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Amy Ray's Lung of Love is a vintage slice of contemporary existence

Amy Ray, of Indigo Girls notoriety, has a voice and an album that’s not easily categorized: It’s rough, gritty, and, for lack of a better word, Appalachian. It’s also soothing, surprising and honest. Lung of Love does…

Manchester Orchestra’s most effective work are allowing the songs to tell the story

Manchester Orchestra has a mysterious way of always getting to me. No matter how inappropriate or untimely the situation may be, the band’s songs have a way of making me feel. Regardless of how upbeat the song…

Georgia Clay calls for the windows down and sunglasses on

Although immediately put on guard by the “country” label on the cover, I soon discovered my love for Josh Kelley’s catchy and upbeat rhythms despite an initial dislike for his unmistakable southern twang. Georgia Clay opens with…

R.E.M, thankfully, relax

Most R.E.M. albums since 1996’s New Adventures In Hi-Fi have been either outright dismissed, or damned with the faint praise of “it’s not as bad as everyone says it is”. R.E.M have never been considered innovators, and…

The Truckers' most mainstream effort still displays a stunning versatility

The Drive-by Truckers have been compartmentalizing as of late, their latest, Go Go Boots, rounding out a fascinating, if by its very nature, uneven formal experiment that began with last year’s The Big To Do. You could…

The Black Crowes – Croweology

Putting The Black Crowes’ music into an acoustic setting highlights a few rarely seen sides of this talented Georgia band. For starters, guitarist Rich Robinson’s acoustic guitar playing is brilliant. If you’ve ever watched MTV’s Unplugged series,…

Deerhunter – Halcyon Digest

There’s a multitude of reasons to appreciate Deerhunter’s Bradford Cox, but one of the things that has made him such an endearing figure in the indie rock community is his status as an unashamed music geek. Putting…

Veara – What We Left Behind

Veara is a band that shouldn’t exist. I don’t mean for that statement to come off as a snarky way of saying they suck. I don’t think they suck, in fact they’re pretty alright. The problem is…

Phosphorescent – Here’s To Taking It Easy

For those expecting a repeat of 2007 Pride’s haunting indie-folk numbers, the first track from Here’s To Taking It Easy will quickly knock that assumption with a swift kick in the behind from a pair of leather…

Venice is Sinking

Daniel Lawson is nothing if not humble. And he’s a guy who seems genuinely amazed and about how he and his bandmates in Venice Is Sinking ended up where they are. To be a singer/guitarist in a…