While not the most prolific of bands – they are releasing their fourth album in a 31=year career – New York Post-Hardcore trio Quicksand has certainly left their mark. The original trio’s members had their roots in the NY Hardcore scene: Walter Schreifels (guitar/vocals) was originally a member of Gorilla Biscuits and Youth of Today; Tom Capone (guitar) was a member of the groups Beyond and Bold; Alan Cage (drums) was in Burn and played in Beyond with Capone; and Sergio Vega (bass) was involved with both Collapse and Absolution. With a pedigree like that, Quicksand was essentially a Hardcore supergroup. The band moved swiftly, releasing their debut EP six weeks after their formation. After critical acclaim and touring with many high-profile HC and Metal bands such as Rage Against the Machine, Fugazi, Helmet, and White Zombie, Quicksand signed with Polydor. Their debut album SLIP was released in 1993. Two years later, they released their successful sophomore album MANIC COMPRESSION. However, after constant touring and dealing with internal tension and external pressure, the band split at the height of their success.
Two years later, rumors of a Quicksand reunion began to circulate around the globe. That reunion didn’t officially happen until 1998. The band played a handful of live show and laid tracks down for what was to be their third album. Sadly, the band split up again and those studio recordings were shelved. The various members went back to working on other musical projects but, unbeknownst to them, Quicksand would arise again. Over 12 years later, the members of Quicksand played their first show together, surprising their legion of fans and igniting speculation about new music and so much more. After playing numerous live shows, a tour, and a lot of teasing, Quicksand finally released their third album, INTERIORS, in 2017. While touring to promote the album, guitarist Tom Capone was arrested for shoplifting and resisting arrest. He left the tour, never to return to the band, and Quicksand continued as a trio. Like all things with Quicksand, their future was always clouded in mystery. Would they record and tour again?
In April 2021, the trio answered that question with the release of the brand-new song “Inversion”. Two months later, another new track – “Missile Command” – was unleashed, which signaled the release of the group’s highly anticipated fourth album, DISTANT POPULATIONS. Three decades into their career, the group still manages to sound fresh and unique, painting their wall of guitar post-Hardcore sound with proper catchy melodies and pure emotion. The two previously mentioned songs serve as perfect gateway tracks to the album, which reveals even more emotional layers to their sonic palette. Other highlights include “Lightning Field”, “The Philosopher”, “Rodan”, and “Compacted Reality”. On “Brushed”, the band reveals a softer side which is no less powerful than their shimmering and bombastic guitar attack throughout the rest of the album. Call it Post-Hardcore or ‘Shoegaze with an Attitude’, DISTANT POPULATIONS is both familiar and fresh, sounding comforting, frightening, and celebratory at the same time.
Liverpool looms large in Rock history. In fact, the city changed the musical landscape forever back in February 1964 when four mop-topped Liverpudlian lads appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show. From that moment onwards, Liverpool went from being just another city in England to becoming the birthplace of the new British invasion. Suddenly, fellow Liverpool acts Gerry & The Pacemakers, the Searchers, Billy J. Kramer & the Dakotas, Freddie & The Dreamers and many other groups were thrust into the limelight. From that point forwards, new groups emerged from this magical city every few years, almost as if there was something magical in the water. In the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, another British Invasion emerged and many of the bands were from – you guessed it – Liverpool! From Yachts, Deaf School, Echo & The Bunnymen, and the Teardrop Explodes to the Icicle Works, OMD, China Crisis, and Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Liverpool remained the center of the musical universe. The city remained ‘ground zero’ for Rock ‘n’ Roll with the emergence of other bands such as the La’s, the Christians, the Lightning Seeds, and Carcass. Wait… what? Carcass?
