It can be difficult finding a sturdy, writerly hook for the idea of “home.” What new things can be said about finding your place in this world? Well, as it turns out, there’s still plenty that you can *sing* about home.
Album Reviews
Posted inAlbum Reviews
Album Review: Weary Ramblers — ‘Driftwood’
Driftwood by Weary Ramblers For Iowa duo Weary Ramblers, music isn’t just what they do — it’s how they stay connected in a world that often demands too much from […]
Posted inAlbum Reviews
Album Review: The DZ Combo — ‘It’s Just Your Turn’
It's Just Your Turn by The DZ Combo Have you ever been served dinner by a friend with a passion for food? Every course is presented with love and a […]
Posted inAlbum Reviews
Album Review: Kinji — ‘Thunderhead’
In the same way nature’s counterpart forewarns of dreariness and thunderous disruption, indie musician Kinji’s newest EP Thunderhead starts as the calm before the storm, only to break open, laid bare to the elements, oozing out luscious, melancholic aural landscapes.
Posted inAlbum Reviews
Album Review: Strange News — ‘Liar’s Curse’
Liar's Curse by Strange News It is reasonable in an increasingly unreasonable world to crave nostalgia. As AI and surveillance technologies continue to invade our lives and each day’s news […]
Posted inAlbum Reviews
Album Review: Calmer Feeling — ‘Pianos in the Fields of Color’
This is one of the few times I can compare a song to the music you might hear in a swanky therapist’s office and mean it as a compliment. “Waiting Room” off Pianos in the Fields of Color transports you into a world of familiar serenity.
Posted inAlbum Reviews
Album Review: Astro Brat — ‘Astro Brat’
Like a lot of people, undergrad was a formative time for my musical tastes. If I were to let you scroll the wheel of my iPod in the mid-aughts, chances are you’d find something that could qualify as “dance-punk.” I’m talking about groups like Bloc Party, Le Tigre, The Rapture, !!!, Hot Chip and LCD Soundsystem. There’s a special place in my heart for bands that lean into grooves while still maintaining an edge.
Posted inAlbum Reviews
Here’s all the local music projects we reviewed in 2025
You can say a lot about 2025. Good, bad, apocalyptic. One thing you can’t say is that it was lacking in music. Our album reviewers can tell you that much. They’ll let you know about the heaps of quality music put out by local artists in the last 12 months. Don’t take our word for it, scroll down below for an alphabetical list of every local album, debut, EP and project we covered in the past year.
Posted inAlbum Reviews
Album Review: Bryon Dudley & Ira Rat — ‘City Dead’
City Dead by Bryon Dudley & Ira Rat I want to begin by saying that Bryon Dudley and Ira Rat describing their album City Dead as “Zombi Giallo” immediately grabbed my […]
Posted inAlbum Reviews
Album Review: Patricia Holly — ‘Satin Sashes’
With a stage name like Patricia Holly, a Christmas album seems to be a no-brainer. Name synergy aside, the Des Moines-based jazz and Americana artist is wholly up to the […]
Posted inAlbum Reviews
Album Review: Bootcamp — ‘Time’s Up’
Time’s Up by Bootcamp. Whenever Iowa City hardcore punk outfit Bootcamp sets off for the divey bars and dimmed basement venues of a tour, vocalist Juliette Enloe sets a phone […]
Posted inAlbum Reviews
Album Review: Camp Regret — ‘Camp Regret’
Emerging from the dormant memories of basement shows, DIY venues, crashing on couches and floors on tour and the nostalgia for a more active local music scene comes another supergroup of Quad Cities musicians in the form of Camp Regret. Featuring members of past acts such as Meth & Goats, Ice Hockey and Lazer Mountain, Camp Regret may not be young pups, but they are out to prove that you can teach old dogs new tricks with their debut, self-titled album.
