Record Dept. Music Reviews
  • ABOUT
  • INTERVIEWS
  • GIG POSTERS

SEARCH

ARCHIVES

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

Frontier Ruckus – Deadmalls and Nightfalls

Lansing, MI based indie folk band Frontier Ruckus is set to release Deadmalls & Nightfalls…read more→

The Phoenix Foundation – Buffalo

New Zealand’s The Phoenix Foundation hasn’t gotten much attention stateside, but keen listeners may have…read more→

Mary Gauthier – The Foundling

Modeled after Willie Nelson’s The Redheaded Stranger, New Orleans singer-songwriter Mary Gauthier delves more fully…read more→

Hezekiah Jones – Bread of Teeth

Following the success of their 06 full-length debut Hezekiah Says You’re A-Ok and 07’s Come…read more→

Our Orthodox – Our Orthodox

Indie folk rocker Neal Harris’ (a.k.a. Our Orthodox) self-titled debut uses pure acoustic guitar, vocals,…read more→

Ronnie Fauss – New Songs for the Old Frontier Volume One

09’s New Songs for the Old Frontier Volume One finds Dallas, TX alt-country Americana singer/songwriter…read more→

Twistable, Turnable Man: A Musical Tribute to the Songs of Shel Silverstein

Shel Silverstein is best known as the writer and illustrator of books like “Where the…read more→

Coolrunnings – Babes Forever EP

Babes Forever, one of two recent EPs from Coolrunnings, takes inspiration from west coast surf-rock,…read more→

Sonny and the Sunsets – Tomorrow Is Alright

Sonny & the Sunsets, fronted by San Francisco playwright/songsmith/troubadour Sonny Smith, effortlessly drift through 50’s,…read more→

Ghosts I’ve Met – Payphone Patience EP

Ghosts I’ve Met is a Seattle based indie folk act centered around Sam Watts with…read more→

Wolf Parade – Expo 86

The third album by Canadian indie-rockers Wolf Parade, Expo 86, follows the band’s 08 At…read more→

Honest Strings: A Tribute to the Life and Work of Jack Rose

Philadelphia based acoustic guitar prodigy Jack Rose (formerly of noise/drone band Pelt) died suddenly of…read more→

Blitzen Trapper – Destroyer of the Void

Portland’s favorite bearded sextet, Blitzen Trapper, have just released their fifth album, Destroyer of the…read more→

Vermillion Sands – Vermillion Sands

Italian garage pop quartet Vermillion Sands (not to be confused with the similarly named 80’s…read more→

Thee Oh Sees – Warm Slime

San Francisco’s Thee Oh Sees boldly start off Warm Slime with the title track that…read more→

Plants and Animals – La La Land

Montreal trio Plants and Animals follow up their well-received debut Parc Avenue with La La…read more→

BLK JKS – Zol!

Indie rock band BLK JKS from Johannesburg has a very timely release for their EP…read more→

Secret Cities – Pink Graffiti

Secret Cities’ 10-track album influenced by “Brian Wilson and young people” puts an impressive spin…read more→

Leopold and His Fiction – Golden Friends

San Francisco lo-fi indie rock trio Leopold and His Fiction’s third release Golden Friends features…read more→

Candy Claws – Hidden Lands

Candy Claws is an eight-piece experimental dream pop band from Fort Collins, Colorado that seamlessly…read more→

Doug Burr – O Ye Devastator

O Ye Devastator – the follow-up to Doug Burr’s acclaimed The Shawl from 08 –…read more→

Patrick Park – Come What Will

Colorado-born but LA based singer/songwriter and guitarist Patrick Park’s fifth album Come What Will continues…read more→

Trampled By Turtles – Palomino

Duluth, Minnesota bluegrass band Trampled By Turtles’ fifth studio album, Palomino, finds the acoustic quintet…read more→

Pearson – Clear Thinking on Mixed Feelings

Canadian slowcore folk band Pearson’s debut Clear Thinking on Mixed Feelings is a finely polished…read more→

People of the North – Deep Tissue

People of the North take listeners to psych-rock heaven with Deep Tissue, a four-track LP…read more→

Jeremy Messersmith – The Reluctant Graveyard

It may be called The Reluctant Graveyard, but Jeremy Messersmith’s latest release is anything but…read more→

Woods – At Echo Lake

The Brooklyn band Woods’ fifth release At Echo Lake is another superb set of psych-tinged…read more→

Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu – Gurrumul

Singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu (Saltwater Band, formerly of the Aboriginal rock/roots band Yothu…read more→

The Wilderness of Manitoba – When You Left the Fire

The Wilderness of Manitoba’s debut full-length album When You Left the Fire is the much…read more→

Mountain Man – Made the Harbor

Mountain Man is a trio of three women (Amelia Meath, Molly Sarle, and Alex Sauser-Monnig)…read more→

Sleigh Bells – Treats

The current incarnation of Brooklyn’s Sleigh Bells – Derek Miller (guitar, beats) and Alexis Krauss…read more→

Folk Music for the End of the World

The first-rate 07 compilation Folk Music for the End of the World put out by…read more→

