Stop your blog buzz – even if deserved – about Adrianne Lenker. The Waxahatchee Tigers Blood album is hitting on every level as a Top 10 album of 2024. Both Lenker and Katie Crutchfield play Salt Lake City in the next 75 days, so we can compare their live shows side-by-side. But I’ve compared their studio releases and Tigers Blood is top shelf. This is what I love about it.
Keep reading for what influenced Waxahatchee’s new record
Would I have preferred to post my best indie albums 2023 list four or five weeks ago. Yes. Yes, I would. Am I losing sleep over it? No. It simply has low cultural relevance now.
I had most of these 20 records scratched onto a cute, pink “Mom’s To Do List” note pad at the end of the year. But one distraction lead to another and I didn’t sit down to start writing until February 1st. But get off my back already — this is the best 2023 album list you’ll read the entire month of February!
Keep reading for 20 albums from 2023 you need to buy!
The Kilby Block Party 2024 fired next year’s lineup announcement like a cannon shot. The May 10-12 festival will celebrate Kilby’s 25th anniversary and they’re already stacked.
Organizers S&S Presents have nailed their biggest act ever to headline, LCD Soundsystem. They’ve also secured legends like Dinosaur Jr., Belle and Sebastian and Ty Segall. Current acts will include Alvvays, Yves Tumor and Blondshell. And local rising star Little Moon makes the bill.
A representative for S&S tells KSL NewsRadio, they hope to attract close to 30,000 fans per day.
We don’t have the day by day lineup, which means no sense yet which bands play opposite each other and the hard choices you may have to make. But here is what we can expect.
Keep reading for the top Kilby headliners and supporting bands
I don’t blame anyone for missing some of the best 2023 indie music.
Like all years, 2023 had too many songs, too much buzz, way too much music for any mortal to keep track of. But now here is some help. These 3 records (probably) won’t make my Top 25 in 2023 but they are excellent releases. Listen to them, buy their music, get ready for 2023 indie music Year End Lists!
Read on for the three records in 2023 you need to buy ASAP
The only thing better than finding crushing indie rock albums is bumping them at 10 or 11 in your car instead of on earbuds. The louder and more dense the music, the less justice those workout bluetooth headphones give your guitar RAWK.
Here are 3 albums currently being played at unhealthy volumes in my car.
An American response to the UK shoegaze movement, Medicine was always wilder, weirder, dancier and a noisy avant-garde marvel. Making pop music louder and more disorienting since 1992’s Shot Forth Self Living, Medicine leads out on Silences with Jim Goodall’s hammering percussion.
Read about my favorite Medicine songs and more loud rock in 2023!
How many times did I see the Son Volt Trace tour in 1995 and 1996?! Probably five or six times…some of the most memorable shows of my young life.
And in 2023, after eleven studio albums, Son Volt announced an anniversary tour for 1995’s Trace (the completely logical 28th anniversary). It would land them in Salt Lake City on September 27. While they were also performing from their excellent Day of the Doug tribute to Doug Sahm…let’s be honest, we were there to hear Trace. This is what happened that night.
Keep reading for Top Son Volt songs that night and show photos
I neglected to post about the Charles Wesley Godwin concert in Salt Lake City more than a month ago at SLC’s The Depot. It hasn’t been for wont of enthusiasm: I was looking forward to seeing the leading man of the West Virginia Mafia taking over alt country, and he delivered in every way.
I came into the Charles Wesley Godwin concert at a disadvantage: I hadn’t previewed the singles from his upcoming Family Ties album, which came out in September.
The truth is, I’m a little late to the CWG party generally, and came to see Morgantown’s favorite son based more on reputation. He has become known for upstaging Zach Bryan as Bryan’s opener early in the year, giving a motivational speech to the Mountaineer football team this fall and emerging as the leader of the emerging West Virginia scene. Side note: Godwin entered school hoping to play football as a Mountaineer but fell back on music. We are lucky all fortunate for his career decision!
This is what happened at the Godwin show that night.
Keep reading for Godwin’s top moments, video and an insane photo
I’ve been missing for a few…but I’m motivated tonight to tell you about 6 alternative songs in 2023 you need to jump on ASAP! Some of these from spring and summer will make my year-end list of favorite alternative songs in 2023. A few are just in my head and deserve a broader audience.
You can stream all of these tunes for free at Bandcamp. You can also buy them there or, even better, buy from the bands’ websites. Most have YouTube videos but I’m not into videos myself. Many also offer free streams at Soundcloud. Even a big dog like Teenage Fanclub is making its brand new album Nothing Lasts Forever available to stream at Soundcloud.
You can listen to ALL of the songs right from this page, and use the handy links to support the artists. Here we go.
Click to read about and listen to six fab songs from 2023!
Hifi Sean and David McAlmont connect Bollywood and 1989 Manchester on their brilliant, trippy album Happy Ending.
“Hifi” Sean Dickson comes directly from the Madchester era, a founder of 90’s fan favorite The Soup Dragons. If Scottish, Hifi Sean brings Manchester’s baggy sensibility to the songwriting, which he delicately marries to McAlmont’s textured, smoky vocals.
Hifi Sean may look more like an angry logger than musician! Just call it smoldering intensity — he’s an in-demand DJ and producer with a catalogue of his own solo material. He originally collaborated with McAlmont on Dickson’s 2016 solo debut Ft. McAlmont sang on “Like Josephine Baker.”
Cut to 2023 and their new record Happy Ending.
Keep reading about how Hifi Sean’s new record turned out
The music of Brooklyn’s Ashwin Prasanna has been circulating for awhile, now landing as the debut of his jangly soft 70’s band The Angles. I basically fell in love with Prasanna’s self-titled debut The Angles — an old romantic’s comforting melodic jangle with shades of 70’s soft rock.
Prasanna is a meticulous manager of his sound, playing most instruments and self-producing. His gorgeous indie pop debut is a grower! Here are 3 reasons you need to download The Angles.
Click for more on The Angles new release – and three great songs