Bob Wagner - "Richest Man on Earth"

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Photo by Shem Roose

You might know Bob Wagner as one of the guitarists in Mike Gordon of Phish's solo band. Now the Burlington, VT singer-songwriter and guitarist is set to release his debut solo album, and has released a brand new single. "Richest Man on Earth" is a murder ballad even if it doesn't sound quite like what you think of when you hear the term murder ballad. Wagner's song may be melancholy, but it's far prettier than your typical murder ballad. It includes some flourishes that are more jam band than Americana, but it's the kind of song that will appeal to fans of both. "Richest Man on Earth" borders on being folk-pop or on the mainstream end of folk, and that's hardly a bad thing when a song is this good. Plus, it feature pedal steel from Laur Joamets from Sturgill Simpson's band, and you can't go wrong there.

Bob Wagner says of his new single:

“I was driving home after buying a 100-year-old Oscar Schmidt rubber bridge guitar. I’d been thinking about writing a murder ballad, and the guitar felt like the kind you’d write one on. I wrote it on the drive, and when I got home, all I had to do was press record. It speaks to a composite of nefarious, attention-seeking characters in politics and capitalism—and while literal murder isn’t the intent, figuratively speaking, starving the beast of its endless need for the spotlight is an idea worth considering.”

You can listen to "Richest Man on Earth" below. I've Been Down is due out June 12 on Royal Potato Family Records, and is available for pre-order here. For more on Bob Wagner, check out the artist on Instagram.

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Rocket - "Wide Awake"

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Photo by Tanner Deutsch Rocket have been making 90's inspired alt-rock, but their latest single ups the ante on that sound. "Wide Awake" is a mixture of shoegaze fuzz and the more jagged style of guitars that made me love Sonic Youth. Singer/bassist Alithea Tuttle's vocals have a dreamlike quality suited to dream pop or shoegaze, which contrasts delightfully with the more aggressive parts of the song. Despite not truly sounding like a song made in the 90's, "Wide Awake" has so many elements of that decade to give you little bursts of nostalgia. Plus, the video for the song is like a cross between Blur's "Charmless Man" and Beastie Boys' "(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (to Party)," in case you need a little more nostalgia thrown in. Rocket say of their new single: “R is for Rocket is about relationships, the most important part of life; relationships with your friends, your parents, your girlfriend or boyfriend, and most impo...
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Yawn Mower - "Rascal"

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Photo by Mary Dorsi Asbury Park's Yawn Mower had two goals for their upcoming album. First, after playing their hometown's Sea.Hear.Now festival, they wanted to write songs that worked on a larger stage. Second, they wanted the album to be their Pinkerton , "A raw, rough around the edges, noisier follow up to [their] debut album." The first song from that album is "Rascal," a song partly about the kids of their friends and family. It's a fun track that includes lines like "Here he comes now what a little asshole." It's a quirky and noisy indie rock track that reminds me of an edgier Fountains of Wayne. As anti-kid as the song may seem, you can tell it's not done seriously and there is a ton of love behind the track. Vocalist/guitarist Mike Chick says of the band's upcoming album: “While Dana Yurcisin (bass), Rudy Meier (guitar),  and Nicole Scorsone (violin) have certainly helped fill out past releases, this was the first time that ...
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Ken's Best of 2023 - #6: Lydia Loveless - Nothing's Gonna Stand in My Way Again

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Continuing 2023's theme of bands leveling up with new albums is Lydia Loveless' Nothing's Gonna Stand in My Way Again. Somewhere else was my favorite album of 2014, and while I've enjoyed her releases in between, nothing Loveless has released has quite connected with me that way since. This new album comes pretty close, though. Loveless has all but abandoned her early alt-country sound and has recently picked up a more pop friendly sound. Nothing's Gonna Stand in My Way Again  finds this great middle ground. A song like "Sex and Money" is nearly pure pop, but with more of an indie rock edge to it. What makes this album so great is how it's a purely unique blend of pop, indie rock, punk, and alt-country. "Feel" is a song that is as beautiful as it is discordant. Loveless' vocals have never sounded better, but musically the song is more art and noise rock than anything they've done previously. "Toothache" is power pop, and ...
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