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Amanda Anne Platt & The Honeycutters Offer Up More Than Just Another Road Song With "18 Wheels" (premiere)

Heartbreak and agony conspire in Amanda Anne Platt & The Honeycutters' tale from the road about a wandering mind and wandering lover, "18 Wheels".

Music

Howe Gelb's Latest Is a Welcoming Call to Gather Around

Listening to Howe Gelb's Gathered is like being at a dinner party with Gelb at the head of the table, telling stories, offering his sagacity, and taking the listener on clever lexical excursions.

Music

Shovels & Rope Don't Waste a Note and Go in for a Little Rock 'n' Roll on 'By Blood'

Shovels & Rope's By Blood is a record that smacks you in the face as a first impression, but then, still demands time to give up its secrets and grow on you. Give it the time.

Music

Terry Allen and the Panhandle Mystery Band Dramatically Traverse the American Landscape of the Mind

Terry Allen's musical compositions suggest that the Southwestern desert landscape is made up equally of wavering guitar lines, a broken television set, mad women, pounding drums, Indian chants, buzzing insects, and of course rodents and birds of all variety.

Music

Son Volt Gets Topical on 'Union'

Long-running alt-country act Son Volt mixes some forceful politics with a bit of filler for an album that's not quite as unified as it could have been.

Music

Lost Dog Street Band Issues the Ultimate Last Call With "War Inside of Me" (premiere)

Kentucky duo with strong ties to punk and metal communities, Lost Dog Street Band offers a heartfelt and eye-opening glimpse at battling addiction.

Music

Some Reunions Are Worth the Fuss. Take Meat Puppets.

Derrick Bostrom reunites with the Kirkwood brothers for the first time in 24 years, and the resulting Dusty Notes rings true to Meat Puppets' legacy.

Music

'Forever' Is an Inspired Jolt Carving a Unique Musical Space for Vandoliers

On Forever, Vandoliers imbue the classic country figure with punk's emphasis on community thereby establishing an individualized take on the two genres.

Music

After Ten Years As a Troubadour, Boo Ray Lays It on the Line in 'Tennessee Alabama Fireworks' (album stream) (premiere)

Inspired by a deep-seated desire for humankind to regain genuine connections, the scorching songs of which Boo Ray's latest album is comprised are among his most ambitious yet.

Music

'Psychedelic Country Soul' Is a Triumphant Return for Americana Pioneers, the Long Ryders

"Psychedelic Country Soul" could have been the tagline on the Long Ryders' business cards in the 1980s, and the tag still fits 30 years on as they remain masters in combining all of the above.

Music

Neko Case Defies Convention in Oakland

Neko Case's recent show at Oakland's Fox Theater highlights her dynamic album, Hell-On, in compelling fashion.

Music

Ryan Bingham Dazzles with Troubadour Charm at the Sweetwater

Solo acoustic "Songs & Stories" format proves a winning formula for Ryan Bingham, the Texas-raised singer/songwriter with California charisma.

Music

'Warm' Is Jeff Tweedy, Solo and Unfiltered

Wilco's de facto leader Jeff Tweedy releases his very first solo album of all-new material, and it's a quiet, powerful statement from one of America's greatest living songwriters.

Music

JP Harris Rekindle a Timeless Country Sound on 'Sometimes Dogs Bark at Nothing'

Sometimes Dogs Bark at Nothing avoids imitation and firmly concertizes JP Harris as a palpable country presence.

Music

Les Gruff & the Billy Goat Create a Vivid Honky-Tonk Ballad with "Evil Dancers" (premiere)

Les Gruff & the Billy Goat bring a distinctly rural, soulful sound that feels as timely as it does emotionally vindicating in the way they so powerfully deliver songs such as "Evil Dancers".

Music

Like a 'Dust Devil' Kevin Welch Keeps Moving On

There is an aura of timelessness around these songs on Dust Devil, but eight years is too long a wait between records for someone as talented as Kevin Welch.

Music

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