New album: Richard Turgeon || Life Of The Party

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

Richard Turgeon is a prolific songwriter, musician, producer and screenwriter based in San Francisco, California. Life of the Party is his seventh solo album in seven years, and we gladly accept the invitation to join the growing crowd of listeners. Not bad timing at all, because with hindsight we can conclude that this could be his best work to date. The new LP contains eleven melodic songs – dad rock packaged as power pop – about relationships, holding and letting go, urban decay and mortality. Relatable topics, skillfully conveyed. This is a solid and appealing record, a great achievement especially when you consider that the artist is not only responsible for almost everything you hear (lyrics, vocals, guitars, keys, drums), but also for recording, mixing and mastering the tracks.



Life Of The Party, written, performed, recorded and produced by Richard Turgeon, is out now digitally, and from February 2 on CD via Kool Kat Musik. Additional bass on selected tracks by Ron Guensche.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New EP: Owen Adamcik || The Owens

By / / Power Pop / 1 Comment

Owen Adamcik is a prolific grandson of ’70s punk and power pop who puts out a new record every couple of weeks. For each release Adamcik draws from a different era of punkrock’n’roll history, often under different alter ego’s, including Ickle Stardust and Owen Hollywood. His latest? The Owens, a new EP he dubs “the start of Owen Adamcik’s Power Pop Paradise.”

It’s not just the EP title, everything on this EP screams power pop. Ripping off the cover of the Nerves classic 7″, the song titles (When She Finds Out, Don’t Call On The Phone), and the make-up of the five songs – which sound cleaner, and more jangly than the average Adamcik release. The Owens EP is barely 6 minutes long, yet leaves you wanting more. This is Jack Lee, Paul Collins and Peter Case worship done right, and I can’t wait for the next installment of Adamcik’s power pop paradise!




Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: First Boy On The Moon || Cybergirl

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

We are quite critical of who we admit to our Favorite Cover Art Gallery, but the first day of the new year immediately brought us the first member of the class of 2024. Two years after their self-titled debut album, Swedish indie band First Boy On The Moon returns to earth with their sophomore LP Cybergirl – its cover illustration is more beautiful on the actual sleeve than you would expect from the small image below. David Pedroza (vocals, guitars, drums) wrote, performed and recorded ten new songs that are somewhat reminiscent of U2’s All That You Can’t Leave Behind era, but are still original in terms of lyrics and melodies. Once again we get several tunes that could be radio hits – Hot Fun In The City, the title track and I’m Alive stand out for me – and keep singing around in your head. This is a solid and appealing record that transports you to a better space.



Cybergirl, written and produced by David Pedroza, is out now digitally and on vinyl LP through Manic Records. Also featuring Derek O’Brien and Andy Horvath on drums.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New EP: Dan Webb And The Spiders || GOT IT

By / / Alternative Rock, Indie Rock, Punk / 1 Comment

Let’s kick off 2024 with a refreshing dose of certified fresh tunes from a familiar face.

Dan Webb is becoming a household name on this site, and GOT IT is the fourth solo Dan Webb And The Spiders release that has made it to the wantlist. While the band’s previous full-band singles, EPs, and LPs struck a chord with me, this latest EP, released in either 2023 or 2024 depending on your timezone, truly stands out.

For one, this has to do with the quality of the recordings. You might recall that Dan Webb recorded his 2023 excellent single WELL WELL with Steve Albini? That experience was a deliberate effort to learn form the highly acclaimed engineer. Webb explains: “At that session I learned all I could about recording in hopes of applying it to future projects. This is the first group of songs to benefit from those learnings.”

And indeed, GOT IT presents a notably different sound. It has a brighter and cleaner tone than previous recordings, and production wise it’s more indie rock calibrated than punk rock rough-edged. It allows more space and intricacy in the songs, while preserving their authenticity, steering clear of an overproduced and overpolished sound. Though I lack the technical jargon to explain, this may be my favorite sounding Dan Webb record yet.

Then again, it’s easy to discuss skilled engineering when the songwriting is at a high level like this. The EP starts with Gotta Be, a semi-acoustic poppy indie rock duet that puts the spotlight on the super sweet dual vocals between Webb and his wife, Hilary. The repeated line, “Show me a better place to stand and I will plant my feet there,” at the end of the track? I just love that.

Up next is the altpunk standout Cliff Jumper, followed by the poignant The House On Emming Street – a song that reminds me of The Weakerthans both lyrically and sonically. Set Sail introduces a different dynamic, with a less straightforward more starts-and-stops kinda structure. The EP closes on Stopped Clocks, which offers melodic punk rock that is midpaced and has an emotional heft.

Dan Webb sets 2024 off to a promising start, a year that marks DWatS’ return to playing shows, starting with at least one scheduled show in Boston this Summer. Here’s to an exciting year filled with exciting discoveries and captivating live experiences!




Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

Dusted || The 10 Best Cover Songs Of December 2023

By / / Alternative Rock, Blues & Roots, Country & Folk, Garage Rock, Indie Pop, Indie Rock, Power Pop, Punk / 1 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.

