With the release of her debut album, Nomad, Anna Rose offers listeners a slick blend of singer/songwriter based pop and rock – and although on a certain level her sound isn’t the most unique sound you may ever hear, it works as it brings to mind comparisons to famed artists such as Harvest-era Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, James Taylor and the like.
An indie-rock/classical/concept album trifecta may seem like a broad over reach, but in reality artists like Frank Zappa and more apropos for Television Landscape – Prince, have shuffled down these paths before, now whether the combo actually works is another question entirely. In William Brittelle’s case the answer is yes, for the most part. Fully orchestrating the Television Landscape with electronic and acoustic instrumentation infuses a sense life to the disenchanted themes presented.
Roadsongs is a two disc live set recorded with Derek Trucks Band in Chicago after release of their most recent 2009 studio album, Already Free. This live recording captures the band fresh from the studio with increased energy and fluidness complete with Trucks’ staggering solos and New Orleans style horn section.
Sacred Steel guitar maestro, Robert Randolph has come a long way since the days of leading church worship to becoming one of the most recognized guitar players in the country. Randolph’s highly anticipated third album – We Walk This Road – is a work of art that began over two years ago with roots pioneer and producer extraordinaire, T Bone Burnett
When it comes to Jace Everett there are two types of people: those familiar with his previous two albums and those who have discovered him through the highly popular and critically acclaimed HBO series, True Blood. For those few folks who know of the previous two albums, Everett’s third and latest album, Red Revelations is a major departure in tone and style.
There is a warmth in Jacky Terrasson's piano playing on Push not unlike that which pervades his previous work. But in combination with the playful charm he exudes throughout this disc, along with the simpatico relationship evident with his accompanists, the sensation runs deeper than in the past.
With Expo 86, Montreal’s Wolf Parade has expanded their electro-pop indie rock in size and scope while delivering danceable efforts that their fans will devour. Guitars and keyboards sound grandiose over wordless choruses; large enough to fill up some arenas that band is on the road to headlining. Dan Boeckner and Spencer Krug are the most cohesive as song writers they have been in this bands career, coalescing easily throughout and making it more difficult to recognize who wrote which song.
This Brooklyn Sextet hopes to have created your electronica-pop soundtrack to the summer with Travel Book. Motoring in multiple directions, the album has a mission to build, layer and sift through tweaks, sonic-yelps and bleeps while tying everything together with head-bobbing rhythms. The best tracks start simple, piling on sound and beats before letting the combination blossom under Sam Tyndall’s vocals.
One of 2010’s most buzzed-about bands has been The Morning Benders, a group of trendy, Urban-Outfitted prepsters that resemble the unsigned younger cousins of Vampire Weekend. Nattily dressed in cardigans, skinny ties, and Sperry’s, the band has been riding the success of their release Big Echo and parlaying it into a plush opening spots for Black Keys and Broken Bells and late-night appearances on Jimmy Fallon and Carson Daly.
It’s summer, so you might guess that Sunshine Collective should have something good for your ears. And yeah, it’s true, their first album, Wanna Play?, is all you need for a sunny day.
