Category: Album Review

The new album, The Best Day You Could Imagine, is New Zealand post-punk/alt. rock band Charcoal Burners’ third album in a matter of two years. The band is located in the small countryside town of Dunedin, located on the southern region of the island nation.

TCB’s latest album, The Best Day You Could Imagine, is the final recording in a trilogy of albums written and performed by Andrew Spittle (vocals, guitar) with bassist and vocalist Sally Lonie, and a drummer simply known as ‘Finn.’

The L.P. kicks off with the fuzzy alt. rocker, “Winged Bird,” sporting a distinct melody hook, which is immediately followed by the dark, slow-burning rocker, “Battlescarred.”

For “Battlescared,” Spittle says, the lyrics needed some finishing touches so his teenage daughter helped out. “She did a great job,” Spittle writes. “I never write with other people; I just can’t emotionally own their lyrics, but these ones I can.” Right away the mood for the album is set by the two opening tracks.

The first official single from the album, “Days Behind,” is a mesmerizing track with interesting psych-rock guitar playing (almost sounds Middle Eastern) featuring a fairly long outro compiled of elements that include a solid rhythm and reverb-heavy melodies.

But it’s the transformative layers of guitar work that really takes hold here – and throughout the entire album. There are notable influences of 60’s psychedelia; 90’s alt. rock revival with elements of grunge.

The extended instrumental reverb-laden melodies offer a unique sense of rhythmic catharsis which is not commonplace in much of today’s rock music. The soft harmonic vocals fade in and out effortlessly to complete the effect.

Spittle says it’s an abstract recording of “how plastic bags that are trash can become birds.”

“If the electro dark-folk of Charcoal Burners (2017) was earth, and the glacial soundscapes of Orders From the House (2018) water, The Best Day You Could Imagine is fire,” he says.

The “Days Behind” single is artistic in a number of ways; there’s even Shakespearean tragedy within, featuring lines like ‘Have you no letters from the priest?’

In this case, Spittle says, the concept comes from Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet, wherein Shakespeare wrote:

“Eyes, look your last!
Arms, take your last embrace!
And, lips, oh you the doors of breath,
seal with a righteous kiss a dateless bargain to engrossing death!”

The brooding post-punk rocker with an alt. edge, “Deadass Sea” is reminiscent of Cormac McCarthy’s The Road with the nuclear winter that features a ‘dead ass sea.’ This is one of the top tracks on the album, and one could safely say also sports some 90’s Britpop influences.

Following is the upbeat, hazy pop-rocker, “Rings Run Circles,” with up swinging hooks and a tinge of Dinosaur Jr.

Despite this observation, the track, says Spittle, is a story of the summer of 1990 when he and friends were “listening to Zen Arcade and New Day Rising on a Walkmen, and falling in love for the first time.”

Regarding the agreeable slacker rock vibe of “Trailer Tragedies,” Spittle says: “There is an implied sense of character arc and backstory here, together with some niggly questions: ‘What have you done? What price have you paid? Was it worth it?'” What we hear is a solid smoky rocker of 80’s post-punk blended with unmistakable alt./grunge rock influences. The same is true on the standout track, “Reticent.”

The gloomy, almost haunting, song, “Darkroom,” has very much a Cure influence, complete with the angular, repetition guitar notes and slow brooding of the bass lines and drums.

According to the band, the song is apparently the strange tale of someone developing photos in a darkroom of another person at the same moment that same person unexpectedly and mysteriously appears at the other side of the darkroom’s door.

“I never write with other people; I just can’t emotionally own their lyrics, but these ones I can.”

“When I Whisper” is a tale of an anorexic teenage girl who doesn’t believe her father loves her, Spittle says. The track hums along with a bit more optimism and melodic hooks than other songs on the L.P., which is arguably ironic.

Next, with a sound completely relatable to bands like the Buzzcocks, “Tell You What I Could Do” bumps along on heavy guitar chords, bumbling bass lines, and nicely-timed drumming, while “Blind You” might remind some post-punk aficionados of Husker Du; and it is also one of the lighter, less grungey songs on the L.P.

The album closes with the wavy, unfocused, “Robbed and Beaten,” featuring a mean little riff and chord changes.

All in all, this is a solid album and a nice completion to Spittle’s trilogy. Post-punk and alt. rock/grunge fans are definitely the target audience here.

Basically, if you like dark, brooding, fuzzy guitar rock with a Dinosaur Jr. verve and the introspective, emo-like elements of bands like the Cure, you’re probably going to dig this album.

The album was produced by Thomas Bell (David Kilgour and the Heavy Eights, The Shifting Sands) and recorded at the iconic Chicks Recording Studio in Port Chalmers, Dunedin.

Fans of bands like the Cure, Joy Division, Husker Du, Echo and the Bunnymen, and Slowdive are main candidates to absorb TCB’s fantastic shoe-gaze post-punk sound. There is also a strong alt. rock vein that runs throughout the recording as well.

Charcoal Burners weave together rich shoegaze/post-punk tapestries with repetitive and fuzzy guitars, heavy reverb, grainy melodies, brooding bass lines and menacing, bleak, whispery vocals that altogether form a strong and cohesive recording and an album that is worth the time to listen to for fans of such music.

Spittle has previously opened for artists like Mark Kozelek (Sun Kil Moon; Red House Painters). His main influences are primarily Husker Du, My Bloody Valentine, and Red House Painters.

Another way to think of the band’s music is “to consider My Bloody Valentine covering Husker Du at the Overlook Hotel,” Spittle concludes.

Listen to the full album on Bandcamp

Far away in the land of the Canary Islands, a rock band called Basic Needs crafts hard rock verging on metal tracks that are charging and chaotic, breaking the otherwise peacefulness of the islands.

The band knocks out good ole guitar-driven classic rock with a heavy dose of R&B reminiscent of U.K. and U.S. bands of the late 1960s. There also elements of punk and as mentioned previously, metal; even a bit of garage and grunge.

