Gretta Ziller is back with another gem of a melodic contemporary song. She always treads the right side of the tracks when it comes to negotiating accessible and memorable pop-tinged country songs. At the heart of her music lie superbly crafted songs that sit at the stylistic nexus of a number of genres. With numerous … Continue reading
Category Archives: Americana
NEW MUSIC: Charley Crockett – Midnight Run
Charley Crockett has released a clip from his recently released Lil’ G.L. Presents: 10 For Slim Charley Crockett Sings James Hand, a tribute to the Texas country/honky tonk artist James Hand who died last year. Crockett says of Hand “I felt like James Hand was the greatest living country singer in the old-school style, somewhere … Continue reading
NEW MUSIC: Big Dog – Cowboy
I love the way this track lazily bounces along, draped in jangly cosmic twang and has this wonderfully swelling, spiralling feel, like it could spin on and out forever. It features the warmly melodic lead vocal of Netta Dor, who says of the song… “I love that final chorus. Where everyone becomes entangled with each … Continue reading
NEW MUSIC: Freya Josephine Hollick – The Real World
In a world turned upside down by the pandemic, Freya Josephine Hollick releases her new single as she moves ever closer to releasing her new album, recorded over in the US with Lucinda Williams’ band Buick 6. ‘The Real World’, soaked in lush and cosmic pedal steel is a touching and emotive paean to the … Continue reading
NEW MUSIC: Dash Hammerstein – Sun Dancer
It’s hard to go past a name like Dash Hammerstein isn’t it?! Luckily his music is equally as compelling. ‘Sun Dancer’ lopes along like Harry Nilsson tripping on a sunny afternoon down a country lane. Pedal steel plays the coy and alluring sidekick to this Brooklyn songwriter’s heavy-lidded jaunty sound. ‘Sun Dancer’ comes from Hammerstein’s … Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Kacy & Clayton and Marlon Williams – Plastic Bouquet
Kacy & Clayton and Marlon Williams Plastic Bouquet New West Records A chance Spotify encounter with the music of Kacy & Clayton led Marlon Williams on an adventure that ended up in sub-zero Saskatoon in Canada and Nashville, TN to record this wonderful collaborative album. There’s a clear simpatico between the three of them, with … Continue reading
NEW MUSIC: Fenn Wilson – Love Again [video]
Melbourne songwriter Fenn Wilson returns with his first new single since the release of his Ghost Heroin album in 2019. It’s a deeply emotive song, crafted initially from sparse instrumentation before swelling into a dark and richly textured, country-folk slow burner – built on Fenn’s soaring croon of a voice. Now signed with Cheatin’ Hearts … Continue reading
NEW MUSIC: The Wicked Messenger – I Am Here
Acoustic guitar, pedal steel and glockenspiel form the delicate musical filigree that hangs behind the vocals of The Wicked Messenger‘s Jimi Beavis and Janey Mac on their brand new single ‘I Am Here’. There’s a meditative quality to the song that feels like those quiet, reflective moments where calm pervades the atmosphere of a room … Continue reading
NEW MUSIC: Greg Farley – Dodge Ram
Greg Farley used to be a member of The Felice Brothers but since his departure he’s slowly but surely carved out an impressive and promising solo career. In 2018 he released his album Taker Easy, featuring the excellent track ‘Make It Out’. His new album Brown Bag was released last month and one of its … Continue reading
INTERVIEW: Marlon Williams
THE SEEDS OF COLLABORATION Marlon Williams talks about Plastic Bouquet his new album with Kacy & Clayton and gives an update on some of his other upcoming projects. by Chris Familton In 2017, New Zealand songwriter Marlon Williams was on tour across Europe when the algorithms of Spotify dropped a Kacy & Clayton song in … Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Caitlin Harnett & The Pony Boys – Late Night Essentials
Caitlin Harnett & The Pony Boys Late Night Essentials Evening Records Caitlin Harnett’s 2014 debut album The River Runs North was an accomplished exercise in confessional, acoustic-based contemporary folk with a strength of songwriting at its core. As part of a an established collective of movers and shakers in the Sydney Americana scene – aiding … Continue reading
NEW MUSIC: Killer Bee – Bluebird
After a stint in federal prison for bank robbery, singer-songwriter Killer Bee (Danny Walker) decamped to Southern California last year and has written an album, When The Soul Lies Down In That Grass, featuring this track ‘Bluebird’. There’s a heartfelt simplicity and rawness to the song with just an acoustic guitar and a raspy voice … Continue reading
NEWS: Hiss Golden Messenger announce new album and release new single/video
Hiss Golden Messenger‘s M.C. Taylor has announced that the new album Quietly Blowing It will be released via Merge Records on June 25th. To mark the announcement, he’s released a video for the song ‘If It Comes In The Morning’, a wandering slow and soulful song, complete with shimmering keys and a lonesome saxophone. The … Continue reading
NEW MUSIC: Derek Dames Ohl – If Love Stinks
Here’s a great new song from Derek Dames Ohl out of Denver Colorado. It’s a lighthearted swing at a love song but one with a really nice country sway and lyrical quality to it – in the vein of John Prine’s playful tunes. Ohl also plays bass in the band Flash Mountain Flood but he’s … Continue reading
VIDEO PREMIERE: Brodie and the Oxy Clinic – You’ll Be In Our Prayers
Ballarat group Brodie and the Oxy Clinic have a brand new self-titled EP out today and we’re stoked to be able to premiere the video for the single ‘You’ll Be In Our Prayers’. It kicks off at breakneck speed and doesn’t let up – hurtling through a blur of guitar strings, rockabilly via punk drums … Continue reading