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The Oh Hellos – Dear WormwoodElektra– out now4.5 / 5 We’ve anticipated this follow-up to 2012’s bright folksome Through the Deep, Dark Valley for far, far too long – since Newport ’14. On their sophomore full-length, these southern Texans have put us in the awkward position of having to promote their first LP above their follow-up; and yet, if this is that supposed “sophomore slump” that so many bands seem to go through… then only “wow” can be said of it. If it weren’t for Dark Valley, which we’d give a more than solid 5 of 5 (the third in our 6 years of blogging),Read More →

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Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats – Self-TitledStax Records– out now4 / 5 We caught him at the Newport Folk Fest nigh two months ago, and this grimy, (night) sweaty fellow showed us how to boogie your tired soul out. The Herman, MO-born Rateliff is indeed soulful, smoking, burning on his self-titled Stax debut, his fourth full-length. If you haven’t heard “S.O.B” on the radio, humming in the bar, in the bottom of that bottle, then maybe you should sober up and clean your ears out. Seemingly his anthem, Rateliff’s strength here, and on this album, is the grit he blows through his lyrics. TheRead More →

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On an On – And the Wave Has Two SidesRoll Call Records– out now3 / 5 Minneapolis trio On an On comes back to our blog with their sophomore release, and we’re going to say they’re getting better. A pastiche of pop and electronica, the Minnesotans have refined their sound, honed it to where it hits directly, no frou-frou, just click on the dance switch and let it jam. But while we appreciate the effort, and there are certainly highs to the album, we’re going to say that And the Wave Has Two Sides isn’t as deep as it seems: despite a few singles, andRead More →

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Talk in Tongues – Alone with a FriendFairfax Recordings-out tomorrow3 / 5 We’re going to have to admit something: we’re a bit stumped when it comes to reviewing the L.A. quartet’s debut LP. Alone with a Friend is one of those psych-rock albums that is put together well, that is overall pretty good, that definitely has some singles in it, that… Still merits only 3 stars from us. Here’s why. We’ve had this album on our listening shelf for almost a month. Ultimately, we spun it up only about four or five times in that length of time, and we’re still feeling a bit onRead More →