On their new album, As It Is, the band throws down uptempo songs with rock vigor as the opening tracks “Best Years” and the more melodic “What If” clearly demonstrate.

Juan Mayor’s lead guitar licks dominate many of Basic Needs tracks and when playing live get enthusiastic responses from crowds.

Arcadio Melian`s impeccable basslines, influenced by his virtuoso classical guitar playing, boom across the 11-track album.

This is the case on the otherwise standout track, “Lemons,” that has a metal-like charge and guitar playing. The song “Gotta Feeling” has a powerful and blazing sonic resonance that shifts and sways with chunky chords.

“Evolution” is one of the more indie rock-type tracks on the entire album, with more subdued guitars and richer melodies than other songs.

The next song, “Traveler,” rumbles along with garage-rock like guitar, rhythm, and vocals from Txetxu (no idea the guy’s real name) and later a guitar solo from Mayor and dah-dah-dah choruses.

Things slow down and get a little sentimental on “I Believe,” although there is still an underlying rock attitude.

The track, “Fun,” is the grungiest – and one of the most captivating – track on the album with siren-like, buzzsaw dual guitars and moments where it slows and quiets down only to rise again to a slow-burning rocker. On drums, Shane O’Mahoney takes charge throughout the recording.

The album closes with two similar-sounding songs, “Falling,” which is the most spacious and soulful track on the album, sounding more like a 1970’s soft rock song than any other song on the album, and the woozy “Too Much Beer” which sounds more like a southern country rock song from the same era. These two final tracks are some of the standout songs on the album.

Perhaps the biggest complaint I’d have about the album is that the mixing and mastering could have been better in spots; the same can be said for the vocals, wherein some tracks in the first half of the album they sound a bit out of key and uninspired.

Something that I also say about most albums over nine tracks – make sure they each count.
If they can be left off, eight or nine, even seven solid tracks make for a strong L.P. in an era when the long-play album is all but dead. Anything over nine tracks is asking for quite a commitment from listeners nowadays.

Basic Needs began its journey in 2016, when the band members got together to feed a “basic need” to play music.

Right away, songs started to take shape in jam sessions. Gaining confidence with local support, the band went into the studio to record the E.P. What If in 2018. The title track single was a top track for weeks on local radio.

Soon after, a label signed the band and got them into the studio to record to record their debut L.P.

The Women of the Night is an edgy, New York rock band that cleverly mixes punk, garage, blues, psych, dream pop, and alt. rock. It’s hard to put a finger on exactly what genre WOTN should fall under, and that’s part of their appeal. They have their own sound.

WOTN’s new debut LP, the 13-track, Pastel Colors, opens with the gritty retro track, “I Am Well And Missing You,” sporting a buzzsaw, chugging guitar, booming bass, furious drumming, and crashing cymbals. This track might remind some of 70’s Detriot punk rock bands like The Stooges.

The song, according to vocalist and guitarist Jordan D’Arsie, is “a take on voyeurism…watching someone from across the street…or from inside one’s head constructing a story.”

The second track, and title track of the album, slows things down with its lazy, bluesy psychedelic-like brew, while the pace picks up nicely on the post-Velvet Underground-like track, “White Lighter.”

But it’s the bluesy groove and melodic gravity of “Moscow Mansions” that really perks up the listener’s ears with impressive vocal work from D’Arisie together with his shifting guitar signatures accompanied by wavy synths (one of the few times synths are used on the album), together with bumbling bass lines from Grey Watson and the sweet beats of percussionist Kyubae Lee.

The track is one of the definite hands-down highlight songs on the album thanks to its trippy 60s pop vibe.

The woozy, psych-tinged “Leather Glove” is another one of the tracks on the album that struts and sways along on heavy bass runs and lumbering percussions. At the song’s midpoint, it picks up suddenly in rhythm with the snarly vocals of D’Arisie, only to slow down again through to the ending.

Among the other highlight tracks is the bad boy, “Be Careful What You Wish For,” which has plenty of attitude and yet is also one of the more melodic pop moments on the album that break away from the predominantly punky post-Velvet-Underground influenced style. It also contains the memorable refrain, “I’ve got you on speed dial,” and one of the few choruses on the album as well.

Following that number is the retro, bluesy, “I Couldn’t Fool Them,” donning a catchy swagger and a lazy rhythm that is matched by an intriguing, if not rarely-heard, tinny sound to the lead guitar.

Then there is one of the best tracks on the album, “Quiet Nights.” This is a different kind of ‘dream-pop’ song (that is hard to pigeon-hole) awash in lazy, hushed guitars and heavy bass lines with light cymbals to create a very laid back vibe.

And just in time along comes the surprise, “Used Car Salesman,” track No. 11 on the album. It’s an electrifying song that sounds so much like the Detriot rock of the 1970s. And yet there is also a bit of familiarity with the style and personality of Mac DeMarco.

This is further evidenced by the slow-mo lo-fi garage rocker, “Bad Tee Vee,” that promises via the repetitious line to “give you fucking nightmares.” It didn’t, so that’s good.

The album closes with the appropriately melodic and psych rock-oriented, “Like People Whilst,” which is definitely one of the more dream-pop tracks on the album and reminds us a bit of M83. The bubbly burn of the guitar feedback flickers and fades away for the final seconds of Pastel Colors.

As albums go, this is a fine debut. Perhaps a few of the tracks could have been left off to make it a bit shorter and even stronger, but the entire trip is worth the time.

Interestingly, three of the most solid tracks on the LP derive from their 2016 debut EP: “Quiet Nights”; “I Couldn’t Fool Them” and “I Am Well And Missing You.” The band says the LP is broken into two sides, essentially, A as morning through to afternoon and side B as afternoon through the night.

