The married duo Brightwire released their new album A Place To Call Home last month and one of the highlights of it that came to our attention is the track ‘Crystal Beach’. Across five minutes the Southeastern Texas pair carve out a wonderful slice of acoustic alt-country. Both gritty and heartfelt, it combines guitar and … Continue reading
Rocky Bottom is the work of Alex Hernandez who hails originally from New Jersey but made the shift to Nashville and dove deeper into country and folk music after earlier years dealing in a more punk-framed sound. His latest album, Mr. Nothing follows the more acoustic offering American Man and finds his songs further fleshed out … Continue reading
“I could go right and end up at the racetrack or I could go left and come home to you” sings Nick County on this great new track of his. Refined and astute lyrics are the highpoint of the song, delivered in a wonderful raspy voice, reminiscent of Phosphorescent at times, and a musical backing … Continue reading
James Thomson returns with ‘Desire’, his wonderful new single from a forthcoming album. The song drifts along on a warm current of air that sounds like it’s a southern cousin to the Tulsa sound – smooth and hypnotic. It’s a bit more direct sounding than some of Thomson’s previous releases and as always those melodies really … Continue reading
Melbournians Danny Walsh Banned have today revealed the video clip for their brand new single ‘Old Disco’, a old-time, cosmic and alt-country blend that swings and sways on the back of some beautiful pedal steel and fiddle (Chris Altmann and Kat Mear of Cash Savage &The Last Drinks). There’s a really nice weary/melancholic undercurrent to … Continue reading
Purple Mountains Purple Mountains Drag City / Spunk When indie rock and Americana music crossed paths and found common ground in the 90s, a group of songwriters emerged who shaped exquisite songs from literate, clever, dark and humorous poetry – blending it with electric and acoustic instrumentation. It was a new kind of country rock and … Continue reading
Jim Lauderdale From Another World Yep Roc Records By all accounts this is Jim Lauderdale’s 32nd album and it follows hot on the heels of last year’s excellent record Time Flies. From Another World shares many sonic similarities with its predecessor but as the title suggests there’s even more of a cosmic vibe to these … Continue reading
Will Johnson‘s name may be more familiar to you as the main guy behind the alt-country bands Centro-Matic and South San Gabriel and as drummer for Monsters Of Folk. He was also part of the fine 2009 LP Molina and Johnson with Jason Molina of Songs: Ohia and Magnolia Electric Co. Here’s his latest single … Continue reading
‘Sweet Lucinda’, the new track from West Virginian Tony Harrah starts off pleasingly, in a burly troubadour kind of way but when it hits the chorus it locks you in. The shift of the drums and the upward melodic surge will win you over instantly. “Ah yes, this is great,” you’ll nod to yourself as the … Continue reading
Sean McMahon You Will Know When You’re There Blind Date Records Melbournian Sean McMahon’s new album is a beguiling affair. It occupies a gently rolling middle ground where songs never explode into wild extremes. Instead, they nestle into a warm and gently rocking vibe. McMahon’s sound is bucolic and forlorn singer/songwriter alt-country, with a dash … Continue reading
1969: A Watershed Year For Americana Music Half a century ago, in a single calendar year, an avalanche of albums were released that would go on to have a lasting and monumental impact on what would become known as alt-country and more recently Americana music. Looking back at 1969 and pursuing the list of albums … Continue reading
NATHAN SEECKTS THE HEART OF THE CITY Independent This is the debut album from Melbourne singer/songwriter Nathan Seeckts. He’s released a string of EPs since 2010 and that slow and steady approach has served him well, going on the impressive and consistent quality of the songwriting and musicianship on The Heart Of The City. Seeckts … Continue reading
THE FELICE BROTHERS UNDRESS Yep Roc Records At their core, The Felice Brothers have always centred on the songwriting of Ian Felice and the musicality of brother James, plus the influence of Simone Felice in the band’s early days, before he moved on to a solo career. They’ve had a revolving door of drummers but … Continue reading
Possessing one of the finest voices on the Sydney music scene, Peta Caswell has finally stepped out under her own name, with her band The Lost Cause, and released her debut self-titled EP (on Stanley Records). Blending country rock, soul and alt-country, Caswell knows how to belt out a rich, soaring chorus as confidently as … Continue reading
An exciting start to a new week with the first taste of the new Lost Ragas album This is Not A Dream. The cosmic country sounds are firmly intact on this superb track with a rhythm section that punches hard and tight beneath the spiralling psychedelic guitars of Matt Walker and Shane Reilly. Great production, … Continue reading
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