Tag: 2021Page 1 of 6

The Suburbs, Poets Party, 2021 on Suburbs Music (Self-Released)

Before there was The Tortured Poets Department, there was a Poets Party – the most recent release from reliable Minneapolis art-rock stalwarts The Suburbs. I’ve been a fan…

Shovels & Rope, Busted Jukebox Volume 3, 2021 on Dualtone

The third in a series of cover albums by Shovels & Rope, this one focuses on kids songs or songs in lullaby style, thus the “Juicebox” joke in…

The Dropkick Murphys, Turn Up That Dial, 2021 on Born & Bred Records

The Dropkick Murphys formed in Quincy Massachusetts in the mid 90s, with Ken Casey, Rick Barton and Mike McColgan – Casey’s the only one still involved as of…

Irma Thomas, Down at Muscle Shoals, 1984 on Chess

Thomas recorded for Chess in the late sixties, and made this recording at Fame Recording Studios in Muscle Shoals in 1967, but the album was not released until…

Fiona Apple, The Idler Wheel . . . , 2012 on Clean Slate / Epic

The full title is The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than The Driver Of The Screw And Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do but…

Billy Bragg, The Million Things That Never Happened, 2021 on Cooking Vinyl

This is Bragg’s COVID album, the title referring to all the events that didn’t take place due to social distancing and stay-at-home protocols. It was produced by The…

Lucinda Williams, Runnin’ Down a Dream: A Tribute to Tom Petty, 2021 on Highway 20 Records

As a fan of both Tom Petty and (especially) Lucinda Williams, I couldn’t pass on this three sided LP – the fourth side is etched with the photo…

Maggie Rogers, Notes From The Archive: Recordings 2011-2016, 2021 on Debay Sounds

Like many people, I first became aware of Rogers when a clip of her song “Alaska” being played to Pharrell Williams during a class at NYU Tisch went…

Conor Oberst, Ruminations, 2016 on Nonesuch

Oberst was hospitalized in 2015 in the middle of a tour for the punk band Desaparecidos, and this album was written and recorded in the recovery from that…

Various Artists, Bills & Aches & Blues, 2021 on 4AD

Compilation 4AD issued in celebration of their 40th anniversary. It’s a bit hit-and-miss, as such collections often are – for some reason the two Breeder’s tracks (Tune-Yards take…

Fiona Apple, When the Pawn . . . , 1999 on Clean Slate / Epic

The full title is: When The Pawn Hits The Conflicts He Thinks Like A King What He Knows Throws The Blows When He Goes To The Fight And…

Golden Gate Groove: The Sound of Philadelphia Live in San Francisco 1973, 2021 on Philadelphia International Records

There’s a complicated set of dates here – recorded in 1973 and released originally in 2012 on CD by Philadelphia International Records and Legacy (Sony’s label for reissues),…

Lucinda Williams, Southern Soul: From Memphis to Muscle Shoals & More, 2021 on Highway 20

This is volume 2 in Lu’s Jukebox In Studio Concert Series – six episodes recorded at Ponte Vedra Concert Hall in Florida as a benefit to venues who…

Billy Strings, Renewal, 2021 on Rounder

I first heard of Billy Strings because he started showing up in YouTube recommended videos next to lots of other performers I follow – sometimes actually duetting with…

Lilli Lewis, Americana, 2021 Self-Released

Feels oddly appropriate to post this one the week of Thanksgiving – Lilli Lewis’ Americana, which is as much an assertion as title – claiming the right to…

Steve Earle, Townes: The Basics, 2021 on New West

As the back cover explains, the album Townes (a collection of Townes Van Zandt covers) was released in 2009 – but this LP collects the solo guitar and…

Los Lobos, Native Sons, 2021 on New West

This is a three sided LP, with an etching on the fourth side. Los Lobos, proud Angelenos, covering songs by other Los Angeles bands, including folks like Stephen…

Sara Watkins, Under the Pepper Tree, 2021 on New West

I’ve been a big fan of Sara Watkins going back to Nickel Creek, I’m With Her, and her solo work. Great versions of “Pure Imagination” and “Tumbling Tumbleweeds.”…

Jenny Don’t and The Spurs, Fire on the Ridge, 2021 on Fluff and Gravy Records

One of the great finds curated for me by VNYL, to which I used to subscribe. Something of a cowpunk / outlaw country outfit from Portland OR (not…

Billy F Gibbons, Hardware, 2021 on Concord Records

Billy Gibbons is best known as one third of ZZ Top, but has released a lot of music under other side brands as well. This LP, his third…