"Summer's Right Around the Corner" by The Psych Fi's

 The Psych Fi's are a Canadian collective playing psychedelic indie rock/country rock that is intriguing and peaceful. You can hear nine minutes plus of their work below via "Summer's Right Around the Corner". If you are feeling the vibes like we are then you will want to play all 13 minutes of the glorious "Alone In A Room Of Mirrors / James Cagney". Both are taken from the five-track Can Con album which is due December 6 via Bobo Integral Records.

This project is helmed by Jerry Leger and 18 musicians contributed to the recording of Can Con. To use a term from our youth, these songs are a head trip.

Bandcamp for Can Con

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Loose Wing - Miracle Baby

 

We in the Pacific Northwest like to share our musical treasures, so we invite all of our readers to embrace Loose Wing. A rock band with leanings toward pop and country rock, its music is characterized by the essential touchstones of excellent musicianship, affecting vocals and some fearless songwriting. The vocals and songwriting, as well as the lead guitar aspect of the musicianship, are provided by Claire Tucker, who no doubt could carve a path as a country singer if she chose. But her lead guitar clearly places her in the rock camp (she also is the guitarist for local psychedelic garage stalwarts Black Nite Crash). 

The latest album by Loose Wing is the recently released Miracle Baby and we think it is a superb musical statement. It is locked-in and concise, but there is a gritty blue collar, heart on the sleeve swagger that sells every song like they are playing live and getting paid by the volume of the applause at the end. The songs embrace a variety of emotions including consumerism, paternalistic males, job anxiety and isolation. And they do it well without lecturing or turning the proceedings into a downer. On this album Loose Wing proves there still is room for bands that splice together multiple styles. It is all about the execution, and this gang executes.

Loose Wing is Claire Tucker (guitar/vocals/keys), Jack Peters (bass), Aimee Zoe (drums), and Bill Patton (guitar/pedal steel). Miracle Baby is out now in digital, vinyl and CD formats via Drums & Wires Recording.

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"Didn't It Rain Last Night" by First Rodeo

 

It is true that most of our posts focus on pop and rock artists, but we sometimes cross to the country side of the street when appropriately attracted. We recently received a song called "Didn't It Rain Last Night", and we were duly attracted. The creation of Portland/Philadelphia band First Rodeo, the song is classic country/Americana road song replete with affecting vocals and a rich arrangement. First Rodeo consists of Nathan Tucker and Tim Howe. The met in Portland a few years ago and played in each other's bands. Although Nathan has since moved to Philadelphia, their urge to collaborate remains strong, so the do what they can remotely, and then get together to record. Their first album, First Rodeo, will be out August 5 via Forged Artifacts.

Bandcamp for "Didn't It Rain Last Night"

Bandcamp for album

Robert Finley - Sharecropper’s Son

 Robert Finley is an actual sharecropper’s son, and he has a hell of a story. Fortunately, for our purposes, he also is a hell of a singer. On Sharecropper’s Son, he displays a sort of vocal dexterity that sounds like the result of a lifetime of listening to and singing everything from gospel to country to R&B and guitar rock. I hear echoes of Al Green in the way Finley is unafraid to launch a high falsetto croon (like at the beginning of opening track “Souled Out on You” and most of “Country Boy”). 

 

But he’s got the sense to know when, and the talent to be able, to drop down into an guttural growl where the material calls for it. And on a lot of the songs here, he simply stands in front and sings like a rock and roll frontman in an R&B-inspired guitar rock band, only coming from Finley, lines like “working from can ‘til can’t” have a particular resonance that you don’t expect to hear from someone singing in 2021. And, again, he is a terrific vocalist and has the charisma and showmanship to lead a rock band. 

 As hard as it may be to believe, listening to him sing, he only took it up as a profession in his 60’s after military service and a lengthy career as a skilled carpenter, when due to a bout with glaucoma, he became legally blind. Finley has enjoyed the ability to get his stories out in the world: “One of the things I love about music is that, when I was a boy growing up in the South, nobody wanted to hear what I had to say or what I thought about anything. But when I started putting it in songs, people listened."