Emerging from Liverpool in 1986, Extreme Metal band Carcass is proof that the city is more than a breeding ground for Pop-oriented combos and heavenly harmonies. One must remember that every ray of sunshine creates numerous shadows, and the members of Carcass spent many years living amongst those shadows. Now acknowledged as pioneers of the Goregrind genre, the band has also tapped into other genres including Death Metal, Grindcore, and Melodic Death Metal. With albums such as REEK OF PUTREFACTION (1988), SYMPHONIES OF SICKNESS (1989), HEARTWORK (1993) and SWANSONG (1996), the band solidified its reputation as one of the most brutal bands on the Metal landscape. However, the band split up in 1996 and the Extreme Metal genre lost one of its most brutal bands. Luckily, guitarist Bill Steer and bassist/vocalist Jeff Walker reformed Carcass in 2007, reigniting the music scene and taking their sound to a new level. The band’s first album since they reunited was 2013’s SURGICAL STEEL, a solid return for a band that has become legendary.
Eight years later, the next chapter of Carcass’ story has emerged. Although the wait has been long, the brain-crisping blast of Carcass’ 2021 album TORN ARTERIES shows that the band has lost none of its original charm… er… harm. This is not ‘easy listening’, folks. Carcass’ music has always been confrontational and powerful, disarming and brutal… and that’s just their soft side! Fans have already feasted upon three of the album’s tracks – “Dance of the Ixtab (Psychopomp & Circumstance March No. 1)”, “Under the Scalpel Blade”, and “Kelly’s Meat Emporium” – and anticipation is at an all-time high for TORN ARTERIES. The album reminds us that the band is not without a sense of humor, referencing one of the Beatles classic songs in their own song title “Eleanor Rigor Mortis”. On TORN ARTERIES, the band is technically tight yet there is still a dark and menacing atmosphere that slithers in between the notes, threatening to tear everything down to its (grind)core at a moments notice. And that is what makes Carcass still sound dangerous and not the type of folks you want to meet in the dark recesses of the Cavern Club. And isn’t that the way it should be?
Founded in Duluth, Minnesota in 1993, Low has become one of the most respected bands in indie rock. Formed by guitarist/vocalist Alan Sparhawk and drummer/vocalist Mimi Parker, the band has featured several bassists in their line-up over the course of their career including founding bassist John Nichols (1993-1994) who was then succeeded by Zak Sally (1994-2005), Matt Livingston (2005-2008), and Steve Garrington (2008-2020). While Low’s standard guitar-bass-drum line-up might lead the uninitiated to believe that Low play formulaic indie rock, the band’s sound is far from standard and formulaic. The sounds that they create from these ‘average’ instruments are other-worldly. At times, their sound is dark and dangerous, but once you immerse yourself into the Low musical universe, their soundscapes suddenly become haunting and beautiful. Low is a band that is hard to classify, which has always made them unique and special.
For their legions of fans, each Low release is eagerly awaited and lovingly embraced like a gift from the heavens. Since their 1994 debut album, I COULD LIVE IN HOPE, Low has continually explored music that exists in the ‘ether’ – this is not necessarily music that belongs to the earth or the sky. The group has expanded their musical pallet over the years, inventing new sounds and adding more emotional depth to the music. They’ve released a series of critically acclaimed albums including THE CURTAIN HITS THE CAST (1996), SECRET NAME (1999), THE GREAT DESTROYER (2005), THE INVISIBLE WAY (2013, ONES AND SIXES (2015), and DOUBLE NEGATIVE (2018). They’ve also released 24 singles, nearly a dozen EPs, three live albums, and have contributed songs to more than 20 different compilations. And this is not even mentioning the group members’ side projects…
While Low has taken breaks in between albums, they’ve never gone away. However, each album packs the emotional punch of a ‘triumphant comeback’… and their 2021 album HEY WHAT is no exception. Three years since the release of their last album, this release conveys all the emotions that we have experienced since 2018. Their haunting sound may be laced at times with fear and sadness, there is also plenty of triumph and hope. When Sparhawk and Parker harmonize, they add the warmth of humanity, which take these songs to a new level. Songs like “Days Like This”, “More”, “Disappearing”, and “White Horses” have already enchanted their fans, old and new, and the rest of the album is just as engaging and riveting. Like previous Low albums, there are many layers to HEY WHAT that will be discovered over repeated listenings, which makes this a must-have for anyone looking for music that hits your emotions before it hits your ears.
