Tag: alternative country

Jeff Tweedy – Love Is the King / Live Is the King album cover

Album Review: Jeff Tweedy (Love Is the King/Live Is The King) – dBpm Records

Reviewed by Harry Kaplan

I just found out about this album yesterday. How this slipped through my radar is inexplicable. I’ll blame it on COVID and move on. I started playing the tracks on Bandcamp and it was love at first listen. Stripped down, raw, and vulnerable. This is when Jeff Tweedy is at his best. It really reminds me of the Yankee Hotel Foxtrot Demos. It has that same feel. The power is in the restraint.

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Brother Townshend Heavy Hands album cover

Album Review: Brother Townsend (Heavy Hands)

Reviewed by Harry Kaplan

Four songs and the release clocks in at 24 minutes. Having four rather long songs is quite an undertaking, but Brother Townsend rises to the occasion. An unconventional melding of blues, pop, rock, cosmic country, and psychedelia is the signature of this release. What it may give up in quantity, it more than makes up for in quality. All four songs are expertly crafted. Discipline is also the operative word here. While the album is entitled “Heavy Hands,” the production, mixing, and engineering is surprisingly light and ambient. Lots of open space to let the listener reflect on the music without being overwhelmed with production gimmicks. All the instrumentation is spot on and the fills, while sometimes understated, are all in the right place at the right time. It is hard to keep a listener engaged for six-plus minutes of a song but Brother Townsend executes perfectly.

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Album cover for Funerals for Fun by Alex Blum and the Roadside Quartet, featuring a white ghost standing on a two-lane road

Alex Blum and the Roadside Quartet: Funerals For Fun – Album Review

Reviewed by Harry Kaplan

Joe DiMaggio had a 56-game hitting streak, Orel Hershiser pitched 59 consecutive scoreless innings, and the UCLA men’s basketball team won 88 consecutive games between 1971 and 1974. Added to the list is Patrick Storedahl with at least 12 great releases in a row that he was either the lead or a contributor. That is significant and you can add Funerals For Fun to the list. Astoundingly good writing, vocals, musicianship, and production is the hallmark of this release. I keep waiting for one Storedahl release that maybe isn’t quite as good as the others, but it hasn’t happened yet.

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molly BANG – She Caught My Fancy album cover

molly BANG: She Caught My Fancy (A Country-ish Tribute to Ween) – Album Review

Reviewed by Harry Kaplan

This is what the band wrote about themselves on their Bandcamp page: “We’ve been booed. We’ve been banned from establishments. We’ve emptied entire venues by the end of our first song. We are the worst band in Portland… ” In the words of Nurse Ratchet, “Those are some very challenging observations you made, Randall.” And indeed, they are. Worst band in Portland, which could mean worst overall worldwide? Nahhh. They’re actually pretty good. If you like a side dish of weirdness with your music, this is very enjoyable. After all, this is a country tribute to Ween, who were pretty “out there” musically in their own rights. If however, your idea of a good mix tape includes Achy Breaky Heart, Livin’ La Vida Loca, Macarena, and Who Let The Dogs Out?, this is a hard pass.

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Dry Lightning – Bathymetry album cover

Dry Lightning: Bathymetry Album Review

Reviewed by Harry Kaplan

There are a few certainties in life: death, taxes, and if Patrick Storedahl is working on a musical project, it’s going to be great. Whether it’s solo work or collaborations, they are all top-notch. His latest project, Dry Lightning, is no different. I’m absolutely dumbfounded by how infectious and just flat-out beautiful this album is. Kate Masterson, the lead vocalist, has an amazing voice that is major label worthy. That’s no exaggeration. Kate wrote or co-wrote, with Patrick Storedahl, all of the songs on this release. All songs are crafted with the utmost precision. Many genres are represented on Bathymetry, from country to rock, rhythm and blues, and 90’s alternative, which creates a rich tapestry of sound.

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It may have started from a whisper but this release is so damn good I want to shout about it from the rooftop! It has been a long while since my last review so I wanted to start off with something special and something great. Check, check. This is both of those things. I don’t know a lot about Shippee but what I do know is that he is an artist from Northern Minnesota and music is only a part time endeavor. Other than that, I know very little so that is a good opportunity to just focus on the music.

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Jason Isbell Reunions album cover

Reviewed by Mae Hunt

Listening to Jason Isbell’s Reunions will inevitably leave you feeling nostalgic, but with an urge to rock out nonetheless. Backed by his band, the 400 Unit, the 10-track album mirrors Isbell’s own personal challenges while providing listeners with meticulously produced country rock music. Isbell has won four Grammys (out of four nominations!) and two UK Americana awards (out of two nominations!) – so the success of Reunions does not surprise me. Nonetheless, the Alabama singer has struck gold yet again on his seventh album. 

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