31.08.2024-ALLIE CROW BUCKLEY Moonlit And Devious (Not On Label,2021)

 

INDIE ROCK

   It’s a quite beautiful and remarkably accomplished debut from a singer and songwriter who has created her own dualistic world, one in which the listener can completely immerse themselves. One suspects there is plenty more to come from the dark sophisticated glittering heart of Allie Crow Buckley.

https://www.sendspace.com/file/fg8alg

30.08.2024-TRISTEN Teardrops & Lollipops (Not On Label,2008)

 

INDIE POP / FOLK

     Nashville-based, indie pop singer/songwriter with smartly written songs that contain elements of synth pop and folk.

https://www.sendspace.com/file/pk4aux

29.08.2024-BEAT CONNECTION Product 3 (Anti-,2015)

 

INDIE POP

     Product 3 is the album that will fulfill all of your musically inclined emotional needs – offering songs fit for either a solemn or upbeat mood. Beat Connection’s vibrant use of tropical sounding percussions strives to paint a pure, optimistic picture for its listeners, all without really trying.

https://www.sendspace.com/file/i6xkfs

28.08.2024-JOYANN PARKER Hard To Love (Hopeless Romantics,2018)

 

BLUES / ROCK

     Joined by Mark Lamoine; guitar and vocals, Brad Schaefer; bass, Bill Golden; drums and vocals and Tim Wick; keys. Parker delivers thirteen originals that run the gamut of southern rock-blues to emotional shuffle ballads. Her songwriting is exceptional, with creative melodies and song forms that break from the norm.  Her ability to capture an audience is cornerstone to the success of the album overall.

https://www.sendspace.com/file/29rq78

25.08.2024-BILLIE MARTEN Writing Of Blues And Yellows (RCA,2016)

 

FOLK / POP

     Billie Marten delivers a pragmatic album that explores the equilibrium between her positive and negative outlooks on life, whilst confirming that being preoccupied with our own contemplation is and will forever be an ongoing process of the human condition.

https://www.sendspace.com/file/xxgder

24.08.2024-CLOUD NOTHING The Shadow I Remember (Carpark,2021)

 

INDIE ROCK

   Like nearly everything Cloud Nothings have ever done, The Shadow I Remember combines brawny alt-rock with bubbly, hyper-caffeinated punk. Its short-but-sweet pop songs evoke the project's earliest days, while returning producer Steve Albini once again captures the raw energy of 2012's Attack on Memory.

https://www.sendspace.com/file/ilwzjo

19.08.2024-TWO WOUNDED BIRDS Two Wounded Birds (Holiday Friends,2012)

 

INDIE / SURF

   This record sounds like every catchy guitar song you’ve ever heard. Whether it’s the Beach Boys/Ramones inspired ‘Together Forever’ – which actually uses ridiculously similar lyrics to ‘Fun Fun Fun’ – or the hook driven Pretenders-esque ‘To Be Young’, there’s an inescapable sense of déjà vu that is rife throughout. This record doesn’t just wear its influences on its sleeve, it embarrassingly tattoos them to its face. 

https://www.sendspace.com/file/ei7v5o

18.08.2024-JESSICA LEE MAYFIELD Make My Head Sing (ATO,2014)

 

INDIE ROCK

   Jessica Lea Mayfield’s third album opens with the loud, percussive crunch and grind of an electric guitar, thudding loudly and precipitously— Co-producing with her bass player and husband Jesse Newport, Mayfield keeps the sound loose and roomy, preserving the effect of three musicians huddled in a cramped practice space. There’s something certainly compelling about this raw, minimalist sound.

https://www.sendspace.com/file/5gwf5j

16.08.2024-ATTRITION The Black Maria (Two Gods,2024)

 

DARKWAVE

   The Black Maria is a standard Attrition album – the exchange of neo-classical instrumentation and operatic flourishes with decidedly post-industrial and gothic/rock atmospheres remains intrinsic to the band’s sound, and few execute it with the flair and confidence that Bowes and company have for so many years.

