Mark Shikuma

Blood Bank (EP). By Bon Iver. Jagjaguwar. More of the Past (EP). By Vetiver. Gnomonsong. Back in the day "Extended Play" records — aka EPs — were released on both in 12" and 7" vinyl formats to distribute yet-unreleased material, perhaps by an artist whose popularity was on an upswing, or for those with a […]

Kentucky-based singer/songwriter (and part-time actor) Will Oldham has had a number of noms de plume or personas that can be a bit confusing, especially when going through, and sorting out, his musical history. He has recorded as "The Palace Brothers," under his own "real" name, Will Oldham, and, since the 1999 release of I See […]

The sound of American blues has progressively changed, leading to different breeds of music since the use of the electric guitar. In turn, this opened the door for rhythm & blues and subsequently rock ’n’ roll. Blues "hybrids" are numerous, from hard rock of the late ’60’s (bands like Cream, Led Zeppelin) to late ’70s […]

With Sunday at Devil Dirt, Scottish singer/songwriter Isobel Campbell, a former member of Belle & Sebastian, has released her second excellent collaboration with former Screaming Trees vocalist Mark Lanegan. The comparisons to late 1960s/early ’70s pop singing duets, namely Lee Hazelwood/Nancy Sinatra and Serge Gainsbourg/Jane Birkin are obvious: sexy vocal duets that fell into the […]

A Virtual Landslide. Peter Molinari (Damaged Goods). This UK singer/songwriter’s sophomore effort is lush, though not overblown, creating a full sound that perfectly compliments his folk, country and pop sensibilities. Analog-recorded by Liam Watson, and accompanied by Toe-Rag Studio musicians, Molinari’s uncanny and sincere delivery is brilliantly captured. This is one of this year’s recordings […]

Musician, songwriter and vocalist Holly Golightly hasn’t slowed up much. Since her time in the mid-’90s with the garage band Thee Headcoatees, the all-female counterpart to Billy Childish’s Thee Headcoats, Golightly has released over a dozen full-length studio albums. Her styles, like her moods, swung with each of her records, from rockabilly to folk to […]

The early songs by the lo-fi indie pioneer Robert Pollard and his "band," Guided By Voices, sounded as if they were recorded in a basement. They were. Today’s singers/songwriters have access to a wide array of technologies, old and current, allowing them to create recordings that you would never guess were made in someone’s basement. […]

Listening to the Atlanta-based band Deerhunter, you wouldn’t immediately suspect that the band has endured a great deal of drama. Yet it has. In 2004, prior to the recording of their first full-length album, Deerhunter (subtitled "Turn It Up Faggot"), the band’s original bassist, Justin Bosworth, died due to head injuries suffered from a skateboarding […]

The power of myth. In many cases, the myth overshadows the reality. For the legendary L.A. punk band The Germs, who experienced a meteoric rise during the late 1970s, this was always the case. More often than not, Germs shows were chaotic episodes, with unfinished sets. In 1979, the Germs released their first and only […]

Steve Wynn, singer, songwriter and founder of L.A. band Dream Syndicate, is a journeyman — both literally and figuratively. Musically, since the dissolve of Dream Syndicate, Wynn has taken both a collaborative and solo path, with some of his strongest post-Syndicate work in collaborations. Wynn worked with Green on Red’s co-founder Dan Stuart under the […]