New album: Come Closer || We Died With Print

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

J. Wang (Dan Padilla/Tiltwheel), Davey Quinn (Tiltwheel), and Chris Prescott (Pinback/Tanner) make a supreme return with their Come Closer project. Their new LP We Died In Print follows their 2021 debut Pretty Garbage. While that one grew on me slowly but steadily, We Died In Print makes an immediate impression, it’s that good!

Come Closer have firm roots in punk rock, although indie rock and altpop may be a better description of their sound. Superchunk, The Replacements, Jets To Brazil, the Promise Ring, Samiam and more recently Ryan Allen all come to mind while listening to We Died In Print. Pop hooks and jangly guitars are a major part of Come Closer’s appeal. J. Wang has a formidable gift for melody, and his songs evoke the most relaxed manner of rockin’ out. I also love how Wang includes nods to classic tracks on his Come Closer records. This time, he deconstructs the intro of Bastards of Young to kick-off the standout Harsh Meadows.

All in all, I am impressed with We Died In Print after my first couple of spins. It sounds like this could have ended up in my top 50 favorite albums of the year (scheduled for this Wednesday) if it was released just a little bit sooner. Anyhow, this definitely goes on the wantlist and, like the debut, will surely make the collection.

We Died In Print is out now on LP at Fast Crowd Records.




Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New single: Andy Place and the Coolheads || Feels Like A Dream

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

Remember Andy Place and the Coolheads from Portland, Oregon? Their debut LP In A Confusing Futuristic Bar was a kickass throwback rock’n’roll record built on a wealth of influences ranging from Bowie to Ramones, but also with hints of ’80s new wave and power pop.

Feels Like A Dream is a three-song 7″ single with two really short songs and one 3-minute plus song that feels much shorter. The common denominator is that all three songs rock (synths included!) and leave you wanting more.

7″ available through Black Water Records.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Checkerboard Lounge || Roller Coaster

By / / Blues & Roots / Leave a Comment

Melbourne’s blues institution Checkerboard Lounge follow up last year’s award-winning Sun Sessions LP with new album Roller Coaster, and it’s exactly the warm sound we need in these dark days. The current line-up, featuring Carl Pannuzzo (vocals, drums), Shannon Bourne (guitar), Zoë Frater (bass) and Tim Neal (Hammond organ, alto sax), delivers ten atmospheric, shiny songs (in total more than an hour of fascinating music, with the psychedelic closing track Prodigal Man lasting over 18 minutes and the popcorn-esque Double Standard as the biggest hit), arranged live in the studio, with wonderful melodies and powerful vocals. If you were wondering what contemporary quality blues sounds like, here’s the answer.




Roller Coaster, produced by Jeff Lang & Checkerboard Lounge, is out now digitally, on CD and vinyl LP through Cheersquad Records & Tapes. Dedicated to singer-songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Broderick Smith, who passed away last spring.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New EP: Girl With A Hawk || Keep ‘Er Lit

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

I would like to point out Keep ‘Er Lit, the debut EP by Girl With A Hawk, a Boston rock band led by indie scene veteran Linda S. Viens. The singer-songwriter explains that “it’s exploring what it means to not just choose to go on, but to thrive and do right by those that depend on us, it’s about the sheer guts it takes to live, and keep your heart open” ((the EP title is taken from an old Irish expression that loosely translates to ‘do not stop’). These aren’t empty words if you read the background story about the highs and especially the lows of 2023 on Bandcamp, a journey that is reflected in the EP’s five songs, compiling four previous singles – The Romantic, Feel Me, The Ones and Same Stars – supplemented with uplifting new one Good Enough. It’s 20 minutes of enervating pop-rock, in which guitars bite viciously at times, but the strong vocals keep everything together – music for which you would turn up the radio.


Keep ‘Er Lit, produced by Richard Lamphear and Linda Viens, is out now digitally and on CD through Rum Bar Records. Featuring Linda Viens (vocals, acoustic guitar), Richard Lamphear (guitar, backing vocals), Daniel Coughlin (guitars, backing vocals), Lee Harrington (bass, backing vocals) and Nancy Delaney (drums, backing vocals).

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New EP: Radio Free Alice || Radio Free Alice EP

By / / Indie Rock / Leave a Comment

They are based in Naarm/Melbourne (Australia), the band name is a nod to R.E.M.’s debut single, and influences mentioned are Talking Heads, The Cure, The Smiths, The Go-Betweens, Parquet Courts and The Strokes. That sounds promising, right? Radio Free Alice is a young new wave/post-punk outfit featuring Noah Learmonth, Jules Paradiso, Lochie Dowd and Michael Phillips, and their self-titled debut EP is everything you’d hope for. It’s a collection of three previously released singles, with the exciting earworm Paris Is Gone as the biggest hit, plus new song Waste of Space. Original dynamic guitar melodies and unique versatile vocals, conveyed with eagerness and self-confidence, what’s not to like?