Here’s the title track, “Sharecropper’s Son”:

 

That one puts me to mind of something like “Lodi” or (not to be too “on the nose”) “Cotton Fields” by Creedence Clearwater Revival, with the kind of imagery that Fogerty used to do such a good job of drawing with his lyrics and fleshing out with his guitar sounds. Speaking of expressive guitar sounds, the producer of the album, and guitarist and co-writer on a lot of the material here, is The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach. This record was recorded and produced at his Easy Eye studio in Nashville, and you can hear his stinging lead guitar as a counterpoint to Finley’s vocals at key moments throughout the record. It's out right now (released 5/21) on Easy Eye, and available to stream or buy physical copies at the links below. 

Robert Finley - Sharecropper's Son at Easy Eye Sound 

Robert Finley Instagram 

Robert Finley Twitter

Riley Downing - Start It Over

 

This is Riley Downing’s first solo album - he has been playing with New Orleans' The Deslondes, but during the pandemic-induced shutdown found that he wanted to do some solo stuff. It started out with a two-sided single, on which he had some help from his band mate John James Tourville. From there it grew to a full album with Tourville as well as Jack Lawrence from The Raconteurs and a number of ready Nashville session players. 

They put together a relaxed, smooth country sound behind Downing’s distinctive deep baritone. I get a bit of a Barefoot Jerry feeling from his singing, but the music isn’t as twangy as most of Barefoot Jerry’s - in that sense it is more reminiscent of JJ Cale, perhaps. That’s an intriguing combination and hopefully it makes you curious enough to check some of his music out. 

Here's "I'm Not Ready" - I like this song more each time I hear it. Something about the piano bit at the beginning, and the way his warm vocals just don't get too het up about anything, just gives a nice easy feeling. Though there is a bit of variety, this is a good taste of what the album's about:

And here is the title track, and a delightful, surrealistic video in a milieu that will be familiar to any music collector in Nashville (or who has visited Nashville):

The album is out now, on New West Records. And in a bit of a plug for the great folks at Grimey's, Riley signed some copies that they are selling on their website for local pickup.

Riley Downing - Start It Over (stream or buy)

Buy signed copy from Grimey’s

New West Records website

“Shenandoah Shakedown” by John R. Miller

John R. Miller is a Nashville-based singer songwriter playing an invigorating combination of folk, country and rock music. His new track "Shenandoah Shakedown" is good - especially notable is the way his voice lays on top of an ever-changing instrumental bed - starts out with a fingerpicked acoustic, but builds with violin, mandolin and even an electric guitar run that is sort of scorching yet restrained at the same time. Everything's in service of the melody of the song, which is carried by his voice, which of course is telling the story. This is story music. Here's the video:

 

 

I really like the feel of this song. Miller has released two other singles, which look to be on this album as well: "Faustina" and "Looking Over My Shoulder". "Faustina" has some good steel guitar, and "Looking" has an intro with a sort of countrypolitan feel. The variety, and more important, the quality of these tracks augur well for the album. The track is available now, and the album Depreciated will be released July 16 on Rounder Records. 

John R. Miller - Depreciated (listen, stream, pre-order) 

John R. Miller website 

Rounder Records website

Janet Simpson - Safe Distance

Safe Distance is the first album Janet Simpson has released under her own name, but it’s clearly not her first music. She has been part of some terrific collectives, including Delicate Cutters, Teen Getaway, Wooden Wand and World War IV, so we are familiar with her talent. But given the space of a whole album and the opportunity to make it her own, Simpson has knocked it out of the park. From the waltz-time title track to the Latin-tinged “Wrecked” to a generous helping of guitar-driven country rock like “Nashville Girls”, “Reno” and “I’m Wrong”, there is not a wrong note on this record. Here's the video for "Nashville Girls":

 

 

 She sings well in line with the guitars on the latter songs, but the real showcase of Simpson’s vocals is on songs like “Ain’t Nobody Looking” and "Black Turns Blue", where the guitars are turned down, an acoustic guitar, quiet keyboards or a bass line carries the tune and she just sings.

