Whispering Sons “Alone” Image What a great hard-hitting band. I love how each song builds from quiet beginnings to noise-shattering exuberance. “Alone” sounds like it was recorded by paranoids, while the video reflects how, no matter how much you try, …
Evi Vine Sabbath (single edit)- Featuring Simon Gallup Black Light Dark White Some of the best Goth I’ve heard in a long time. Evi Vine’s voice just takes over and brings you to a darker, more personal, rather claustrophobic world. On this …
Twilight Fields “Demagogue” Song From The Age Of Ruin What a hard hitting song. When we keep silent about the abuses of a demagogue, we become that demagogue, and we are just as guilty. Twilight Fields is a tremendous singer/songwriter. …
Clark Twain “Fly High (Like Richard Branson)” Life Is Wonderful How many of you have just wanted to say “screw it” and do exactly what you want? That is the basis of this wonderful song by Clark Twain, dedicated to …
Norman Salant “At The End Of The World” Always All Around You With a voice and style like Elliot Smith, Norman Salant comes after you with his tales of sadness, love, and cows? Yes, cows. While Salant has been known …
Shadowgraphs “Sun Is Rising” Another Time Another tremendous band from Portland, OR. Take one part The Zombies, one part The 13th Floor Elevator, shove them into the 21st century (or beyond) and you get the Shadowgraphs. This band is so …
Death By Piano “Countdown” Death By Piano is back and even darker than before, if that is possible. “Countdown” is a remarkable song containing what might be my favorite line: “Will the quiet be too loud?” Death By Piano is comprised of singer/keyboardist Kalen …
The New Pacific “Yesterday” Heavy Towards The Light “Yesterday” by The New Pacific starts off sounding like a song by Blur or another Brit Band, then that primal scream and you know you’re in a completely different territory. The New …
Mad Hawkes “FACE PNCH” I love Mad Hawkes, even while she scares the shit out of me. She calls her music “Babe Rock” (ironically, I’d say), mentioning the late Amy Winehouse as an influence. There is definitely a tie between …
Balms “Candle” Mirror Ten years after they met in high school in the suburbs of San Jose, California, Jared, Michael, and John formed Balms in San Francisco in 2013. This is a great shoegaze band that has darkened the sound …
Holygram “A Fraction” Modern Cults German post-rockers HOLYGRAM from Cologne have managed to immerse themselves in the Goth world of Bauhaus without sounding derivative. The swirling keyboards and dense musical production sends “A Fraction” way to the dark side (in …
Burning House “Mirror Song” With a sound that mirrors (pun intended, haha) The Jesus and Mary Chain meets Dinosaur, Jr. while still sounding so different (it must be those sweep guitars leads, as if the guitarist was throwing the instrument …
Big Tide “Hide Me In Your Spaceship” Big Tide is Ben Thomas’ reaction to electronica scene in the UK. Instead, he chose this beautiful style that reaches back to David Crosby and the twelve-string acoustic. This is amazing music, a …
Julie Jacklin “Head Alone” Crushing Julie Jacklin is releasing her new album in February, and from the singles she’s dropped (“Head Alone” and “Body”), it is going to be a stunner. Jacklin, from Australia, sounds like she has been around. …
Eva Ras Proliferation Of Broken Dreams Eva Ras has released a full album, and the wait has been worth it. From the “Intro” to the “Outro”. Proliferation Of Broken Dreams flows as one with many different emotional levels. The intro is deceptively …
Little Dragon “Lover Chanting” Lover Chanting EP Coming from Gothenburg, Sweden, Little Dragon have the dance/pop groove down perfectly. Sounding like a cross between Deee-Lite and (surprisingly) Gloria Esteban, Little Dragon add that touch of Chic and humor that is …
all dogs “That Kind Of Girl” Kicking Every Day One thing I have to give Ohio, they make great music. It must be to make up for their horrible politics (being a born Ohioan myself, I know). Well all dogs …
Over the last 40 years, Chuck McDermott has left his musical mark on audiences on both coasts of the United States. Over the last few decades, he has devoted himself to energy and environmental policy issues, and working in government.
Foxwarren “To Be” Foxwarren Hear some true Canadian prairie music from Foxwarren. This great band, coming from scattered small towns around the Canadian plains, is comprised of Andy Shauf (guitars/keys/vocals), Dallas Bryson (guitar/vocals), and brothers Darryl Kissick (bass) and Avery Kissick …
Antarctigo Vespucci “White Noise” Love In The Time Of E-Mail What a great, humorous song (not surprising because of their name – no, I won’t explain it: read a book). The line, “I can’t you out of my head; I …
Foreverinmotion “Office Love” How Is Your Heart Coming from Chester, VT, Brendon Thomas is a wonderful example of the best of Americana. Taking a page from my favorite show, “The Office”, Foreverinmotion gives a loving homage to the Pam and …
Weather King “Jejune Bug” What a great song. Sounding a little like their Dallas/Fort Worth kindred, Jimmy Eat World, Weather King has something special. The special weapon is the vocals of Maya Cravy, which just beautifully propel the song to …
Alison Sudol “Escape The Blade” Moon There is something twilightish about Alison Sudol. Her voice is lovely like a red/purple sky at dusk. This is music for the evening, the most peaceful time of day. That’s it: Sudol’s music is …
The Dandy Warhols “Be Alright” Why You So Crazy The Dandy Warhols dropped a new single, and a new album is coming out in January 2019. All I can say is, Happy Christmas. Of course it’s tremendous, it’s poppy (in …
The Room In The Wood “Mars (Won’t Save Us) The Mars EP What a great sci-fi song that is actually right on the mark. Mars truly will not save us. And the reasons are evident in this clever song. The …
Parabola West “Calling Your Name” American born, New Zealand-base Amy Tucker West has pulled off the amazing trick of combining Nordic and Celtic traditions with the lush electronica of Enya without sounding old or rehash. A combination of Eivur and CHVRCHES, …
Moist feat. vocalist Maria Marcus “Traces” Lavine From Söderhamn, Sweden, Moist is the solo moniker of producer, artist and remixer David Elfström Lilja. The new LP includes 10 tracks with vocals by Maria Marcus, a Swedish multi-platinum songwriter and music producer currently based in …
Polly Panic “Losing Form” Losing Form I never thought that I would say the cello-driven rock is superb, buy Polly Panic from Rasputina pulls it off. Think of “Legs Septet” by PJ Harvey to the nth degree. This is great …
Little Person “I’m Happy To Be With You” I love this song. This is really one of the oddest songs out there, sounding so simple, yet with these tremendous melodic changes out there, with lyrical nods to Burt Bacharach of …
Con Etiquette “Et Tu, Brute?” The Company We Keep I love this band. Coming from southern Connecticut, Con Etiquette is the great cross of 90’s alternative with that contemporary post-rock. They write these tremendously tight, lyric-focused song on a variety …
