Described as the “ecstatic, tongue in cheek project” of Ottawa-based musician Hannah Judge, fanclubwallet synthesizes the lo-fi bedroom melancholia of classic indie acts such as Bright Eyes with the alt pop sophistication of Lights Poxleitner-Bokan, with intriguing results.

Merriam Webster defines homage as: “an expression of high regard; respect. Something that shows respect or attests to the worth or influence of another; tribute.” The comic book industry loves homages more than an audiophile loves a good turntable set-up. Case in point, Amazing Spider-Man #300. But what happens when an homage becomes a love letter?

METZvocalist and guitarist Alex Edkins steps out on his own with his debut solo album, the self-titled Weird Nightmare.

There’s a disjointed quality to Times Square (1980), which has a great soundtrack and charming performances, but never fully gels.

The first “new” Sonic Youth material since 2009’s swan song The Eternal and their subsequent 2011 breakup isn’t exactly new material.

“Minimalism” is not a word typically associated with New Orleans. Just the city’s name evokes color and heat, brassy music playing from every street corner. From music to food to funerals, New Orleans does it big. So it’s no surprise that when a NOLA-bred group breaks into public consciousness, they go all in.

Papercuts is a solo venture by multi-talented San Francisco songwriter/producer Jason Quever that has been in existence since 2004, if not earlier, but flying mostly under the radar as far as any broad exposure outside the indie world is concerned.

With rock artists making up a minority of major acts presently on the road playing larger venues, Jack White arrived in Portsmouth as a rock & roll torchbearer.

Sharon Van Etten returns with her follow-up to 2019’s Remind Me Tomorrow. Made during the pandemic in her home studio in her new hometown of Los Angeles (following many years of being based in New York), it feels like her most personal statement in quite some time, perhaps even echoing back to her early CD-R releases and sparse, claustrophobic, deeply uncomfortable uneasy listening, folk-inflected debut LP, Because I Was in Love, from all the way back in 2009.