One final look back at 2023 before we start 2024. In December we not only came across countless Christmas adaptations, but we also listened to cover releases by Jim Bob (This Is My Mix Tape), friends & family of Dan Sartain (Dan Sartain Vs. The World (is gonna break your little heart)), various artists from the Dualtone roster (Discovered & Covered), Trevor Horn (Echoes – Ancient & Modern), The Anchoress (Versions), Dave Finney & The Procrastinators (Covers) and Spencer Cullum’s Coin Collection (Aquarium Drunkard Lagniappe Session 2), and to tributes by various artists to Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Smiths, Metallica (all on Cleopatra Records) and Guided By Voices (Rusted Gear Records), but below you can hear ten other melancholic cover songs to evoke nostalgic feelings.

My Shadow Tags on Behind || Cover: The Cribs || Original: Adam Green
On Capitane Records’ 2-LP Moping in Style: A Tribute to Adam Green, 26 largely well-known names – Jeffrey Lewis, Regina Spektor, Father John Misty, Devendra Banhart, The Libertines, Sean Lennon, The Lemonheads, and so on – show how many good songs the American singer/songwriter delivered after his life in the Moldy Peaches. Lots of successful material, but I particularly enjoyed hearing British indie rock band The Cribs again.

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New album: K​Ü​KEN || K​Ü​KEN III

By / / Garage Rock, Punk / 1 Comment

The musical year 2023 is on its last feet, with its belly full, ready for some well-deserved downtime, looking back on all the great stuff that was put out this year. But wait, here is Alien Snatch! Records, releasing not one but three (!) worthwhile LPs in the dying days of the year. I am highlighting the the third self-titled LP by K​Ü​KEN from St. Pauli here, but please check out the ones by Sex Mex and Graveyard of the Pacific as well.

KÜKEN III kicks off with a riveting guitar riff that make you sit straight from the get-go. Over the next exhilarating 19 minutes, they unleash an unapologetically fierce punk rock masterpiece that is refreshingly direct. Stripped of any unnecessary elements, each song carries a raw edge while maintaining a sense of melody. This is punk rock done right!

K​Ü​KEN III is out now on Alien Snatch.




Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New EP: Acid Tongue || Blame It On The Youth

By / / Alternative Rock, Garage Rock / 1 Comment

Ahead of a new full-length album, Seattle-based rock band Acid Tongue put out the Blame It On The Youth EP, featuring four gems that blend an energetic mix of garage rock, psychedelic folk and AM radio soul with memorable lyrics, infectious hooks, irresistible guitar melodies and gritty vocals. Before closing with an exciting cover of The Pretty Things’ L.S.D. we get three appealing originals, written by Guy Keltner. The title track is a sing-along earworm, Stray Dogs stands out thanks to catchy harmony vocals and Consumerism brings out a punk attitude. Hits!



Blame It On The Youth, produced by Josh Landau & Alex Arias, is out now digitally (self-released).

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

Music Year-End List || Niek’s Favorite Singles and EPs of 2023

By / / Alternative Rock, Country & Folk, Garage Rock, Glam Rock, Indie Pop, Indie Rock, Jangle Pop, Power Pop, Punk / Leave a Comment

Our final year-end list is my 50 favorite Singles & EPs of 2023. ICYMI, Dennis published his last week, and we previously both shared our favorite albums of the year – mine here and Dennis’ over here.

I am presenting these singles alphabetically. Ranking them is near impossible and getting my longlist back to 50 releases was hard enough in itself. If there is one takeaway from this list and our other lists it’s that 2023 was a pretty amazing year in the sonic underground.

Find my list below, and a Spotify playlist with 80% available content of my list here. Wishing you happy holidays and see you all next year!

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New album: La Vivas || The Doors of Perception

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

La Vivas are an energetic guitar rock band from Worcestershire, UK, featuring Kevin Donaldson (vocals, guitar, bass), James Donaldson (vocals, bass, guitar) and Luiz Ferreira (drums, percussion). On their full-length debut album The Doors of Perception – beautiful title, gallery-worthy cover art – you’ll hear eleven dynamic, original songs in which influences from garage rock, freak folk and psychedelic blues come together, but which in terms of sound and attitude are already prepared for packed stadiums. Listen to the raucous opening track The Bell and the Butterfly and you’ll effortlessly imagine the crowd clapping and screaming along with the potent drum rolls and heavy guitar riffs at 2:30. The other tunes are less wild, but the inviting lyrics (“I’m writing to reach you // I’d write all night long // My head’s full of Tom Waits songs” – from the outstanding Waiting for your Love, hovering somewhere between Thelonious Monster and Portishead) and intense vocals make them just as exciting.





The Doors of Perception is out now digitally and on vinyl LP (self-released).

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New EP: The Stiletto Shakers || An EP

By / / Alternative Rock / 1 Comment

Brighton-based rock & blues outfit The Stiletto Shakers promises a full band recording in the new year, but before that happens, we now get An EP (that’s what it is, also the title) recorded in isolation by two of the band members. Lewis West-Vimpany and John Vanek pull out all the tricks in their bag. In opening track That Color Love Looks Good On You, infectious vocals and energetic horns fight for attention, followed by a successful tribute to James Dean and three jams that are more experimental, with soul and psych pop influences. Diverse, vintage guitar rock that comes alive thanks to two creative minds.


An EP is out now digitally (self-released). Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

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