NICK LOWE: In the case of THE CONVINCER, I think that’s probably my favorite of my records. I don’t think any of them are tremendously good, because if you’re the person who made the record, you just always think there’s something wrong with it. You can’t help those feelings. I must say, I don’t see any of my records as jewels that I can get out and pat myself on the back as I marvel at their awesomeness. [laughs]
STEPHEN SCHNEE: You’ve been classified as a Pub Rocker, a New Wave artist, a Power Pop legend, and an iconic producer thanks to the many projects you’ve been involved with over the years. Did you feel comfortable with critics attempting to pigeonhole you? And how would you classify Nick Lowe?
NICK LOWE: I certainly appreciate being classified at all! I know it’s a bit difficult to put me into a pigeonhole and I’m rather pleased about that. I’ve spent quite a lot of time deliberately trying to make myself as unclassifiable as possible whilst writing and playing music which is accessible. I’m not trying to reinvent the wheel, I deal in tried and tested formulas for pop songwriting. I can understand that it’s difficult to put me in a bag because I’ve been all of the people you’ve just mentioned, and I say let them continue if they’d like to.
STEPHEN SCHNEE: While you are well-known for songs like “So It Goes” and “Cruel To Be Kind”, there seemed to be a big change in your songwriting, possibly beginning with 1994’s THE IMPOSSIBLE BIRD but more evident on 1998’s DIG MY MOOD. It seemed that you had been chasing the song and the sound in your early days but you discovered and embraced your honest and true ‘voice’ in the 1990s. Ever since then, nearly every song you’ve written is a new Pop or Country standard just waiting to be discovered and adored by the masses. Did you purposely make a change in the way you wrote and recorded, or was it purely organic?
NICK LOWE: I consciously sought a new way to write and produce for myself in the late eighties. Elvis Costello persuaded me to start doing solo shows with an acoustic guitar, and that had a great bearing on my efforts because I’d found that up until then I was more interested in making records. There is a subtle difference since in the past I’d be writing for records, which is different from writing for a song. Prior to that I’d go into the studio with a sketchy idea and build it up. Occasionally you’d get lucky with a song that you weren’t sure how it would go when you stepped into the studio. After I started doing solo shows I learnt that, oh boy, do you want to make sure that the songs you’re singing with an acoustic guitar really stand up. You really want to have the song working on all cylinders and you get maximum bang for your buck. All of that had a bearing on how I changed my act in the nineties.
STEPHEN SCHNEE: Do you ever see yourself writing another straightforward Pop song like “Surrender to the Rhythm”, “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding”, “So It Goes” or “Cruel to be Kind” again? Or have you moved on from that frame of mind?
NICK LOWE: I think I sort of still write songs like that. I’ve always thought of myself as a sort of Tin Pan Alley or ‘Songs for Sale’ type of guy. I don’t really think of myself as an artist with some point-of-view to put across that I’m looking for people to agree with. I really do write jingles, that’s how I see it. You’re always looking for something catchy, and now that I’m in my seventies, I’ve become quite picky about what I think is any good because I’ve heard quite a lot of it all before. I can be fiddling around home with a song idea and then think to myself, “Oh come on, really? Give me a break!” I’m always looking for something catchy and all of the songs you mentioned are indeed catchy pop songs. And even “Peace, Love and Understanding,” which has become something of an anthem, is one of the most earnest songs I’ve ever written. None of them have caught on like that one did, probably due to Elvis Costello’s fantastic cover of it. In the end I’m always looking for something catchy.
STEPHEN SCHNEE: 2001’s THE CONVINCER is a stunning release filled with songs that sound like they’ve been around for decades yet are still fresh and exciting. And very timeless. Even the three cover versions – including “Poor Side of Town” – pale in comparison to your own originals. What inspired that set of songs? And how do you feel they stand up two decades later?