As some of the more upbeat, hooky songs demonstrate, the band is also accomplished at producing songs that are more melodic and rhythmic than the slower and more sluggish tracks.

The band has opened for Los Santoros, Revel in Dimes, Liza Colby Sound, Birds, and The Slashes. Their main influences, according to D’Arisie, are The Velvet Underground and Rowland S Howard.

Listen to the full album on Bandcamp.

Sidebar: Defining Dream Pop

As evident from our review of Pastel Colors, and past support, we’ve been fans of Women of the Night since the get-go.

That’s one of the reasons we’d like to recommend, with all respect, that they change their own classification of their music as dream pop.

WOTN is simply not a dream-pop band.

Rather, they are a sure-fire mixed-genre rock outfit that incorporates many genres and sub-genres, which is what makes classifying them all of the more difficult. That is also the case with many, many indie and alt. rock DIY/small label bands.

WOTN’s signature sound and style rely heavily on a mixture of slow-burning, laid-back lo-fi garage rock with servings of punk, blues, psych, pop all swirled together, marked by strong veins of rock and roll swagger and street-level stride.

The classification of dream pop is off-centered and not reflective of the band’s brand. While there are definitely some dream-pop elements and moments on the album, most music folks think of dream-pop as bands like Beach House, My Bloody Valentine, DIIV, Mac Demarco, The Flaming Lips, among others.

According to the AllMusic Guide, dream pop “relies on sonic textures as much as melody…breathy vocals and processed, echo-laden guitars and synthesizers.”

That’s not what WOTN is doing. Instead, they have essentially their own mixed-genre sound. That’s the best ‘in a nutshell’ way to describe it.

While WOTN’s sound sometimes and sort of “encompasses the post-Velvet Underground guitar rock of Galaxie 500,” as the AllMusic Guide references, they do not produce, as their signature sound, “the loud, shimmering feedback of My Bloody Valentine” and a “reliance on sonic textures” in terms of “both instruments and vocals.”

You will not find expansive, shimmering and layered guitars, soaring and sheeny synths, indiscernible lyrics, nor languid soundscapes – all of which are long-standing characteristics of dream-pop, which also has overlap with shoegaze.

Furthermore, with some minor exceptions, the band’s sound is not synthy or atmospheric – as in ascending, soaring and “floating ‘up there'” – nor is it necessarily textured or ethereal.

Rather, WOTN’s sound much closer to the street, even right on the street; their songs are bluesy, gritty, unrefined, loose, raw and even somewhat wild, maybe even downright primal in some spots.

They are, more specifically, a New York/Detriot 70s punk retro blues-rock trio. Pinning the band’s sound down to one genre – especially dream-pop – would be precarious and insufficient. People like that they can’t be pinned down. That’s part of what indie is all about.

The Chicago rock band CrashDive’s encompassing sound stems from classic rock bands of the late 1960′ through the 1980s. The band asserts to have thus “created a whole new sound for rock” on their new EP.

Infusing sounds from brass and rock band instruments in a whole new way, with traditional classic rock guitar fervor, CrashDive creates a unique, high-energy, and entertaining vintage rock sound.

Their new four-track release, Top Brass, opens with the booming “A Million Goodbyes” – a power-chord driven multi-lingual track that adaptly expresses something that many people experience at one time or another: a relationship that doesn’t work out and yet coming to grips with that and saying goodbye is a lot easier said than done.

“Sometimes you just need to say goodbye and move on,” says songwriter, vocalist, and guitarist Richard Galime. “But to make that message clear you may need to say it in more ways than one.”

The more 70’s theatrical rock-oriented, “Evil Mistress,” captures the swagger of the era, even a bit reminiscent of bands Aerosmith. Throughout there are changes in sound, timing, rhythms, and melodies, leaving not a boring moment in the mix.

“On the surface ‘Evil Mistress’ may sound pretty straight forward,” Galime says. “But it uses the mistress to personify the adrenalin high that happens with on-stage performance and the emotional crash felt when it’s over,” adding that the ‘duality’ is also reflected in the “guitar and trumpet riff’s contrasted by a jazz section.”

“Save Me” is a tepid, and more melodic and harmonic, song, featuring heavy rocking guitars and plenty of rapid chord changes, matched key-for-key by the brass section and percussionists.

The EP’s closing track is the interestingly-titled and edgy, “Batteries No Bueno,” driven by buzzsaw guitars and a feverish brass ensemble, blazing through bar after bar.

A bit past the track’s mid-point, the mood changes and becomes more spirited with a 70s funk influence that is impossible to miss. You might just expect Shaft himself to come flying through the window.

The band says it’s the first time they used a trumpet on one of their songs. The instrument stands out front and center as a lead voice rather than as a background embellishment.

In 2016, we included CrashDive’s debut album as one of our favorite DIY debuts of the year.

You can listen to the other tracks here

The opening track of the Mike Bella Project’s compilation album, One, is the retro-rock single, “Turn You On,” which comes through with a flourish of rock-pop elements and even some country-rock touches before breaking into a full-blown chorus. A video of the song is expected to drop next month.

The next track on the compilation is “Until A Better Day.” Things slow down on this one but pick up with an especially fervent drum beat and standard-fare 1980’s rock radio guitar licks.

Singer Nana Petrossi’s vocals sometimes remind me of Pat Benatar, especially on this track, mixed with some Patty Smith. Petrossi is backed up on vocals by Federica Zavaleta.

The strutting, bluesy track, “Challenge The Sky,” follows a similar passion but lacks a real vibe to grab on to. The guitar solos delivered by Daniele Trissati are about the best part of this track and one of the few tracks where the guitar solos are not as canned-sounding. If that makes sense.

The song “Hot Stuff” picks back up with the band’s more signature sound of 80’s-influenced rock tracks, including the templated soaring guitars, riffs and high trebled keys from Mauro Scardini. Still, it is one of the better tracks of the lot.

