Sound And Color – Alabama Shakes –What started as a Southern soul and rock band has ended as a New Wave art band on this their second album, and they sound the better for me. As at home on obstreperous art rock (“The Greatest”), power pop (“Shoegaze”), modern art meets talking heads funk (“Future People”), and obtuse balladeering (“Over My Head”), the band take a giant leap sideways and come out on top – B+ Never happy, Ever After – As It Is – Brighton’s brightest stars fashion a breakthrough power punk album, Jason Fishman approved (here). Me? I think it’s a young man’s game but catchy enough – B
Untethered Moon – Built To Spill – People think the 90s band aren’t cool because of their overwhelmed indie jam sound, and that’s true, but their name doesn’t help either – C
Carry The Fire – Dustin Kensrue – The lead singer of Thrice –a real good post-hardcore band I saw years ago and admired immensely, goes solo. Some of these songs sound like acoustic Thrice, “Gallows” is what we expected it, but there is an occasional ringer thrown in, “Back To Back” is a strong alt rock ballad – B-
The Early Years – Girl Band – As rock nyc faves find the mainstream, they re-release a handful of singles. As odd a move as you’ll ever find – B+
Peace In Our Time – Good Riddance – 20 years into their power punk career, maybe you think these guys are a little too old to pull off a collection of hard hitting punk rock tracks. Well, this shows very little wear and tear… at least musically – B
Vape – Keller Williams – Jack Johnson meets the Dave Matthews -two musicians I can’t stand to the point where I maybe should be barred from writing about them or this – D
Hi Honey – Low Cut Connie – Old time rock and roll via Jerry Lee with the emphasis on the piano by this rock duo. With nothing much to add to the conversation, it is just lively revivalism… the songs could be a little stronger , though they leave the best for last, “The Royal Screw” is a beauty– B
Your Good Fortune – Mavis Staples – Staples went in the studio with Son Little and recorded four fine blues Gospel tracks – B+
Arizona – Mylets – Bearded Gentleman Music wrote this about the one man band Mylet three years ago: “WU LYF with Sharks Keep Moving and add a touch of Maps & Atlases.” Maps And Atlases? Surely not. This is pretty good guitar based art rock with a thump – B
Acute Feast – Ooofj – What do you wanna know about Jenno Bjørnkjær (music) and Katherine Mills Rymer (vocals)? They met in New York while Bjørnkjær was working on music for Lars Von Trier’s Melancholia (a great movie). This is synthesizer blue mood stuff, I’m not crazy about it right now, but I imagine it being a grower – B-
Kindred – Passion Pit – One man band of Michael Angelakos knows his way around a melody and provides more of them on album # 3. Unfortunately, this indie pop stuff isn’t sticky enough and absolutely is unsustainable over the entire album – C+
Hospital Handshake – Rocky Votolato – Manic depressive Rocky took a five year break from music. The singer songwriter isn’t bad, but the marketplace is awful crowded with this stuff – C+
Waiting On You – Sam Lewis – Country singer songwriter, with a fine voice that sounds a little like Van Morrison, and some good and some really really good songs. The playing is delicious and sweet and the mood is complete in itself. This is a soulful, intelligent, lovely album. A pleasant surprise – ALBUM OF THE WEEK – B+
Jackrabbit – San Fernin – Brooklyn artful pop music composition via Ellis Ludwig-Leone, with an eight piece band not unwilling to be populists… much stronger than it has any right to be –it’s like Animal Collective if they were populists instead of obscurants – B+
Down On Deptford Broadway – Skinny Lister – With this their sophomore effort , Skinny Lister might sneak in the hole left by Mumford And Sons bizarre decision to give up their franchise. Energetic UK folk with a rock vibe – B
Foil Deer – Speedy Ortiz – First I thought their debut was awful bland and then I loved em at 4Knots and thought, hey ,maybe I got em wrong, but I am not remotely crazy about this more of the same – C+
Damogen Furies – Squarepusher – This experimental musician‘s album completely lives up to its name. It is really pretty good though a little goes a long way – B
No Control – Turbo Fruits – This is the sound of rock and roll, if rock and roll was cool in 2015. Former Be Your Own Pets guitarist Jonas Stein side project comes of age – B+
Love Story – Yelawolf – Should stock up on his Big Mac’s and change his name to Bubba Sparxx – C