Tim and Sam’s Tim and the Sam Band with Tim and Sam – Life Stream

Leave the city behind and prepare to drift through the countryside with Life Stream, the…read more→

Friend of All the World – Up These Branches

Montreal’s Robert Cole, recording under the moniker Friend of All the World, spent about two…read more→

The Love Language – Libraries

The second release Libraries from North Carolina’s The Love Language sounds like lo-fi, effects-laden ’60s…read more→

Wye Oak – My Neighbor/My Creator

Wye Oak – My Neighbor/My Creator

Baltimore indie folk duo Wye Oak delivers its third release My Neighbor/My Creator less than…read more→

Kyle Swartzwelder – Our Home in Yonder Field

While spending most of 09 touring throughout the East Coast in support of his acclaimed…read more→

Horse Feathers – Thistled Spring

Thistled Spring is the follow-up to Horse Feathers’ 08 stark winter soundscape House with No…read more→

Yellow Ostrich – Wild Comfort

Yellow Ostrich is an artist I stumbled upon while surfing around on Bandcamp.com and is…read more→

Chimes & Bells – Into Pieces of Wood

Copenhagen’s Chimes & Bells, fronted by Caecilie Trier (Choir of Young Believers), released their debut…read more→

Bear in Heaven – Beast Rest Forth Mouth

Bear in Heaven’s second LP, Beast Rest Forth Mouth, is a spacey ride comprising 10…read more→

Librarians – Present Passed

Librarians’ follow-up their 07 debut, Alright Easy Candy Stranger with Present Passed, which sees the…read more→

Suckers – Wild Smile

Brooklyn four-piece Suckers take a range of elements from glam and R&B to African rhythms…read more→

Moon Duo – Escape

San Francisco’s Moon Duo describe their music as “primordial and disorienting sonic stew,” which is…read more→

Washington Mile – Simple Hearts

Seattle’s Washington Mile is starting to create a small buzz in the indie music blogosphere,…read more→

Gold and Silver Compilation 1

The German label Gold & Silver Recordings released a superb compilation of spare acoustic folk…read more→

The Jim Jones Revue – The Jim Jones Revue

Britain’s Jim Jones Revue, who made their American debut at this year’s SXSW music festival,…read more→

Lucas Dawson – Another Way to Say Goodbye

Australian Lucas Dawson’s debut album, Another Way to Say Goodbye, is a classic break-up album,…read more→

Look Mexico – To Bed To Battle

Look Mexico’s second full-length album sees the band experimenting with new sounds and instruments, giving…read more→

Bizi Gara – Horsebat

Native Parisian painter/musician Baptiste Ibar’s (a.k.a. Bizi Gara) second album Horsebat is a collection of…read more→

The Apples in Stereo – Travellers in Space and Time

The Apples in Stereo wants you to go back to the future with its latest…read more→

The Naked Hearts – Mass Hysteria

Brooklyn’s Naked Hearts takes indie pop and adds a generous dose of melancholy on their…read more→

The Megaphonic Thrift – Decay Decoy

Norway’s The Megaphonic Thrift is the collaboration between Richard Myklebust (Stereo 21), Linn Frøkedal and…read more→

Elephant Micah – Plays the Songs of Bible Birds

Since his first folk home recordings and experimentations in ’00, Elephant Micah (singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist…read more→

The Henry Clay People – Somewhere on the Golden Coast

The third album Somewhere on the Golden Coast from Los Angeles band The Henry Clay…read more→

Beach Fossils – Beach Fossils

One of my favorite up-and-coming acts (and SXSW standouts) – Brooklyn based-band Beach Fossils –…read more→

John Goraj – Possible

John Goraj is a great up-and-coming indie folk singer/songwriter originally from South Dakota now based…read more→

The Mynabirds – What We Lose in the Fire We Gain in the Flood

Following the demise of the DC indie pop group Georgie James in 08, Laura Burhenn…read more→

Essie Jain – Until the Light of Morning

British born, NYC based indie singer/songwriter Essie Jain releases her third effort, Until the Light…read more→

Caribou – Swim

Electronic dance music gets exceptional treatment on Swim, the new release from Caribou (formerly known…read more→

Gayngs – Relayted

Anyone yearning for ‘80s retro, soft rock, smooth jams – look no further. Indie collective…read more→

The Crooked Brothers – Deathbed Pillowtalk

Winnipeg’s The Crooked Brothers finds Matt Foster and Darwin Baker (SubCity Dwellers) and Jesse Matas…read more→

Unnatural Helpers – Cracked Love and Other Drugs

Seattle garage-punk band Unnatural Helpers has fun with their second full-length release, Cracked Love &…read more→

Holy Fuck – Latin

Toronto’s Holy Fuck, after two full-length releases, is now known just as much for its…read more→

Holly Golightly and the Brokeoffs – Medicine County

Medicine County, the latest album by Holly Golightly & the Brokeoffs, is steeped in traditional,…read more→

Broken Social Scene – Forgiveness Rock Record

Broken Social Scene returns after five years with Forgiveness Rock Record, an album with the…read more→

Everest – On Approach

On Approach, Everest’s follow-up to their 2008 debut, Ghost Notes, combines sweeping pop songwriting with…read more→