https://www.sendspace.com/file/len7pi

15.08.2024-KAIRON;IRSE! Ruination (Svart,2017)

 

PROG / PSYCHEDELIC ROCK

   The sheer volume of ideas on this record, the breadth of sound, and the bravery and conviction of the players, will probably not provide Kairon; IRSE! with the profile and exposure they deserve. They push the boundaries to such an extent that they are a band that one must invest time in, and for that reason they are likely to remain an underground concern, but a thoroughly loved and highly valued one at that. 

https://www.sendspace.com/file/8mzqzl

14.08.2024-COURTNEY BARNETT & KURT VILE Lotta Sea Lice (Matador,2017)

 

ALTERNATIVE ROCK

     Barnett and Vile's collaborative record works because it is a fully realised vision, with a warm intimacy and shorthand. There is a sardonic slant put on the everyday, particularly on something like Over Everything, a song that Vile previously started in 2015 with Barnett in mind, and the fulcrum of that journey is all joyous louche-rock-in-space. With Barnett's gift for storytelling, and Vile's sense of unfurling, immersive melody, the record naturally wanders around drawling guitars, mellow percussion, and brilliant vocals that often resemble a singing conversation. Particular highlights include the jangling Let it Go, the swinging Blue Cheese, and the minimal Peepin' Tom, which sounds like old souls breaking new ground. As they sing of eccentric experiences on Untogether, they couldn't be more unified.

https://www.sendspace.com/file/nl472c

13.08.2024-KATHLEEN EDWARDS Total Freedom (Dualtone,2020)

 

ALTERNATIVE COUNTRY

   Despite the underwhelming musicality of Total Freedom, many of these songs still pack some undeniable emotional force, especially the more joyful tracks like "Who Rescued Who" — a charming ode from Edwards to her dog. In her songcraft, Edwards remains dependable and enjoyable.

https://www.sendspace.com/file/jlea48

12.08.2024-DEEP SEA DIVER Secrets (High-Beam,2016)

 

INDIE ROCK

     Wistful and fierce, Deep Sea Diver’s SECRETS submits the strength of craft to the demands of feeling to yield an exquisitely well-balanced and self-controlled musical recollection of the (sometimes broken) promises of intimacy.

https://www.sendspace.com/file/e7xr99

11.08.2024-KATIE JO Pawn Shop Queen (Not On Label,2021)

 

COUNTRY

   Originally from Wichita, Kansas and now residing in L.A., Katie Jo can speak to the refugees of modern society with her Midwest authenticity mixed with a style sense influenced from the Bakersfield Sound, rockabilly, and classic country. This results in a both fun and moving work.

https://www.sendspace.com/file/6umld1

10.08.2024-STAVES If I Was (Atlantic,2015)

 

INDIE FOLK

     Though these songs are stripped down and subtle, they achieve a heightened emotional state — the understanding that the people who are meant to stick with you will be the ones still standing once the smoke clears.

https://www.sendspace.com/file/mu2y9l

09.08.2024-KIRSTI HUKE Deloo (Grappa,2007)

 

JAZZ

   Huke's phrasing, diction, and tone show serious pedigree; here's someone who grew up listening to what everyone else should be listening to - extra credit for that snare drum hiss too - now we are going to funkyville, all aboard. Where material isn't groundbreaking, 'Everytime We Say Goodbye' Huke's dedication more than compensates, where is it out of left field - 'Not Dark Yet', the experience becomes more than mere experience alone. 

https://www.sendspace.com/file/6500ju

07.08.2024-SHOES Chemicals (Green United Music,2015)

 

ELECTRONIC

     “Chemicals” tells the story of an electro-rock duo that is developing in musical skill but is not quite there yet. Some songs impress, while others show a rushed piece of work. This album is still not to be missed because there are electro-fused gems amongst lackluster coals that may influence listeners to dance like nobody’s watching.

