Record Dept. Music Reviews
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HEAVY ROTATION

  • Ha Ha Tonka - Heart-Shaped Mountain
  • Valerie June - The Order of Time
  • Tinariwen - Elwan
  • Jake Xerxes Fussell - What in the Natural World
  • Son Volt - Notes of Blue

Buxter Hoot’n – Buxter Hoot’n

San Francisco based quintet Buxter Hoot’n self-released their self-titled third album of finely crafted Americana/Southern…read more→

Wooden Shjips – West

Wooden Shjips is Ripley Johnson (guitar, vocals), Dusty Jermier (bass), Nash Whalen (organ), and Omar…read more→

The Wooden Birds – Two Matchsticks

The Wooden Birds is the current project lead by Andrew Kenny (former frontman of slowcore…read more→

The Due Diligence – I Will Wreck Your Life

If legendary Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart gives you a nickname, and take it and…read more→

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. – It’s a Corporate World

It’s been almost exactly one year since Record Dept. reviewed Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.’s debut…read more→

Buffalo Killers – 3

Cincinnanti-based rock band Buffalo Killers released their third album, the apt and simply titled 3.…read more→

Golden Bloom – March To The Drums

Shawn Fogel, under the moniker Golden Bloom, recently released his six-song debut EP, March to…read more→

The Middle East – I Want That You Are Always Happy

Since their debut EP, 2008’s Recordings of The Middle East, the Australian band The Middle…read more→

The Black Swans – Don’t Blame The Stars

There is a danger when, as a talented but relatively obscure band, the song lyrics…read more→

Prattle On, Rick – A Decade Begins

Nashville based Patrick Rickelton (Prattle On, Rick) self-released his debut EP of indie folk, Communion…read more→

Peter Case – The Case Files

Peter Case has dedicated his career to creating and capturing some of the most influential…read more→

Key Losers – California Lite

Portland band Key Losers is the newest project of Katy Davidson (Lloyd & Michael, Cynthia…read more→

Jonny Corndawg – Down on the Bikini Line

Jonny “Corndawg” Fritz is not your typical country singer. The former Nashville / current Brooklyn…read more→

Mark Davis – Eliminate the Toxins

Mark Davis may not be a household name in the U.S., but he is a…read more→

Marissa Nadler – Marissa Nadler

Boston painter turned singer/songwriter Marissa Nadler is proving with her fifth, self-titled album that her…read more→

Jolie Holland – Pint of Blood

Jolie Holland’s fifth solo release Pint of Blood finds the former founder of The Be…read more→

Gillian Welch – The Harrow and The Harvest

It’s been eight long years since Gillian Welch’s last solo full length album Soul Journey,…read more→

William Elliott Whitmore – Field Songs

Iowa based singer/songwriter and horse farmer William Elliott Whitmore is out with his eighth full-length…read more→

Frank Fairfield – Out on the Open West

Frank Fairfield is a musically talented young Californian with a definitively old-timey sound, whose career…read more→

Scott Pryor and The Common Sinners – If We Set Out Now

Austin-based singer/songwriter Scott Pryor and his Philadelphia convened band The Common Sinners recently self-released their…read more→

King Post Kitsch – The Party’s Over

Scotland based sound engineer Charlie Ward released the full length album The Party’s Over as…read more→

Storms – Lay Your Sea Coat Aside

Storms are Lori Scacco (Seely) and Barcelonian Eva Puyuelo (Savath & Savalas) and their debut…read more→

Melaena Cadiz – Rattle the Windows

Michigan born, Brooklyn-based singer/songwriter Melaena Cadiz self-released her debut album of indie folk, Rattle the…read more→

White Denim – D

Austin has its share of great bands and rockers White Denim are on my current…read more→

Amor de Dias – Street of the Love of Days

MERGE Amor de Días (“love for days”) is Alasdair MacLean (The Clientele) and Lupe Núñez-Fernández…read more→

Point Juncture, WA – Handsome Orders

Portland, OR atmospheric indie pop band Point Juncture, WA released Handsome Orders, the eagerly awaited…read more→

D. Charles Speer and the Helix – Leaving The Commonwealth

Leaving the Commonwealth is the third full length album by Brooklyn quintet D. Charles Speer…read more→

Matt Bauer – The Jessamine County Book of the Living

Native Kentuckian turned Brooklyn citizen Matt Bauer released his sophomore effort The Jessamine County Book…read more→

Barn Owl – Shadowland

San Francisco guitarists Jon Porras and Evan Caminiti are Barn Owl and their three song…read more→

Witches – Forever

Athens, Georgia based trio Witches recently released their debut album of raw 90’s style rock…read more→

Small Sur – Tones

Three-piece project Small Sur has released their second album, the simply titled Tones. While not…read more→

Woods – Sun and Shade

Brooklyn band Woods is out with Sun and Shade – their sixth indie/folk rock album…read more→

