Posts by John Moore

Fishbone, founding fathers of the ska/punk/funk/metal genre, were built for times like these. Across four decades, the LA-based band that launched an army of “Fuck Racism” T-shirt-clad kids has sung about everything from nuclear anxiety (“Party at Ground Zero”) and government overreach (“Subliminal Fascism”) to the poverty cycle (“So Many Millions”) and, more recently, the […]

From the smoky quality of Patsy Cline’s vocals to Willie Nelson’s weathered, honest delivery, there is an authenticity to some voices in country music that simply can’t be faked. Though not nearly a household name (yet), the timbre of Emily Nenni’s twang is just as infectiously powerful. Across more than a dozen tracks on her […]

As a longtime member of the Jesus and Mary Chain, Mark Crozer is no stranger to dreamy goth rock, and through several solo records and other projects, he’s explored everything from guitar pop to indie rock. But his latest solo effort, Homecoming – which delves into deeply personal issues of loss and grief – is […]

With his latest solo effort, Vengeance & Grace, Lost Dog Street Band frontman Benjamin Tod explores the duality of his music across the same 10 songs. The first half of the album includes a full band, while the second is a stripped-down take with just Tod and his acoustic guitar. The title track opens the […]

Closing in on four decades of blending folk, Americana, and Southern rock, Drivin N Cryin can still effortlessly churn out a remarkable record. On their 11th album, Crushing Flowers, the band still splits the difference between Bob Dylan’s introspection and the Ramones’ punch. “Mirror Mirror,” written after singer Kevn Kinney’s visits with his mother during […]

Joe Pernice has been playing an uncompromising brand of indie music for more than three decades now. He dug into alternative country with the Boston-based Scud Mountain Boys before switching to a more indie rock/pop sound with the Pernice Brothers. But it’s his latest—and first—solo studio effort, where he strips it all down for a […]

Maria Taylor started working on Story’s End—her latest LP—six years ago, beginning with a handful of quiet, stripped-down demos in her home studio. There was no real rush to follow up her 2019 self-titled effort, but fractures in both her marriage and a close friendship found her leaning back into these songs once again. The […]

Seattle four-piece the Young Fresh Fellows have long blended garage rock, power pop, and indie rock, building a career out of weird references, inside jokes, and offbeat characters. Four decades on, they’re still committed to that same trademark sound. Loft, the band’s first record in nearly six years, picks up right where 2020’s Toxic Youth […]

There’s an understated brilliance to Spencer Thomas’ sophomore effort, Cynical Vision. the former Futurebirds member’s writing balances subtle, dry humor with a sweetness that never slips into cloying sentiment, all delivered over a stripped-down soundscape that dips from folk to indie pop. It’s clear from the opening track, “This Is Your Life Now,” an introspective […]

On their sophomore effort Irreversible, Chicago’s Brigitte Calls Me Baby delivers on the promise of their impressive debut, which earned critical praise, a global fanbase, and opening slots for everyone from Muse and Fontaines D.C. to Morrissey. Across nearly a dozen tracks, Irreversible builds on that foundation of classic New Wave and modern indie pop […]

The themes that weave through Mud Blood Bone, the fourth record from Canada’s Cat Clyde, tackle large, universal ideas. Yet, it’s her gift for writing deeply personal lyrics that gives the album both depth and a striking sense of intimacy. From the remarkable opener “Where Is My Love,” which explores longing and absence, to the […]

For a band that spent nearly a decade on the road — stopping to record albums before getting right back to the grind — Nashville’s The Brook & The Bluff reaped the rewards of living out of a suitcase, winning over fans across the globe, churning out viral hits online, and sharpening their live set. […]

The All-Night Costume Company, the ninth solo effort from Tacoma, WA’s Kye Alfred Hillig, is the album that almost wasn’t. After the release of his double LP in 2022, Hillig was feeling disillusioned and stepped away from music for the first time in more than 20 years. But quitting didn’t stick and instead served, in […]

Just over six months since their last LP was released — and coming off a seven-year musical drought — Mumford & Sons have turned in Prizefighter, yet another full-length record. Like last year’s Rushmere, their latest is a nice blend of their earlier folk revival sound and their more recent, indie rock/pop-focused approach. Along with […]

Twenty years after they started, The Band of Heathens clearly realize there is little upside to fucking with what works. They have stripped down their sound to the acoustic basics at times and brought in Hayes Carll in 2024 for a fantastic duo record, Hayes & The Heathens, but for the most part they have […]

The Clay Street Unit may have formed in Colorado, but you can hear the influence of Appalachia throughout their debut, Sin & Squalor. Blending bluegrass with folk, country, and Americana, echoes of everyone from Doc Watson and Earl Scruggs to more modern musicians like Chris Stapleton and Sierra Ferrell can be heard throughout the 11-track […]

Ratboys hit a new creative stride with 2023’s The Window, one of the strongest indie rock albums released that year. Produced by Chris Walla, the record marked a turning point for the Chicago four-piece. So, despite interviewing and considering several other producers, they ultimately brought the former Death Cab for Cutie guitarist back for their […]

British indie pop musician Lande Hekt dug deep into personal experiences for her first two efforts — 2021’s Going To Hell and 2022’s House Without a View — singing about childhood trauma, sobriety, and exploring her queer identity. Working alongside producer Matthew Simms (Wire, It Hugs Back), she continues that mix of confessional songwriting and […]

Justin Townes Earle, the deeply talented but sadly troubled folk/Americana musician, succumbed to an accidental overdose just over five years ago. Yet within the span of just weeks, an authorized biography—What Do You Do When You’re Lonesome—has been released, and musician Sammy Brue is issuing an album largely drawn from Earle’s journals. Aptly titled The […]

Nashville-by-way-of-Philly musician Langhorne Slim has released more than half a dozen records blending folk, Americana, and the occasional indie-pop song. But five years after Strawberry Mansion—a deeply personal, post-pandemic record that in part documented his journey to sobriety, delivered through often delicately beautiful musical movements—he has found his way to a louder amp and strapped […]