NICK LOWE: By the time we got to THE CONVINCER, we’d done two albums prior to that with the same modus operandi: familiarize the musicians with the songs and then record them live, as if you were making a jazz record. It was very good fun making records in that way. THE CONVINCER just seemed to chime. That’s when we got it overall right. The tunes were of a good enough quality and the assembled musicians made it work at its best.
STEPHEN SCHNEE: You worked with a small core band on the album including Geraint Watkins, Robert Treherne (AKA Bobby Irwin from the Sinceros/Noise to Go/Cowboy Outfit), and Steve Donnelly. Did you rehearse the songs many times with them, or did you prefer to just approach the songs as fresh and loose as possible?
NICK LOWE: A bit of both really. We wanted to try and capture something unique about the performance. We did some extensive work in the editing stage, where we’d record five takes of each song where one was the master take. If there was a part of the master take that lost time or was out of tune, instead of recording the offending part again, we’d just find a good bit in another one of the takes and edit that part in. Some of them were one take, but usually it was the bridge from here, the intro from there. It’s old-fashioned record-making like how Frank Sinatra used to record.
STEPHEN SCHNEE: Ten years later came THE OLD MAGIC (2011). Working with the same core band, you also added a lot of guests including Jimmy Vaughan, Kate St. John (Dream Academy), your former bandmate Paul Carrack, and many others. Was it a conscious effort to make this a different type of listening experience than THE CONVINCER and 2007’s AT MY AGE?
NICK LOWE: I suppose so, but it was more an excuse to get my pals on the record because it’s a thrill to hear someone who you really like make a contribution to your record. There was no other reason really, just to broaden the palette a bit.
STEPHEN SCHNEE: THE OLD MAGIC is another timeless classic. It could have existed at any point in the last 60 years, yet it is distinctly a modern Nick Lowe album. These days, some might classify it as Americana… but there’s that ‘pigeon-hole’ problem again. Like later-period Jonathan Richman, THE OLD MAGIC is a warm and intimate album… and very honest. Are most of the songs on the album written from experience or do you tend to write from an observational angle?
NICK LOWE: I tend to write like a pop songwriter. I don’t have a desire to explain my life to my audience, per se. I generally invent a character in these situations and tell the story through that character. I’m very keen on slightly hapless characters that do their best but fail miserably. That’s a recurring theme throughout my work. They’re not a bad person, but very stupid and get kicked around a bit. Those are the characters that I’m interested in. It’s not my diary, but I know what it feels like to be jerked around, to have loved and then lost, to be greedy and caught in a lie, I know all of these feelings. I can dig into them and make the characters in my songs dance to the tunes.
STEPHEN SCHNEE: Looking back at your career, do you think that you are a better songwriter today?
NICK LOWE: In some ways, yes. You become more and more of a craftsman over time. I try to stay relevant for my audience and not be some conduit for them to relive their past. I know a lot of people have to reenact the time they were popular and squeeze themselves into tight leather trousers. I’ve tried not to do that. It is a shame that the older you get you lose that youthful urge to tell people stuff, which is replaced in older age with a bit more chin-stroking and consideration. That youthful urge makes it a bit harder to listen to my earlier recordings, but that’s what people fall in love with, the youthful innocence of it all.
STEPHEN SCHNEE: “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding”. Does it surprise you that this song is even more relevant today than it was when you wrote it?
NICK LOWE: It does. When I wrote it, I thought it was the first original idea I had. I’d been writing songs for two or three years, but up to that point I’d just been copying my heroes. That day I woke up and had that idea for “Peace, Love and Understanding” and I thought it was a bit of a mouthful, but it was a good idea that would have a limited shelf life. How could you have any idea that it would be the most covered of all my songs?