 

That's some amazing singing, strong, light, clear, resonant - on a couple of beautifully-played and arranged songs. It will be a long long time before I'm tired of this record. Of special note, one of her co-conspirators is Will Stewart, whose project The Blips we covered here last week. Same label, too - Cornelius Chapel records. Something going on in Birmingham! 

 Janet Simpson website 

Cornelius Chapel Records 

Bandcamp

“Hot & Heavy” by Lucy Dacus

Here’s a great new track from Lucy Dacus, with a wonderful, emotionally affecting video. Her voice carries the first part of the song, and as strong as it is, her voice could carry the whole song. But there’s good country rock band playing behind her, and the song’s mixer, Shawn Everett, is smart enough to leave her voice up at the top of the mix, so you follow her all the way through. It’s really well done.

 

 The album is Home Video, and it's due out in June on Matador. She recorded it in Nashville at Trace Horse Studio. She shared a few thoughts about the song: “I thought I was writing ‘Hot & Heavy’ about an old friend, but I realized along the way that it was just about me outgrowing past versions of myself. So much of life is submitting to change and saying goodbye even if you don't want to.” Listen, read more or preorder at the site below: 

Lucy Dacus - Home Video

The Hanging Stars - A New Kind Of Sky

Cue up A New Kind Of Sky, close your eyes and listen to terrific country garage psych/pop, or, if you prefer a more concise phrase, cosmic country rock. You may feel transported to California or Austin in the '70s. You may envision cool desert nights and warm breezes under sunny skies. Well, we don't relish spoiling any good daydreams, but this tasty album is the work of London band The Hanging Stars. While the songs represent a triumph of the songwriting craft, the sincere and nuanced performances elevate each one to true gem status. Infused with humanity and carried by melody and harmony, this is an album you will turn to again and again.

The Hanging Stars are Richard Olson (vocals/guitar), Sam Ferman (bass), Paulie Cobra (drums), Patrick Ralla (guitar/keys/vocals), and Joe Harvey-Whyte (pedal steel). A New Kind Of Sky is out now in digital and vinyl formats.










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GospelbeacH - Let It Burn

The alchemy wielded by Brent Rademaker should thrill any fan of American rock. On Let It Burn, the new album for his GospelbeacH project, Brent and his mates blend a California strain of classic rock with Americana, and country, suggesting Tom Petty and the Grateful Dead recording in Laurel Canyon. But that won't surprise fans of his previous projects, such as Beachwood Sparks and The Tyde. With adept, and at times scorching, guitar work by former Beachwood Sparks compatriot Neal Casal (who sadly passed away this summer) and keys by Jonny Niemann, the album serves up ballads, mid-tempo slow burners, power pop, and classic rock, all with sincerity and a heaping dose of California sunshine.

Check this one out -- it may help you hang on to that summer feeling for a few more weeks.

Let It Burn is out now via Alive Naturalsound.











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St. Christopher Medal - Hoof!

St. Christopher Medal is a new old band.  Under that name, they began recording quite recently.  However, four of the five members comprised Life With Nixon, a Scottish band that ended its run in the '90s.  It seems that friendship and a love of music have a glue-like property, so the world of music now has St. Christopher Medal and St. Christopher Medal have a new album titled Hoof!  Perhaps surprisingly given the scattered UK location of most of the band (one of the members now resides in the US), the dominant flavors here are country rock and Americana.  But Hoof! also happens to be one of the finest country rock and Americana albums we have heard in a very long time.  The songwriting reflects experience, perspective and a keen observational eye.  Similarly, the performances are of the sort one can only expect of performers with years of experience and familiarity with each other.  The songs are warm, reflective, melodic, and richly detailed.  For those of us no longer in our 20s or 30s, this album is life set to music, and it makes a strong case for a place on our essential playlist.

We embedded a few of our favorites below, but it hurt to not include more, including the lovely "Diablo", "Baseball Jacket" and "The Desert Wind And The Jazz Wolf".  Suffice it to say that if you don't choose to listen to the entire album, you are cheating yourself.  Visit the Bandcamp link below; you can thank us later.

