Category: 1/2/3/4

Rob Snarski is a storyteller, a velvet-voiced troubadour. Rob has toured the globe with The Blackeyed Susans and as a guest vocalist with The Triffids, he returns with a follow up to his debut solo album, Wounded Bird, with Sparrow and Swan. Yarns about Brisbane cab drivers, football players and their protégés and sightings of Robert Mitchum at Mitcham Station are just some of the wistful tales that lie within. Excellent. Plus the clever twisting post-punky pop of Pinch Points, Monteagle’s ethereal and dreamy reworking of a track from his last album and Lisa Caruso’s new single weilds a ’90s garage attitude with elements of surf and 60s flair.

Within the broad strokes of Americana music, Tracy McNeil & The GoodLife have refined their own palette, expanding on their distinctive alt-country roots, culminating in a body of work that many believe is the band’s finest to date. I can’t wait for their album due in October, You Be The Lightning. Until then, enjoy their new single, Not Like A Brother. As well this episode music from Holiday Ghosts, Cactus Blossoms and Drugdealer.

Artist, tinkerer, tunesmith, swamp Yankee, Matt Lorenz is a one-man salvage specialist singing into the hollow of a Dumpster guitar, slipping a broken bottleneck onto the slide finger, railing on a box of twisted forks and bones, rocking till every sound is ragged at its edges, till the house is singing back. He has a brand new collection of songs out very soon on the excellent Signature Sounds label. As well, the excellent new album from Rozi Plain that features a brilliant Sun Ra cover and Jordie Lane returns with a captivating new release.

After playing and writing in bands for over a decade, Darvid Thor (Cactus Channel/Frida/Karate Boogaloo) has released his solo debut album, ​I’m Never Really Here. These are songs recorded alone in his bedroom, that deal with loss and change, that sparkle and stutter with a woozy charm. As well the excellent new single from Lucy Roleff, a stunning ode to the music of Brazil from Claude Fontaine and introducing Astronaut Husband.

Kristen Lee Morris has built a career on writing, singing and playing guitar in a raw and soulful fashion. It is blues music at its core but with a freedom and range that also draws on country and folk styles. We’ll hear a stunning track from last year’s Hillbilly Blues release. Plus the Soul Movers are back with a punchy collection of new songs, uptempo rootsy pop from Rach Brennan and The Pines and storyteller/larrikin Wire Bluthe.

An excellent new selection of tunes for your ears from Mali to France and many stops in between. Featuring the excellent new album from The Cactus Blossoms, a Minneapolis-based blood harmony brother duo Page Burkum and Jack Torrey  a self-produced collection with special contributions from Dan Auerbach and renowned saxophonist Michael Lewis (Bon Iver, Andrew Bird).  Plus another couple of essential duos in Mandolin Orange and Those Pretty Wrongs.

Lots of great new releases to share, including the excellent debut full length from Lonely Stretch. This is the musical side-project of Matt Reiner who plays guitar in the psychedelic rock band from Adelaide called The Dunes. Lonely Stretch is a departure from the psych-fuzz-drone of The Dunes and provides a platform for Reiner to present his song writing and distinctive vocal style. The emphasis of the band is on simple song structures and melodies that echo a number of Australian underground acts including Ed Kuepper, The Triffids, The Go-Betweens, The Church and Chad’s Tree. As well, excellent new releases from And The Kids, Rozi Plain and Claire Anne Taylor.