To Make Love To You, Slim Harpo’s I’m a King Bee and Howlin’ Wolf’s Meet Me (Down at the Bottom)), but even more by the characteristic vocals and sound of the four musicians who do what they do best.

Step Out!, produced by William ‘Spook’ Loveday, is out now digitally, on CD and vinyl LP, through Spinout Nuggets. Featuring Billy Childish (vocals, guitar), Julie ‘Juju’ Hamper (vocals, bass), Wolf Howard (drums, percussion) and ‘Bludy’ Jim Riley (harp).

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

Music Year-End List || Dennis’ Favorite Albums of 2024

By / / Alternative Rock, Blues & Roots, Country & Folk, Funk & Soul, Garage Rock, Indie Pop, Indie Rock, Jangle Pop, Power Pop, Psych, Punk / 3 Comments

Heart and soul, that’s not too much to ask, right? To be honest, I didn’t have an easy year exploring new music. The flood of releases is too much to keep up with—the conscious realization that you continuously miss more than you experience is quite demotivating, while exploring the sonic cosmos should be exciting—and wading through all the copycats and AI disciples makes it increasingly difficult to separate the wheat from the chaff.

Thankfully, just when I thought the journey had become more important than the destination, and the future was finally losing out to the past, it turned out that there were still plenty of raw pearls and creative authenticators to be discovered (I don’t necessarily value perfection or innovation). And so I regained the feeling that blogs like ours actually add some value to all those algorithms around by putting them on display. Regardless, in my forays into the depths of the musical universe, I checked out 2,800+ new albums, resulting in a passionate longlist of 140 wantlist-worthy releases—the ones I liked and played the most, just a matter of taste I guess , are in the Top 50 below. Slightly eclectic, but all as real as it gets.

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Music Year-End List || Dennis’ Favorite Singles and EPs of 2024

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

Next week we will publish our lists of favorite albums, but first here is an overview of short format releases that were—in my humble opinion—the most wantlist worthy. It’s a mix of welcome comebacks and uncompromising discoveries, all energetic and passionate.

Below you can listen to the Top 50 singles and EPs that I enjoyed the most last year (note: individual songs are excluded), in alphabetical order. Links point to Discogs or Bandcamp (the titles), and to previously posted reviews (in the body text). Add to your wantlist (or collection) what you like!

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New album: Thee Cha Cha Chas || Temple Of Mirth

Long-awaited debut LP that serves as a masterclass in spirited rhythm & blues

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

After a string of successful singles in recent years, here is finally the first full-length album from Melbourne-based rock ‘n’ roll duo Thee Cha Cha Chas. For Temple Of Mirth, Kylie Coufos (bass, vocals) and Lluis Fuzzhound (guitar, drums, vocals) performed, recorded and mixed the twelve new tracks all by themselves. It led to straightforward, raw rhythm & blues, laced with psych in the title track (“You ever been into the stars?”) and glam in KALMIYH (“Marc Bolan you look so golden”), which comes across as pure and lively. There’s a heartfelt cover of Bob Dylan’s It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue (with a fitting cha-cha-cha closing chord), but the self-penned tunes are just as engaging.




Temple Of Mirth, mastered by Mike Mariconda, is out now digitally and on vinyl LP through Folc Records.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Folc

New album: Bottom Shelf || There Will Be Chicken Wings

More thirst-inducing roots rock, good for a smile and a tear

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

Raleigh, North Carolina-based five-piece Bottom Shelf follow up last year’s fascinating Pud Master Johnson LP with their next full-length, wishfully titled There Will Be Chicken Wings, striking cover art included. You’ll hear twelve new songs – we should actually count to eleven, because the album closes with a so-called secret track, but since it’s mentioned it’s not really a surprise – that should probably be filed under Southern rock. The way the heartfelt lyrics are delivered by gritty vocals over a grooving rhythm section evokes mixed emotions, many emotions – insert smiling-face-with-tear emoji – that go well with a drink (I guess this applies to both band members and listeners). These 40 minutes radiate a live energy that is more than enough to recharge you for whatever lies ahead.




There Will Be Chicken Wings is out now digitally (self-released).

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Taylor Hollingsworth || Yahola

Authentic foot-stomping folk 'n' roll with memorable guitar hooks

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

Birmingham, Alabama-based songwriter/singer/guitarist Taylor Hollingsworth not only plays with The Blips, Dead Fingers and Conor Oberst & the Mystic Valley Band, but he has also been releasing solo work for about twenty years. His latest full-length album Yahola features ten self-penned songs that slide between folk, rock, blues and punk influences, excelling in swaggering guitar licks and distinctive gritty vocals. The record breathes an authentic and raw live energy, and remarkably infectious and cheerful for this kind of music. Listen to standout track Tellin’ Lies and it’s easy to imagine an audience stomping along with a big smile.



Yahola is out now digitally and on vinyl LP through Dial Back Sound. Also featuring Matt Patton (bass) and Ricky Burkhead (percussion), with Carol Griffin (backing vocals) and Bronson Tew (guitar) guesting on Never Can Be Lonely.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Discogs

New album: Thine Retail Simps || Strike Gold, Strike Back, Strike Out

Album numbers three is a thrilling ride through Retail Simps' Garageland

By / / Blues & Roots, Funk & Soul, Garage Rock, Psych, Punk / 5 Comments

The opening line of the new Retail Simps LP hits you straight away: “We’re a garage band, we’re from Garageland.” But make no mistake, this isn’t your typical garage band. Beyond the shifting names — from Tha Retail Simpson on their 2022 debut, to Theee Retail Simps on their 2023 follow-up, and now Thine Retail Simps, the group from Montreal stands out for its creativity and ability to concoct exhilarating blends from whatever they’ve got lying around in their sonic garage. I’m going for garage-punk-R&B-psych-and-soul, just to be done of with, because really, this is one of those records you need to experience and just make your own mind up on what to call it.

Strike Gold, Strike Back, Strike Out is a wild, chaotic trip through Garageland, where anything goes, and the biggest sin is being boring. Thine Retail Simps push the edges of familiar soundscapes, smashing them together into a potent cocktail that might be too intense for some but downright thrilling for others. Count me in the latter group for sure!

The band loops back to their opening line on the album’s closer, Duckland $imps (Out) — a loose and playful track on an album full of them. They thank the listener, saying, “We put a lot of hard work into this record and we hope you like it.” Honestly, it feels unnecessary after the impressive collection of songs that came before. Still, it adds to the charm of a band that not only put in the effort but clearly had a blast doing so.

LP out today on Total Punk Records.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New EP: Checkeye || Checkeye

Lo-fi coolness and quirky twists are just part of the appeal of Checkeye's self-titled EP

By / / Blues & Roots, Indie Rock, Power Pop / Leave a Comment

I have no idea who Checkeye are or where they’re from, but this self-titled (debut?) EP has been on heavy rotation today. The five tracks exude lo-fi coolness and draw from a wide array of outsider influences. Opener Haunting Me is an immediate standout, sounding like a ‘00s indie rock band experimenting with ‘70s power pop, eventually finding a sweet spot somewhere in between.

The EP continues with Heart Of It All and Gary Trago, two quirky, delightful tracks filled with inventive instrumentation, groovy rhythms, and enough twists and turns to keep listeners hooked. Waiting For The Bus and Holding On, the final two tracks, take a more laid-back approach, giving the EP a bit more breathing room and layering in classic rhythm and blues influences.

Checkeye is definitely a band to keep an eye on. Their debut EP is out now on tape via Clean Demon Records.


Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

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