Americana
These are our favourite books of 2023, works that challenged and delighted us with tales of life, love and very often rock n roll
Chris Bateman tunes into this expansive anthology of Johnny Cash’s lyrics, put together by Mark Stielper and John Carter Cash
These are the albums of 2023 that have meant the most to us, alongside our compilations & archives of the year
Jim O’Rourke’s eerily captivating motion picture soundtrack for Hands That Bind is a vital addition to his Drag City catalogue
Steve Wynn takes us on tour through the highways and byways of The Dream Syndicate’s scenic and kaleidoscopic catalogue
An in bulk round-up of reviewables – both fresh and refreshed – from Lloyd/Bean, Andy Bell & Masal, Ozbolt, The Lemonheads and more
A weighty pile of fresh and archival arrivals from Rose City Band, Mücha, Paul Cousins, Josephine Foster, Antietam and more face assessment
Bruce Springsteen’s soul covers album retains the shape of the originals while also providing insight into his own storied body of work
A cluster of new and archival musical content from Kayla Painter, Camp of Wolves, Douglas Andrew McCombs, Cosmic Ground, Heavenly and more
Stewart Gardiner talks to Sons and Daughters in this archive feature from 2005, alongside some thoughts on the band’s legacy today
An omnivorous accumulation of aural fodder from Ellis Island Sound, Freakons, Listening Center, K of ARC, Suicide, The Lemonheads and more
These are the seventy-five albums of 2021 that have meant the most to us, alongside our compilations & archives of the year
Ever reliable veterans Thalia Zedek and Chris Brokaw generously help us explore their work together and apart over the last few decades
A benevolent avalanche of sonic goods from Eat Lights Become Lights, Mildred Maude, Good Shepherd, Melinda Bronstein and Stellarays
A kaleidoscopic range of releases from Cubs, D. Rothon, Rose City Band and Lucy Gooch explore inside-out creativity
Eleventh Dream Day co-founders Rick Rizzo and Janet Beveridge Bean tell virtually all on the band’s superb new double-sized album
Nancy Sinatra is getting the carefully curated archive treatment by Light in the Attic and Start Walkin’ is a primer worth writing home about
The ever-resourceful and chameleonic Chris Brokaw returns satisfyingly with his first songs-based solo long player since 2012
These are the seventy-five albums of 2020 that have meant the most to us at Concrete Islands, alongside our archive releases of the year
This second springtime column brings together a broad range of wares from Modern Studies, Textile Ranch, Bizarre Statue, Correlations and Rose City Band
Adrian Dutt – of Spectres, Howling Owl Records and Rough Trade Bristol – escaped into his hiding place and returned with a mixtape of beauty in chaos
We pay a sideways tribute to the late David Berman – of Silver Jews and Purple Mountains – by republishing this entertainingly off-centre 2002 interview
Sarah Louise Henson and Sally Anne Morgan return with another earthy yet exploratory affair as House and Land on Thrill Jockey
Howe Gelb brings together a miscellany of guest-filled and globe-trotting recordings into one curiously consistent new collection
Jack Rose joined the dots within a miasmic musical landscape to create a distinctive guitar style. Stewart Gardiner spoke with the late artist back in 2004