“Unchain My Life” is perhaps a track that would have been better left off the album. Somewhat like “Challenge The Sky,” the song lacks passion, cohesiveness or a full commitment to make it as good as it could be.

“It Just Desire” has a mean keyboard solo but as with other tracks Francesco Isola’s drums sound flat and safe. Bassist Marco Pistone notes are often drown out and almost impossible to discern where preference is given time and again to the guitars, keys and vocals.

It is unavoidably the case that the lack of well produced percussions on the old recordings is a detriment to otherwise promising songs (if they were re-recorded in the modern era).

Moving on.

The song, “She’s A Dream,” buried way down at track No. 9, is perhaps the best and only song on the album that is different than all of the others.

It’s not even close genre-wise to the other songs on the album (which makes it an odd placment). What’s that mean? Well, it’s a curve ball alright – lounge jazz.

That said, it’s a solid track, especially for any folks who enjoy a good lounge jazz number in the vein of 1950’s New York. It’s also the best produced track on the album – with real sound quality of the modern era.

In fact, it’s hard to even recognize, listening to this track, that they are the same band (perhaps not because Bella’s bio is confusing) as is present on most of the tracks on the L.P.

If all of the tracks on the album received this level of care – in recording and mixing quality – it would be a much stronger compilation.

The compilation wraps up “Time” – which also sports a better overall recording quality than most of the other tracks (and similar in that way to “She’s A Dream”) – and ends with the more passionate, “I Won’t Follow,” a fairly solid track that should have been put at the top of the album.

Some observations become too hard to ignore, however. For example, on many of the songs, the canned, ‘drum machine’ approach to the guitar licks and the drowning out of any notable percussions, on song after song, does get old.

I can’t help but to feel it is forced and lacking creativity – the same outdated licks and riffs are splashed like paint on a canvas without much consideration to the overall picture. Unfortunately, it also distracts the listener from the lyrics.

In places, the instruments sound far apart from one another; the original recording, tracking, and mixing are missing key elements and standards of professional sound recording; it often sounds spliced together and incomplete. I really think that this could be a great lesson to other artists. Don’t dust off and release under-produced recordings from ages ago just because you can.

It is entirely pertinent for artists to respect and honor their own work by not undermining themselves for the flawed etho that to release something is better than to release nothing . That is just so not true.

In his bio, Bella writes about digging up old ADT tapes from the 1980’s for this recording. My guess is that all of the songs – except those noted above – on this compilation came from those old demo-style recordings.

This is one of the key mistakes Bella made. Either he should have let them be and moved on to focus his energies to creating new music, or he should have re-recorded, re-mixed and remastered a select number of the songs and left the old ADT recordings where he found them.

There are songs here that could be really solid if they were given the full and fair treatment they deserve and leave the gaudy 80s TV-theme guitar licks where they belong – on the trash heap of history.

Another issue on many recordings is Petrossi’s vocals – at times they are rough, out of key, off-timing and even screeching.

Sure there are some tracks where her vocals are much better (“She’s A Dream”), but for the most part, the album reminds me of a wedding band from 1994 who, rather than playing the covers everyone loves, make the bad decision to play a bunch of their own tracks. Too many of the recordings sound disjointed and half-hearted; like filler tracks.

On another point that the blog team here has made before: length of albums and the relevance of the long-play album in 2019.

It’s asking a lot of any music lover in today’s media-saturated world to listen to an 8-9 track-plus L.P., let alone an 11-track album. The best way for a musician or a band to reach an audience is to release a 4-5 track E.P. preceeded by singles.

It’s hard to understand of course exactly what Bella was thinking by re-releasing so many of these 30-year-old recordings. The best I can think is that he was so focused on releasing/re-releasing these old recordings that it may have blurred his judgement regarding their basic quality and relevence in 2019.

Another obvious observation is that the original recodings themselves were not very well done on a number of fronts which is evident in the ‘final’ product. It sounds like each instrument was recorded and tracked separatly. I am also guessing that they did not rehearse these songs very much together and were not-yet-matured musicians as well.

A good producer will work to make all of the individual instrument and vocal tracks sound (among many other things) like a band is playing together rather than a splintering and splicing studio effect that comes across in the release itself.

What I think is the issue here, especially when you listen to other Bella songs – like “She’s A Dream” – is that he, and others, knew the original recordings were low quality and for some unknown reason decided to put them out anyway.

It seems fair to assert that Bella must have had a gut instinct at some point, somewhere, that the bulk of these old recordings should remain unreleased (or at the least some be re-recorded).

That’s not to say that the project itself is a loss. Not at all. But it may have served Bella’s interests much better if he had taken one of the most promising tracks (like, say, “Turn You One”) and simply had them professionally mixed and mastered and released as singles.

Then, as is commonplace, he could have followed up a successful (however that would be measured here) single(s) release with a 4-5 track E.P. to include “She’s A Dream” and a few other refurbished songs.

For the majority of music lovers, 80’s rock radio and MTV videos (so many were so cheesy and bigoted and sexist) with the same old formatted, high-soaring, cliche-like guitar solos; the terrible music videos with large breasted women strutted around like objects; the tight black leather pants; neon pink headbands; metal belts and scarves; omg, the girl’s makeup, and flowing perms (on the guys!) – it’s all been a bygone era for decades and I haven’t seen anyone looking to bring it back (except at high school reunions).

In fact, of all of the genre and era revivals that have ebbed and flowed through popular, and indie/alt, music culture, the glitzy, shallow, guitar/keys rock of 1980’s is pretty much dead and gone, which is for the best. But that is not to say that’s what Bella is or was doing. It’s simply a larger point about ‘honoring’ that era in rock music.

More importantly, the backlash to the early-and-mid 80’s mediocre commercial rock, the androgonous hair rock bands, and the endless loop of MTV’s same 15 music videos all lead the way to an explosion.