Born in London, England in February 1994, rapper, singer, and actress Simbiatu Abisola Abiola Ajikawo is better known by her stage name Little Simz. Born to Nigerian parents, Little Simz attended Highbury Fields School in London before attending St Mary’s Youth Club in Upper Street, Islington. After studying at Westminster Kingsway College, she chose to pursue a career in music. Her first steps towards her successful hip-hop career began in 2010 when she released her debut mixtape, STRATOSPHERE. That well-received release was followed by several more mixtapes including STRATOSPHERE 2 (2011), XY.ZED (2013), and BLANK CANVAS (2013). With interest in her music at high, she set up her own label, Age 101 Music, and released a series of EPs including E.D.G.E. (2014) plus DROP 1, DROP 2, and DROP 3, all released in 2014. The following year began with the release with of a few more EPs but ended with a bang…
In September 2015, Little Simz released her debut album A CURIOUS TALE OF TRIALS + PERSONS, which entered the UK’s R&B Albums chart at #20. The album’s popularity stretched outside the R&B/Soul/Hip-Hop community and the album also entered the Independent Albums chart at #43. Little Simz followed that album in late 2016 with STILLNESS IN WONDERLAND, another critical success. However, her third album, GREY AREA (2019), was her commercial breakthrough. Winning the Best Album honors at both the Ivor Novello and NME Awards, the album was also nominated for a Mercury Prize. Many fellow musicians – including Jay-Z, Damon Albarn, and Kendrick Lamar – began to sing her praises, raising her commercial profile even higher. Singles such as “Offence”, “Boss”, and “Selfish” (featuring Cleo Sol) introduced Little Simz to a new audience while also exciting her existing fanbase.
Now, 18 months after the release of GREY AREA. Little Simz returns with SOMETIMES I MIGHT BE INTROVERT. Including the singles “Introvert”, “Woman” (featuring Cleo Sol), “Rollin’ Stone”, “I Love You, I Hate You”, and “Point and Kill” (featuring Obongjayar), the album blends modern hip-hop and electronica with a pure understanding of soul and R&B music. While her raps are riveting, the power of Little Simz’s musical arrangements lie within the soaring and melodic sung choruses and the swirling keyboards. The hip-hop beats may help Little Simz tell her stories, but the huge walls of melodies pick the listener up and gently cradles them, unveiling the depths of the music while also providing comfort and calm. In many ways, the verses – and her lyrics – spell out the uncertainty of the times but those massive hooks come in and provide hope and reassurance. Which makes SOMETIMES I MIGHT BE INTROVERT an album that a lot of people should be able to connect with. And judging by critics and social media, this is an album that is definitely doing just that.
Formed in Glasgow, Scotland in 2011 by vocalist Laureen Mayberry and multi-instrumentalists Iain Cook and Martin Doherty, Chvrches has become one of the most celebrated electronic/synthpop groups in modern music. However, the origins of the band began eight years earlier when Cook and Doherty met while they both attended the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow. While they weren’t initially bandmates – Cook was brought in to produce Doherty’s band – they discovered that they had similar musical interests and a desire to create something new and unique. The duo worked on various projects – together and apart – but were never fully satisfied with the music and bands that they were involved with. Jaded with the direction that alternative music was headed, the duo decided to start their own group. Cook was producing the band Blue Sky Archives and asked vocalist and drummer Laureen Mayberry if she’d like to sing on some tracks by his new electronic/synth band. She agreed and Chvrches was born.