https://www.sendspace.com/file/cfxpor

06.08.2024-LUSTS Call Of The Void (Blinky Watts,2018)

 

INDIE ROCK

     On their album Call of the Void, English indie-pop duo Lusts don’t stray too far outside of the musical boundaries they set up with their 2015 debut LP, but sticking to your guns isn’t always a bad move. Brothers Andy and James Stone understand their strengths and allure and there’s no shame in elevating your craft while staying in your lane.

https://www.sendspace.com/file/6ltj8j

05.08.2024-KEEP SHELLY IN ATHENS At Home (Cascine,2013)

 

CHILLOUT / ETHEREAL

   On their inaugural flight, At Home, Keep Shelly in Athens rummage through three decades of electronic sounds – the ’80s, 90s, and ’00s. But what could have ended up as an awkward patchwork of unrelated genres is instead the refinement of the ore of inspiration, into a polished gem of pop perfection.

https://www.sendspace.com/file/vobfvy

04.08.2024-YOUNG BUFFALO House (Votiv,2015)

 

INDIE ROCK

   Coming from Oxford, Mississippi, Young Buffalo are about to make their mark on music with this fine debut album, House.  A five-piece, Young Buffalo are like a fresh breeze on a warm afternoon – their guitar and keyboard-based pop sound immediately trigger a familiar feeling – the first thought that springs to mind is The dB’s, circa Stands For Decibels and you cannot get any better than that.  Melodies, great and plentiful harmonies all combined with a crisp production by Dave Schiffman (who worked with Weezer).

https://www.sendspace.com/file/qtejah

03.08.2024-SOUND OF RUM Balance (Sunday Best,2011)

 

ELECTRONIC / HIP-HOP

     Live hip-hop fronted by the larynx-straining rhymes of pocket dynamo Kate Tempest, whose performance is as big a revelation as discovering Nancy Cartwright’s day job for the first time. The London funk punch of Ferry Lawrenson and Archie Marsh play a safe hand for the majority, with an inevitably barnstorming crescendo bringing the house down and rushing the spotlight.

https://www.mediafire.com/file/zk0k55ix5vrsxqs/SORBalance.zip/file

02.08.2024-MARTHAS & ARTHURS The Hit World Of... (I Go Die For You,2012)

 

FOLK ROCK

   The band has garnered more than a few comparisons to the Mamas & the Papas, in part due to their retro presentation but more a result of their beautiful boy-girl vocal harmonies. These are best displayed in “Barberosophy”, a nearly a capella song— chirping birds are the only sound beyond their voices— sung in round, building to a powerful crescendo. The comical “Who Will Marry Me?” begins “sitting on the loo/thinking of the things you wish you had the balls to do”, and heads into a chorus packed with surreal imagery, from fish-filled trees to primates flying aeroplanes. The album’s topped off by a brilliant cover of The Stone Roses’ “Shoot You Down”, which transforms the original song’s smug bite into a gorgeous ’60s AM radio soft rock number, complete with a rhythm section of snapping fingers.

https://www.sendspace.com/file/qb09rq

01.08.2024-MATTIEL Satis Factory (Heavenly,2019)

 

INDIE ROCK

   Satis Factory, puts the need of human beings to constantly be in search of self-gratification at its core. This tight concept elevates the record, which also showcases a progression in sound, with a more modern feel. Songs like Millionaire, Berlin Weekend and Keep The Change zone in on the central theme, carried by infectious melodies and bundles of energy. Je Ne Me Connais Pas combines a Doors-y tune with a tale of narcissism, with the album’s biggest nod back to their debut. Populonia has very Mancunian feel to its guitar work – somewhere around Seahorses-era John Squire – that combines with doubled up vocals, gasps and breaths for a seductive dalliance.

https://www.sendspace.com/file/ffpx26