That explosion was Nirvana and the revoluntionary track, “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” This lead the way to the return to unpolished, dark, angry, raw and honest rock and roll in the name of a new genre called grunge, which led the way to a rock revival in the form of grunge and alt. rock in the Northwest and across the states.

In the U.K., the backlash spurred the Britpop craze leading way to new bands such as Oasis and Blur. The message was loud and clear – ‘don’t bring back 80’s misogynist, bigoted, predictable and self-indulgent guitar rock, please. It was an experiment that should have never happened.

Many of these observations were aimed at that era (can you tell?) not Bella.

Bella first started playing guitar at age 12 and formed a band shortly thereafter with friends. During the mid-1980s, he performed some successful shows in Rome and founded his first band, the Joint Stock Company.

In recent years, he founded the Mike Della Bella Project, which, honestly isnt’ the best name for a band and is a bit difficult, and much, to say. It’s even a bit silly. Sounds more like the name of a southern drag show host.

But seriously, folks, check out some of the other tracks if you wish on their Soundcloud or Spotify links.

Steeped in country music, British pop, surf rock, psychedelic rock, and many other influences, Seattle musician Rusty Reid grew up on the dusty plains of West Texas, a region that has produced many revered singer-songwriters.

West Texas is also where the South meets Cajun country, the Wild West, Native, and Mexican culture and history converge and overlap, mix and mingle as they have for more than a century. Growing up in such a rich place, Reid had plenty of material to work with for his new album, Head to Heart.

The first song, the album’s title track, is an acoustic country pop song. Reid’s emotional, crooning-like vocals remind many of Roy Orbison in parts.

In fact, the same is true for other notable songs like “To Find Me” and “El Dorado” – among two of the strongest tracks from the 15-track album. We love how the guitars swirl around the chorus followed by melodic guitar solos.

It’s no surprise, perhaps, that Orbison, also a native West Texan, is one of Reid’s top musical influences. You can hear it on track after track. However, other Orbison-like songs, such as “Who Do You Think You Are,” miss the mark. The timing and notes don’t sound right.

Yet he bounces back nicely with songs like, “The Story of Now,” which is more suited for country pop radio with its bright melodies and jangling guitars.

Then there are more alt. songs, such as the standout, “I Went Searching,” with funk-like guitars and rhythms wrapped in a dark, yet upbeat, composition. It’s just a track you have to hear. All things being alternative and indie in the cafe, we prefer tracks like this.

Another example is the one-minute industrial/punk jam number “Your Tummy” – a totally different cut from the tone of the rest of the album. But it’s interesting and cool, and other listeners may also be happy he had the courage to record it and put it on the album.

We only wished that he made the song a bit longer, and perhaps some really long tracks shorter, including wonderful experiments like the nearly eight-minute “Sat Cit Ananda.”

Satchitananda, or Sacchidānanda, represents “existence, consciousness, and bliss” or “truth, consciousness, bliss”, is an epithet and description for the subjective experience of the ultimate, unchanging reality in Hinduism called Brahma.

The use of the bongos and sitar set the scene perfectly for a trip back 50 years when Eastern music was regularly mixed with pop and rock music. Other tracks like the psych folk-oriented, “Ancient Stones,” also sound like they beckon the hippie era.

Reid dives into his activist and humanitarian side on other parts of the album, speaking out against injustice and oppression (as he has since he was a youth). These include tracks like the interesting organ-meets-Spanish-guitar instrumentation of “Too Many Poor Theme” and the immersive “The Meaning of Life.”

“There Is A Pleasure in the Pathless Woods” is a folk crossed with a country song that is one of the quieter, lazier songs on the album. The most pop-rock-oriented song on the album is “Passion For Fashion.” It sounds like 80s rock and almost reminds us a bit of The Kinks in far as song structure and sound.

Unlike many albums sent to us, the production level is solid here. But it is also noteworthy that Reid wrote, played and recorded all instruments by himself.

Throughout the album, the listeners can clearly hear the influences of the deep, western south, where many different roads of music genres intersect and intertwine, and have for nearly a century. And yet there are unexpected influences like indie, punk, funk and Eastern music.

There are enough interestingly, different and strong songs on here to make Head to Heart a worthy listen. There are other songs that could have been left off to make the album shorter; 15 songs is a big commitment for listeners nowadays.

Reid has a long record as a musician and singer-songwriter living and performing around the country, including cities like Houston, Austin, Los Angeles, and Seattle.

Hailing from the Canadian cities of Regina and Saskatoon, new-wave rapper Jeah and dark R&B and soul vocalist Merv xx Gotti, aka Samurai Champs, have been raking in the acclaim of critics and music lovers since dropping their debut R&B single, “Crayons.”

On the heels of strong appearances at SXSW, The Great Escape, and new U.S. and U.K. tours spun off a wave of fresh singles like “Bae” and “Poseidon,” the duo has finally released their debut album, Cabernet Sauvignon.

The array of sounds, styles, moods, and beats – done with near-perfection – not only demonstrate the duo’s progression and diversity musically but also lyrically.

The opening track on Cabernet Sauvignon is the R&B/hip-hop love song, “Let Me Be Sad,” with some fine writing and vocal work followed by the synthy, anthemic single, “Dripping,” that booms with heavy bass lines, creative beats, tight raps and soulful choruses. Released as a single last year, this was one of the tracks that started things moving for Samurai Champs.

The track and much of the album were mixed by Toronto-based producer Michael Lantz, the recipient of two-time Polaris Music Prize-nominated and Juno Award-winning hip-hop artist, Jazz Cartier.

Modeling after the somber and passionate sounds of artists like Frank Ocean, Jeah and Gotti keep their vibes strong within a softened and groove-laden aesthetic that marks their signature sound.

For example, tracks like “Still Mine” and “Feeling That” really hit the good-vibe buttons; setting a relaxed, and passionate, late-night mood.

