Category: 1/2/3/4

Jay Clarkson is one of Aotearoa/New Zealand’s most singular songwriters, with a history that includes membership of The Playthings and The Expendables, both groups who released records with the legendary New Zealand label Flying Nun. Clarkson wrote and recorded Kindle after relocating from Christchurch to Dunedin in the mid ‘90s, it’s been lovingly reissued on the Rose Hobart imprint. Highly recommended.

Julie Doiron is back with I Thought Of You, her first solo record since 2012’s So Many Days, emanating a radiative force with nothing more than her guitar and her unmistakably indomitable voice. I fell in love with her music back with Eric’s Trip in the ’90s and have followed her career since. As well, stunning tracks from Karen Peris, BRNDA and much more.

Bringing you nine essential tunes, old and new that will bring some real life to your day. From Kraut-pop to blues to jazz to country noir. This is the way, step inside..

Pittsburgh haze pop ensemble Flower Crown are back with fantastic guitar album, Heat. Their latest album runs the gamut of emotions, featuring feelings of despondence, hope and even playful indifference — a reflection of the band members’ evolving relationships and changes in trajectory over the tumultuous last year and a half.

Lizzie Lieberson has just released her debut solo album, You Don’t Know, which marks a new beginning for the well known Brooklyn artist. For ten years she was a member of TEEN alongside her sisters, as Lizzie Loveless she ruminates on her past relationships and offers an optimistic reprieve for the future.

Ruminating on the risks of taking things for granted in our daily lives, Ian Felice, the lead singer/songwriter of The Felice Brothers, expresses how meaningful the experience of playing music with his band has been after long months of social distancing. From Dreams to Dust, their eighth and most recent studio album reveals a folk-Americana-rock-country band with deep roots in varied genres. The Felice Brothers are what Rolling Stone lauds as “musician’s musicians” and poets. This album is highly recommended.

Elsa Carmona made her first song when she was 7 years old. She was born in Barcelona and came to Stockholm in her early years. Constantly being surrounded by music while growing up made songwriting feel like a natural part of her life. Elsa writes mysterious but catchy songs about visceral emotions and genuine experiences. This is all on display on her new EP ‘Sacred Rebel’

More crate digging gold from the excellent Analog Africa label, this time with a focus on Cameroon. Yaoundé, in the 1970´s, was a buzzing place. Every neighbourhood of Cameroon´s capital, no matter how dodgy, was filled with music spots but surprisingly there were no infrastructure to immortalise those musical riches. The country suffered from a serious lack of proper recording facilities, and the process of committing your song to tape could become a whole adventure unto itself. Despite the myriad difficulties involved in the simple process of making and releasing a record, the musicians of Yaoundé’s underground music scene left behind an extraordinary legacy of raw grooves and magnificent tunes.

In this episode we feature some short sharp punchy indie rock, starting with Bad Bad Hats, a trio from Minneapolis, Minnesota. Their fourth album Walkman is chock full of memorable melodies and sweet harmonies. Essential listening!