In songwriting, “digging your own grave” is often a metaphor used for putting yourself in a bad situation. In Nashville songwriter Cole Gallagher‘s latest video for “Don’t You Know”, the act is brought to life quite literally. The haunting folk-blues track, which features members (past and present) of Jason Isbell‘s 400 Unit, finds Gallagher soulfully confessing “Don’t you know I didn’t want to lie. Just seems the day I found my love I lost my mind.” The rustic instrumentation adds just the right amount of dust and grit to the track, and the sweet n’ sour chorus cements your feet right into t ..read more

I listen to a lot of music, especially in the acoustic/folk/singer-songwriter genre. So much of it that it can all start to sound the same after a while. But when I first heard Alex Regeimbal‘s “Idle Idle”, it grabbed my attention. The soulful vocals, meditative guitar playing, and unique lyrical perspective all helped it stand above the rest. I wanted to learn more about the origins of the track, and thankfully Regeimbal was happy to oblige and dig further into the track’s recording process and meaning. ** The Indy Review: What got you started in music, and what were your initial influences ..read more

Country: Israel Composer and bassist Yosef Gutman draws from a number of realms in his brand of instrumental music. While formed in a base of classical composition, Gutman draws from jazz, bluegrass and Americana, creating a vast palette that can draw comparisons to Aaron Copland and The GOAT Rodeo sessions. On his latest album, The World and Its People, tracks like the beautiful “Awakening” begin with melancholic piano, but bloom into a fulfilling springtime brightness as strings and guitar add gentle waves of texture to the song. It becomes a glorious tapestry of music. “My Soul Thirsts” ha ..read more

There’s not a week without a slew of noteworthy releases this year it seems. Here’s what we’ll be playlisting for you today! Gary Clark Jr. continues to branch out from being simply a guitar god on his new album. Two of the best songwriters around, Waxahatchee and Adrianne Lenker, have their new albums out today, along with Americana band The Wandering Hearts. I’ve also thrown in the latest from veteran UK alternative band Elbow, pop rock group Augustana, and a new EP from one of my faves, Ruston Kelly. As for singles this week, one of them is basically the length of an EP; The Decemberists h ..read more

Artist: Average Joey Song: “No Thing” Album: Impermanence Label: Dollhouse Lightning Genre: Folk, Americana, Alt Country A true road warrior, Average Joey is a traveling bard; regaling this audiences with musical performances, spoken word poetry, and acapella singalongs. His lyrics are peppered with blunt humor (see song titles like “Stupid Fucking Idiot Loser” and “Anarchists Who Don’t Do Anything) and political commentary, but the songwriting quality is always high. Just listen to “No Thing” off his latest album Impermanence. A haunting banjo melody backs Joey’s spacious vocals, transportin ..read more

It’s a new month, and we’ve got plenty of new music for ya! This week is Britpop front-loaded, with new albums from the Kaiser Chiefs, and Liam Gallagher‘s collaborative album with John Squire both out today. We’ve also got some solid, indie-leaning punk releases from heralded groups like Mannequin Pussy, Sheer Mag, and Footballhead (read our review of that one here)! Beloved folk rock group The Avett Brothers dropped a welcome surprise this week; a new song! If you love folk music, then you’ll also need to listen to the brand new one from Donovan Woods. We’ve got some great new rock tracks f ..read more

So I made it another year around the sun this last Tuesday, and spent much of it listening to music I love. Today, I’m hoping we all can discover some new music to love among the latest releases. There’s a good chance of loving the latest from Alkaline Trio, who have already dropped three solid singles from the album. UK punks Frank Carter & the Rattlesnakes are maters of brash rock n’ roll, and their new one should provide plenty of it. I find Dave Hause‘s style of heartland punk always a boon for my ears. Then there’s a new one from the always-idiosyncratic Gruff Rhys. And if you read o ..read more

So we’ve now shared our Top EPs of 2023, our Top Albums of 2023, and numbers 100 – 51 of our Top Songs of 2023. Here is our grand finale; our Top Songs of 2023: #50 – #1. Without further adieu… ** 50. Taking Meds – The Other End The desire to be something more or more important than you are lies at the heart of this insanely catchy punk number, with all the hooks and gritty guitars you could ask for. 49. Yarn – Cocaine Bear The country singer turns the true life tale of Pablo the bear into the stuff of folk legend on this ballad. 48. Marvelous 3 – My Old School Metal Heart Butch Walker and hi ..read more

And so we’ve come to the final list of the year, following our Top EPs and Top Albums; Our Top Songs of 2023. There was such a avalanche great songs this year, so many that felt essential to 2023 that it was a vicious struggle trying to choose what to include. We had incredible new/”new” tracks from two of the greatest rock bands of all time, powerful numbers by incredible Americana songwriters, incisive bangers from rap gods, pop-punk anthems, gems from rising singer-songwriters…everyone and their mother seemed to drop a worthy song or two this year. In past years, I’ve done what I can to ke ..read more

What a year. Exciting new artists burst onto the scene. Classic bands returned to form. There were reunions, both expected and surprises. All genres showed up with something to prove, or to destroy the very definition of genre they had established. From Dec 2022 – Nov 2023 (since we drop this list in December, and don’t want to disservice any artists with Dec releases), these are our Top Albums of 2023! Indy Review’s Top 30: Young Fathers – Heavy Heavy No album this year felt nearly as refreshing, as vibrant, as original and as joyous as the latest from this Scottish trio. Heavy Heavy is a ..read more