If there is an artist that fits the Vodka mold pretty darned well, it is Alyssandra Nighswonger-a singer-songwriter with a nod to the odd. That is blissfully obvious on the lilting and lovely Pond Of Lilies that Alyssandra released as her Tiny Desk concert contest entry. It is a song that highlights both the lovely guitar and vocals of Alyssandra and a great horn accompaniment. The bio on Ms. Nighswonger’s website indicates a long-player that was scheduled for recording and release in 2015, but alas, all you will find is…
Read MoreCourtney Barnett is a brilliant indie-rocker that has appeared here many times in the past. In March 2015, she released her first full-length long-player, Sometimes I sit and think, and Sometimes I just sit, after several equally dazzling EP and single releases going back to 2012. We have highlighted all of those releases along the way. Nobody Really Cares If You Don’t Go To The Party is just one more example of the delightful rock that comes from the mind of…
Read MoreCharming Disaster, from songwriter/performers Ellia Bisker (of Sweet Soubrette) and Jeff Morris (of Kotorino), weave dark, often comedic, stories of love, death, crime, and more. Armed with ukulele (Ellia Bisker) and guitar (Jeff Morris) along with the dynamic force of their dueling vocals, the music that they make is both intriguing and accessible but still very different from the same old thing. On their debut long-player, Love, Crime and Other Trouble (February 2015), you’ll find a wealth of musical styles. There’s the straight-up pop fun of Ocean…
Read MoreOne part progressive, one part jazz-rock, one part garage, one part soul and mix. Out comes King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, a very prolific Australian band (Eight LPs since 2011). Professing to be a garage band, but they are really much more than that. This band is as much like Phish as anything else. Each track on their releases sounds like a live to tape copy. In other words, as close to being like a live performance as possible. Here on The River from…
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