There’s something dark and eerie about the opening tracks of Damon Moon’s new LP, Lungs, Dirt & Dreams. The title track flirts with dreamy guitars, but not in the sense of the pleasant atmospheric; rather they echo through the darkness, seemingly coming from every direction. And then there’s Moon’s soft vocals somewhere between a mystery and a (surprise, surprise) whisper.

Seattle and Austin are both towns with very distinct personalities, both as cities and through the musicians that reside within. Yet here is one man — Jack Wilson — that flirts with geography, calling both locations home and melding together the two sounds for a style of folk-based americana rock that is entirely captivating.

Bears are a delectable pop band out of Cleveland, Ohio that blend indie pop sounds with psychedelic instrumentation and the clash between sleepy and mopey vocals. If there’s anything I like, it’s rainy-day pop music, and that’s precisely what this is. Greater Lakes is the band’s new LP — their third at that — and it comes out on Misra Records on Valentine’s Day 2012.
Word is floating around that this is their best album yet, and with a few listens, it’s easy to hear the truth in …

Originated in Boise by Eric Ingersoll, Night Genes channels the likes of Tom Waits and Nick Cave with deep baritone folk. Accompanied by a trusty acoustic guitar, the songs Night Genes creates are light and playful – a contrast to the meditative and contemplative vocals and lyrics of Ingersoll.

It’s been a while since we covered Bourgeois Heroes, a little indie pop duo out of Northampton, MA (Jason) and Austin, TX (Elise). Who communicate over that long distance to create the music contained within their releases. At the time, I likened the duo to melodramatic 80s bands like Echo & The Bunnymen. On their latest single, Olé/Hola, the band slips away from those earlier sounds and holds its ground steady in indie pop. In fact, here they side more with modern underground indie pop artists like Afternoon Naps.

With The Shins stripped down to James Mercer, Dave Hernandez has been free to pursue other projects. And pursue he did; the new band is called Little Cuts and it’s a bit louder than his previous band. A little garage rock, a little punk, and definitely up a notch in terms of volume. It’s a bit of a return for Hernandez to the noisier side of music; that which can also be found in former band Scared of Chaka.

I love straight up rock and roll.  Well, not just rock and roll, but the dirty kind!  You know the type.  The kind of group that harmonizes as well as the Velvet Underground, yet springs and bangs across a soundboard like Sonic Youth.  Whenever this type of blend happens, you are sure to find something beautiful.  Thankfully, this specifically happens on the debut album from Augusta’s Turf War.

He’s been known by many names over the years.  For avid FensePost readers, Menhirs of Er Grah will probably ring a bell.  For avid Thom Carter followers, March Rosetta, Black Crown, Minimal States, Needleleaf, and a few more names might seem a bit more recognizable.  But, now, we have Mr. Carter directly in the flesh. With his most personal record yet, we find the rocket man who has hidden behind several different names over the years, spread out with a naked soul on his debut album under his own name. …

Pour out some sweat tea, fire up the banjo, warm up the rocking chair, and get ready for some good old fashioned Americana rock that will easily set your soul aglow and leave you with aspirations towards shucking and diving as The Dustbowl Revival serenade you with some of the most perfect blend of blues, jazz, and pure down home American fun.

The Lovely Sparrows have a way of putting together words and music that make the band one of today’s leading folk-rock and folk-pop artists. With Tall Cedars of Lebanon, the Sparrows continue the trend they began as early as their debut EP, Pulling Up Floors, Pouring On (New) Paint. The musicianship remains just as tight and focused as was on Bury The Cynics. But Tall Cedars isn’t without its difference from the band’s prior work.