Happy first day of fall! The indie projects just keep on coming, and we are proud to share five new albums that are all being released today, including the return of a pioneering band from 40 years ago, The Textones.
Artist Name: The Textones
Album Name: Old Stone Gang
Label: Blue Élan Records
Genre: Indie Rock/Americana
Track Listing: 1. Downhearted Town; 2. Bared my Soul; 3. Old Stone Gang; 4. 20 Miles South of Wrong; 5. One Half Rock; 6. All That Wasted Time; 7. Midnight Roundabout; 8. Ghost on a River; 9. Come Stay the Night; 10. Carly Jo; 11. Walkin’ or Waitin’; 12. Ride On
Publicist: MAD Ink PR
Review: Carla Olson started The Textones back in 1978, pioneering a form of rock that would eventually grow into our Americana music scene today. After recording two albums, life took its toll and the band broke up. Starting in 2012, original members Carla Olson, George Callins, Joe Read, Rick Hemmert and Tom Jr. Morgan reunited and began recording some of the tracks that became this album, although they didn’t sign with Blue Élan Records until earlier this year. They are joined on the new album by special guests Phil Seymour, Kathy Valentine, David Provost, Markus Cuff, Richard D’Andrea, Rusty Young, Allan Clarke, Barry Goldberg and Todd Wolfe. As a result of this impressive talent, this album has definitely been worth the wait, and the band sounds as strong and relevant as they did back in the early 80s when their last album was released. Olson has been busy perfecting her craft, as is evident from her songwriting. She wrote or co-wrote nine of the twelve tracks, and every one of them is a potential radio hit. It’s as if she and the band never left the music scene, and we are so glad to have them back on our radar. Best tracks include “Downhearted Town,” the title track, the first single “20 Miles South of Wrong” (which we featured in our Monday Mashup), “All That Wasted Time,” the jazzy “Midnight Roundabout,” “Carly Jo,” and “Walkin’ or Waitin’.” We also love “One Half Rock,” which starts out with the 1985 rehearsal recording by Seymour before shifting to a new version featuring Olson on vocals.
Recommendation: You NEED this one in your collection. Better get to their CD Release show tonight at The Federal Bar in Los Angeles at 8 p.m.
Artist Name: Juicer
Album Name: Mach IV
Label: All Good Clean Records
Genre: Rock
Track Listing: 1. Mach IV; 2. Saturday Night OD; 3. Catch 25; 4. You Scared me Straight; 5. Unconditional Love; 6. Forever is a Long Time; 7. Concussion Machine; 8. The Slacker; 9. Burrito; 10. On the Move
Publicist: Viral Propaganda PR
Review: Norway’s Juicer brings us hard hitting dirty rock with lyrics that speak of today’s issues. The band is tight with a hard-hitting rhythm section, screaming guitars, and the perfect vocals to deliver their powerful message. Combining straight ahead rock with 80s metal and punk creates a sound that will appeal to all rock lovers. The music is almost overwhelming in its sheer power, while the lyrics definitely give you something to think about while your banging your head to the beat.
Recommendation: If you love rock, you will love this album. Do yourself a favor and Get it.
Artist Name: CAP ON.
Album Name: Be Better Than Jeff
Label: Hicktown Records
Genre: Pop/Funk
Track Listing: 1. Individuality; 2. Dance; 3. Fast Lane; 4. Summer Feelings; 5. Certain Grin; 6. Night Train to Amsterdam
Publicist: Hicktown Records
Review: The seven members of German band CAP ON. have created a very interesting sound they call “seven-in-one,” which is composed of funk, pop, blues, rock, soul, fusion and electro genres. This album will get you dancing, pump you up and make you move. It is an amazing debut, and we fully expect this band’s popularity will explode all over Europe and spread to the rest of the world. We recommend you just put this one on repeat.
Recommendation: Definitely Get this one!
Artist Name: Rachelle Coba
Album Name: Blink
Label: American Showplace Music
Genre: Blues/Roots
Track Listing: 1. High and Dry; 2. Dance These Blues Away; 3. Good Ole Heartbreak; 4. No Deals; 5. River of Blood; 6. Blink; 7. Bad Reputation; 8. You Stole my Heart; 9. Shuffle Ya; 10. Maybe; 11. Blame it on the Blues
Publicist: Rick Lusher
Review: Rachelle Coba is part Etta James, part Janis Joplin and a whole lotta awesome. Her musical sound will lift you up and get your feet moving with its upbeat brand of ass-kicking blues. It’s got the high energy rocking sound of rockabilly, combined with a funky drum beat and screaming blues guitar, all wrapped up in those amazing vocals of Coba. Like her press release says, “this ain’t your momma’s blues.” This album will appeal to a whole new level of blues lovers and should easily cross over to other genres as well. It is well worth the attention, and we suspect it will soon top the charts.
Recommendation: This one is a must-have for specifically blues lovers as well as lovers of all types. Go out and Get it.
Artist Name: Greg Laswell
Album Name: Next Time
Label: Leg Graswell Records
Genre: Singer-Songwriter Pop
Track Listing: 1, Royal Empress; 2. Next Time; 3. Super Moon; 4. Choice in the Matter; 5. I Will not Resign; 6. What do I Know; 7. Where you Find Me; 8. For You; 9. Do Better; 10. Never Want to See You Again; 11. Next Time (piano version)
Publicist: Perpetual Media Relations
Review: Greg Laswell was one of the first artists we met when we moved to LA, and we used to sit in the old piano room at The Hotel Café and chat while he played the piano. It is so refreshing to see how he has grown over the years, and Next Time is his best and most personal album to date. We featured the lyric video for his first single, “Royal Empress,” which is a natural segue from his previous album, Everyone Thinks I Dodged a Bullet. You can feel the pain and emotion in each and every note, while also drawing comfort from the fact that others are experiencing the same things you are. In the song “I Will not Resign,” he gives us these comforting words: “We are not defined by our choices, but our response to them, along the way.” Every song on this album is powerful, and Laswell captures the Springsteen sound in presenting them to us. You need to listen to this album a few times for everything to sink in, so put it on repeat and enjoy. There isn’t a weak track on the album, so sit back, relax, enjoy the vibe, and, in the words of NCIS: New Orleans character Dwayne Pride, “Learn Things.”
Recommendation: Run out and Get this one TODAY!