The Dirty Clergy | In Waves
What's in a name? Not much. Not where The Dirty Clergy are concerned, anyway. With a handle like that — not to mention a home base in Alabama —...
Chouk Bwa & The Ångstromers | Vodou Ale
It's a small world after all. And a hypnotically groovy one, thanks to the mesmerizing polyrhythms and trippy sonics generated by the mind-melding interface between Haitian voodoo-precussion sextet Chouk...
A.O. Gerber | Another Place To Need
We all want a place to call our own. A.O. Gerber has created hers — in the musical sense, anyway. On her debut full-length, the L.A. singer-songwriter and pianist...
Black Rainbows | Cosmic Ritual Supertrip
Forget about going back to the future. We're speeding back to the past — to the ’70s, to be precise. AKA the gory glory days of Black Sabbath’s fuzzy...
Sex Swing | Type II
You know those skinny little Scandinavian sissy-boy metal bands? The ones with the corpse paint and the studded leather outfits who try to act all scary? I suspect the...
Sister Species | Light Exchanges
In a world of copycats and clones, Sister Species are a unique musical hybrid. The Minneapolis chamber-pop septet led by smoky singer-songwriter and accordionist Emily Kastrul boasts a sui...
Back Door | BBC in Concert
Not all power trios are created equal. Case in point: Back Door. The ’70s British threesome was fronted by keyboardist and horn player Ron Aspery, backed by the groovy...
The Eighteenth Day Of May | The Eighteenth Day Of May
Some bands are too far ahead of their time. The Eighteenth Day of May might have been a little too far behind theirs. Although they came together in 2003,...
Custard | Respect All Lifeforms
Respect needs to be earned. And these Australians have definitely paid their dues. After eight albums and three decades together (give or take several years off back in the...
Jeff Rosenstock | No Dream
Some surprises are better than others. Few are as welcome as this unexpected album from New York singer-guitarist Jeff Rosenstock. True to form, it's loud, loose, fast and fat-free...
Jarrod Dickenson | Ready the Horses
Texas troubadours are a nickel a dozen. Even great ones aren't exactly hard to come by. So you have to go the extra mile to put some distance between...
Magnetic Fields | Quickies
This one actually dropped digitally last week, but because the physical release was delayed, it slipped past me. But take my word for it: You won't regret doubling back...
Badly Drawn Boy | Banana Skin Shoes
“It’s hard for me to say it, but I’m ready to confess / I’ve known for a while now that I haven’t been my best,” admits Badly Drawn Boy...
Steve Earle & The Dukes | Ghosts Of West Virginia
Steve Earle has never been afraid to dig deep. Or mix art with politics. But the outspoken singer-songwriter takes his musical activism to a new level — and in...
The Airborne Toxic Event | Hollywood Park
As Tolstoy taught us: "Every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." But I doubt even he could have concocted an upbringing like the one experienced by Airborne...
