independent thoughts on alternative music
“‘Lock Me Up’ is about the feeling of never being able to do anything right, no matter how hard you try,” says Chicago-based singer/songwriter Anna Holmquist, frontperson of the band Ester. “Lock Me Up” appears on their forthcoming debut full-length album Turn Around, set for release on March 27th via Midwest Action. Turn Around is a … Read more VIDEO PREMIERE: “LOCK ME UP” by ESTER
It’s been busy around these parts lately, so we’re a tad behind when it comes to posting the newest releases. Don’t judge us. Anyhoo, here are a few tracks and videos out recently that we’re a-diggin’. Check ’em out: “PICTURE IN A FRAME” – JEN STARSINIC Nashville singer/songwriter and professional fiddler Jen Starsinic picks up … Read more New Music Friday!
“Little by little, bit by bit. That’s how you eat an elephant,” Big Little Lions sing in the opening track of their sixth studio album, Inside Voice, set for release on October 5th via AntiFragile Music. When I heard words I’ve said millions of times being sung back to me, I knew that Inside Voice and I were going to … Read more ALBUM PREMIERE: “INSIDE VOICE” by BIG LITTLE LIONS
What people think about us is none of our business. True freedom begins when we decide not to worry about impressing others and give ourselves permission to just be. Nashville-based band The Brook & The Bluff sing of this longing to be careless, or maybe carefree, in the midst of self-inflicted rigidity in their beautiful … Read more PREMIERE: “HALLWAYS” by THE BROOK & THE BLUFF
The great Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, “Only in the darkness can you see the stars.” Nashville pop-rock band Temple Wildlife knows this to be true, as evidenced by their new single, “Decorated Panes.” Ironically, as one of their most upbeat songs to date, “Decorated Panes,” a song about the desire to see a … Read more PREMIERE: “DECORATED PANES” by TEMPLE WILDLIFE
Loneliness–it’s something we all experience, and interestingly, in this age of constant digital connection, people are lonelier than ever. Losing someone you love, and who you thought loved you back, is never easy, but sometimes the pain ignites action, and in the case of Nashville’s Widespell, it inspired a song. “Why Am I Alone,” the … Read more PREMIERE: “WHY AM I ALONE” by WIDESPELL
Shangri-La is a distant, imaginary place, one where everything is pleasant and you can have everything your heart desires. Nashville-based art rock duo Fox Grin brings that idea a little closer with their new and appropriately-titled single “Shangri-La,” a tune from their forthcoming album Dusk, due out early next year. “‘Shangri-La is about the escaping feeling … Read more PREMIERE: “SHANGRI-LA” by FOX GRIN
It’s a deflating experience when it’s supposed to be your special day, but the world just doesn’t cooperate—and we’ve all been there. New York City-based singer/songwriter Nick Cianci, who will release his debut EP, High-Fidelity Depressed next month, introduces us to one such unlucky lady in “Sparkling Jenny,” the first single off the EP. “In … Read more PREMIERE: “SPARKLING JENNY” by NICK CIANCI
Since its beginnings as the folk-y solo project of Athens, Georgia-based singer/songwriter Matt Martin, to its current indie rock incarnation and full-band status, you could say Wanderwild has come a long way. Change is inevitable, but growth is optional, and in the case of Wanderwild, the growth curve is off the charts. Today the band … Read more PREMIERE: “ANDY” by WANDERWILD
In search of creative community, Deni Hlavinka and Chris West were drawn together with magical magnetism to form The Western Den; initially creators with folk sensibilities, the pair has pushed past those sonic boundaries with their forthcoming debut album, A Light Left On. Today, the band unleashes album track “I Still Remain”; its spare string … Read more PREMIERE: “I STILL REMAIN” by THE WESTERN DEN