Browsing Tag

Roots Rock

What it means to be lost: Jamos Blood – Flesh and Back to Bone

Posted on 25 December 2022

Jamos Blood sludged up blues-rock in the standout single, Flesh and Back to Bone, from his debut EP, Blood Brothers, which delivers swampy riffs, train track rhythms and a sense of ennui that cries out to the disenfranchised by uncertain futures masses.

“Gonna walk my dog til he don’t walk no more” beautifully and sentimentally encompasses the notion that everything is fleeting in a cruel world which pulls away every anchor, eventually.

The EP was recorded with Blood’s late brother, Clayton, which puts even more context behind the titular disposition and the themes of love and loss that will wash with any Waits and Petty fans.

As someone who is no stranger to grief, it was all too easy to connect with Jamos Blood’s psyche in Flesh and Back to Bone. The sense of lost listlessness with splinters of optimism that can often feel naïve was captured with such finesse in the roots-driven rock hit it is easy to view Jamos Blood as one of the most important voices of our era.

Flesh and Back to Bone is available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The country rock renegade Brandon Bing is back in the saddle in his roughneck hit, Don’t Bring Your Car to a Rodeo

Posted on 8 October 2022

Before you head to your first rodeo, learn the ropes from the Floridian traditional country rock raconteur Brandon Bing. Taken from his latest whisky-soaked album, Huckleberry, his seminal single, Don’t Bring Your Car to a Rodeo, is an enlivening invitation into the roughneck culture of rodeos.

The foot-stompin’ rhythms drive good vibes right through the upbeat hit while the folky strings bring the gravitas that Brandon Bing is renowned for in the country music scenes far beyond his own turf. Off the back of his 2021 EP, Dyin’ Breed, he received accolades from the International Singer-Songwriters Association, and he’s toured his sound across the states with appearances at Live Oak in Nashville and at the BMI Songwriters Festival in Florida.

Don’t Bring Your Car to a Rodeo video is is now available on YouTube and you can also stream it on Spotify

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Escape in the roots of Drew Peterson’s Americana folk single, Duck

Posted on 25 August 2022

With the quirky intensity of Neutral Milk Hotel and the bluegrass crooning of Tom Waits, we couldn’t help succumbing to the soul in Drew Peterson’s album, St. Jude, A Duck and the Crooked Line.

The opening single, Duck, is a narratively escapist Midwest adventure from the independent roots singer-songwriter who has been twanging acoustic strings and entertaining rowdy bars on the Minnesota scene for over two decades. The softly gruff vocals work their way through the dry humour in the lyrics over the minimalist production, consisting of little more than accordion and strings. But that is all Peterson needed to sonically consume you with the endearingly titled, Duck.

Check out Drew Peterson’s debut solo album via his official website and Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Don Pedigo darkened the roots of rock n roll with his dusky track, Messenger

Posted on 5 August 2022

‘Messenger’ is the latest dusky feat of roots-deep rock n roll from the Nashville artist Don Pedigo. From an intro of surfy, swaggy, Gretschy tones, the single opens up through narrative lyrics, which follow the same revelatory path as the likes of Dylan & Tom Petty, reeling you into the depths of Pedigo’s candour and originality.

Each new verse is a testament to the solo artist’s proclivity to pour out his heart lyrically instead of dotting together the usual rock cliches, and there is just as much distinction in the dark production, which puts Messenger on the same level as Nick Cave’s Red Right Hand.

Messenger will officially release on August 5th. You can hear it for yourselves by heading over to SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

Katie Wellenberg raised the stakes in her alt-country protest to superficial charm, ‘Gambler’

Posted on 4 August 2022

Katie Wellenberg did more than show her hand in her latest alt-country single, Gambler, which will be an instant hit with fans of the April March and Hillbilly Moon Explosion-Esque femme fatale allure.

Lyrically, Wellenberg shows us the epitome of humanity through visually striking poetry. Instrumentally, her roots-deep melodic hooks draw you further into the single, which shows how above the charade of superficial charm she is. Needless to say, we should all be at the same level as the stunningly unf*ckwithable Munich-based singer-songwriter. She well and truly came into her swampy roots rock own with Gambler; we can’t wait to hear what follows.

Gambler is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Viennese School spins a histrionic tale in his roots revivalist triumph, Dr. Irving

Posted on 24 July 2022

There is your average indie rock nostalgic peddler, and then there’s the Boston-based originator, The Viennese School, with their hauntingly archaic reinventions of American roots, folk, and gospel.

