Category: 1/2/3/4

They are by no means plastic stars! This episode features the debut album of Cash & Skye. They are a dreamy indie-pop duo blending nostalgic melodies, heartfelt lyrics, and intimate harmonies with cinematic flair. Plus a big dash of country. Highly Recommended. I also pay honour to late, great David Thomas.

We feature an exceptional record from Luther Russell, his first solo album since 2019’s “Medium Cool”. Happiness For Beginners features 10 jangled-out guitar driven love songs. It’s certainly a jangly dream that’s been delivered. Luther is one half of the duo Those Pretty Wrongs along with Jody Stephens /Big Star.. Highly Recommended.

In this special episode of 1234, I pay tribute to the musicians and producers who died in 2024.

The world of cult Canadian songwriter Jon McKiel is one in which butterflies rise from the daisy beds while distant wreaths of smoke vandalize the horizon. His songs are born of the bruised marshlands of remote New Brunswick, from the craggy shores of the Atlantic coast; places where nature is a powerful wonder and the made-world is in slow decay. His latest Hex, is a great listen.

Chime School ARE the boys who run the Paisley Hotel, their gorgeous jangling ’60s influenced chiming guitars create perfect pop sounds, following the footsteps of like East Village, The Go-Betweens, and The Loft. This will be one of my favourite records come years end, with melodies that stick in your head. Highly Recommended.

Habibi from New York have been mesmerising me for a while now, their new album “Dreamachine” blends dreamy melodies and rich harmonies, exploring themes of love and self-discovery through a captivating sonic journey. Top notch!

GRAMMY-nominated Orquesta Akokán continue to vibrantly usher the mambo into the 21st century and offer a glorious return to the iconic grooves of an era indelibly marked Cuba’s orquestas gigantes of the mid-twentieth century. The album’s fierce, effervescent grooves are designed to transmit feelings and emotions – This is music which inspires the body to move and the mind to uplift. Highly Recommended.

Hannah Mohan is a critically acclaimed musician. Making music has been at the center of Mohan’s life ever since, even as other circumstances have changed—sometimes radically. A long-term relationship crumbled in 2019. Then the pandemic arrived, bringing an end to her band. After writing a batch of new songs taking stock of her situation, Mohan asked Alex Toth of Rubblebucket and Tōth to produce them, the latest installment of a longtime friendship and occasional creative collaboration.

One of the great post-punk releases of 2024 comes from SF Bay area band Neutrals. There’s something VERY good in the water of that city with so many fantastic bands emerging and Slumberland yet again shows why it’s continuing to be one of the great labels. The trio channel a wide range of ’70s and ’80s DIY indiepop with terse angularity, but not skimping on melody or intimate storytelling. File under “scrappy Jam-meets-Television Personalties” and that’s totally fine by me. Great listening.

Johanna Samuels is an extraordinary songwriter, her lived experience and darkest moments seep deep into her compositions, which makes for powerful listening. Written in dark times while isolated, she was inspired by conversations with producer Josh Kaufman (The Hold Steady, Bob Weir, Cassandra Jenkins) and by deep friendships in the music community (her old friends in the band Bonny Light Horseman). The result is a sonic template that ranges from the soaring and orchestral to the understated and confessional; at turns free-wheeling and filled with swagger then sincere and precise, with each subtle movement serving to highlight Samuels’ lyrical journeys. A simply brilliant listen from start to finish.

Nick Lowe is something of a magician. He’s a brilliant producer, songwriter, performer and he returns with his first new album in over a decade for the Yep Roc label, Indoor Safari. Twelve songs of brand new originals, signature deep-cut covers and refitted versions of tracks previously released in nascent form as singles, representing a culmination of Lowe’s decade-long working relationship with those mysterious masked men and Yep Roc labelmates Los Straitjackets.

With each subsequent release from California three piece Sour Widows, I became more and more excited, I couldn’t wait for their debut album, it certainly hasn’t disappointed. “Revival of a Friend” evolves their beautiful sound and mountainous grief into a wonderful cathartic yet healing whole. Excellent musical dynamics with lyrics that unveil the spiritually purifying power of connection and love in the face of loss. Highly Recommended listening.