“Poseidon” is another good vibes track, but with more energy and brightness in the guitar and percussion parts. “Bae” is a smooth hip-hop number that takes its roots from 90’s R&B while still doing its own thing in 2019.

The mood of the album takes a hard, cold turn as Samurai Champs lay down more complex, dark tapestries that are more rap-oriented. Aggressive numbers “Midnight” and “Level” demonstrate this sea-change, with heavy, droning bass lines, sinister sound effects, trippy beats, and menacing raps.

The wordplay of “Midnight” explores how the mood shifts at parties as the night goes on and egos and jealousies emerge, wiping away the evening’s previous positive vibes.

The mood of those tracks stands in stark comparison to the more melodic, party-inspired, and R&B flow of the album. Comparisons have been made with artists like Majid Jordan, Bryson Tiller, and Smino.

The duo believes that mixing dark, cold hip-hop sounds with the sunny, soulful tones of Los Angeles will allow them to create ‘The New Sound Of The Prairies.’

While that may be the case, it is still Samurai Champs mix of contemporary hip-hop beats and R&B sounds, Jeah’s versatile rapping styles, and Gotti’s emotionally-charged lyrics and vocals that stand out the most about this rich album of impressive tracks. (Further evidence of such includes songs like “Loner” and the title track.)

From start to finish, the production quality is top-notch. Engineer and mixing pro Walt Jeworski (Usher, Paul Simon) worked intently with the pair to understand their different styles and backgrounds and what they were looking to achieve.

The heavy-hitter contributions to Cabernet Sauvignon also include the work of Grammy-Award winning mastering engineer Chris Athens (Kendrick Lamar, Nada Surf) who also mastered Drake’s debut album.

With such high-profile and experienced professionals – Lantz, Jeworski and Athens – involved in any project, the results are almost bound to be exceptional. Such is the case on this booming debut.

Cabernet Sauvignon is a diverse, rich and eclectic album that seeks, the duo wrote, to “blend and heighten the worlds of poetic R&B and vibrant hip-hop.”

“Like wine, all things get better with time,” they continue. “But time itself waits for no one. It’s our responsibility to shape the present in preparation for the future and it is also our responsibility to enjoy it while it lasts.”

Since 2009, Toronto musician, producer, and engineer, Michael O’Connell, has been at the helm of the exciting Canadian indie outfit Culture Reject.

After three releases in the span of a decade, O’Connell returns with an absolutely brilliant new 10-track LP, Breaking With The World.

From the LP’s first tracks to the final songs, O’Connell treats the listener to an amazing collection of indie pop-folk songs that span a spectrum of genres and sub-genres that include bedroom pop, lo-fi soul, slacker rock, post-punk and indie folk.

The album’s opening track, “Bail,” is a lazy, cool stroll featuring retro indie folk pop-inspired instrumentation, including horns, and choruses altogether with whimsical lyrics and sound effects.

The LP’s title track feels a lot like a Vampire Weekend track (in a good way) with its airy, upbeat tropical-leaning guitars and beats; academic-like lyrics (and the repeating of ‘breaking with the world’); thumping bass notes; voice-overs and dubbing vocals and keys.

The more melodic pop-oriented track, “Control,” feels like a lazy summer melody while the song “Aisles” is a more sinister, throw-back slacker track that sounds like it could be a lost Built to Spill track from the 1990s.

Next, the artful and beautifully melodic “Animal” may remind some listeners a bit of Matt Pond PA (and that’s a compliment). And unlike the title, the song is nicely controlled and upbeat; it’d be fitting on a soundtrack for a film or TV series. In fact, we can’t also help but to notice the similarities with other artists like L.A.’s Opus Orange.

The one-minute and thirteen seconds of “Reverse Flow” are given to a relaxing guitar instrumental right in the middle of the album. It’s placement there seems intended as a light intermission before the rest of the album.

On the soft and calming, “Same Change,” with its heavy bass lines, light guitar riff and Fleet Foxes-like vocals and choruses, the band shines through once again. This is one of the album’s better standout songs.

The track, “I’m Your Freak,” would be perfect for a Halloween playlist. It sounds like it even has some Moog synth sound effects mixed with horns and acoustics in a swirl of choruses perfectly followed by the piano-leaning, Beatlesque, “You’re Free To Love By Accident.” The latter track really tugs at the heartstrings – from the overall composition to the lyrical content.

O’Connell closes this terrific album with a killer, yet mellow, track, “If I Can’t Turn You On,” that is full of heartache, yearning, and emotion. A brilliant end to a fine indie album.

In addition to songwriting and vocals, O’Connell plays guitars and programs loops. The band’s bass player and beats maestro is Carlie Howell while Karri North contributes vocals. A large number of part-time and revolving band members on drums and brass have circulated in and out of the band over the years.

The band has toured extensively throughout the U.S., Canada, and Europe and appeared at festivals like POP Montreal, Iceland Airwaves and New Yorks CMW.

But for a decade now, the core of the band has been O’Connell.

He manages to connect various genres, styles, moods, and feelings together almost effortlessly; the album is a collection, he writes, of “prose-induced, 60′s soul-inspired, lo-fi pop songs.”

There is much to appreciate and enjoy about Breaking With The World; it plays and feels like the ‘good ole days of indie’ when artists blended genres and styles freely; experimented with instruments, time signatures and sounds; wrote stories and poetry and intelligent lyrics to music; did not over-produce their recordings, and were not trying to shape themselves to fit into a box, but rather to make their own box.

O’Connell was helped by producer Andy Magoffin (Great Lake Swimmers, The Weekend) who mastered the album while Justin Nace (Alvvays, Andy Shauf) co-mixed with O’Connell.

Culture Reject’s roots go back to the heyday of indie in 2008 when O’Connell started the outfit as a solo bedroom project. The single that launched the band into the spotlight that year was the solid indie track, “Inside The Cinema,” with its early Modest Mouse and Afro-Cuban ensemble influences.