The Radio Free Alice EP is out now digitally trough Double Drummer.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Cartwrights || Years At A Time

By / / Country & Folk, Garage Rock / Leave a Comment

Obviously American singer, songwriter, guitarist and producer Greg Cartwright (Reigning Sound, The Compulsive Gamblers, The Oblivians) is a hero of ours. Nice to see that his work has inspired Mike Fraser (vocals, guitar), Wayne Marcin (bass, guitar, vocals) and Stu Rankin (drums, vocals) to start a band and eventually borrow his name. Cartwrights’ new full-length album Years At A Time contains nine tracks that fuse garage rock and indie folk, without shying away from big gestures. Vibrant guitar riffs, thundering drum rolls, raw vocals and even a whoo-hoo-hoo sing-along chorus (in King of Tonight) – the musicians from Thunder Bay, Ontario (Canada) hand over a solid and heartfelt roots rock record.



Years At A Time, written by Mike Fraser and arranged by Cartwrights, is out now digitally, and soon on CD and vinyl LP, through Lost Dog Records. Also featuring guitarists RJ Little and Casey Laforet on selected tracks.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

Music Year-End List || Dennis’ Favorite Albums of 2023

By / / Alternative Rock, Blues & Roots, Country & Folk, Funk & Soul, Garage Rock, Indie Pop, Indie Rock, Jangle Pop, Power Pop, Psych, Punk / 4 Comments

While Taylor Swift emerged as the top artist of 2023 (26+ billion global streams on Spotify alone), I mainly sought refuge in the long tail of the continuous stream of releases (not a favorable position: from 2024 tracks must have reached at least 1,000 streams to get royalties from Spotify’s money grubbers – all the more important that we’ll support these artists in other ways). Of the 2,600+ new albums I listened to, I added 130 to my longlist of wantlist-worthy releases – the ones I liked and played the most are in the Top 50 below. What struck me? Besides the usual themes – life and death (and the search for meaning), love and loss (and longing), fun and sadness (and anger), sex and drugs (and rock ‘n’ roll) – songwriters seem to struggle with time and place more than before. There is a kind of conflict going on in society between people who want to move forward or want to hold on to the past, but many songs reflect the realization that we live in the here and now. Tristan Peach from The Small Intestines dreamed that George Harrison and Tom Petty were on motorcycles circling one of the huge roundabouts in Canberra (Australia), their long hair blowing as they sang “You can’t hide in time” – it became the title from their debut album. It’s just one of the many references to this intriguing theme in my favorite albums from last year. Floodlights’ On The Television, one of the standout tracks from their Painting Of My Time LP, probably puts it most powerfully: “The time is now!” Let’s listen.

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Music Year-End List || Dennis’ Favorite Albums of 2023Read More »

New album: Pop Filter || CONO

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

Our friends at Janglepophub deliver the most concisely correct statement about the new Pop Filter LP CONO : “Laconic Aussie reflections at their absolute finest.” Slacker indie rock vibes? Yes! But not in a haphazard manner but rather in a casual, “let’s hang out with my closest friends and see where it leads” fashion.

Pop Filter consists of members who at one point in time have all played in The Ocean Party. This likely explains why they sound like a well-oiled machine on their new LP. Listen to the first three songs, and you find yourself transported back to the zeroes, where suddenly indie rock found its way on MTV and hit TV shows. The album’s remaining tracks promise hidden indie gems waiting to be unearthed, making CONO yet another great record to come out of Australia.

CONO is out now on Bobo Integral, Osborne Again and Spunk Records




Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Discogs

New album: David Christian || Rekkords!

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

British singer-songwriter/multi-instrumentalist David Christian (Comet Gain) is accountable for this week’s quirkiest album, a noisy 13-track solo tribute to vinyl records: “Not enough time and not enough money and they keep releasing them and finding them, so here’s some songs about them and the people who make them.” A premise we can only applaud, and although the execution is wobbly and the sound lo-fi, every word and note come from the heart, and that’s what really matters. It’s a pleasant fan lesson in music history, with a lot of name-dropping (do yourself a favor and read the explanation the artist gives for each tune on Bandcamp, pure poetry), and reportedly there is still enough material for parts 2 and 3. “The circle willl never be unbroken!”



Rekkords! is out now digitally (self-released). Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

Update (December 8): As a kind of addition – similar in concept and sound – Comet Gain has put the (I Hate) Christmas Records! EP online.

New singles: gremlin || same fate​/​bliss & 1​-​800​-​GREMLIN

By / / Punk / Leave a Comment

Seemingly out of nowhere, Cincinatti’s Gremlin have popped up, releasing two singles within the last three weeks. I have zero information about the band, but it appears this is the first music the band puts out.

Sonically, gremlin reside in the egg punk multiverse – Cherry Cheeks fans should take note. Gremlin are no copy cats though, and they have already carved a niche for itself though. It’s one that implies musical talent and broad musical tastes, and a talent for writing hits. The four-song 1-800-GREMLIN was released first and it’s nothing short of a blast. I mean, Soft Violence? Wow! Why Fight? Yes! Those warped gang vocals get me everytime.

It is insane to say this, but the same fate/bliss single may be even better. Gremlin rules!

Both singles out now at Softail Recordings




Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

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