In early 2013, the trio released their debut EP, RECOVER. The band became the talk of the town and appealed to both the music press and the general public alike. Four months later, they released another EP – titled EP – which was followed later that year by their debut album THE BONES OF WHAT YOU BELIEVE. Chvrches became press darlings, and the album was a commercial success. The group, who had only begun performing live a year before, began a world tour that also included television appearances. It took two years before the band issued their second album EVERY OPEN EYE (2015). Again, the album was greeted with critical acclaim and commercial success. The band continued to build their audience, releasing their third album, LOVE IS DEAD, in 2018. Things continued to move forward with the band as the prepared material for their fourth album. The trio worked on their fourth album in two different countries – Doherty and Mayberry in Los Angeles and Cook in Glasgow – during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. After releasing the album’s first single “He Said She Said”, the band officially unveiled their fourth album…
SCREEN VIOLENCE continues where LOVE IS DEAD left off without following in its footsteps. It is a continuation of the bands evolution without copying its every move. With a sound that is both slick and scary, Chvrches mix their synthpop-influenced sound with modern electronica, all wrapped up in the latest production techniques. And their ‘80s roots are showing thanks to a guest vocal from The Cure’s Robert Smith on the album’s second single “How Not to Drown”. The album’s third single, “Good Girls”, is the most immediate and radio friendly track off the album, although the other tracks are not far behind. “Lullabies”, “Nightmares”, “California” and “Final Girl” offer up different musical vibes than the previously mentioned singles, but they are all joined together by that classic Chvrches sound. With heavy beats, hook-filled melodies and synthesizers that reveal different atmospheres as the songs progress, SCREEN VIOLENCE will appeal to longtime fans and new listeners alike. It is modern without lacking emotion and it is retro without sounding like a retread of the ‘80s. SCREEN VIOLENCE is exactly what you want it to be… and more. Explore it over and over again and experience something new each time.
Animated projects aimed at adult audiences have been around since the 1930s when LOONEY TUNES cartoons played in movie theaters all over the country. While children have embraced all the characters in the decades since they were first appeared on screen, many of original ‘messages’ in the cartoons were aimed at an older audience. And while they are now aimed at a much younger audience, when THE FLINTSTONES first aired in 1960, it was in Prime Time and aimed at an older audience. There are many other examples over the years, but not many made as much of an impact as THE FLINTSTONES. The 1989 premiere of THE SIMPSONS changed the animation game forever. Things really started heating up in the early 1990s when REN & STIMPY debuted on Nickelodeon in 1991. And let’s not forget BEAVIS & BUTTHEAD, which debuted in 1993 on MTV. Ever since then, adult-oriented animated series have become enormously popular: THE KING OF THE HILL, SOUTH PARK, FAMILY GUY, AMERICAN DAD, RICK AND MORTY, FUTURAMA, the updated SPACE GHOST, and many others.
One of the most popular animated series over the last 10 years is BOB’S BURGERS. Created by Loren Bouchard, the show premiered in January 2011 and was an immediate hit. While the show’s overall focus is on family, it revolves around a burger joint run by the family. In just 10 years, the Emmy-winning show has spawned a merchandising franchise which includes action figures, comic books, board games, puzzles, stickers, books, apparel, and so many other collectable items. In essence, the show has become a phenomenon. BOB’S BURGERS has been named one of the 60 Greatest TV Cartoons of All Time by TV Guide. In 2017, Sub Pop Records released THE BOB’S BURGERS MUSIC ALBUM, which featured music from the first six seasons of the TV series. The album was remarkably successful, proving that the show has not lost any steam… and that they’ve got a team of writers creating original songs that have remained ear worms for years.
The long-awaited follow-up album, THE BOB’S BURGERS MUSIC ALBUM VOL. 2, has now arrived and it does not disappoint. Available on two CDs or three vinyl LPs, this release contains 90 tracks pulled from seasons 7, 8, and 9 of BOB’S BURGERS and is remarkably varied. From Broadway musical-influenced songs to Disco, Melodic Rock, Pop and other genres, the songs are perfect musical parodies. The songs will remind fans of some of their favorite moments from the TV series yet many of the songs do stand up on their own if you’ve never seen the show. It is always recommended to catch an episode or 50 to become familiar to the characters on the album, voiced by H. Jon Benjamin, John Roberts, Dan Mintz, Eugene Mirman and Kristen Schaal. On THE BOB’S BURGERS MUSIC ALBUM VOL. 2, you’ll also be able to catch performances by Adam Driver, Tiffany Haddish, Jenny Slate, Daveed Diggs, Max Greenfield, Toddrick Hall, Aparna Nancherla, and Matt Berninger (of the National). A perfect release for fans of the show and of quality music, comedy or otherwise.
