Andy Zipf
The Long Tail

Andy Zipf threw us for a loop. He has a collection of new songs, he’s touring and distributing his music to fans, but there’s no album. Zipf opted for a digital-only release—instead of loading boxes of CDs into his car to peddle at shows, Zipf sells download cards manufactured by Disc Revolt. The card-holder then goes online and downloads songs they want, choosing from recent live recordings as well as studio cuts.

The great music proves he’s on track. File The Long Tail under rock, but listen carefully and hear other influences. “Find You” has an R&B feel—somewhere between Joe Cocker and a gospel choir. “I wrote that song after seeing the devastation of Katrina,” Zipf recalls. “There was a man looking for his little girl. She had been missing for some time, and he was beyond distraught. I was watching from my couch, feeling completely helpless.”
Other songs are equally powerful. “Lie to Yourself” finds Zipf lamenting a failed love with his crystalline tenor while overdriven electric guitars wail in sympathy. The harder “Maybe Tonight” screams with a new-wave edge recalling Blondie or ’70s-era David Bowie.

—studio-tight yet organic, alive and full of the passionate creativity that Zipf brings into all aspects of his career. “This is an exciting time in the music industry,” he says. “More control is being put into the hands of the artist.” So who cares if it’s not actually in your hands?

andyzipf.com

Boy in the Bubble
Songs From the City on the Sun

From the melancholy accordion line of “When You Walk Around This City” to the marching beat of “Handy” to the Violent Femmes-esque “Too Damn Crazy,” Boy in the Bubble play an arresting game of musical hopscotch.

The Bay Area band is the latest project of luthier, park ranger, politician and rock ’n’ roller Josh Seidenfeld, and it’s his dramatic baritone that holds this eclectic music together. Alternating between soft and sighing, loud and sloppy, he knows exactly where he’s going—and he’s intent on taking us with him. Call Songs From the City on the Sun indie-rock at a burlesque show. Call it David Bowie on the verge of a meltdown. Call it what you like, but don’t miss this Sun set.

boyinthebubble.org

Luke Brindley
Luke Brindley

Luke Brindley cuts a large swath with his third solo album. He previously recorded with brother Daniel as indie pop-rock darlings the Brindley Brothers, but he sounds equally at home singing folk, rock or blues. An accomplished guitarist who cites Paul Westerburg and Michael Hedges among his influences, Brindley navigates a vast musical map.

"Never Alone” makes use of organ and horns to accentuate a Motown vibe as Brindley assures “If I knew the way I’d carry you home.” “Ain’t Got You” is steadied by a disco drum beat in contrast to the folky melody and lyrics about how “even the beautiful things are broken and torn.” “Surrender” nods to Springsteen and the E Street Band, unfolding the tale of a girl with a reckless love.

The album highlight “Hold on to the Mystery” features interwoven acoustic and muted electric guitars as Brindley delivers image-laden lyrics: “Lightning flashing over this suburban town, you get one split second to look around.” It won’t take longer than a split second to decide to bring Luke Brindley home.

lukebrindley.com

Douglas Cameron
Remedies

Douglas Cameron is a man of musical contradictions. Remedies, the latest offering from the Idaho native, contains an assortment of seemingly disparate musical elements that make for an exhilaratingly fresh result.

“Half Bottle” juxtaposes blistering blues-rock guitar solos with pop-rock choruses. “Remedies for Remembering” pits upbeat bluegrass fiddle in the choruses against a ska-flavored guitar line in the verse. “Drove All Night Through Utah” combines straight-up country pedal steel with a reference to LL Cool J, and “Let Me Show You How” turns a potential heartbreak into a song of strength.

Cameron’s casual delivery and catchy melodies glue the record nicely together, and the energetic sound will have you kicking up dust on the dance floor. Remedies will cure what ails you.

douglascameron.net

Christy Clayton
Devil's Paradise

Las Vegas artist Christy Clayton combines drums and twangy guitars with piano, saxophone and strings on her country-rock debut, Devil’s Paradise.

Clayton’s got a set of powerful pipes and an envious range—think Pat Benatar if she’d grown up on a Nevada ranch with plenty of open desert to belt tunes at. The women in Clayton’s songs are just as strong. The title track tells the story of a girl barely out of high school as she meets up with a drifter who “put her on stage wearing only a broken heart.” In “Ain’t Worth What It Used to Be,” she sing about living hard with “not even a nickel in my pocket.” “One More Bottle” details a break-up that even too much alcohol couldn’t prevent while “Fly Away” finds Clayton telling a soon-to-be ex-lover “even if you clip my wings, still I will fly away.”

Tough characters, powerhouse vocals and driving beats add up to a great album that even the non-devils among us can enjoy.

christyclayton.com

The Ditchflowers’ brand of melody-driven folk-pop will seduce your ears with tight harmonies—they’re a Ditch you’ll want to dig.

theditchflowers.com

William Fitzsimmons
Goodnight

Goodnight is an appropriate title for William Fitzsimmons’ new CD. His intricate acoustic guitar and soft baritone combine with muted instruments for a collection of gentle, grown-up lullabies.