Seapony – Go With Me

Seattle based trio Seapony released their debut album Go with Me, a home recorded twelve…read more→

The Ladybug Transistor – Clutching Stems

MERGE After sixteen years together, Brooklyn collective The Ladybug Transistor is still making consistently great…read more→

The Details – Lost Art

The Details are an alt-rock quartet hailing from Winnipeg, Canada, and their new album Lost…read more→

The Rosebuds – Loud Planes Fly Low

Ivan Howard and Kelly Crisp managed to do the impossible on their fifth album Loud…read more→

Jesse Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter – Marble Son

Seattle-based folk chanteuse Jesse Sykes and her talented backing band The Sweet Hereafter, which is…read more→

Hospital Ships – Lonely Twin

Jordan Geiger (formerly of Shearwater, and Appleseed Cast) has ventured into a solo project, Hospital…read more→

Dawes – Nothing Is Wrong

L.A. folk-rock band Dawes draws upon the legacy of their locale, mining the Laurel Canyon…read more→

tUnE-yArDs – w h o k i l l

Hot young band tUnE-yArDs – Merrill Garbus (vocals, multi-instrumental) and Nate Brenner (bass) – released…read more→

Bodies of Water – Twist Again

Married L.A. musicians David and Meredith Metcalf, together as Bodies of Water, self-released their third…read more→

EDM – Night People

Bloomington, Indiana psych-folk prog rockers EDM – formerly Early Day Miners – are back on…read more→

Grant Peeples – Okra and Ecclesiastes

GATORBONES RECORDS Okra and Ecclesiastes aren’t an obvious pair but they vividly conjure the deep…read more→

Paleo – Fruit of the Spirit

Midwesterner David Strackany, who records under the name Paleo, just released his latest folk album…read more→

Bon Iver – Bon Iver

Indie folk singer-songwriter Bon Iver (a.k.a. Justin Vernon) is back with his eagerly anticipated sophomore…read more→

The Wave Pictures – Beer in the Breakers

MOSHI MOSHI British trio The Wave Pictures have been making music for more than a…read more→

Snowmine – Laminate Pet Animal

SELF-RELEASED Brooklyn based indie/psych pop band Snowmine was initially formed by three friends – Grayson…read more→

JD McPherson – Signs and Signifiers

To the chagrin of semiotics students everywhere, JD McPherson’s debut full-length is not a tribute…read more→

The Sweetback Sisters – Looking for a Fight

The Sweetback Sisters are neither relatives nor sisters; in fact they are a mostly male…read more→

Moon Duo – Mazes

Moon Duo – Ripley Johnson (of Wooden Shjips) and Sanae Yamada – are back with…read more→

Thurston Moore – Demolished Thoughts

Singer-songwriter/guitarist Thurston Moore is best known for as a founding member of the seminal alt-rock…read more→

Brown Bird – The Sounds of Ghosts

Providence, RI based indie folk band Brown Bird self-released their EP The Sound of Ghosts.…read more→

David Olney – Film Noir

Nashville is not a city that typically inspires film noir – a Hollywood crime drama…read more→

Algebro – The Algebro Album

SELF-RELEASED After ten years in the works, Algebro – Thom Cathcart along with a four-piece…read more→

The Roadside Graves – We Can Take Care of Ourselves

AUTUMN TONE New Jersey rockers The Roadside Graves are releasing their artistic take on S.E.…read more→

Steve Earle – I’ll Never Get Out of This World Alive

Legendary singer-songwriter, political activist and Grammy award winner Steve Earle recently released his 14th studio…read more→

Buddy Miller – The Majestic Silver Strings

Buddy Miller is a musician’s musician: longtime Nashville session guitarist, producer (Robert Plant’s Band of…read more→

Centro-matic – Candidate Waltz

Alt-country Texas band Centro-matic has been making music together for fifteen years, and their tenth…read more→

Coolrunnings – Dracula Is Only The Beginning

SELF-RELEASED Coolrunnings sound like they hail from the California coast with their hazy brand of…read more→

Antlers – Burst Apart

FRENCHKISS RECORDS Brooklyn trio Antlers made a name for themselves with 2009’s Hospice, and now…read more→

Death Cab For Cutie – Codes And Keys

Codes and Keys sees Death Cab for Cutie not settling, but inhabiting a more collaborative…read more→

Brontosaurus – Cold Comes To Claim

SELF-RELEASED Chicago math/prog rockers Nicholas Kelley and Nicholas Papaleo (a.k.a. Brontosaurus) are releasing their debut…read more→

Man Man – Life Fantastic

Philadelphia based Man Man’s fourth release, Life Fantastic, finds a dynamic, evolved band who still…read more→

Mount Moriah – Mount Moriah

Talented musicians Heather McEntire (of post-punk band Bellafea) and Jenks Miller (of psych metal group…read more→

Campfire OK – Strange Like We Are

Seattle’s Campfire OK, has recently released its debut album, Strange Like We Are, a set…read more→

