THE DELINES THE IMPERIAL El Cortez Records Willy Vlautin has proven to be quite the Americana renaissance man with his time in the highly respected alt-country group Richmond Fontaine, a second career as an acclaimed novelist (Lean On Pete, Don’t Skip Out On Me) and most recently as main songwriter for The Delines. This, their … Continue reading
Category Archives: Alt-Country
ALBUM REVIEW: Ryan Bingham – American Love Song
RYAN BINGHAM AMERICAN LOVE SONG Thirty Tigers/Cooking Vinyl Australia Ryan Bingham cut his teeth as a rodeo rider, he’s an actor, but most importantly he’s an accomplished singer-songwriter. On his sixth album he’s corralled his most wide reaching and rewarding collection of songs to date. Across 15 songs, Bingham paints portraits of the American dream, … Continue reading
NEW MUSIC: Gold Light & Snakemusk – The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter
There’s a dreamy late-night roadhouse vibe on this track from two Asheville, NC musicians – Gold Light (Joe Chang) & Snakemusk (Beau Campolong). Mazzy Star is an obvious reference point given it’s soaked in a similar noir heartache and organic shuffling sway but this also has more of a 60s folk vibe built into its … Continue reading
NEW MUSIC: Sean McMahon – Outsider Blues
Sean McMahon‘s new album You Will Know When You’re There is out now and it’s a superb record. We’ve had it on high rotation of late – soundtracking road trips, lazy Sunday mornings and dimly-lit late nights. One of the highlights is ‘Outsider Blues’, a track that is built on a beautiful blend of acoustic instruments … Continue reading
NEW MUSIC: Brad Armstrong – Brother Ford
Brad Armstrong comes at you from an otherworldly place – a ramshackle outpost town at the end of the railroad line, a rattlesnake hander on a desert bender. It’s all old-world aesthetic with wailing fiddle, primitive percussion and a great line in storytelling on ‘Brother Ford’. It reminds me of the fire and brimstone style … Continue reading
NEW MUSIC: Tommy Alexander – Rejection
We love a track where the instant the singer sings their first note they’ve got your full attention. Tommy Alexander does that for us with this new track ‘Rejection’. He keeps things super simple with a measured vocal delivery that hangs meaning on every line. “Rejection is the hardest thing” he sings before a forlorn … Continue reading
NEW MUSIC: Emily Fairlight – Body Below
Emily Fairlight is a New Zealand songwriter who’s based in Dunedin but has spent time in Australia and India during her formative years. ‘Body Below’ is the opening track from her new LP Mother Of Gloom, a warm and intimate set of songs that highlight her ability to find shadowy moods in her music and … Continue reading
NEW MUSIC: Company Of Others – Diminishing Returns
Company Of Others is a Nashville, TN trio comprised of singer / songwriter Billy Campbell with Parker Van Der Hyde on bass and Daniel Sauls on drums. It looks like this is the first single they’ve thrown out into the public sphere, and it’s a good one too, mixing alt-country, country-rock and a heartland vibe courtesy of … Continue reading
NEW MUSIC: Trevor Stott
Trevor Stott recently released his debut album Halfway In The Night and two of the standout songs on it are the title track and ‘Carry My Soul’, both of which you can listen to below. Stott is from St. George, Utah. Outside of that we don’t know much else about him, other than he’s clearly … Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Kyle Jenkins – Meltdown
Kyle Jenkins Meltdown Near Enough Records (2018) Kyle Jenkins is the singer-songwriter behind Toowoomba-based band Suicide Swans and even though they’re in the midst of a prolific streak of excellent albums, he’s also found time to release his debut solo album which hits similarly high peaks in both song quality and sound. Suicide Swans excel … Continue reading
TOUR NEWS: Lachlan Bryan & Ben Leece Announce ‘Friends & Acquantainces Tour’
Lachlan Bryan, one of this country’s more established Americana acts is teaming up with Ben Leece, a relative newcomer on the national scene, for a run of dates across NSW, QLD and VIC, from April to June. Bryan will have his band The Wildes along for the ride and Leece will be backed by his … Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Copperline – Rusty Fords And Weatherboards
Copperline Rusty Fords And Weatherboards Independent The members of Sydney band Copperline have been playing in various bands dating back to the 90s and after ten years they’ve finally recorded their debut album together, one that certainly feels like a collective gathering of likeminded musicians and accomplished players. Led by songwriter Brad Christmas, the band … Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Jeff Tweedy – Warm
Jeff Tweedy Warm dBpm Records Inc. Surprisingly this is the debut solo album of new material for Jeff Tweedy (Wilco/Uncle Tupelo). He’s previously released a live-in-studio album of songs from his back catalogue and then there was the Sukierae album under the name Tweedy, with son Spencer. This though feels wholly Jeff – relaxed and effortlessly … Continue reading
NEW MUSIC: Lady Dan – Hell Bent
Lady Dan originally hails from Birmingham Alabama and is now based in Austin, Texas. She’s got a great sound too. That blend of melancholy, shuffling drums and weeping pedal steel. It’s authentic yet wholly contemporary and she’s got one hell of a good voice to convey this song about navigating this minefield we call life. … Continue reading
NEW MUSIC PREMIERE: Watling & Bates – In The Dead Of Night
Watling & Bates are Kym Watling and Geoffrey Bates, songwriters from Unumgar, on the western edge of the Northern Rivers of NSW. This new song of theirs grabbed our attention with its blend of bush ballad and gothic country – all shimmering notes, a slow noir crawl and story of a mysterious disappearance of a … Continue reading