Haren

Demo

(Polze De La Mort)

Brevity being the soul of punk, cuts speed by with headlong fervor and end nearly before they've begun. Guitar swipes and determined rhythms crash excitedly. It's a stimulative dash.

Cassette to be issued shortly on Polze De La Mort.

Recommended: "Mátalos," "Frakaso," "Juventudes Perdidas (Oi! Oi! Oi!)," "Elite Punk," "Soy Una Marrana"

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New video from Buzz Campbell and the Heartaches. 

Dave Alvin

Eleven Eleven

(Yep Roc)

Back in the day, Dave slung a mean lead guitar for roots-music marquee names The Blasters. And that was sufficient to make his mark on American popular music. But he matured, found his voice in a lower gear, and emerged from that chrysalis as a singer-songwriter of estimable profundity. 2015's Eleven Eleven spotlighted his unique mien. This reissue includes three bonus cuts.

Those familar with Dave's oeuvre will understand why I class "Johnny Ace" with "Haley's Comet."

Recommended: "Two Lucky Bums," "Murietta's Head," "Manzanita," "Dirty Nightgown," "What's Up With Your Brother" (with Phil), "Run Conejo Run," "Gary, Indiana 1959," "Johnny Ace Is Dead," "Harlan County Line"

Video: "Johnny Ace Is Dead" (live)

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Yep Roc

Linda Gail Lewis

Family Jewels

(Cleopatra)

The truest worth of this live record lies not in the spirited reiterations of familiar chestnuts by Little Richard, Ray Charles, Bill Haley, and JLL, but in the lesser-known numbers; they hold especial reward and are well rendered. 

Of course, as Linda Gail is Jerry Lee's sister, she has a blood right to the much-loved standards. She conveys them with conviction and authentic zeal.

Recommended: "Boogie Woogie Country Girl," "Crazy Arms," "Should I Ever Love Again" (Annie Marie), "Long Tall Sally," "Heartbreak Highway," "Back To Louisiana," "Always On My Mind," "What'd I Say?"

Video: (live)

Cleopatra

PJ O'Brien

High Cost

(Independent)

In nine tracks, PJ exemplifies man-and-guitar-as-unitary-entity, easily footing his pathway through passages benign and starkly rambunctious. When he engages with melodies, it's with avowed dedication. Keys figure prominently; the result is an abundance of texture that further enriches productions.

Recommended: "High Cost," "Cash," "Queen of Broken Hearts," "Devil You Know," "Younger Days"

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Justin Pickard & The Thunderbird Winos

The Memphis Recordings

(Fun-Guy records)

Justin gets more from a battered acoustic than most. Too, the felicity of his hoarse, everyman vocals bears approbative remark. He enjoys suitably rough-hewn accompaniment from slap bass, fiddle, and formidable drums. Wild and headlong, then touchingly persuasive, only to revert to rave-up mode.

Recommended: "Ginger Snap," "Right Here," "Mean Little Mama," "To Hell With the Wagon"

Video: "Ginger Snap" (live)

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Red Elvises

My Name Is Elvis

(Plan 9 Trash Records)

Grand palette of sounds both contemporary and traditional, blended in singular fashion. As has become expected of the band, they've produced a marvelous assemblage of novel airs for which there is no peer in shop bins.

Some songs here were heard in the film Six-String Samurai. The band is presently on tour promoting this 2019 disc.

Recommended: "Love Pipe," "Groovie," I Want My Honda Back," "Twist Like Uma Thurman," "Better Than Cocaine," "My Love Is Killing Me," "She Works For KGB," "I Wanna See You Bellydance," "Jerry's Got the Squeeze Box," "Beach Bum," "Rocket Man," "Smell the Bacon," "Juliet"

Video: "Groovie"

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Plan 9 Trash Records