Heartland Canadian indie rockers The Sarandons deliver defiant optimism on their debut full-length album Sightlines, a rich body of work replete with spirited rhythms, lustrous synths, punctuated guitars and delightfully rugged vocal harmonies, produced by Dan Hosh (Wild Rivers, City and Colour, Glorious Sons) at Double Car Recording and Trench Recordings in Toronto. The Sarandons have shared stages with Dakota Mill, Mattie Leon, Julie Title and more.
A deep reflection on how the Brooklyn, New York-based singer and songwriter reached sobriety, “Old Wooden Floor” is a frank outpouring of the despair and survival of that moment in time, and one of the shared stories and narratives from Check’s own life that plays out on his second album, Without a Throne.
Check’s book of songs is getting more revelatory as time goes on. Scanning personal and peripheral stories and even the biblical with the old testament tale of King David’s son in “What a Father Would Do (Absalom),” Without a Throne cracks open a time capsule of long-forgotten songs in waiting, some for decades.
“Los Angeles folk & roots outfit Diane Hubka & The Sun Canyon Band releases new single “Baton Rouge,” out today. Hubka’s charming vocals lure you into dancing along to this feel-good Guy Clark cover. It’s like a sunny walk through a swampy town in this song about picking up your life and starting somewhere new. Something we can all relate to in this post-covid world. New Orleans-born drummer Lynn Coulter (Leon Russell, Carole King, Rita Coolidge) takes zydeco and african beats and melds them with legendary guitarist Albert Lee’s (Emmylou Harris, Eric Clapton, The Everly Brothers) one-of-a-kind guitar sounds.”
“From the first listening, “River” invites us to swim at sunset, and to drink until the middle of the night. Sharing good times with friends is definitely something that should never go away! Even if algorithms try to dictate your life, stay focused on what matters most: real life. And this song is exactly what makes it possible to put the feet on the ground and to disconnect if only for a moment.
Super festive, the song is probably one of the catchiest we’ve heard this year. If it doesn’t make you want to throw down your chair, get up, and dance, then we don’t understand anything.”
The work of Brooklyn-based artist Moon Shine reflects the varied background of its creator, Angie Glasscock. Memphis soul, Nashville country and LA polish are combined on Moon Shine’s debut album, The Land in Between, named after Glasscock’s familial itinerance and the search for a home of her own.
Glasscock’s origin story is explored in the album’s title cut. “The Land in Between” kicks off with a stirring Wurlitzer line and the beginning of the singer’s travels – “I was born in Memphis/But didn’t stay long.” After moving to California, Mom and Dad split up, Dad moved to Tennessee, and a long childhood of constant travel (perhaps presaging her life as a musician) began – “Back and forth/We’re traveling/Between two extremes.” The music, spiced with horns and Glasscock’s smooth voice, keeps the narrative flowing.
Used to Be the Next Big Thing is a timeless Americana record. Maple Run Band continue to establish themselves as “one of the 802’s foremost practitioners of the genre,” as Justin Boland called them in his 2020 Seven Days review of their debut LP. These tunes will be playing in the Green Mountains and beyond for many years to come.