Overlooked album: Scott Hirsch || Windless Day

By / / Country & Folk / Leave a Comment

The ink of my year-end list hadn’t dried yet when I stumbled upon the first excellent album that I somehow missed when it came out two months ago. And shame on me, it’s from a well-known name. I was captivated when I heard Big Passenger pass by in a playlist, the standout track from Scott Hirsch’s new (third) solo LP Windless Day. Actually most of the record is pretty good. It’s late summer music – understated soulful folk – with a nicely balanced set of instruments (Hammond organ! Saxophone! Congas! Mellotron! Pedal steel!), and a very well produced sound. This one may be missing from my AOTY chart, but it’s definitely high on my wantlist right now. RIYL Steve Gunn, J.J. Cale, Natural Child.

Windless Day is out digitally, on CD and vinyl LP through Echo Magic. In addition to standard black vinyl, there’s also a limited edition iridescent pearlized purple vinyl version, which is totally on trend, because that is more or less Panone’s Color Of The Year 2022 – Very Peri – which was announced today.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Discogs

Music Year-End List || Dennis’ Favorite Albums of 2021

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

All year long we look forward to this moment of looking back, escaping the continuous flow of new releases for a while, taking the time to recap what really stood out these 12 months. In 2021 I took my FOMO more seriously than ever: I’ve checked out 2,200+ new albums, twice as many as last year (this hobby is getting out of hand). The disadvantage of this is that you don’t get any sleep, but still it isn’t possible to give anything that looks promising the attention it deserves. Anyway, along the way I built up a longlist of 120+ LPs that are wantlist-worthy, which I now have brought down to a Top 50.

In any post on this website, we try to put into words which artists are involved, how their instruments and vocals sound, whether their songs are catchy or dreamy or energetic or dark, where their inspiration for lyrics came from, etc., but I have my year-end list compiled as I always have, simply in order of what I loved and played the most – personal taste preference as the debatable deciding factor. My choices are all about guitar-driven, authentic indie rock, power pop, garage rock, roots, and jangle pop, plus a little bit of soul, country, folk, and alternative rock.

…

Music Year-End List || Dennis’ Favorite Albums of 2021Read More »

New EP: Los Giros || Sé Que Es Verdad

By / / Garage Rock / Leave a Comment

The cover art gives it away: this release is influenced by the British invasion, pop art, freakbeat, power pop and Pebblesque garage rock. And that’s the way it sounds: like one of the great bands from the American garage teen scene of the 60s. The second EP by Spanish five-piece Los Giros – Iván F. aka Dr. Watson (vocals, guitar), Asencio Ortíz (guitar), Raúl Pardo (drums), Alessandro Riondato (bass), and Desmond Stroud (Farfisa organ) – consists of four raucous songs that have everything that makes this genre so great. The opening track stands out, after which El Viejo Bar picks up on the pandemic, Vales Poco Para Mí is a cover version of Los Flecos, and Sin Ti is a worthy closing tune.

Se Que Es Verdad is out now digitally and on 7″ vinyl through Family Spree Recordings.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New single: Club Valley || Club Valley

By / / Indie Pop / Leave a Comment

“You taste like a tangerine // You’re cut from a magazine // Let’s make out in the limousine” – I’m not sure what to think of the lryics of Tangerine, the A-side of the self-titled (digital) debut single from Club Valley, but I guess the feeling the intriguing song evokes is more important. If this one reaches the right radio DJ or playlist compiler, it could just be a hit. Nigel Sibanda, Jason Williams and Timi Afilaka, from Johannesburg, South Africa, create synth-driven dreamy indie pop with delightful melodies. B-side Listen is nice too.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: DeeOhGee || New Way of Life

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

For the past 10 years, Nashville rock ‘n’ roll band Blackfoot Gypsies has rocked stages in Europe and the US. They now have dropped that old name (it felt like a logical moment for a next step, with more self-awareness), but kept the same spirit. The new, honed premium brand in authentic American guitar music is called DeeOhGee, and they have three frontmen. Matthew Paige (guitar), Zack Murphy (drums) and Dylan Whitlow (bass) – they share vocal duties, and also grab timpani, pianos, banjos or harmoniums where necessary – play a combination of rhythm & blues, classic country, and glam rock. Their new full-length album, appropriately titled New Way of Life, is a testimonial of where they are now, a testimonial consisting of 11 swinging songs, that gets through best at loud volume. This is real music by skilled musicians – hooks! vocal harmonies! memorable lyrics! – and a sound to stamp along with a smile on your nodding head. This is fun to the max.

New Way of Life is out now digitally and on vinyl LP through WDGO Music.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || WDGO

New album: Dribbler || Biglife!

By / / Garage Rock / 1 Comment

The album cover of Dribbler’s first full length features four kind and happy lions. Don’t interpret that as a sign that the songs on Biglife! are toothless, or innocuous. Dribbler show plenty of bite with their energetic fuzzy garagerock that has elements of both Ty Segall and Bad Nerves. It’s a record full of current themes, like drifting clueslessly through life, societal pressures and our media-obsessed world. All delivered in easily digestible nuggets. Fun stuff!

Out now on Magic Moustache Records (UK).


Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Magic Mousache

New album: Andrew Gabbard || Homemade

By / / Country & Folk, Psych / Leave a Comment

You may know Andrew Gabbard from his – versatile – work with Thee Shams, The Buffalo Killers, The Gabbard Brothers (with his brother Zach), or as The Black Keys’ touring guitarist, but now he has his debut LP as Andrew Gabbard (as Andy Gabbard he released Fluff in 2015), recorded at home. When you listen to Homemade, you would almost think that the American musician has been able to watch an advanced stream of Peter Jackson’s Get Back documentary, because I regularly think about the Lennon/McCartney collaboration, though we might as well cite Emitt Rhodes and Neil Young as references here. You’ll understand, this is classic, hazy pop infused with alt-country and psych vibes with beautiful harmonies, like sophisticated songwriters created in the late 60s and early 70s. That’s not a compliment to be taken lightly, especially since Gabbard not only wrote most of the songs (closing track Promises I’ve Made is an Emitt Rhodes cover), but also took care of the vocals, guitars, drums, bass, and piano. Listen to two of the standout tracks below.

Homemade is out now digitally, on CD and vinyl LP through Colemine / Karma Chief Records.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Discogs

New album: Walter Daniels & the Del Valle Trustees || Have a Coffee Break With​.​.​.

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

This is an interesting debut album, that deserves your attention for several reasons. The first thing you’ll notice is the inventive, vintage cover art by Rui Ricardo, where the band is served to you on a tray. The Austin, Texas-based band itself is certainly not made up of debutants, you could even call it a supergroup, featuring Walter Daniels (Jack O’Fire, Bigfoot Chester, James Williamson, Lydia Lunch, Alejandro Escovedo, Guadalupe Plata, Henri Herbert, Barry Adamson, among others) on vocals and harmonica, Evan Whitehead (Cunto!, Black Eyed Vermillion) on guitar, Kevin Curtin (Cunto!, Pleasure Tide, Boxcutters) on mandolin, Scott Stewart (Zero Skills, Inc, Pleasure Tide, Corrine Rose) on upright and electric bass, and Matt Hammer (Strange Boys, OBNIII’s, Wes Coleman) on drums. The skilled musicians mainly combine country, blues, and punk influences, but also gospel and yodel, in 12 lively, raucous songs that evoke the feeling of a live show. Bonus points for using a Nose Flute! As far as I’m concerned, this music is much more suitable for drinks than for a coffee break, but judge for yourself.

Have a Coffee Break With Walter Daniels & the Del Valle Trustees is out now digitally and on vinyl LP through Chaputa! Records and Ghost Highway Recordings.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Chaputa! || Ghost Highway

New single: Boss || Cash ‘Em In

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

If you are looking to get in the right mood for the weekend, let it be this one. A-side Cash ‘Em In is the kind of banger that you don’t mind blowing your speakers on. The song starts with a spoken intro from the Chisel frontman Cal Graham and then transforms in a perfect blend of ’70s UK punk and glam rock-‘n’-roll with a reproduction value that is through the roof. B-side Red Signal sounds like a punked up version of Thin Lizzy.

Boss is an international all-star band fronted by Fucked Up drummer Jonah Falco. He’s joined by Maxime Smadja (Rixe) and Charlie Manning Walker (Chubby And The Gang) on guitar, Momo (Rixe, Trap) on bass, and Nick Sarnella (Crown Court and The Chisel) on drums. Cash ‘Em In is the follow up to the band’s excellent first single (Steel Box, 2018). I kinda hope that Boss will be a more prolific band in the near future, but given the output of the other bands Falco and his bandmates are in, there will be plenty of good music coming from this crew either way.

The single is out now on Static Shock Records. It appears to be sold out already, which makes sense given the kickass nature of the songs…


Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Los Pepes || The Happiness Program

By / / Garage Rock, Power Pop, Punk / Leave a Comment

In the first week of 2021 Los Pepes released a video and announced their new record The Happiness Program to be released sometime later in the year. That sometime became a long time, but the record is finally here. Was it worth the wait? Most definitely!

Los Pepes are an international powerpop quartet featuring Ben Perrier (Vocals/Guitar), Seisuke Nakagawa: (Bass/Vocals), Guilherme Rujao (Guitar/Vocals) and Kris “Killer” Kowalski (Drums). Los Pepes is a productive band consistent in terms of output, musical direction and style. The band specializes in the powerpop and garagepunk hybrid that Exploding Hearts perfected on Guitar Romantic. The Happiness Program is Los Pepes’ fifth full length in the past 8 years. The band also released a greatest hits compilation and almost two handfuls of singles in that period.

We wrote about Los Pepes’ latest single earlier this year. Two songs of that killer single (I Want You Back and Never Get It Right) are included on The Happiness Program, and they are not even my favorite tracks on the record. What stands out on The Happiness Program is the addition of instrument such as keys, organ, sax, lapsteel, and harmonica. This works extremely well and takes the record to another level. Listen to Sick And Bored and Anecdotes for example, two songs that are reminiscent of Gentleman Jesse at his peak.

I know it’s early, but I’m calling it: The Happiness Program is the best and most fun Los Pepes album yet.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

Scroll to Top