The new Richard Buckner album Surrounded has also gone by without even a mention on this blog. Another reason to think that maybe I should just quit, if I don’t have the time or energy to do this thing properly. But I’m kind of stubborn and I just won’t quit. Anyway, Richard Buckner is one of the best singer-songwriters and he doesn’t really need an introduction. I’ve been a fan since that devastating break-up album Devotion & Doubt back in 1997 (well I heard it probably a couple years later). Dents and Shells is another big favourite from the past, but there’s no need to be stuck in his glorious past. This songwriter is still in mighty fine form. These last two albums Our Blood (2011) and Surrounded (2013) are both great records. This is Mood from the new album.

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Richard Buckner Website

Howdy! What is all this country music? Isn’t this supposed to be a POP website?

I understand your point sir. I have good news for you. This is a pop website at least each and every time there’s a new Cats On Fire release or a new Math and Physics Club release. This time it’s Math and Physics Club. Their new album Our Hearts Beat Out Loud will hit the stores and our hearts tomorrow 19th of November. And holy mother of God or Rose Melberg, This is just fantastic. Ok, I’ve just heard these two songs that you can listen to below, but I’m smiling like The Softies and The Lucksmiths were playing a house concert in my living room. I need this album. It makes me happy. This is the two songs sampler that the finest indiepop label Matinee Recordings is providing for our pleasure.

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Math and Physics Club Website

Bloodshot Records is on a great roll at the moment. The new Robbie Fulks is among the very best of the whole year and the new Lydia Loveless EP and Neko Case full-length are also rather wonderful. And the little bit that I’ve listened to the new Ha Ha Tonka album, makes me think it might be something special and I need to properly check it out. Tomorrow they are doing great things again by reissuing the first two The Bottle Rockets albums.

I find this release rather exciting, because I haven’t even heard these albums beforehand. If I think of my musical past and the way bands like Uncle Tupelo, Wilco, Whiskeytown and Son Volt were a real a game changer and opened a whole new musical horizon, it’s just ludicrous and criminal that up until now, I pretty much knew The Bottle Rockets by reputation only. Not So Loud album and Otis Gibbs’ excellent podcast with Bottle Rockets front man Brian Henneman were pretty much all I really knew. This is going to change now and I’m definitely going to add this reissue to my collection.. I’ve already had the possibility to stream these albums over the last weeks and these are just awesome. Especially The Brooklyn Side. This should be classic just like Trace, A.M or Strangers Almanac. Among the people in the know, it probably already is. Yours truly has just been an ignorant fool all these years.

This is The Bottle Rockets and live version of Gravity Fails from Music Fog.

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The Bottle Rockets Website
Bloodshot Records Website