Shannon & The Clams embody a nostalgic form of early, surf-y rock & roll that fell out of fashion some time around 2012, but with enough garage rock spunk to bring energy and personality to their brand of revivalism. Shannon Shaw has the voice and charisma of an old-fashioned rock star; she’s quite impressive and lots of fun. The template for Shannon & The Clams is clearly articulated and appealing. On a song-by-song basis, though, “Onion” is a mixed bag. Several ... read more

Sarah Shook & the Disarmers may not have made one of the most immediate alt-country albums of the year, but they’ve certainly made one of the more powerful ones. “Years” doesn’t give you much to grasp onto at first, largely due to Shook herself, whose voice is an acquired taste. But give “Years” some time and it will creep up on you. Shook’s voice, though not conventionally pretty, carries a lot of emotion and a break that’s actually quite ... read more

Why is a Way Yes album saved into my Spotify library? I swear I have never heard of this band, and from the looks of some cursory research, nobody else has, either. But I may as well give it a listen. As it turns out, “Tog Pebbles” really isn’t bad, after I stopped trying to get a handle on what it is exactly that Way Yes *do*. They don’t so much fit a genre (maybe indietronica?), but I don’t really mean that as a compliment. Rather, “Tog Pebbles” lacks ... read more

Wet’s debut “Don’t You” was hotly anticipated, but seems to have squandered all the hype for the band. Sophomore album “Still Run” has arrived with far less fanfare, but to Wet’s credit, they may have taken some of the “Don’t You” criticism to heart. The most prescient critique of that album was that each song sounded exactly the same. “Still Run” is far more varied, seeing Wet tentatively stepping outside of their stale ... read more