WATTY THOMPSON WATTY THOMPSON CHEATIN HEARTS RECORDS It’s a rare thing for an artist to arrive on the scene as fully formed and creatively realised as Victorian Watty Thompson. Most songwriters take a few albums to figure out how to craft their music into its ideal shape. Thompson has done it on his first swing. … Continue reading
HENRY WAGONS SOUTH OF EVERYWHERE CHEATIN’ HEARTS RECORDS He’s a bandleader, a radio and TV host, a raconteur and one hell of a singer, songwriter and performer. The third solo album for Henry Wagons, who originally came to fame as the frontman for the band Wagons, finds him focusing his lens on his home country. … Continue reading
MATT JOE GOW BETWEEN TONIGHT & TOMORROW CHECKED LABEL SERVICES Now four albums and nearly 15 years into into his solo recording career, Naarm/Melbourne-based Aotearoa/NZ artist Matt Joe Gow has constantly exhibited an ability to make subtle and compelling improvements to his songwriting. That pattern and upward trajectory continues on his most rewarding album to … Continue reading
BUD ROKESKY OUTSIDER RAINBOW VALLEY RECORDS A tall, lanky, dark-haired, truck-driving, songwriting stranger. It might sound like a country music cliche but that’s a snapshot of the enigmatic and supremely talented Bud Rokesky, who was interviewed in the last issue of Rhythms. It’s been a while coming for this late bloomer but Outsider is a … Continue reading
Gram Parsons is something of a golden inter-connector, a conduit between the worlds of country music and rock ’n’ roll. You can add folk music to the mix to, given his late teen years as a member of the Shilohs in South Carolina. Through the International Submarine Band, the Byrds and the Flying Burrito Brothers, … Continue reading
STEVE LANE THE GREAT IMPOSTER Last Night From Glasgow The day I put Lane’s new LP – and yes, it’s vinyl, and sort of camouflage green at that – on my turntable, on his Facebook he announced the fact, as much a surprise to him as to his followers, that The Great Imposter is #8 … Continue reading
Earlier this week we revealed our favourite Australian (and NZ) albums of 2022 and now it’s the turn of the rest of the planet, with our main list of the year. There were plenty of familiar faces and artists we love and admire who released new records this year. As always, they hit the listening … Continue reading
LYLE LOVETT 12TH OF JUNE VERVE RECORDS It’s been a while between drinks for the iconic Lyle Lovett but he’s finally back with a new album, a decade on from his last record, Release Me. In true Lovett fashion, he’s brought together all of his influences – jazz, Western swing, Texas country and heavily rhythm-based … Continue reading
In the mid 1960s, Woodstock, New York was increasingly becoming a haven for musicians who wanted to escape the grind of New York City (or elsewhere) and draw inspiration from the wooded surrounds and the burgeoning creative community that was thriving there. The town of Woodstock had long been a focal point for artists, since … Continue reading
AMERICAN AQUARIUM CHICAMACOMICO LOSING SIDE RECORDS / THIRTY TIGERS On their ninth studio album, American Aquarium and frontman BJ Barham take a deep dive into loss and ultimately seek to provide solace and hope to the listener. Their brand of emotive Americana is perfectly suited to this kind of subject matter as they tread the … Continue reading
We covered an earlier single of Rachel Angel‘s, ‘Strapped’, in 2020 and it’s a pleasure to again be invited into the swirling and evocative pop-laced country folk sound she does so effortlessly. Taken from the new album Midnite Heart Attack, released earlier this month, ‘Closer To Myself‘, is a tour de force of how to … Continue reading
RYAN ADAMS ROMEO & JULIET PAXAM RECORDING COMPANY Three years since the NY Times article that revealed his totally inappropriate behaviour with past partners, fellow musicians and fans and cast him into the musical wilderness, Ryan Adams has been slowly rebuilding his career on his own label. Wednesdays (2020), Big Colors (2021) and Chris (2022) … Continue reading
WILCO CRUEL COUNTRY DPBM RECORDS ‘Country’ as in the USA or ‘Country’ as in the genre? Cleverly it’s a subtle blend of both on this new 21 track double album from the band that long ago took an experimental and ‘anything goes’ diversion, from alt-county to post-country. More than that it’s a wide-ranging, intimate and … Continue reading
DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS WELCOME 2 CLUB XIII ATO RECORDS After a run of albums that painted a perceptive picture of modern America and the ramifications of its recent political history, Drive-By Truckers switch the focus to their own formative years as young men seeking adventure and taking tentative steps towards rock ‘n’ roll dreams. Club XIII … Continue reading
KURT VILE (watch my moves) VERVE RECORDS / VIRGIN MUSIC AUSTRALIA Kurt Vile, the one man slacker psych jam band from Philly is back with a new collection of songs that wander, hypnotise, amuse and sometimes meander on album number nine. Vile has long figured out his optimal recipe and here he doesn’t stray from … Continue reading
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