St. Christopher Medal are Ali Mathieson, Kenny Mathieson, Billy Nisbet, David Mack, and Andy Jeffries, with additional contributions by Liam Cassidy and Steph Fraser.  Hoof! is out now in CD, vinyl, and digital formats via Stereogram Recordings.










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Stereogram Recordings

"Indian Pacific Express" by Wireheads

We're about to do it to you again. Yes, it is time to implant a tune in your brain that will rattle around for days.  You'll even find snippets of the melody bubbling to the surface from time to time in the coming weeks, and after a moment's reflection you will remember that it is from "Indian Pacific Express", the new song from Brisbane's Wireheads.  The song is available as a digital download now, but the really good news is that it is just the first release from the band's upcoming LP, Lightning Ears, which will be available on October 20 via Tenth Court Records.






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Bandcamp for "Indian Pacific Express"
Tenth Court Records Bandcamp page

The Deslondes - Hurry Home

On Hurry Home, the sophomore album from The Deslondes, we find the band broadening their country rock palette to embrace more electrification and some R&B.  And it suits the New Orleans quintet very nicely.  Make no mistake, the "country" remains in evidence throughout, and the loose arrangements and drawling vocals emphasize the bands roots.  But we expect that the broader and more robust sound will do nothing to alienate existing fans and may well earn them an expanded audience.

One of the strengths of The Deslondes is having five songwriters and four lead vocalists, giving the band a variety of perspectives and approaches.  Overall, the album doesn't prompt foot-stomping as much as involuntary head nodding and appreciative smiles.  Anyone who spends time away from home, family and friends, and longs to get back, will appreciate the gospel inflected title track.  But once that gem is appreciated, the listener will want to dive into the delicious break-up song "She Better Be Lonely", the bubbling "Nelly", the rollicking "Hurricane Shakedown", the vamping "Many Poor Boy", or one of the other songs.  There is something for everyone here, and we think it goes down well for any picnic or backyard gathering.  BYOB.

The Deslondes are Sam Doores, Riley Downing, Dan Cutler, Cameron Snyder, and John James Tourville.  Hurry Home is out now via New West.










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New West Records

Kent Eugene Goolsby - Temper of the Times

The post-election, everyone's fighting blues got me today, so I needed something connecting me to back to normal life.  To the rescue comes Temper of the Times, the new album from Kent Eugene Goolsby.  Offering powerful rock guitars, singer songwriter sincerity, and KEG's whiskey-soaked velvet vocals (with spouse Anna Leigh providing the harmonies), KEG lets us into his life so far.  Good decisions, bad decisions, successes, failures, and the commitment to the musician's life. In addition to his formidable musical talents and enviable vocal abilities, he quite simply has a way with words that puts just the right spin on the tale (note that his webpage includes the lyrics).  He doesn't celebrate his imperfections, but he reveals then directly and with humor, and puts it all in context -- there are good days and bad days, but celebrate the entire journey.  And it is that spirit that gives the album just the right amount of weight.

I've been sitting here for a while trying to decide whether the guitars or the vocals were my favorite aspect of Temper of the Times.  Then I realized that the election must of scrambled my brains -- why even decide the question?  They both are great, and so is this album.







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"Staying Up At Night" by Dag

Modern life makes many demands.  At any point in the day my mind is multi-tasking on various projects that require immediate attention, while dealing with the clutter of secondary demands, random noise, additional scheduling demands and the need to have a life.  Sometimes music has to take a back seat to all that.  But other times a song cuts through the clutter like a sharp knife, with a melody that burrows into my brain and lyrics that seem to speak directly to me.  Such a song is "Staying Up At Night" by Melbourne's Dag.  The song is an instant classic of folk-rock melodic melancholy, with a chugging rhythm, a jangling guitar background, and a tinge of country.  Fans of Australian indie will detect favorable parallels to The Go-Betweens and the Cannanes.

Frontman and songwriter Dusty Anastassiou founded the Dag in Brisbane, moved to Melbourne, and now has signed with Bedroom Suck Records.  For the recording, he recruited mates Matt Ford, Josh Watson, and Skye McNicol.  The band's first album, Benefits of Solitude, will be released by Bedroom Suck on February 24, 2017.  The single "Staying Up At Night" is available now from Bedroom Suck Records.



