Kasey Anderson went and found his own Crazy Horse. Though the change isn’t quite as stark as Neil Young’s jump from self-titled debut to the iconic Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, Anderson is definitely revving up his raggedy side for the follow up to last year’s excellent Nowhere Nights. Heart of A Dog takes no […]
The Felice Brothers / Celebration, Florida
I honestly didn’t know what to expect when the new Felice Brothers album, Celebration, Florida, arrived in my mailbox. I’d been a fan of the tune “Frankie’s Gun” a few years back on their self-titled release, but that was really about as far as it went. I had failed to hear their 2009 release and […]
Readers’ Pick: Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit, “Here We Restâ€
READERS PICK: APRIL 2011 Twangville readers picked Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit‘s Here We Rest as their favorite album of April 2011. His third album since parting ways with the Drive-by Truckers and second with band The 400 Unit. The album title, Here We Rest, takes it’s name from the original Alabama state motto […]
Old Californio – Sundrunk Angels
“Cosmic American Music†is what Gram Parsons called his own music. I think the term also fits Sundrunk Angels, the new release by Old Californio. The length of the songs puts them in Jam Band territory. In fact, it is a bit odd that the Jam Band crowd hasn’t widely discovered these guys yet. “Jewels […]
Sarah Jarosz – Follow Me Down
Covering the likes of Radiohead and Edgar Allen Poe in addition to her own superb songwriting, the single word to describe the latest effort from Sarah Jarosz would have to be “diversity”. Â With a supporting cast of Americana and pop stars seemingly unavailable to any other musician under 70 years of age (Sarah was 19 […]
Listen Up: The Wretches and Jabberers Soundtrack
I’m bouncing around the system as it’s trying to figure me out. I just want someone to risk it and hear what I have to say. I am not a victim just got a real story to tell. I can’t speak but I need you to listen. I’m more like you than not like you. […]
Israel Nash Gripka – Barn Doors & Concrete Floors
OK, look. It’s not that I’m unaccustomed to gushing over a record I really love here on Twangville, it’s just that I try and at least tell you why it is that I feel a record is so gush-worthy, when called for. In the case of Israel Nash Gripka’s latest, Barn Doors & Concrete Floors, […]
MilkDrive – Road From Home
Being able to pigeonhole a band’s sound is useful to a music reviewer. Â It lets you describe them quickly before a blog reader clic…. Â But for those of you still with me, MilkDrive, and their latest album, Road From Home, spans not just 3-4 genres of music, but 3-4 eras of music. The first cut, […]
The Train Wrecks/Saddle Up
Savannah Georgia’s The Train Wrecks’ recently released sophomore disc entitled Saddle Up is an alt-country effort that hits all the right spots. Opening with the Cash-inspired “Tennessee Mare” and featuring one of the tightest rhythm sections this side of the Mason-Dixon line in Markus Kuhlmann and Eric Dunn, along with singer Jason Bible’s rusty vocals […]
Ben Sollee- Inclusions
Ben Sollee isn’t human. He can’t be. He must be some extraterrestrial species of blue-eyed soul singing, cello specialist, artist-type-being. He has to be, because Inclusions is an unprecedented masterwork. His 2008 debut Learning to Bend was a spare statement that showcased both his instrument of choice, cello, and his wonderfully soulful vocals. While that […]