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Horse Feathers – “Thistled Spring”Kill Rock Stars– out April 204 / 5 This folk/ Americana outfit from Portland, OR sways like grass in the breeze. With strings, banjo, and guitar, “Thistled Spring” evokes Iron and Wine’s smooth simplicity and emotiveness, eschewing distracting speed riffs and complicated structure in favor of a more straightforward approach. “The Drought” is simply gorgeous, with an ambling banjo and Justin Ringle’s aching vocals; “Starving Robins” brings a flowing, celestial guitar that explodes into uplifting violins. While just a step below Iron and Wine in terms of emotional power, Horse Feathers accomplishes much with very little, and for that reason, weRead More →

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Plants and Animals – “La La Land”Secret City Records-out April 20th3.5 / 5 It’s still buzzing in our brains, the absolutely breezy take-out single, “Kon Tiki.” With a summery, Caribbean bluster it gently sways and cools on the musical palate. And when the upbeat, bubbly pop of “The Mama Papa” hits, we’re definitely sold. The rest of the effort from this Montreal trio is strong indie-rock (vocals, guitar, nothing out of the ordinary), but cools a little more than necessary. Take “Swinging Bells” or “Game Shows;” both tracks lack only that special little sparkle or distinguishing mark that might keep it in your player monthsRead More →

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Nels Cline Singers – “Initiate”Cryptogramophone-out April 132 / 5 As the lead guitarist for Wilco, there’s the fear that some of the former’s style and sensibility might rub off and assimilate Nels Cline’s offshoot. Unfortunately, that is not the case here: Cline successfully breaks off from the Wilco tag with a 110% focus on extended jams and solos, making for the ultimate jam-fan album. Potentially. But “Initiate” often falls into those lukewarm, eccentric and nonsensical guitar mashings that produce less structure and more noodling, moreso than you can shake a Trey Anastasio at; “Floored,” the opener on the studio side of this double album, hitsRead More →

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Josiah Wolf – “Jet Lag”Anticon-out tomorrow3 / 5 Josiah Wolf of Oakland Bay’s indie outfit Why? has struck out on his own with his first solo album. Sonically, this album takes greatly after Jim O’Rourke’s solo albums, in vocal pitch, as well as in the unusual choice of lyrics (“The way we communicate makes me feel like a snake,” from “The New Car”). His strength here lies not in the hushed and somewhat warbled pitch of the vocals, but moreso in the lyrics and instrumental choice of bells, xylophone, wood block, etc. While the album is vibrant sonically speaking, it lacks a definable pull; eachRead More →