I think in many ways we’d all like to erase 2020 and start again, but still with the release of the many great albums that came out this year. I’m guessing, like me, most of you found solace, escape, distraction and comfort in listening to music – new and old – to get you through …
Lists! We have a couple for you as usual as we wind down at the end of another year. I won’t rabbit on about the trials and tribulations of 2020, the good news was that the music still came down the pipeline with the same amount of quality and reward. We’ll have our overall list …
Prince Edward County, Ontario, Canada songwriter David James Allen is a man for all seasons. He cites some of his skills as graphic artist, DIY record producer and poet and he clearly takes that polymorphic approach with his music; effortlessly blending country, folk, psych and pop sounds into a wonderful kaleidoscopic sound that could easily … Continue reading
The Wicked Messenger is based around songwriter Jimi Beavis and bassist Janey Mac, who have surrounded themselves with a damn fine bunch of players, the most recognisable being Ben Franz on pedal steel. ‘You Don’t Love Me Anymore’ is a deceptively simple track that slays with its shuffle and pulse and the super hooky vocal … Continue reading
Jazz and Americana. It’s been melded many a time before – from the streets of New Orleans to the beautiful fusion of artists like Bill Frisell. This track from Oskar Schönning & The Calle Stenman Quintet feat. Sara Parkman is another that does just that, with an effortless and relaxed approach that’s full of dusty … Continue reading
A LEAP FOR INDEPENDENCE Catherine Britt is beginning the exciting next phase of her twenty year career with her new album Home Truths, the first release on her own record label. by Chris Familton It’s a strange time in the world when you have to quickly pack up your things, gather your family and hightail … Continue reading
I’m digging this reverbed, rollicking sound from R McClure & Tall Shadows. The British Columbian has a great take on country music, adding a really cool, dreamy psych sheen. Lovely stuff. ‘Big Night’ rides a great shuffling drumbeat like the rush of a successful night mission. ‘Me And My Hangover’ slows things down but finds … Continue reading
As this song starts you’re drawn in by Appalachian songwriter Pierceton Hobbs‘ interesting drawl that curls around the vowels and twists them into interesting shapes. Then the band kicks in and there’s a wonderfully laidback yet deep feel to the groove. ‘Fawn’, the title track from Hobbs’ debut album makes for a really nice introduction … Continue reading
This is just hands-down superb playing from Chris Larcombe, a young guitarist out of the UK who made the wise decision to head for the sounds of country music when he first heard the telecaster of the late Byrd Clarence White a couple of years ago. ‘Sweet Cheeks’ is a classic country instrumental written by … Continue reading
It’s great to see Robert Connely Farr has a new album comin’ round the bend next week. We were really taken by his LP of 2019, Dirty South Blues, and everything we’ve heard so far from the new one, Country Supper, has sounded mighty good! Farr is a Bolton, Mississippi bluesman who has a knack … Continue reading
In the great tradition of spaghetti western meets surf guitar music, here’s the German group Beyond The Breath Of Grace and their fine instrumental track ‘Atacama’. Named after the desert in Chile, it charges along at a fair clip of its hooves, conjuring up evocative western images of desert dust rising against sunburnt hills. The … Continue reading
This week we’ve got a brand new track from one of our local Australian songwriters, Ben Leece (out on Monday). This single is a beautiful tribute to a friend who died in tragic and unsolved circumstances and is yet another example of the way Ben so effortlessly imbues his alt-country melodies and music with pathos … Continue reading
Today we’re please to be able to premiere the new video clip from Melbourne group Honeymoon Bridge. ‘Sweet and Strange’ comes from their new cassette/digital album Volume V, released today via Bandcamp. Don’t forget that from 5pm today, Bandcamp waives their fees for 24 hours so all your money goes to the artist! The harmonies … Continue reading
There’s a Leonard Cohen cadence and observational wit at play, filtered through Cuchulain‘s voice that recalls Evan Dando of The Lemonheads. It’s a clever and lyrically impressive track that rolls along perfectly like a Randy Newman lost gem. ‘Been There’ comes from the San Francisco Bay Area-based songwriter’s forthcoming album Songs For Grownups. “For a … Continue reading
The meeting of musical minds is one of the real joys of collaborative projects and there seems to be more and more of them happening in these times we’re living in. On the local Sydney scene, songwriter/musician/producer Michael Carpenter has joined up with the guitar-slingin’ dream team of The Banks Brothers (Zane – guitar, Jy-Perry … Continue reading
Daniel Young is a songwriter out of Salt Lake City, Utah who has been plying his craft for two decades now. It shows too. ‘Hold You Tighter’ is one of those effortless delights that gently tumbles out the speakers on the back of warm and mellifluous melodies, a voice inhabited by just the right amount … Continue reading
Skyway Man is singer, songwriter and producer James Wallace. He’s got a brand new album called The World Only Ends When You Die set for release on October 23rd. The album was recorded at Spacebomb Studios in Richmond VA and it’s being released by the excellent Mama Bird Recording Co label. ‘Old Swingin’ Bell’ is … Continue reading
