Tera Melos "Trash Generator (Sargent House)"
A lot of things can be said about the experimental rock trio Tera Melos and their leader, the forever inventive vocalist-guitarist Nick Reinhart. Or we could just take a look at this quote from the bossman ‘round these BRM parts, Lyle: “Omg that Tera Melos record is like the minutmen on ‘roids…..” Which makes sense, as last we heard from Nick was in his supergroup that includes Minutemen bassist Mike Watts. Trash Generator (Sargent House) is full of math-y changes, sonic experimentation, mid-song genre detours, ‘80s-era Fripp riffs, this is a band full of players with chops (unfortunately not pork or loin-which reminds me! I need to go shopping). But yeah,these dudes have the goods, as is evidenced by the thrashing good time of “Don’t Say I Know.”
Mark Fosson "Solo Guitar (Drag City)"
Ian Felice "In The Kingdom Of Dreams"
Ian Felice, lead singer and songwriter of The Felice Brothers, has released a solo debut! In The Kingdom Of Dreams finds Ian escaping the weight of 2016 (when he wrote the tunes) with crafting songs. Tired of the oppressive election cycle of the year (as were we all), worn down from touring plus the impending worry of being a new father, Ian turned to these songs as a way to clean his psyche. Full of the folk-y, americana ideals Ian has been dealing with, this is as haunting and beautiful as anything he ever did with his brothers, or in his co-songwriting duties with The Lumineers of Bat For Lashes. Check out the ramshackle, dusty title track “In The Kingdom Of Dreams.”
Rare Energy "Rare Energy (Team Love)"
If you like your drums to have an indie shuffle, your songwriter’s emotions to be worn on their sleeves, and your aesthetic to be of the ‘90s college/indie persuasion, then boy oh boy do I have a new favorite band for you. Rare Energy, the new EP from Guilt Mountain is everything someone could want from a genre that can be decidedly overproduced at times. Sounding a little bit like early Helium tracks with Kate Larson’s vocal delivery reminding me of the Deal sisters at their most conversational, this is the kind of collection that makes you want to start a band immediately. Like, right this second. But you don’t have time for that now, because you need to check out “Fever.”