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REVIEW: Mallee Songs - Natural Times

A while back we featured Gum Creek and Other Songs (here) from Mallee Songs, the solo recording project of Michael Skinner.  Now recording with a full band, Skinner has released Natural Times, a collection of songs he wrote in recent years.  I don't know how much press the album will receive, and I don't see any evidence that there is a big public relations budget.  So I'll carry some water to the millions who read this blog religiously and say this with the full weight of my formidable reputation: Natural Times is one of the best guitar pop albums of the year so far.  The songs initially appear relaxed and unassuming, but the melodies have an epic lyrical flow, with a generous helping of earworms.  The guitar lines are supple and engaging.  The atmosphere is both warm and melancholy -- an accepting look at life in all its facets.  The songwriting is masterful, touching on varied approaches to guitar pop without disrupting the soothing flow.  So there is psychedelia, dream pop, and a bit of country rock.  Folk rock touches abound, and a few tracks, such as "Water", seem to have crossed the big ditch from Dunedin, New Zealand. But as a whole, it is a wonderful and delightfully detailed tapestry.

Certainly, it is hard not to laud an album that contains not one, but several of my favorite songs of the year so far.  "Water", album closer "Nothing Abides", "Warm Breeze" and "Since the Kingdom" are all on my top songs playlist.  And that is before mentioning my favorite song on the album, "Christmas '93".

For my tastes, this is an excellent summer album.  I go out to the courtyard as the sun drops below the horizon, and listen to Natural Times on repeat while consuming several bottles of bone-strengthening IPA to recover from my recent cycling foibles.




Mallee Songs - Since the Kingdom from AVBadham on Vimeo.



In addition to Michael Skinner, Mallee Songs is Gerard Smith, Pascal Babare and James Allen.  Natural Times is available from Gaga Digi and at iTunes and Spotify, and in Europe the CD edition is available from Beko

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REVIEW: Peter Rowan - Dharma Blues

Peter Rowan is a roots music giant - as lead singer of Old And In The Way, his warm, straight country vocal approach was perhaps the single best thing about a group that also included Jerry Garcia on banjo, Vassar Clemens on fiddle and the transcendent David Grisman on mandolin. All that said, Rowan's singing was what always distinguished their versions of "Wild Horses" and the like. And Rowan originals like "Midnight Moonlight" and "Panama Red" were so right, they just seemed like songs cowboys must have brought home from the range. He always seemed wise, mature and mellow. And of course, so he is. On his latest album, Dharma Blues, Rowan is dusting off all his musical and creative tools and putting them to work in service of an album that is really, like the best of Rowan's work, unforgettable.

From the opening track, so much about this album just feels right. That a capella opening - just right. The transition into a full, rocking country band with a gracious pedal steel played by Dave Easley - just right. And Gillian Welch's vocals on several tracks here - absolutely just right.

Here is Welch accompanying Rowan on "Raven", a spiritual meditation based in part on Poe's poem. Rowan's been playing this live for years, but for this recording, his harmonies with Welch add a wonderful touch:



Throughout the album, Rowan deftly combines Eastern themes (both musical and spiritual) with his time-honored bluegrass and country chops and a California country-rock sound you'd expect from a teaming of Rowan and Jack Casady, whose work with Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna bring almost as much gravitas to this project as Rowan's history. Recorded in Los Angeles and New Orleans as well as Rowan's home base of Sausalito, Dharma Blues features twelve new Rowan songs. In addition to Casady, Welch and Easley's contributions, Jody Stetcher (David Bromberg, Jerry Jeff Walker) played banjo and tamboura. The tamboura is a key ingredient of the title track, and several others here.

The best thing about the record is that, far from being weighted with expectations and history, it soars with a pleasure and joy that's hard to describe, but easy to feel on the very first listen. In Rowan's words: “The doubts and resolutions of the spiritual journey are what drive Dharma Blues. May this music bring joy to all.” It is out now (released in June) on Omnivore Recordings.

