Back down the rabbit hole.
What started with Vangelis, Tangerine Dream and late-night Belgian radio somehow led me, years later, to Billy Fuller’s Fragments. Along the way: Neu!, obscure gems, forgotten albums, and that familiar pull of electronic music that comes and goes… but never really leaves.
I wrote about the journey, the rediscoveries, and why this niche keeps drawing me back in.
👉 LINK TO BLOG POST IN BIO
If you have recommendations that belong in this hole, I’m listening.
Two nights, two Dutch bands, one small venue that continues to prove why it matters. At Ekko, within walking distance of home and far removed from the scale of the bigger halls, Hiqpy and Marathon showed in very different ways that they are ready to move beyond it. One riding a wave of anticipation, the other building on a sound already fully formed, both pointing firmly towards larger stages ahead
LINK TO REVIEW IN BIO
“To stop creating art would be to let the bad guys win and steal our joy,” says Brad Smith, Eggs on Mars’ frontman.
It’s a line that perfectly captures the spirit of Good Morning (I Love You) — a record the Kansas City band themselves might call “Midwestern soft psych,” while others reach for labels like lo-fi jangle pop. Whatever you call it, these are songs that draw their strength from being carefully and deliberately kept small — written and performed with care and precision, where warmth, melody, and restraint quietly do the heavy lifting.
LINK TO INTERVIEW IN BIO
Karla Kane calls her songs windows. Small ones, carefully made — you look through them and find yourself inside a world that is unmistakably hers: botanical, seasonal, slightly haunted, and shot through with an unexpected warmth.
Concerns of Wasp and Willow, the new album by Northern California's The Corner Laughers, is out now on Big Stir Records — and it is one of those rare records that feels like it was made entirely on its own terms. Literate, handcrafted folk pop, built from tiny details, released quietly into a loud world.
We spoke to Karla about windows, details, and what it means to let a record go.
Link to full interview in bio!
Too bad the new Uni Boys record turned out a bit disappointing — just feels a little too lightweight. Luckily, there’s plenty of new music that really hits the mark.
Loving the restrained yet exuberant folk-pop from The New Pornographers, the storytelling pop of Sella (Brian Sella of The Front Bottoms), and the ROCK of The Pretty Flowers — all beautifully satisfying.
I know. You’re barely recovered from the end-of-year lists. The best-ofs, the top tens, the definitive guides to what you should have been listening to while you were busy living your life.
And here I am, almost three months into 2026, already doing this.
In my defense: this is less a list than a love letter. A handful of records that have barely left the ‘turntable’ this first quarter, that keep rewarding every return visit, and that together make a pretty convincing case that 2026 is shaping up to be a very good year for guitar pop and power pop.
What do I know.
But for the love of independent music, here we are.
LINK TO LIST IN BIO
If you like smart pop with adventurous ideas — think XTC or Elvis Costello — this might be for you.
Corey Landis talks about his new project Salieri & The Turnspit Dogs and the concept behind The Katzenklavier.
One of the most interesting concept albums I’ve heard in a long time..
LINK TO INTERVIEW IN BIO
Corey Landis has reinvented himself as Salieri & The Turnspit Dogs and, with The Katzenklavier, delivers a debut album under that name that feels like a journey of discovery — a glimpse into a musical mind where sounds and words are combined in ways only a rare few can manage. Think Mark Oliver Everett or Wayne Coyne. (...) LINK TO REVIEW IN BIO
Nick Piunti takes a slightly different road this time — not a sharp turn, but a meaningful shift. When the opening track, “Big in Madrid,” kicks in, you might wonder what I’m getting at. This is the indestructible blend we know so well: comfortable Midwestern rock fused with sharply honed power pop. It’s immediate, inviting, and carried by that familiar “Cuts Like a Knife”-esque gravel in his voice — still fresh, still youthful.
And yes, that sound is still here. But listen closely and you’ll hear Solo…ish slowly, steadily changing color. The shift isn’t abrupt; it unfolds. (...).
A link to the full review can be found in the bio!
