Olivia Chaney – Shelter (Nonesuch)
Olivia Chaney’s second album is an accomplished and smooth, if unexciting, collection of chamber folk ballads. The follow-up to 2015 debut The Longest River treads much of the same ground as that album – Chaney’s soft elegant vocals, sparse acoustic backing, mid-tempo carefully dignified compositions.
Luke Haines – I Sometimes Dream Of Glue (Cherry Red)
It’s not mandatory, but it helps to know a few things about Luke Haines before leaping, headlong into his new album.
Mike Shinoda – Post Traumatic (Warner Bros)
Its hard to believe that next month will be the one-year anniversary of Linkin Park’s Chester Bennington’s passing, which makes Mike Shinoda’s debut solo EP, Post Traumatic just that little bit more poignant.
Shannon Shaw – Shannon In Nashville (Easy Eye/Nonesuch)
Black Keys guitarist Dan Auerbach seems to be on a one-man crusade to make records “the way they used to”.
Buddy Guy – The Blues Is Alive And Well (Silvertone/Sony)
At age 81, Buddy Guy is still playing the blues, sounding very much as vibrant now as he did 60 plus years ago when he was a young upstart at Chess Records.
Neko Case – Hell On (Anti- )
Neko Case has a new album full of irony and depreciation. “God is not a contract or a guy,” claims Case in her opening salvo, Hell On. Oh no. “God is a lusty tire fire.” What utterly brilliant nonsense.
Snail Mail – Lush (Matador)
In 1993 Liz Phair gave a strongly male dominated indie rock a dose of femininity with the release of her album Exile From Guyville. Twenty five years later her influence is even stronger and has been embodied in up and comer Snail Mail on her first album Lush.
Jonathan Bree – Sleepwalking (Lil Chief)
Brunettes frontman and Lil’ Chief Records co-founder Jonathan Bree is back with his third studio album, Sleepwalking, an album that takes the listener on a trip down memory lane via 1960s lounge pop and melodic songs about love and relationships.
Katchafire – Legacy (Zojak Worldwide)
As I fight the freezing winter rain, there’s a summer party raging inside my headphones. That’s because Katchafire, Aotearoa’s favourite reggae act, is back with what I believe is their best album yet.
Dave Alvin & Jimmie Dale Gilmore – Downey To Lubbock (Yep Roc)
Two venerable Americana veterans team up for the first time.
Father John Misty – God’s Favorite Customer (Sub Pop)
The only soundtrack you need for the chilly times upon us has landed. Suitable for a myriad of soul-warming needs and a formidable follow-up to the cult favourite and Grammy-winning Pure Comedy, Josh Tillman aka Father John Misty introduces us to God’s Favorite Customer, his fourth studio album that brims with thawing toe-tappers all the way […]
LUMP – LUMP (Dead Oceans)
LUMP is a Yeti fronted folk project (yes, Yeti) by Laura Marling and Mike Lindsay (Tunng).
Review of Born Under A Bad Sign by Albert King on RadioLIVE by Marty Duda (Listen Here)
Each Monday night, founder of The 13th Floor, Marty Duda, is a guest on RadioLIVE to share and chat about classic albums from the past. On this occasion, Marty and Mitch Harris check out Albert King‘s second studio album, Born Under A Bad Sign, regarded as one of the most influential blues albums of all-time. Listen to […]
Bridge Burner – Null Apostle (Art as Catharsis)
What exactly are we hearing here? The press release for Bridge Burner‘s debut full-length Null Apostle calls it blackened hardcore / grind, which is certainly a way to cram three genres into one descriptor. Even that effort doesn’t encompass the range of sounds the album subjects the listener to, as the band draws from anywhere they […]
CHVRCHES – Love Is Dead (Glassnote Records)
Greg Kurstin (P!nk, Tegan and Sara, Sia) is fast making a name for himself as a hit-making producer, so it’s not surprising the Scottish synth pop trio Chvrches enlisted his help on their third LP, Love Is Dead. The result? A cranked up political pop album or, if you are open to interpretation, a cranked […]
Review of Blood, Sweat & Tears on RadioLIVE by Marty Duda
Each Monday night, founder of The 13th Floor, Marty Duda, is a guest on RadioLIVE to share and chat about classic albums from the past. On this occasion, Marty and Mitch Harris check out the 1968 self titled album by Blood, Sweat & Tears that won Album of the Year at the 1970 Grammy Awards. Listen to a […]
Ash – Islands (Liberator Music/Infectious Music/BMG)
Since their precocious full length debut album 1977, Ash have always offered something a bit different. They were a middle-fingered anecdote to fey Britpop. Then they poo-pooed the album format and released a single every 2-weeks for a year. Now they’ve reneged on that idea and written a breakup album on a series of Islands […]
Parquet Courts – Wide Awake! (Rough Trade)
New album Wide Awake from Parquet Courts is a beautiful creation that blends proto-punk with their art punk roots.
Review of Naturally by JJ Cale on RadioLIVE by Marty Duda
Each Monday night, founder of The 13thFloor, Marty Duda, is a guest on RadioLIVE to share and chat about classic albums from the past. On this occasion, Marty and Mitch Harris check out the 1972 album Naturally by JJ Cale, a debut album that inspired many other great musicians including Eric Clapton and Dr Hook. Listen to […]
Arctic Monkeys – Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino (Domino)
Still living by their debut’s mantra, Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not, Arctic Monkey’s new long-player, Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino, is bereft of stadium guitar riffs, laddy swagger or LA rocker confidence. Instead, Alex Turner and his simian cohorts play louche lounge music, nestled at the back of an empty lobby bar – […]