Album Reviews

[rating=8.00] When considering the great underrated bands of all time, NRBQ easily ranks near the top. Since 1966 this rotating cast of merrymakers have been choo-chooing along with their own style of rock and roll. In that time the band has released numerous studio LPs, live recordings, and compilations. Even though the lineup of NRBQ […]

[rating=7.00] The Austin, TX based eight piece Latin funk/psychedelic rock collective Brownout loves to play dress up and this year for the Halloween season they released their second collection of Black Sabbath covers with their cosmic funk release of Brownout Presents: Brown Sabbath Vol.2 Cover albums are strange beasts and usually disappointing as artists tend […]

[rating=9.00] Becky Warren instills authenticity in every note she sings, and much like her formative efforts with her early band The Great Unknowns, she makes music that’s borne from a knowing point of view. That’s evident not only in the way she delivers these songs — be it the gruff, unapologetic attitude so prominent on […]

In the newest installment of Wannabe, artist Chris Prunckle reviews American Band, the latestLP from the Drive-By Truckers, in his signature six-panel comic strip form. Click on the image for full resolution (best viewed on desktop): [youtube id=”7Nf5uWB6xgc” width=”630″ height=”350″]  

[rating=9.00] As one of the chief architects of insurgent Americana, Alejandro Escovedo has continued to further the cause by cutting a swatch across rock and roots with deliberate defiance of the norms. Sometimes strident, always unrepentant, he resides at the upper echelon of Austin’s elite, where he continues to make music that demands full attention and […]

[rating=9.00] Much has been written about the rich musical culture of West Africa. However, with a certain emphasis on countries like Mali and Ghana, we rarely hear about the land-locked country of Burkina Faso, which isn’t to say they haven’t made their own contributions to the sounds of the region. Lucky for us, the folks […]

[rating=8.00] Jim James has become a kind of thought leader in modern music, putting his feelings about politics, the world and humankind right out in the open and continuously pushing the boundaries of his sound. His last record, Regions of Light and Sound of God, showed a strong lean toward a dreamy groove so well […]

[rating=8.00] The jazz-fusion singer Katini reimagines standards as soulful R&B covers and releases rock-inspired originals on Gone, her debut album, released this week on the indie label One Trick Dog Records. With this set, Katini (pronounced “kah-TEENY”) officially transitions from former “X Factor Australia” contender to emerging New York fixture. This month she secured residencies […]

[rating=7.00] The Iceage frontman, Elias Bender Rønnenfelt, has always brought forth a sense of bleakness to his work, so to see his previously envisioned solo project Marching Church in the same vein isn’t surprising. This solo affair evolved into a full-time band with a more traditional shade of post punk with their debut that was […]

[rating=9.00] By all indications, Aaron Lee Tasjan is a star to be reckoned with. His previous work — a debut EP called Crooked River Burning and last year’s full length debut, In the Blazes — were simply the set-ups for a new album that is clearly his crowning glory, one ground in tradition and yet […]