Savior Of Time (LP 2: On The Road 2003-2005) (4:25)
1968 (3:18)
Hallway (4:48)
Allison Johnson (2:46)
Contrails (4:21)
Montgomery Park (3:28)
Black Road (3:22)
City Of Trembling Leaves (5:12)
Willamette (3:15)
I Hope I Don't End Up On Skid Row (5:49)
Review: Richmond Fontaine's Post to Wire celebrates its 20th anniversary with a deluxe 2LP edition, featuring a bonus live disc on Curacao transparent color vinyl housed in a gatefold sleeve. Recognised by Uncut Magazine as one of the top ten albums of the year, this release is adorned with a hype sticker. Described as a blend between Gram Parsons' slide guitar majesty and Lou Reed's narrated New York, Post to Wire offers a collection of narrated snapshots of life, crafted by frontman Willy Vlautin. Vlautin's songwriting delves into the depths of human desperation and resilience, weaving tales of downtrodden characters with incisive lyricism reminiscent of Raymond Carver. The album's epic centerpiece, 'Broken Hearts,' stands out as a testament to Vlautin's storytelling prowess, binding together characters in a shared journey of struggle and hope. With tunes that evoke familiarity and characters that feel like neighbors, Post to Wire emerges as a great addition to the canon of passionate, literary rock 'n' roll.
Review: Fresh from the release of two tip-top twelves on Handy Records and Wolf Music, Malik Kassim brings his trademark Retromigration sound to the freshly minted LYAM label. Typically warm, woozy, bass-heavy and with plenty of intricate musical details - think Ron Trent, with a dash of the Burrell Brothers and the Detroit deep house swing of Andres - all four cuts are superb examples of the Dutch producer's approach to dancefloor dynamics. Highlights include the laidback, club-ready bump of 'Heat it Up', where undulating acid lines and synth-sax catch the ear; the shuffling, broken house sparkle of 'You Want That' (a genuinely sumptuous late-night delight smothered in spacey synth solos); and the mid-tempo, jazz-funk style title track, where loose-limbed live instrumentation and emotive solos come to the fore.
Review: InFine has always been an enigmatic label. It started life when co-founder Alexandre Cazac attended a Francesco Tristano concert in Paris, during which the legendary pianist covered Derrick May's Detroit techno track 'Strings Of Life', compelling the attendee to team up with Yannick Matray and Agoria to create a platform for electronic-classical noodling. And, even if the latter French electronic tour de force has since left the team, the imprint has continued to push these kinds of boundaries since. Francois & the Atlas Mountains have some big shoes to fill with their debut for the label, then. And they do this with aplomb, albeit the kind of aplomb that's softly spoken, and sounds like you're gazing out across an endless view which is at once unknown and comforting. Electronic folk, chill-disco, whispered downtempo synth pop and patient plugged-in symphonies.
Review: An artist whose life was often beset by tragedy and ill fortune, and one who arguably never achieved his true potential, Jackson C. Frank has had his songs covered by everyone from Simon & Garfunkel (his former flatmates) and Nick Drake to Laura Marling and Counting Crows. Moreover, the appeal of the reflective world-weary melancholy of these songs extends well beyond the mid-'60s folk circuit where he initially made his name. This three album collection is the definitive version of the man's work: remastered and sounding richer than ever, it contains 24 previously unreleased tracks, paying rich homage to a maverick and magical talent.
Borderline (feat Love Canon & Stuart Duncan) (7:36)
Saro Jane (2:12)
Train Is Moving (3:13)
Seasons (4:17)
Cantie Reel (3:20)
Available (3:00)
Hurricanes (acoustic) (3:42)
Review: Multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter Rebecca Frazier has plenty of accoladed to her name. Some, like her being rhetorical first woman to grace the cover of Flatpicking Guitar Magazine, are commendable but mainly serve to emphasise how backwards the music press often still is. Others, like her 2018 'Guitar Performer of the Year' award from the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America, speak volumes about how talented she is. On Boarding Windows In Paradise she's making a serious case for recognition well outside the bluegrass scene. The guitar work throughout is nothing sort of spectacular and - in many moments - mind-boggling in its pace and complexity. The lyrics are delivered with the heartfelt sincerity of a true great, and her personality shines on every number. Exceptional stuff, to put it mildly.
Review: We would normally frame Ty Segall as a garage rock musician. For years he's been putting out some of the best garage psych thrills in the business and that's what he's best known for. But he's broadened his palette in recent times and it sounds like a completely natural reinvention towards this sort of sun-kissed psychedelia met with early Radiohead-esque drawl. The harmonic world that he's creating with Corey Madden, the singer and guitarist of the Los Angeles band Color Green, under the moniker Freckle is just divine. The project has been first introduced to the world through the single 'Taraval' and it's keeping the old time-y spirit of 60s handmade rock n' roll alive. All the collectors who say that songwriting had its hey day best listen to this record of life-affirming brilliance where you can imagine Paul McCartney begging for a guest spot.
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