Born in Hexham, England in 1997, Jade Bird is a British singer, songwriter, and musician. While her music isn’t defined by a specific genre, she has been labeled by several critics as Americana and indie Folk. With many different influences infiltrating her sound, she has also been embraced by fans of Alternative, Country, and Pop music. In the tradition of classic Folk music, Jade Bird is not just a songwriter, she is also a storyteller. The child of a broken home, she began writing songs at a young age. During her last year attending BRIT School (a performing arts and technology school located in Croydon), she recorded a demo, which led to a management deal and then, in 2017, a label deal with Glassnote Records. At just 20 years old, Jade Bird was on her way to becoming one of the UK’s most celebrated singer/songwriters.
Her first EP, SOMETHING AMERICAN, was released in 2017 and garnered her critical praise and, most importantly, introduced her to a larger audience. By the time of her 2018 single, “Lottery”, her popularity had traveled outside of the UK. The single became a big hit in the U.S., reaching the #1 spot on the Adult Alternative Airplay chart and #34 on the Adult Top 40 Airplay chart. Jade Bird’s self-titled debut album was released in April 2019. The album hit #10 on the album charts in the UK and Scotland while sailing to #1 on the UK’s Americana chart. In the U.S., the JADE BIRD album rose to #1 on Billboard’s Heatseekers chart and #14 on the Folk Albums chart. The album also included the hit singles “Uh Huh” and “I Get No Joy”. In 2020, while the world came to a crawl under the COVID-19 pandemic, Jade Bird offered so many people hope with the release of post-debut album singles “Headstart” and “Houdini”.
Now, with the release of her second album, DIFFERENT KINDS OF LIGHT, Jade Bird has added more layers to her sound, making it much harder to pigeonhole her talents. And that, readers, is a good thing. On this sophomore album, she embraces the edgier Britpop influences of her youth while also maintaining control over all the musical elements that brought her international recognition. With songs that still speak to the head and heart, DIFFERENT KINDS OF LIGHT like the precocious younger sibling to the JADE BIRD album. Tracks like “Open Up the Heavens”, “Honeymoon”, “Houdini”, “Candidate”, “Headstart” (not on the vinyl edition) and “1994” are muscular and tough but not necessarily worlds away from her debut album – they still retain the charm of her debut album without sounding as innocent. Her gentle side is reflected in songs such as “Prototype” and “Red, White and Blue”, while other tracks fall somewhere between the old and the new. DIFFERENT KINDS OF LIGHT is an album of growth, and album of strength, and, in many ways, a beacon of hope.
Founded in 2001 by Scott Robinson and Dan Herrington, Dualtone Records is a Nashville, Tennessee-based label that has released over 200 albums and earned more than 12 million sales in the process. With 16 Grammy Award nominations (and a total of four wins… so far), the label has proven that it is not your average independent record company. Dualtone has continued to be one of the most respected and successful labels in the folk and Americana music universe. In fact, their popularity extends into other genres as well, attracting lovers of indie rock, country music, and alternative. Like a trademark of quality, the name Dualtone means that no matter which release you purchase from them, you’re sure to encounter something special. And while the pandemic has wreaked havoc across the U.S. (and the world), people are turning to music for comfort and hope… and Dualtone’s catalog features many releases that
Since their inception 20 years ago, Dualtone Records has issued releases by classic folk, country, indie, and American artists that are as diverse as they are exciting. And the variety of artists that they’ve released is pretty impressive: Thad Cockrell, Langhorne Slim, Guy Clark, Brett Dennen, Shovels and Rope, Hayseed Dixie, Radney Foster, Roy Acuff, Darden Smith, David Ball, the Silos, the Reivers, McBride & the Ride, Townes Van Zandt, Victoria Williams, June Carter Cash, Mark Olson, Mt. Joy, Jim Lauderdale, Warren Zanes, Norman & Nancy Blake, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Cowboy Jack Clement, Chely Wright, Bobby Bare, BR549, the Greencards, and many others. One of their most recent high-profile acts is Grammy-nominated folk rock group, The Lumineers. Dualtone Records is a label with their finger on the pulse of what people need in their lives. It doesn’t hurt that their releases are critically acclaimed and commercially successful!