We originally featured that song in our second year of publication, way back in 2008.

Now that we’ve rediscovered CR’s music once again, we’re neck-deep into O’Connell’s must-hear-for-any-true-indie-fan’s discography. The album was released on Specific Recordings.

Daring to be totally different and off-the-wall is just part of the deal for the eccentric Perth-based indie rock duo Strangejuice.

Since the 2007 release of the debut album, they have built a cult following across Australia and beyond with the mission to “mix absurdist prose with conventional and unconventional musical instruments,” as they put it.

A decade since Strangejuice’s debut album, the prolific duo continues to release new material. So it is not a surprise that the duo’s latest, the 14-track album, Raising Cannibals, is recording No. 11.

Already the album is receiving accolades from critics, fans, and followers across the globe.

Among the numerous strange standout songs on Raising Cannibals include incredibly original tracks (that sound like a cross between Tom Waits and Frank Zappa on acid) like the unforgettable, “Big Jim Smoke,” which covers so much sonic territory it’s nearly impossible to make sense of it all – but it works and in wonderful ways.

Other memorable tracks include the seemingly more sinister, perhaps satirical, “Hey You,” with interesting time signatures, romping percussions, people shouting and swirling voices, guitars and subverted melodies.

The unexpectedly melodic and upbeat, “Diet Pills,” is an inspirational-sounding track with booming choruses and hippie-like refrains: “you promised me the sun.”

As the album progresses, the listener begins to understand the various intricacies involved and just how mightily rich the music, lyrics and production are.

Different people already have different favorite tracks. Other notable songs from the album include “Put The Television On”; “Bonnie’s Dress”; “Creatures of the Night” and “Surf’s Up.” It’s a tour-de-force grande!

All of the songwriting, as well as all of the instruments – including guitars, keys, drums, and vocals – is the work of musician and songwriter Mike Anderson. Bree Smith provides additional vocals.

One of Anderson’s signatures over the years has been his eclectic and creative mix of styles and genres ranging from alt. rock and neo-psych to folk and blues influences.

Fans and critics alike have compared his music to The Pixies, Ween, Beck and Tom Waits. This is all apparent on Raising Cannibals .

From banjo plucks, screeching birds and shuffling cards, StrangeJuice records and masters all of its work in “a secret studio in Perth, Western Australia overlooking the mountains where the alcohol flows as free as the natural rivers,” Anderson wrote.

There are also unmistakable cinematic, theatrical and carnival/circus-like influences going on throughout the album, whether intentional or not.

In and of itself, a 14-track album with this much lyrical and sonic content is impressive, but the fact that it was all reportedly created in ‘roughly two weeks’ makes it even more of an accomplishment.

It’s one heck of a trip for an album – strange; beautiful; trippy; freaky; unconventional; provocative; creative and interesting; a musical kaleidoscope – of so many sorts.

“During the writing and creation of this album, nothing was sober, everything was afternoon, and there was a constant background of live chickens,” Anderson wrote.

“The entire record was conceived and created in roughly two weeks, so nothing had long enough to be overthought, contrived, or to become stale.”

The five-song E.P. from Los Angeles band The Unwoken involves themes of time travel, dark political and cultural moments of history, and a path for hope and a better future.

During much of 2018 and part of 2019, the band recorded a five-song EP, Some Lives Matter, at EastWest Studios in Hollywood. It was produced and mixed by Les Camacho (Chris Issak, Stevie Nicks).

The track “Electrical System” jumps right in, conveying the title of the song into the buzzing, almost dueling, guitars that lead the track.

However, the vocals – not sure of the two vocalists, bassist Alex Ramirez and drummer Max Cogert, who is singing – need some fine-tuning. Overall the track has a cinematic rock effect.

As for the vocals, the same is true for “Just To Let You Know” – potentially solid song but the singing misses the mark. There’s strong potential with this song accompanied by a stronger vocal tracking.

My guess is that it’s a different live experience. Ramirez writes about the track: “It’s a blunt statement to the listener that they do not matter in the eyes of the powerful, the ruthless, and those who see humans as disposable.”

The E.P. includes three additional tracks including the slowed-down, more melodic track alt. rocker, “Tin Man.” Here the vocals work better and flow with the song nicely. This may be the standout song on the E.P.

Closing track “Last Fight” and “Some Lives Matter” take on a darker, more metal sound. As these tracks demonstrate, guitarists Chris Alcala and Jonathan Eastly take it to the wall from start to finish on the E.P.

The Unwoken named their EP Some Lives Matter as “a thought-provoking title to set the tone of the music as it pertains to our national discourse and an increasingly dystopian world of “normalizing fascism, children in cages, mass shootings, profiling, and a police state in which some lives matter more than others.”

The bands’ influences are Rage Against The Machine, Queen, Nirvana, and System of a Down. The band held a packed release party last month at the Silverlake Lounge in L.A.

During the past few months, and including this past week, there have been a number of must-hear solo album drops for indie and alt rock fans – just in case you missed them – from J. Mascis (Dinosaur Jr.); Jeff Tweedy (Wilco); Kurt Vile (The War On Drugs), Panda Bear (Animal Collective), Sharon Van Etten and Bob Mould (Husker Du).

Other solo albums we are watching and waiting to be released include new material from Andrew Bird, Ty Segall, Stephen Malkmus (Sonic Youth), and perhaps Conor Oberst (Bright Eyes) and Sufjan Stevens.

Panda Bear – Buoys

Animal Collective co-founder and indie music darling Noah Lennox’s (aka Panda Bear), new solo album is not disappointing, even if it is not ground-breaking like some of his earlier efforts. It’s a change in direction and style, but in nuanced ways.

It’s too bad the album’s cover art is so crappy.

Here’s what some of the other reviews online say:

Q Magazine: “Even when the centre spins out, Lennox’s naive melodies make his indulgence sound strangely inviting.”

