CDs + Vinyl:
Bernard Allison – Let It Go CD (Ruf)
Let It Go was recorded at Bessie Blue Studio, Stantonville, Tennessee, with legendary music producer Jim Gaines. Recalls Bernard, “we made the decision to not flood the CD with keyboards or horns, to go back to the true basic rhythm section sound – and to show more mature songwriting.”
Fritz Ambro$e – Doe Quarterz CD/Cassette (All City)
Fitz Ambro$e is a Tokyo based producer originally from Cape Breton Island in remote eastern Canada. With a slew of self-released cult classic albums and mix CDs he steps up with a 14-track mini LP rooted in Fitz’s love of ’80s soul and funk mixed with ’90s hip-hop and R&B. Stripped down intricate hip-hop beats heavily layered with vocals, obscure samples and unpredictable drum progressions, Doe Quarterz sees Fitz come with a uniquely modern sound respectful to its roots – melodic head nodding grooves busting with his original flavor.
AWOLNATION – Here Come The Runts CD/LP (Red Bull)
AWOLNATION’s third undertaking sees Aaron Bruno once again at the helm producing, writing and recording. “With this record I really wanted to make a rock ‘n’ roll/pop album.” says Bruno. “And I say ‘pop’ how I grew up listening to it, in the sense of Dire Straits or Born In The U.S.A. or The Cars or Tom Petty.”
Bardo Pond – Volume 8 CD/LP+MP3 (Fire)
Volume 8 is the brand-new album from the neo-space rock stoner drone outfit. It’s a euphoric transcendental journey to a mountain top nirvana, a psychedelic tapestry that slowly unwinds as they travel onwards into the inner mind. A 40-minute opus delivered from a hail of reverb soulfully caressed by a ceremonial flute, that makes way for a shroud of Weld–era Neil Young fog. Bardo Pond is your rather ruffled tour guide to this far off place, this distant sense of wonderment at the crossroads with bewilderment.
Bat Fangs – Bat Fangs CD/LP+MP3 (Don Giovanni)
Slick and sick visions channeled from the midnight mirror world. Acid-soaked hard-rock to thrill the living and raise dead. Rooted in the pop-metal of time beyond memory, the tunes are dark and spiritually corrupted, but also boldly anthemic. They deliver thunder and feedback, wild energy and melodic uplift. Music meant to lay waste to the airwaves and unfold the collective cranium.
The BellRays – Punk Funk Rock Soul Vol. 2 CD/LP (U&Media)
Punk. Funk. Rock. Soul. The main ingredients in a potent witch’s brew that the Bellrays have been mixing for a long time now.
Anna Burch – Quit The Curse CD/LP+MP3 (Polyvinyl)
The deceptively complex pop of Quit The Curse marks the debut of this Detroit singer/songwriter. The nine tracks come on sugary and upbeat, but their darker lyrical themes and serpentine song structures are tucked neatly into what seem at first just like uncommonly catchy tunes. Burch’s crystal clear vocal harmonies and gracefully crafted songs feel so warm and friendly that it’s easy to miss the lyrics about destructive relationships, daddy issues and substance abuse that cling like spiderwebs to the hooky melodies. [Limited colored vinyl pressing also available.]