To celebrate their 20th Anniversary, Dualtone has released AMERIKINDA: 20 YEARS OF DUALTONE, a collection that features current and former artists from the label’s roster covering each other’s songs. From Wild Child’s cover of Guy Clark’s “My Favorite Picture of You” to David Ball’s “Riding with Private Malone” by Radney Foster (formerly of Foster & Lloyd), AMERIKINDA is a warm, intimate stroll through the dusty roads of Americana, complete with emotion, honesty, and compassion. Artists like the Lumineers, Gregory Alan Isakov, Drew & Ellie Holcomb, the Lone Bellow, Shakey Graves, Ivan & Alyosha, and Shovels & Rope tackle songs by Oh Pep!, June Carter Cash. Langhorne Slim, and others. The songs – old and new – sound familiar even if you’ve never heard them before. In order to prove that there is still a lot of camaraderie on the label, the Lumineers and Gregory Alan Isakov cover each other’s songs. AMERIKINDA is most certainly something to help guide the listener through today’s trying times.
Soul, retro-soul, contemporary R&B… It really doesn’t matter how you prefer to classify Durand Jones & The Indications. What matters is that Durand and Co. are one of the hottest bands in contemporary music. From critical acclaim to commercial sales, the group goes from strength to strength, gaining new fans with every studio release and live performance. Through hard work, perseverance, and an abundance of talent, they’ve become the new sound of soul music. With a love of the soul music they grew up listening to, Durand Jones & The Indications have embraced the vast possibilities that modern music and technology have given them and they’ve turned these inspirations into something uniquely their own. Add huge dollops of passion and emotion and you’ve got a group that keeps moving forward without sacrificing the true soul that inspired them in the first place.
Formed in 2012 in Bloomington, Indiana, Durand and the band spent the next two years writing and recording their self-titled debut album, which was finally issued in 2016. The band’s members briefly set the band aside in order to pursue other interests. However, thanks to support from a growing legion of fans (including a large portion of the Chicano lowrider community), the band reconvened and toured in 2017. The following year, they headed to Brooklyn, New York to record their second album. Embracing influences from vocal groups, the band’s second album, AMERICAN LOVE CALL (2019), was a bold move forward. Another critical success, the band’s popularity continued to grow. During this time, band members worked on various projects including drummer and founding member Aaron Frazer’s excellent solo album INTRODUCING… (2021). Durand Jones and the Indication’s momentum was slowed down for a short time by the COVID-19 pandemic, but once lockdowns began to ease up in many parts of the U.S., the band’s pent-up energy was put to good use as they went into the studio to record their highly anticipated third album, PRIVATE SPACE.
PRIVATE SPACE is yet another bold move forward for Durand Jones & The Indications, adding 1970s disco and 1980s electro soul influences to their oeuvre. The album’s energy is one of exuberant hope laced with just a bit of cautious confusion. It is an optimistic release born from a year-long period of uncertainty. However, regardless of the dark times that the world went through in 2020 and the beginning of 2021, the album’s overall vibe is sweet and soulful. PRIVATE SPACE’s unique sound is due to the band’s musical confidence and their understanding of what makes soul music soulful – it comes from the heart AND soul. It is a more intimate album, filled with warm grooves, beautiful chord changes and thoughtful lyrics. While not sounding like Philly soul, many of the songs are most certainly influenced by that early-to-mid 1970s era. Tracks like “Love Will Work It Out”, “More Than Ever”, “I Can See”, “Reach Out” and the title track have a mid-tempo groove that is both emotional and powerful. Uptempo tracks like “The Way That I Do”, “Sea Of Love”, and the single “Witchoo” will set your heart ablaze while turning you into a sweaty dancin’ machine. From their souls to yours, Durand Jones & The Indications’ PRIVATE SPACE is a triumph.