Their self-titled debut LP, featuring the standout single, Dr. Irving, tells the parallel stories of an army doctor, their brother soldier and the demise of a student found beneath a frozen river. You’re pulled into the narrative as much as the Avant Garde soundscape, featuring spacey psychedelic synthetics, old-school crooned vocals, blues rock solos and almost pornographically warm saturated analog tones.

Something is evidently in the Bostonian water if it bred The Viennese School as well as Amanda Palmer, who runs in the same histrionic direction as the artful innovator. What Ryan Murphy is to the small screen, The Viennese School evidently is to the airwaves. We’re officially obsessed.

Dr. Irving is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Imbibe with Dr Todd’s latest scuzzed up blues-rock hit, Give Me a Shot

Posted on 31 May 2022

Austin’s scuzz rock troubadours Dr Todd got intoxicatingly punch drunk in their latest off-kilter hit, Give Me a Shot. The riotously clever cocktail of no wave and blues-rock is potent enough to rival the frenetic fever of the Cramps and the Legendary Shack Shakers, but all reminiscences are extremely fleeting in the hedonistic anthem, which unravels to the tune of heavy distortion, resonator guitars, rock n roll attitude and whiskey fumes.

Based on Give Me a Shot alone, if you have the chance to see Dr Todd live; take it. Or at the very least, imbibe in the high energy catharsis.

Give Me a Shot hit the airwaves in May 2022 through Romgod Records. It is now available to stream on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Rochester roots-rock renegade Brian Lindsay has delivered the ultimate riff-licked ‘Revival’

Posted on 31 May 2022

Ahead of his fourth album, Revival, the NYC roots-rocker, Brian Lindsay, teased the modernity-weary, whiskey-soaked soul within it by giving us a sneak peek of the title single, which throws you right back to the time when lighters were held in the air instead of iPhones.

His virtuosic yet humble approach to songwriting is one of the best escapes from the 21st-century that you could possibly ask for. Between the deep yearning romanticism and the swoon-worthy soaring guitar licks, you get the affirmation that Brian Lindsay is the real revival deal. As much as he taps into Springsteen and Ryan Adams-Esque high energy melodicism, he leans into his signature rugged yet smooth intoxicating aural juxtaposition style.

Revival was officially released on May 20th. You can check it out for yourselves by heading over to Spotify or via his official website.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Alexander Craig makes blues-rock bop-worthy in Atmosphere We’re Under

Posted on 12 March 2022
Alexander Craig

The Minnesota-based producer, singer-songwriter and prodigal son of rock n roll, Alexander Craig, has teased what’s to come in his upcoming album by giving us a sneak peek of the standout single, Atmosphere We’re Under. You’d be hard-pressed to find a scuzzier bop-worthy feat of blues-rock.

Atmosphere We’re Under is wild with its cheeky, punch-drunk energy that contains the same bite as your average ego-fuelled track. Yet, after stepping out from behind his successful aural alter-ego, Crankshaft, Alexander Craig made a positive stylistic move that radiates through his up-beat lyrics and gasoline-soaked high-energy grooves. The standout track is every bit as hooky and infectious as any of Josh Homme’s many endeavours, but with Alexander Craig, there’s roots-deep respect for rock n roll.

Alexander Craig is going old-school with his debut blues-rock album; it will only be available via CD and Vinyl. After being teased by the roots-rich soul in Atmosphere We’re Under, he can definitely take my money.

Check out Alexander Craig via his official website, Facebook and Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Chuck Solo – Only time remains: A roots-rock effigy to love lost and unrelenting emotion

Posted on 31 December 2021
Only time remains by Chuck Solo

Sydney-based singer-songwriter, Chuck Solo, has released his roots-deep country pop-rock single, Only time remains, which runs through as a bitter-sweet effigy to love lost and unrelenting emotion to the tune of bluesy, choppy guitar chords and shimmering reverb.

Each note is plucked on his Strat by hand to boost the folky twang in the minimalist roots-rock track that allows his soulful yearning vocals to resound. Chris Isaak and Neil Diamond fans will instantly feel familiar with Only time remains through the stridently candid delivery of the sharp lyrics. Yet, Chuck Solo didn’t fall short on experimentalism with the sublime sonic layering of Only time remains. Which is accompanied by the equally as psychedelically sweet B-side single, Holding on (too tight). The crooned vocals and just as affectionate choral chords are enough to test your soul capacity’s to feel.

Only time remains is now available to stream and purchase via Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast