Tag: alternative country

Daniel Markham has just released a third video from his brand spankin’ new album Just Like a Dream. The Denton, TX-based multi-instrumentalist has crafted a powerful dreamscape that blends elements of power pop, classic rock, and alternative music straight out of the 90s. The album was recorded and mixed by acclaimed producer David Barbe (Drive-By Truckers, Son Volt, Deerhunter) at Chase Park Transduction in Athens, Georgia, in May 2022, and features Kris Killingsworth on the drums and Kyle Harris on the bass. It is his tenth (!)… Continued →

Texas-based indie rocker Daniel Markham is set to release a new full-length on April 5th, entitled Just Like a Dream. It will be released independently of a record label, as is his standard fare. The new material will add a heavy dose of power pop to his twangy alternative rock sound. He’s also released a super-fun new video for the lead single “Big Star,” a title which is surely a nod to the power pop greats themselves.… Continued →

While I was first introduced to Sally Grayson formally in 2020, during the covid-quarantine era, it turns out that I had already heard versions of her music many years prior. She’d fronted Black Swift (based in Germany where Grayson transplanted) for a number of years, but long before that she was in Michigan-based (her native homeland) Standbye, an emo/indie rock band by whom I owned a CD. All that to say that while Sally’s name may not be familiar to the masses, she’s been making credible musical art for well over two decades now.… Continued →

It’s so great to have Gary Murray and co. back to making music again after almost a decade of quietude. Gary had to retreat for a few years beginning in 2014 while taking care of aging parents and other personal matters. Monkeys & Spoons certainly reflects that solitude, as well as the grief of losing someone you’ve had close. While the album cover nearly depicts contents of jazz fusion or post-rock (both Koinonia and strangely, Talk Talk are evoked by the artwork), don’t be led astray there.… Continued →

If you’ve followed my writings for any amount of time, it’s not hard to discern my love for all things shoegaze, dream pop and the like. One of the best in the game was the mysterious LN. I was never quite sure if it was a band, or a solo project masquerading as a band. Sure, it was fairly well known that Gary Murray (who later recorded as Gary Murray and LN, and then just as Gary Murray) was the principal of the band, but not as clear who else was involved or at what level.… Continued →

From the opening riffs of opener “Armadillo”, you know this is going to be something interesting—dual harmonic guitar riffs in fuzzy tones. Vocals reflect Markham’s alt country background, but this is clearly a rock record. His bio claims he was trying to return to the hard rock and heavy metal that made him happy as a child, and while that is certainly a tangible presence, it’s filtered through his alternative consciousness. It’s like the rock era of Starflyer 59 where they essentially wrote doom metal riffs but set them into the context of shoegaze songs.… Continued →