First ever solo album from JEFF PARKER (TORTOISE, ISOTOPE 217, CHICAGO UNDERGROUND, TRICOLOR, and a dozen other groups) for Delmark Records. Here, he teams up with CHICAGO UNDERGROUND ORCHESTRA members CHAD TAYLOR & CHRIS LOPES to create a stunning record of pastoral beauty and firey emotion. Quite amazing! RECOMMENDED!

2013 & first album in six years from Cali's QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE. These guys have been carrying the Rock Torch alongside very few other bands like FOO FIGHTERS or PEARL JAM, who have been unrelenting in their respective quests to move "rock" music forward. This album must reflect the six years between "Era Vulgaris" & now because there's a lot of different feels (all of them slightly trashy & sunbaked as is QOTSA's wont) from super-hard rockers to the brooding opening track. Oh, & the homies they've got adding a little flavor here & there are not to be messed with: TRENT REZNOR, estranged QOTSA member NICK OLIVERI, DAVE GROHL, ELTON JOHN (seriously), MARK LANEGAN & BRODY DALLE. We guess this means it's officially summer, right? Open some windows & toss this on!

The first solo outing for HOP ALONG's lead singer and songwriter continues her upward trajectory, elevating the writing to totally new heights. FRANCES QUINLAN is a razor-sharp lyricist, able to manufacture lines of observation without sacrificing phonetics. While "Likewise" sees QUINLAN using more electronics in the arrangements than on previous HOP ALONG albums, the organic instruments are the ones that truly shine, in particular the propulsive and snappy rhythm section (kind of sounding like the earlier two records from Reckless favorite BIG THIEF). But to no surprise, the most striking element is QUINLAN's voice: bright, forceful, raspy and expressive. Folks, this is the genuine article. RECOMMENDED.

2006 album from Brooklyn's RADIO 4 finds them fine-tuning their sound a bit more. This is a pretty logical progression I suppose. Londoner Jagz Kooner (who's worked with PRIMAL SCREAM, NEW ORDER & CHEMICAL BROTHERS) handles the 'knob twiddling' duties deftly & the result is perhaps a somewhat cleaner sound with that energy that RADIO 4 has come to be known for. Similarities to MISSION OF BURMA, WALKMEN, THE RAPTURE, FRANZ FERDINAND & GANG OF FOUR (duh) can be drawn but this record does have a unique sound. This isn't your little sister's dance punk, that's for sure.

"Like a Stone" is the 2021 album by the Philadelphia based band REMEMBER SPORTS. Their sound is a mix of 90s alt rock & early 2000s Midwestern emo. Fans of RILO KILEY, RAINER MARIA, HOP ALONG, PARAMORE etc... will dig this.

This second album from Oakland-based singer/songwriter Zach Rogue expands the line-up from a solo project, to a full-fledged band, full of massive pop hooks that will probably endear them to the masses. They've also toured with THE SHINS, TV ON THE RADIO, HELIO SEQUENCE, and MATES OF STATE, which ain't gonna hurt their growing popularity. Expect this to be massive. APPROVED!