Deni Gauthier is a longtime friend of Down the Line, and the fact that he released a new album should be enough to get you to go out and buy it. Well, unless you are in Coronavirus lock-down, then you should be going online to buy it ASAP. Gauthier’s work has always been lush, complex,…
Sea of Orchids is a new band that evolved from The Distortion Mirrors, a band that long-time readers might remember was reviewed here way back in 2014. Well, now it is Luke Worle on his own doing “technicolored love letter to the 1980s.” Oh, and did I forget to mention that Sony will release the…
Fireworks on Ferris Wheels is the new collaboration between singer-songwriters Amy Courts and Paul Koopman. With Courts and Koopman coming together, I knew it would be a great album. But I didn’t know how great until I pressed play on their BandCamp page. The sound here is a mix between pop, rock, Americana, and alt…
Writ on Water has returned with a new ep of two older songs and four new songs. Don’t worry if that description makes it sound like this is a disjointed ep of leftover tracks – A Charcoal Night sounds like a cohesive whole project rather than a b-sides collection. Whether that is talent or intention…
This ep almost slipped through the cracks. That would be a shame if it did, because this is an excellent album of drone/ambient/instrumental music. Aberrations of Light is Mark Skelton, who set out to record one song a month for a year. The song titles are those dates – so it looks like we only have…
King Never has been working on this EP for quite a while, through many ups and downs… and the wait is worth it. If 80s and 90s alternative were still a major thing today, this is what it would sound like. I can hear everything from early U2 to emo in each song, all blended…
Seaside Holiday returns with the follow-up album to their impressive 2012 self-titled debut. Right out of the gate, “Wartime Reflections” strikes a very intriguing balance of electronic and indie rock… or “dream pop” as their BandCamp page labels it. That seems to be a good label: some of their songs lean to the electronica/darkwave side,…
Wickeds End is still alive and kicking! I never really thought I would be saying that in 2017, but Glenn Rowlands has defied the odds and come back with multiple albums over the past few years. Of course, this is a newer, heavier Wickeds End. Gone are the thrash hardcore crossover sounds of the 90s…
This album encompasses everything I love about modern, independent, underground music. I feel the same freeing elements on DW’s latest release that I was going through during the early stages of the Bloody Strummers album I took part of a few years back. Best I can describe the vibe going on is a blend of…
Remember the 90’s when 4-track cassette recorders and free time brought out the best in some of our heroes of alt-rock? Jack Logan, Guided By Voices, Godstar and Palace are some of the pioneers of true DIY indie-rock. Nowadays, with digital recorders, cheap and good compressors, mics and (God forbid) corrective devices, we seem to…