Peter Rowan website
Dharma Blues at Omnivore Records

REVIEW: Jim Mize - Jim Mize

Jim Mize is a guy who's been a songwriter and part-time rock and roll singer for years, an Arkansas singer/songwriter who's apparently now, at 57, ready to become a full-time musician. He's had songs recorded (his "Let's Go Runnin'" was recorded by Blue Mountain on their album Dog Days), and has released three albums over the last 15 years, recorded in his spare time. But he never fully abandoned his career as an insurance adjuster, during which his keen perceptive powers and the time on the road gave him plenty of time to reflect, and plenty to write about. His voice is an impassioned yelp, part Tom Petty, part Springsteen and part Tom Waits.

Here's "Rabbit Hole" - a rollicking vocal workout with a ramshackle garage rock feel to the music:



There's honest emotion on this record - "This Moment With You" and "Eminence Kentucky" are frankly very pretty ballads, the latter with a Roy Orbison-meets-Memphis soul feel. And "Empty Rooms" is sort of heartbreaking, the tale of a marriage that's ended in the form of a description of the vacated house.

There's also hard rocking blues-inspired roadhouse music. With help from Fat Possum's Bruce Watson, Mize has assembled a hell of a band on this record - they raise the tempo and the temperature, and all the solos are like lightning. John Paul Keith, whose album Memphis 3AM was reviewed here, contributes some big, big guitar sounds (and what sound like some good harmony vocals) here. "Need Me Some Jesus" is a gospel-inspired rave-up, and "Eye to Eye" is good country rock with twangy guitar. The best song on the record is "I Won't Come Back Again", with its Hammond organ swells and what sounds like Mize's most inspired, desperate vocal.

Jim Mize at Fat Possum/Big Legal Mess Records

NEW SONG: White Fence covers Gram Parson's "Lazy Days"

The AV Club is running a series featuring bands covering pioneering artists associated with specific cities - the latest installation has to do with Los Angeles, and has psychedelic garage rockers White Fence playing Gram Parson's psychedelic country rock anthem "Lazy Days":



I'm a sucker for Gram covers - Dinosaur Jr's "Hot Burrito #2" is a gem, hidden as a bonus track on a 3-track single that came along with a 2006 re-release of Green Mind:



And the entirety of the tribute album Return of the Grievous Angel is a gold mine. This track reminds me of Wilco's take on "One Hundred Years From Now" - a tribute, sure, but not bogged down by reverence. It rocks hard.

Here's some background on how it came together:



Be on the lookout for a new White Fence album this summer.

AV Club Pioneering website

REVIEW: Collin Herring - Some Knives

There are a lot of Texas singer/songwriters, and some of them are pretty good. Then there are some that are sort of transcendent. Guys like Willie Nelson, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Joe Ely - and currently guys like Will Johnson and Rhett Miller. You get Texas in their sound, sure. Some well-placed pedal steel, a twang or cry in the voice, but there's more - you feel like everybody could get this, no matter where they live. I feel that way about Collin Herring now. His sound is distinctive: in his vocals I'm reminded of favorites like Steve Earle, Joseph Arthur, Ryan Adams, maybe Jeff Tweedy a little bit, and the playing calls to mind the lonesome guitar-centric country rock of Centro-matic and Jason Molina's Magnolia Electric Company.

Here's "Kicked Around":



That's Centro-matic's Matt Pence on drums and producing. That's Collin's dad, Ben Roi Herring on pedal steel. Herring plays the guitars and they brought in Jeremy Hull on bass. Herring, on their approach: "I like that the credits on this album are short. I like small groups. There was no 'that sounded good' and then re-recording it at a later date. We all just played our parts."

Here's "Psychopaths":



Herring has a way with a casual phrase, making his lyrics sound immediate, not labored-over - even though it's widely known what hard work good songwriting is, you get the sense that Herring is just throwing these things out there, because he's just that good. You know who else I used to feel that way about? Jackson Browne. And Herring reminds me of him, too.

Gosh, I hope I haven't oversold it. This album is terrific and it would be a shame if I overburdened the young man with expectations borne of my enthusiastic praise. Go check it out. Some Knives is out now (May 13).

Collin Herring website
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