Black Tambourine – Black Tambourine

Noise-pop band Black Tambourine may not have gotten its due in the ‘90s, but the…read more→

Mark Sultan – $

Montreal’s Mark Sultan (BBQ Show in King Khan, Spaceshit) returns with 13 gritty, retro inspired…read more→

The Black Keys – Brothers

Brothers – the sixth album by The Black Keys and their third on Nonesuch Records…read more→

The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion – Dirty Shirt Rock ‘N Roll: The First Ten Years

Dirty Shirt Rock ‘N Roll: The First Ten Years is a 22 track retrospective of…read more→

The Fresh & Onlys – August in My Mind

San Francisco-quartet The Fresh & Onlys’ latest EP August in My Mind continues their mash-up…read more→

Giant Cloud – Old Books

New Orleans-based quintet Giant Cloud blends classic psychedelia and indie rock with lush harmonies and…read more→

Roky Erickson with Okkervil River – True Love Cast Out All Evil

Roky Erickson, former ‘60s frontman of psychedelic rock band the 13th Floor Elevators who spent…read more→

Band of Horses – Infinite Arms

Infinite Arms – Band of Horses’ third record and the first since moving on from…read more→

Josh Ritter – So Runs the World Away

Idaho native and Brooklyn transplant Josh Ritter’s sixth album, So Runs the World Away, finds…read more→

Tim Schmidt – Slower Things

Singer-songwriter Tim Schmidt, a Swedish native based out of Leipzig, Germany (not to be confused…read more→

Sam Amidon – I See the Sign

I See the Sign, the latest release from modern folk singer Sam Amidon, continues the…read more→

The Hold Steady – Heaven Is Whenever

The Hold Steady’s fifth album, Heaven Is Whenever, sees the New York-by-way-of-Minnesota band producing another…read more→

The National – High Violet

High Violet, the new full-length record by Brooklyn five-piece The National, is an edgy, melodic…read more→

The Wailing Wall – Low Hanging Fruit

New York based multi-instrumentalist The Wailing Wall (a.k.a. Jesse Rifkin) follows-up his exceptional debut, Hospital…read more→

Aaron Espe – Songs from a Small Town

Aaron Espe is an indie-folk-pop artist I stumbled upon on CD Baby that came highly…read more→

Delorean – Subiza

The Barcelona based four-piece Delorean plays an infectious mix of dance music and indie pop…read more→

Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy and The Cairo Gang – Wonder Show of the World

The latest Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy release, Wonder Show of the World, is a collaborative effort…read more→

The Infamous Stringdusters – Things That Fly

The Infamous Stringdusters began as a supergroup of Nashville pickers who quickly garnered adoring fans…read more→

Black Prairie – Feast of the Hunters’ Moon

Feast of the Hunters’ Moon is the debut album from Portland, OR based Black Prairie,…read more→

Hacienda – Big Red and Barbacoa

Big Red and Barbacoa, Hacienda’s follow-up release to 08’s Loud is the Night, adds more…read more→

The New Pornographers – Together

Together, the new release from the New Pornographers, sees the band returning to a bigger,…read more→

Nicki Bluhm – Toby’s Song

The striking vocalist/guitarist Nicki Bluhm and her five-piece band The Gramblers tap the classic West…read more→

Drink Up Buttercup – Born and Thrown on a Hook

The debut release by Philadelphia’s Drink Up Buttercup, Born and Thrown on a Hook, is…read more→

Bombadil – Tarpits & Canyonlands

Taking its name from a character in a J.R.R. Tolkien poem, this band from North…read more→

Bryan Yurgelis and The Winter Shakers – The Frontier Life

Cleveland’s Bryan Yurgelis is a writer, artist, and singer/songwriter for the indie folk band The…read more→

Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings – I Learned The Hard Way

Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings are known as one of the most electrifying acts in…read more→

Avi Buffalo – Avi Buffalo

Long Beach, CA four-piece Avi Buffalo adopted their name from Avigdor Zahner-Isenberg, the band’s 18…read more→

Yukon Blonde – Yukon Blonde

Vancouver based Yukon Blonde play an eclectic brand of 60’s-inspired psychedelic indie rock – think…read more→

Surfer Blood – Astro Coast

After making a splash at last October’s CMJ Music Marathon in New York, five-piece Surfer…read more→

Nada Surf – If I Had a Hi-Fi

Nada Surf’s If I had a Hi-Fi is a covers album of inventive, varied choices…read more→

Cedarwell – A Stone, A Leaf, A Door

The Wisconsin indie folk act Cedarwell release their third full-length A Stone, A Leaf, A…read more→

We Are Wolves – Invisible Violence

We Are Wolves’ third LP is a dizzy mash-up of dance, punk, electro/synth and heavy…read more→

Lohio – History, the Destroyer

Pittsburgh-based Lohio’s 2nd release, History, the Destroyer, mixes indie pop and folk, with a dash…read more→

  • 1
  • …
  • 16
  • 17
  • 18
  • 19
  • 20
  • 21
  • 22
  • 23
  • 24
  • 25