David Kilgour and the Heavy Eights – Left By Soft

David Kilgour, known for being in the band Clean and as a solo artist over…read more→

I Am Oak – Oasem

Hailing from Utrecht, I Am Oak (aka Thijs Kuijken) follows up the 2010 album On…read more→

Ben Sollee – Inclusions

Following the 2010 collaboration with Daniel Martin Moore on Dear Companion – a modern day…read more→

Eilen Jewell – Queen of The Minor Key

Boston-based singer-songwriter Eilen Jewell is back, overcoming a crippling bout of writers block to produce…read more→

Toby Burke – Mexico City

PERFECT BLACK SWAN U.S. based Australian native Toby Burke, who also records under the names…read more→

Church Shoes – Church Shoes

Church Shoes, a new quartet that formed when frontman Nick Allison’s former garage rock band…read more→

Nick Everett – Old Adventure/Love Songs

Do you like acoustic folk/indie music? Are you a fan of Nick Drake, Elliott Smith,…read more→

The Henry Clay People – This Is a Desert EP

Led by singer-guitarist Joey Siara, LA’s The Henry Clay People are back with a five-track…read more→

Cass McCombs – Wit’s End

Baltimore singer-songwriter Cass McCombs returns with Wit’s End. It’s been two years since 2009’s excellent…read more→

Dirty Beaches – Badlands

Montreal by way of Taiwan musician Alex Zhang Hungtai is Dirty Beaches, and his lo-fi,…read more→

Ghosts I’ve Met – From A Spark

Seattle singer-songwriter Sam Watts (a.k.a. Ghosts I’ve Met) is back with a talented coterie of…read more→

Rachel Brooke – Down In The Barnyard

Rachel Brooke of Detroit, MI is a new voice on the country scene who recently…read more→

My Morning Jacket – Circuital

My Morning Jacket follows-up their tepid 2008 jam band album Evil Urges, with their sixth…read more→

Tim Schmidt – YaYa River

THANKS FOR THE POSTCARD It was a year ago that I reviewed Swedish singer/songwriter Tim…read more→

The Bell Beat – Our Manderley

Unsigned Detroit based band The Bell Beat (formerly Sh! The Octopus) brings us their sophomore…read more→

Jonny – Jonny

Norman Blake of Teenage Fanclub and Euros Childs of Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci have gotten together…read more→

Hey Rosetta! – Seeds

Popular Canadian indie pop sextet Hey Rosetta! follows-up their 2008 Polaris prize nominee (best full-length…read more→

Dirty Names – Rock And Roll Mind Control

Baltimore/D.C.–based Dirty Names takes things back to basics with good old blues-tinged rock ‘n’ roll.…read more→

Bachelorette – Bachelorette

Annabel Alpers is a New Zealander who currently lives in the U.S. and makes psychdelic…read more→

Dirty Gold – Roar

Just in time for summer is the laid back dream pop of SoCal’s brother duo…read more→

The Seedy Seeds – Verb Noun

Cincinnati trio The Seedy Seeds has recently released their third album, Verb Noun. The album…read more→

Obits – Moody, Standard and Poor

Obits returns with Moody, Standard and Poor, the follow-up to their 2009 debut, I Blame…read more→

Panda Bear – Tomboy

Noah Lennox has returned with his fourth Panda Bear album, Tomboy, four years after 2007’s…read more→

Alela Diane – Wild Divine

Psych/freak folk-rocker Alela Diane takes a new turn on her third album Alela Diane &…read more→

Lord Huron – Mighty EP and Into The Sun EP

Lord Huron is L.A. based artist/musician Benji Schneider and his touring band, who recently burst…read more→

The Young Evils – Enchanted Chapel

Seattle has yet another remarkable up and coming band, The Young Evils, whose self-released debut…read more→

Low – Cmon

As a longtime fan of the indie rock trio Low, I eagerly awaited their 9th…read more→

The Skull Defekts – Peer Amid

After listening to Peer Amid, the latest from Swedish rock band The Skull Defekts, I…read more→

Papercuts – Fading Parade

The beach is within sight and there’s always a sunset right around the corner for…read more→

Shimmering Stars – Shimmering Stars

Shimmering Stars are still pretty new, but are quickly turning some heads in their native…read more→

Bill Callahan – Apocalypse

Bill Callahan, best known as the force behind the experimental lo-fi band Smog, is out…read more→

The Volebeats – The Volebeats

Hailing from the legendary motor city are The Volebeats, and their 2010 self-titled 19-track release…read more→

Dennis Crommett – In The Buffalo Surround

After five years in the making, Northampton, MA based singer-songwriter Dennis Crommett is releasing his…read more→

Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues

After a meteoric rise following the release of their critically acclaimed self-titled debut album, the…read more→

The Felice Brothers – Celebration, Florida

Helmed by two brothers and three friends from upstate New York, The Felice Brothers are…read more→

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