Pitchfork: “Buoys is a sad and wistful album, though in a non-specific way.”

Uncut: “It’s a new direction, one stretched fairly thin across nine similar tracks, but at least he’s escaped that old echo chamber.”

J. Mascis – Elastic Days

Even though it’s a bit dated for those up on the current, the recent solo LP drop from Dinosaur Jr. legendary founder J. Mascis, Elastic Days, continues to sound fresh and worthy of additional spins, even months later.

Elastic Days is almost a monumental album and it’s no wonder that it has won high praise from critics and fans alike since its November release.

This album as a complete work only solidifies what each of these terrific solo albums prove: aging alt. and indie rock musicians are putting out some of the best new alt. and indie music we’ve heard in maybe years.

This is also clear in the fact that IRC listener’s voted – by the number of streams and clicks – the smooth, dreamy title track as the No. 1 song for October 2018. (If you haven’t seen the video, it’s a hoot)

How the long, white-haired middle-aged rocker Dad keeps dropping, successively and over three decades, better and better material as he ages is something to behold.

Mojo Magazine: “Even at 52, this Dinosaur senior is a miracle of ongoing evolution.”

Drowned in Sound: “If you’re a Dinosaur Jr fan and you can live without a couple of Lou Barlow tracks per album then it would be well worth checking out Elastic Days and hearing J do what he does best in a slightly different setting.”

DIY Magazine: “The last couple of Dinosaur Jr. records, in particular, are from all angles for their consistency, but J Mascis is continuing to fire out hidden gems under his own name, too.”

Kurt Vile – Bottle It In

While it released over four months ago, the recent solo album, Bottle It In, from former War on Drugs’ guitarist Kurt Vile is worth listening to for any of those that missed it.

Like the other great solo albums featured in this post, Vile’s release does not get boring to listen to again and again.

It’s almost, shall we say, essential listening for fans of the alt./indie rock genre(s). It’s fresh, creative, fun and just fine music, especially for a seventh solo release.

Under The Radar: “He is one of the most dependable artists working in indie rock, rehashing old sounds while always pushing the envelope, constantly expanding his artistic approach while never losing his footing.”

The UK Guardian: “Vile ultimately has such an instinctive facility for melodic logic that behind the shaggy locks and purple haze, there’s a clear-headed, big-hearted songwriter at work.”

The Boston Globe: “More than just another tapestry of gorgeous guitar-scapes to get lost in, it’s the fullest portrait yet of the human behind that Cheshire Cat grin.”

Jeff Tweedy – WARM

Longtime Wilco founder and musician Jeff Tweedy dropped his debut solo album, WARM, in November, and ever since, like Mascis and Vile, we’ve spun it over and over. That’s how good the longtime-coming solo album is that Tweedy has woven together over the years.

It’s an album about addiction, family life, fatherhood and changes, exquisitely written, recorded and produced. The album, an accompanying work to his new book, “Let’s Go (So We Can Get Back),” reveals a stunning album of songs, that are touching, expertly crafted and insightful, including the rehab-themed “Bombs Away” and the compassionate “Don’t Forget.”

The recent death of his father looms over the mood and lyrical content. In fact, death and dying are a recurring theme. In the song, “From Far Away,” Tweedy demands: “If I die/Don’t bury me/Rattle me down like an old machine.”

WARM is an epic album of autobiographical origin, whether one is a Wilco/Tweedy fan or not. From the book to the album’s concurrent themes and how Tweedy married them so wonderfully, never has Tweedy revealed so much nor have fans learned so much about a man who has lived the rock and roll lifestyle and come out on the other side – not to preach but instead to reveal.

Musically, the album is significant as well with Tweedy’s son joining in on the making of music that lasts and matters.

Clash Music: “This record comes on like the voice of a friend, confessional and familiar – full of small, important reassurances.”

Paste Magazine: “Is the exchange of restless turmoil for quietly focused introspection a worthwhile trade? Depends. For Wilco fans who never really got over the big hooks and sonic clamor of Summerteeth, probably not. For listeners who have taken pleasure in Tweedy’s continuing evolution, WARM is akin to a gift.”

Sharon Van Etten – Remind Me Tomorrow

For those of you who have followed Sharon Van Etten’s career and music, you are probably aware that she consistently puts out good music. The freshly-released Remind Me Tomorrow is definitely one of the best of her five full-length releases during the past decade-plus; and it is also her most daring release in some regards.

Variety: “While it sounds different from anything Van Etten has ever done, it also never sounds like anyone but her: Her big, sweeping choruses and singer-songwritery melodies adapt surprisingly well to their new context, with heavy, synthetic basslines and sparkling electronic embellishments accenting her echo-laden, multi-tracked vocals.”

New Musical Express (NME): “[The album] serves not so much as a nudge, but a forceful and playful shove to remind listeners just how special Van Etten’s talent is on both a lyrical and musical level. Don’t call it a comeback, but it may well be her most intoxicating and impressive work to date.”

Mojo Magazine: “Remind Me Tomorrow feels full to the brim, flooded to the top with experimental colour and texture, drones and drums and synthesizers.

Bob Mould – Sunshine Rock

Veteran rocker Bob Mould – arguably an early influence of indie rock as the frontman of Husker Du and Sugar – just dropped his 13th solo album. Here’s what some of the pubs have posted:

DIY Magazine: “Sunshine Rock does exactly what it says on the tin. A rock album that sparkles; a taut collection of Bob Mould cuts that fits timelessly into his ever-expanding legacy.”

The 405: “While not everything here measures up to the album’s highlights, this is still an enjoyable and mostly solid effort that doesn’t stray too far from what Mould has done best over the last few decades.”

AllMusic: “Sunshine Rock is the fourth installment in one of the most satisfying chapters of Bob Mould’s career–no small statement considering his legacy–and the tender ferocity of these songs is something no one else could do quite this well.”