Talismandala by Shining Realm “Welcome to the Hallucination we call Home,” beckons a calm, steady voice in its echoes and layers of slithering percussion and Eastern-influenced stringed instrument tapestries. Where is home? Well, at least for these 40-odd minutes, that home is the Shining Realm — both an Iowa psychedelic supergroup and a state of […]
Album Reviews
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Album Review: Lady Revel — ‘Slow Burn’
Lady Revel has matured but will never grow old. With their sophomore album Slow Burn, the self-proclaimed Midwestern indie rock band trades the open-hearted urgency of their 2023 debut for something wiser, softer and more emotionally nuanced. It’s the kind of record that doesn’t ask for attention but earns it, layer by layer. With 11 […]
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Album Review: Brother Trucker — ‘Live at Octopus’
You can’t talk about the history of music in Iowa without mentioning the seminal (and sadly defunct) grassroots record label Trailer Records, started by Iowa City musician David Zollo. Recently on the Iowa Music Archive Series, Zollo shared the genesis of the label. “…[Greg Brown, Bo Ramsey, Radislav Lorkovic and I] wanted something more funky […]
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Album Review: Wolfskill & the Wild — ‘Feral Heart’
Take Me As I Am by Wolfskill & The Wild It may seem counterintuitive to first notice and bask in the silence of an album, when music is quite literally about the sound created. But something genius unfurls from the quiet as Wolfskill & the Wild’s Feral Heart comes into view. A good 10-second fade-in […]
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Album Review: Andrew Hoyt — ‘Kind of Paradise’
Sun-drenched hooks and sunscreen-slathered horn sections are not very Iowa. But for Andrew Hoyt and his latest EP, Kind of Paradise, bottling sunshine is the point, whether charting heartbreak or relationship blissdom. A born and raised Iowan, Hoyt blends his Midwest sensibility with the polish of his Nashville collaborators and a Hawaiian influence to make […]
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Album Review: Abbie Sawyer — ‘Persimmon’
Persimmon by Abbie Sawyer Sitting and listening to Abbie Sawyer’s Persimmon was a blissful experience. It feels like frolicking on the first warm day of spring after a dreadful winter — fresh and bright, delightful despite the memory of the lingering cold. With 12 soul-stirring songs, the album blossoms with tenderness. It’s the kind of […]
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Album Review: Cory Peak — ‘Computer Image’
Computer Image by Cory Peak Cory Peak has to be one of Iowa’s most adventurous artists. Probably best known as the bassist for the grindcore/emoviolence powerhouse that is Closet Witch, Peak recently produced beats and did animation for the Iowa hip-hop project Negus Lamé. On top of all of that, Peak has been at work […]
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Album Review: Dizzy Bridges — ‘Spot the Pattern’
Spot the pattern by Dizzy bridges Dizzy Bridges’ new album is holistic, with hidden themes and lyrical depth to decode. Up for the challenge and armed only with the hint “Spoon-meets-Carlo Rovelli,” I enveloped myself in the poetry and existential questions of this Iowa-based art-rock quartet. Starting with patterns within my grasp — separate from […]
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Album Review: Margaret Driscal — ‘Mommy Planet’
Mommy Planet by Margaret Driscal Dystopian fiction tends towards themes of technocratic authoritarianism, the persecution of marginalized groups and generally, bad vibes. There is often a Byronic hero or some sort of picaresque adventure that awaits the protagonist who, against all odds, finds some sort of victory in the face of all-encompassing oppression. To be […]
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Album Review: Lex Leto x Christine Burke Ensemble — ‘I am here but I must go’
I am here but I must go by Lex Leto x The Christine Burke Ensemble Lex Leto has released their highly anticipated second studio album, I am here but I must go, in collaboration with the Christine Burke Ensemble. Beautiful yet jarring, all six tracks are extremely well-ordered and create an enchanting story. The album […]
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Album Review: Moscow Puzzles — ‘Vast Space of the Interior’
Vast Space of the Interior by Moscow Puzzles Instrumental rock music has always been a little underground. From its origins in surf rock to the many post-rock bands of today, there have been few moments where it has reached the attention of the mainstream music fan, which makes playing in a post-rock band a true […]
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Album Review: xco$mox — ‘Just Keep Swimming’
[Just Keep Swimming], the latest EP from Des Moines rapper xco$mox (pronounced cosmo) pulls you in almost instantly and rolls right into the end credits so fast, it takes you a moment to realize it’s already over. With a runtime of just over nine minutes spread over five songs, I had to immediately replay the […]