“Hold on With My Open Hands” combines half-whispered vocals with a reverb-laden banjo for a dreamy effect as Fitzsimmons muses, “I suppose I should decide what I can do with all your clothes.” “Leave Me by Myself” is heartbreaking yet tender with lines like “You’ll be raising someone else’s kids / Don’t find someone who treats you like I did.” “Please Don’t Go” combines drum loops and xylophone for a hipper sound than typical singer-songwriter fare, while background vocals on “You Broke My Heart” mimic a choir of angels.

Although song titles and lyrics on Goodnight are frequently sad, the music is fresh and the overall affect uplifting—guaranteed to send you off humming to slumber.

myspace.com/williamfitzsimmons

Holly O'Reilly
Gifts & Burdens

Holly O’Reilly shelves her edgy, contemporary folk sound and heads Southeast. The Seattle native and founder of women’s music collective Indiegrrl shows a softer, more country side on Gifts & Burdens, her fifth independent release. (She’s previously recorded as Holly Figueroa.)

In “Lay Them Down,” acoustic guitars and mandolins support O’Reilly’s lilting vocals and sweet Appalachian melody. “One More Time” find her giving a bluegrass spin to the Seattle rain: “If I could I would take all this dark and rain / Turn it into sun and light, you just might smile again.” The title track offers a compelling melody—think Phil Ochs’ “No More Songs” crossed with Gillian Welch. “You were just one night, and a song I didn’t mean to write / but I live the refrain just like you,” O’Reilly sings.

Other stand-out tracks are “New York,” a tribute to the victims of 9/11, and an inspired cover of Leonard Cohen’s classic “Everybody Knows.”

hollyoreilly.com

Porter Block
Suburban Sprawl

Porter Block may be the missing link between folk and rock. The New York City–based band’s driving beats and catchy choruses are what rock ’n’ roll is all about, but their insightful lyrics and skill on acoustic and slide guitar allude to a more sensitive side.

Album opener “Wonder About Me” pairs musings about an ex-girlfriend with high-energy lead guitar. “Worrying Man” serves up a descending mandolin line with lyrics about how “the ground beneath my feet seems to swallow me whole.” “Safe and Warm” has dreamy falsetto vocals and a psychedelic vibe, while “Circles” showcases intricate finger picking.

Bandmates Peter Block and Caleb Sherman trade off lead vocals. Their tight harmonies recall a more innocent era, while their songs display a thoroughly modern rock sensibility.

porterblockmusic.com

Joe Rathbone
Under the Scorpio Moon

Given the title of Joe Rathbone’s third album, it’s hard to believe the wayfaring artist has stood still long enough to enjoy any lunar sightings. A Philadelphia native, Rathbone’s made his way from New York to Atlanta, working as a wedding singer and music teacher, and now calls Nashville home. But don’t think that his time in the trenches providing tunes for father-daughter dances makes him comparable to a castoff from an Adam Sandler flick. Rathbone’s songs mix melodic, heartland rock with atmospheric flourishes, calling to mind Tom Petty and Joseph Arthur.

Tracks such as “Mercury” and “Beautiful Noise” incorporate inventive sonic landscapes, but even among the samples and grooves, Rathbone’s inviting, often tender vocals keep the proceedings human and heartfelt. For an artist who’s seemingly chased his musical muse across the Eastern seaboard, Rathbone’s an engaging, burgeoning talent who has his feet firmly planted on this Moon. –Jesse Thompson

joerathbone.com

Liz Stahler
Stitches in My Sleeve

Stitches in My Sleeve is the debut from Boston-based singer-songwriter Liz Stahler. Her dark, contemporary folk-pop sound is nicely complemented by twangy electric guitars, lush backing vocals and Stahler’s husky, road-wizened voice.

“Wishing Well” leans toward Americana with twangy electric guitars. “Long Ride” has a lush sound fortified nicely by cello and piano, while “Not That Easy” is a straight-up rock tune driven by drums and thumping bass. Stahler will win your heart with rueful lines like “I don’t need sympathy / I give it to myself” from the mid-tempo, poppy ballad “Miles Left.” Stitches is a strong first offering, and we can’t wait to hear what else Stahler has up her sleeve.

lizstahler.com

Jeff Tuohy
Breaking Down the Silence

Fusing Dave Mattews and John Mayer, Jeff Tuohy delivers songs with passion and precision. His first album showcases strong melodies and enthralling vocals—elements that served Tuohy well during his recent stint as a cast member of a Buddy Holly musical.

In "Unaware," Tuohy tells a lover, "You're playing with my mind, moving through my soul" while an active bassline and stacked electric guitars fill the sonic space. The sparser "Doctor Thomas" utlizes pounding drums to augment the story of a man who "spends his days staring at the clouds."

Instrumentation sticks to bass, drums, guitar and keyboard, but the creative melodic lines and sophisticated arrangements would make Buddy Holly proud.

jefftuohy.com