Photo Courtesy of NoBusiness Records
Threadbare’s Silver Dollar isn’t a conventional jazz record. Despite having instruments that might belong to a jazz trio — bass clarinet, guitar and drums — the Chicago group infuses rock, metal and free jazz flare to give each of the eight tracks a unique feel. Continue reading Threadbare channels many musical styles through a jazz lens on debut LP, Silver Dollar
Photo Courtesy of American Dreams Records
Stuck in Florida because of a shelter-in-place order, Chicago musician Jordan Reyes found a solution to his limited technical capabilities away from home by unearthing and releasing a collection of pitchy, looping outtakes from his debut album, Close. Continue reading Jordan Reyes shares Closer, a collection of six outtakes from his 2019 debut album, Close
Photo by ANTI- Records
In a time when everyone is forced to stay home, M. Ward is thinking about movement. On his new 11-track album, Migration Stories, the singer-songwriter delivers soft but richly textured folk songs that would perfectly soundtrack a late night drive consisting of empty strip malls and paced by blinking red lights.
The album is Ward’s Tenth solo effort and follows 2018’s self-released What A Wonderful Industry. But, in addition to his solo work, he has also released records as half of the indie pop duo She & Him and in the supergroup Monsters Of Folk.
Four songs from Migration Stories preceded its release including the lead single “Migration of Souls” and the folksy lullaby “Heaven’s Nail and Hammer.” The album features production from Arcade Fire members Tim Kingsbury and Richard Reed Parry. Craig Silvey, who has mixed several AF records, also lends his talent here. And, for any record collectors, the 12” vinyl comes in a coke bottle format, which in my opinion, looks pretty cool.
Check out Migration Stories and take a listen to “Heaven’s Nail and Hammer,” my favorite of the singles, below:
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3bSOhgd
Apple Music: https://apple.co/2UzwBjA
Photo Courtesy of Prosthetic Records
Two years after its full-length debut American Scrap, Chicago metal outfit Huntsmen have returned with a bluesy concept album more than twice the length of its predecessor. Mandala of Fear, the band’s 85 minute sophomore effort, immerses listeners in a hostile desert world to which even God has turned a blind eye. Continue reading Huntsmen builds a hostile desert world on epic sophomore LP, Mandala of Fear
Luke’s Turntable 