Here’s a great new (to us) voice – the six-piece James Edwyn & The Borrowed Band. Elements of folk rock, soul and country collide in this song that tumbles into a fine chorus before drifting back out into more reflective verses and shades of The Felice Brothers. The Glaswegian band released their second album High … Continue reading
ACROSS THE DITCH In musical terms, and to Australia audiences, New Zealand may be best known for its indie exports (based around the Flying Nun label), the various pop shapes of Neil Finn and associates and heavier acts such as Shihad. Yet there is, and always has been, a fertile country & folk scene throughout … Continue reading
TALES FROM TWO CITIES Jo Meares reveals the complicated process of recording his new album and how he learnt to embrace his own voice. By Chris Familton Over a series of albums, Jo Meares has slowly whittled away at his craft of songwriting and the delicate placement of those songs on atmospheric musical canvases. Dark … Continue reading
Savannah Conley has been getting a bit of attention of late, with her torch-song country soul sound. She’s got one of those voices that dances on melodies while searching the bottom of a whisky glass. ‘Same Old Eyes’, from her EP Twenty-Twenty, rides on a slow and lonely backbeat and shimmering guitars. Lovely stuff. If … Continue reading
A DIFFERENT SKYLINE Paul Andrews took a leap of faith and boarded a plane to Nashville with the finest songs he could write. The result of that experience is the new Family Fold album Ashfield Skyline. Rising from the ashes of 00s indie band Lazy Susan, Family Fold released their first album Lustre Glo in … Continue reading
This track caught our ear with its noir verses and power pop on codeine chorus. It’s lush and swooning in the way it glides and soars at different times. Rich Webb hails from Melbourne and Stoner’ comes from his album Le Rayon Vert which you can check out on Spotify and purchase via his website. … Continue reading
BEYOND THE BORDERS OF ALT-COUNTRY From alt-country to blues to soul, Matt Joe Gow covers all bases on his third album. Across his first two albums, Matt Joe Gow laid down some accomplished alt-country, the kind that showed a lifetime growing up on the songs of Whiskeytown, The Jayhawks and Wilco alongside his parents’ record … Continue reading
New Zealander Mel Parsons is back with a brand new album Glass Heart, out tomorrow. ‘Just ‘Cause You Don’t Want Me’ is the second single from the Mitchell Froom (Crowded House, Suzanne Vega, Elvis Costello, Missy Higgins, Randy Newman, Lindsay Buckingham/Christine McVie) produced record and finds her dialling into a pop/rock 70s sound where the … Continue reading
Small Feet is the moniker of Simon Stålhamre, a Stockholm based artist, producer and songwriter and Ice Storm is a recently released single that finds a wonderful place between the lonesome sound of Neil Young and the avant folk of Chad Van Gaalen and Sparklehorse. Expect a new full length in 2019. I started crying … Continue reading
Sydney quartet Copperline recently released their debut album Rusty Fords And Weatherboards and celebrated with a wonderful night of music at LazyBones Lounge in Marrickville, NSW. We’ve got a full review coming soon but both the album and their live show highlights the band’s fine musicianship and the range of styles they bring to their music, … Continue reading
Danny Golden is a songwriter based in Austin, TX and going on these tracks he draws from a wide stylistic palette. Aching country balladry mixed with acid-tinged guitar solos, Americana, astute lyric writing and a sense of humour. This year he release his album Old Love, featuring Spencer Garland (Black Pumas, Matthew Logan Vasquez, PR … Continue reading
Benjamin Folk Thomas has just released his new album Modern Man on Aveline Records and one of the finest moments on the records is this track, ‘Tasteless and Complacement’. It’s a song that rides along with effortless momentum, wordless melodies cascading around the Swedish songwriter as he sings of dark clouds, acid rain, missing inspiration … Continue reading
Johnathan Rice recently released this new single, ‘Meet The Mother’, that came from a conversation he had with Bill Murray. The song ebbs and flows and slowly build up with elements of Dylan-esque phrasing and power pop melodies. Rice is one half of Jenny and Jonny with Jenny Lewis and has toured with bands such … Continue reading
Jim Lauderdale is now 30 albums deep into his career and his latest is indeed a pearl of a record, blending his customary mix of country, soul and swing with sweet and subtle ease. The title track opens the album on a high with an aching sway that blossoms into a soaring chorus reminiscent of … Continue reading
It’s always great to hear new music from Tracy McNeil. She never fails to dial into a nostalgic feeling – whether it’s one of blooming love, fading romance, the innocence of youth or the optimism of future possibilities. ‘Stars’ does some of that and more, sounding like Fleetwood Mac and The War On Drugs in … Continue reading
