May 1st Is International Workers Day: Indie Rock Playlist 2019

Band of Skulls Love Is All You Love

Better Oblivion Community Center (feat Conor Oberst & Phoebe Bridgers) "Little
Trouble/Sleepwalker"

Bob Dylan Blood On The Tracks (New York Test Pressing). We thought we had heard it all but now there's this - a New York test pressing that was released, then redrawn and redone with new amateur musicians from Minnesota (the standard version we know and have long loved). Interesting for hard-core Dylan fans.

Bonnie "Prince" Billy "Without Work You Have Nothing"/"Afraid Ain't Me"

Broken Social Scene Let's Try The After Vol. 2

Cage The Elephant Social Cues. Matt and the gang really going for a pop hit here.

Craig Finn  I Need A New War - The Hold Steady's lead singer strong new solo album

Fontaines D.C. Dogrel

Foxygen Seeing Other People

Guided By Voices Warp And Woof

Jeff Buckley In Transition

American Radio Broadcast: Really enjoying listening to the American Radio Broadcast archives of 1970's-80's-era concerts that were broadcast on the radio at the time, including gems from the likes of Jackson Browne, Husker Du, Leonard Cohen, and Pete Seeger with Joni Mitchell.

Jeff Tweedy Warmer - Nice companion album to last year's Warm

King Gizzard Fishing For Fishies. - Cool psychedelic sounds from Down Under...

Mavis Staples We Get By - After very successful two albums with Wilco's Jeff Tweedy, Mavis offers Ben Harper a chance to write, produce, and perform with her, which he does admirably.

Melissa Etheridge The Medicine Show - Surprisingly strong album from the veteran rocker

Modest Mouse "I'm Still Here". - Cool single from the forthcoming album we look forward to.

The Mountain Goats In League With Dragons - (nice Game of Thrones tie-in, at least timing-wise...)

Norah Jones Begin Again

Peter Doherty & The Puta Madres Peter Doherty & The Puta Madres - Great new album from The Libertines/Babyshambles 40-year-old boy genius

T Bone Burnett The Invisible Light: Acoustic Space - Weird but cool spacey trance music from the Americana expert... came out of his work on HBO's True Detective...

Tom Morello "Can't Stop The Bleeding" (feat Gary Clark Jr. & Gramatik)

Tune-Yards Sorry To Bother You (Original Motion Picture Score & Additional Music). - The first Sorry album was great and this has some cool stuff on it too. Great movie!

Peter Doherty Stars in Adorkable Puppy Video: "Paradise Is Under Your Nose" (Video)

Cool, New Song by Mavis Staples: "Anytime" (Audio); Forthcoming Album with Ben Harper

After two excellent albums with Wilco's Jeff Tweedy, legendary Mavis Staples of The Staple Singers has a new album coming out in May, written and produced by guitar wizzard Ben Harper.

It's called We Get By and we look forward to it greatly!

From 1975, "I'll Take You There":

Cool, New Song by Tom Morello: "Can't Stop The Bleeding" feat. Gary Clark Jr. & Gramatik (Video)

Cool, New Songs by Stephen Malkmus & Bonnie "Prince" Billy Speculate on America in 2024 for NYT Magazine T Culture Issue

The New York Times Magazine asked four musicians, including Stephen Malkmus (who contributed the wild "Airplane Air") & Bonnie "Prince" Billy (whose "Where My Heart's Scared To Be" is a delight) to write songs about life in America in 2024 for their new T Culture issue. 

You can listen to the songs HERE...

Cool, New Song by Courtney Barnett: "Everybody Here Hates You" (Video)

Marvin Gaye Is Back! On A U.S. Postage Stamp And With A GREAT "New" Lost Album From 1972 We've Never Heard Before: "You're The Man"; The Follow-Up To "What's Going On"

The official U.S. Postal Service Marvin Gaye stamp is now available.

So nice to have Marvin around again!

Also loving his "new" lost album from 1972, You're The Man; the intended follow-up to What's Going On that no one's heard until now. Pitchfork gave it a 7.8 (out of 10). It's a fantastic addition to the canon. 

Cool, New Song by Titus Andronicus: "(I Blame) Society" (Video)

Love this band! Their new video reminded me of this classic...

Strong Wind Dried My Tears: 21st Century Women Who Rock (Indie Music Playlist)

So many notable female artists of late, both solo and in collaboration with others, creating some of the most powerful timely music we've ever heard. Here's just a few:

Billie Eilish When We Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?

Phoebe Bridgers Stranger In The Alps solo debut, collaborations: boygenius (with Julien Baker & Lucy Dacus) and Better Oblivion Community Center (with Conor Oberst)

Filthy Friends (feat Corin Tucker of Sleater-Kinney). Emerald Valley is a solid second album from this collaboration between Corin & R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck. By the way, there's a new Sleater-Kinney album produced by St. Vincent forthcoming)

Jenny Lewis On The Line

The C.I.A. (feat Denee Segall on vocals with husband Ty Segall & Emmett Kelly, both on bass)

Karen O & Danger Mouse Lux Prima

Stella Donnelly Beware Of Dogs

Ex Hex (feat Mary Timony) It's Real

Y La Bamba Mujeres

Susanna Garden Of Earthly Delights

Sharon Van Etten Remind Me Tomorrow

Marianne Faithful Negative Capability

Courtney Barnett Tell Me How You Really Feel (LP), "Everybody Here Hates You" (single)

PJ Harvey All About Eve (Original Music for the Film)

Priests The Seduction of Kansas

Sara Bareilles Amidst The Chaos

Mavis Staples If All I Was Was Black is the second album from the singing civil rights legend which is essentially a collaboration with Wilco's Jeff Tweedy who produces, writes, plays guitar, and even sings a little. The notion of a middle-aged white dude putting words in a Black woman's mouth (especially on a personal song such as "If All I Was Was Black") requires a great deal of sensitivity and the possibilities were high for a total embarrassment. To his credit, Tweedy pulls it off, not stepping on any toes, allowing Mavis the space she needs. Mavis seems to be enjoyable a revival of sorts recently and no one deserves it more. Worth checking out is Mavis' powerful cameo on Hozier's  "Nina Cried Power"

Hall of Fame: Fanny, Aretha Franklin, Patti Smith, Aimee Mann, Memphis Minnie, Ma Rainey, Billie Holiday, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone, Odetta, Laura Nyro, Barbara Dane

Roxy Music's Bryan Ferry looks back on the band's legacy and influence o...