Feature: New Indie CDs

Jon Sobel's reviews of music releases from independent artists and labels, collected and published about twice a month.

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• CD Reviews: Indie Round-Up for June 29 2006 - Adamson, Vecchione, Next Wave Compilation

  Laura Vecchione's playful side, combined with the high quality of her songs, makes this soul-splashed country-rock CD a winner.

  Review by Jon Sobel — on Jun 30, 2006

• CD Reviews: Indie Round-Up for June 15 2006 - Chapin, Splitsense, Graffin, Apollo 13

  Jen Chapin's slithery delivery, pop-inspired melodies and cutting lyrics turn even the homiest sentiment into art.

  Review by Jon Sobel — on Jun 15, 2006

• CD/DVD Review: The Clarks, Still Live

  Personally, I've had it with edgy. Give me a good song over an intriguing attitude any day.

  Review by Jon Sobel — on Jun 12, 2006

• CD Reviews: Indie Round-Up for June 1 2006 - Cass, McKean, Stigers

  This CD is a whole lot of fun, and isn't that the main point of rock anyway?

  Review by Jon Sobel — on Jun 01, 2006

• CD Reviews: Indie Round-Up for May 18 2006 - Zach Hexum, The Animators, Josh Sason

  "Buy Buy" suggests something Pete Townshend might have written after accidentally wandering into a Wal-Mart.

  Review by Jon Sobel — on May 18, 2006

• CD Review and Interview: Hillstomp, The Woman That Ended the World

  "For us, blues is all about grit and dirt. It's not about notes, or technicality or any of that crap."

  Interview by Jon Sobel — on May 17, 2006

• Indie Round-Up for 4-20-06: Brandston, Wendt, Mulligan, Martin

  More hooks per square foot than a velcro dance floor.

  Review by Jon Sobel — on Apr 21, 2006

• CD Reviews: Indie Round-Up For April 6 2006: Ann Klein, Controlling the Famous, Joe Rohan, Kevin So

  Four good Kevin So songs are worth more than an hour of music from most artists.

  Review by Jon Sobel — on Apr 07, 2006

• CD Review: Various Artists, Alligator Records: 35X35

  It's remarkable when any independent label survives this long, no matter what its mission.

  Review by Jon Sobel — on Apr 04, 2006

• CD Reviews: Indie Round-Up for Mar 23 2006 - Retrospectro, Waldron, Chevrette

  Get there early - the more you've drunk, the better we sound!

  Review by Jon Sobel — on Mar 24, 2006

• Indie Round-Up for March 9, 2006 - Golay, Rivkin, Rentler

  Quirky, contemplative, authentic entries are highlighted.

  News by Jon Sobel — on Mar 09, 2006

• Indie Round-Up for Feb 23 2006: Beautiful Girls, Gordone, Kurdian

  End result: subtle, 21st-century eclectic-pop gold.

  Review by Jon Sobel — on Feb 24, 2006

• Indie Round-Up for Feb 9 2006: Indiegrrl-apalooza

  "Yea" is a headbanger's delight that Beavis and Butthead would surely have labeled cool.

  Review by Jon Sobel — on Feb 09, 2006

• Indie Round-Up for Jan 26 2006: Lee Rocker, Sarah Woolf

  A plain old rockin' good time is had by all.

  Review by Jon Sobel — on Jan 26, 2006

• Indie Round-Up for Jan 12 2006: Fern Jones, Bradley Leighton

  Wherever Sister Fern is now, she's got absolutely nothing to be ashamed of.

  Review by Jon Sobel — on Jan 12, 2006

• Indie Round-Up for Dec 29 2005: Brianna Lane, Mark Tolstrup, Best of 2005

  Another grown-up woman singing in a little-girl voice about her dreams and disappointments: sounds pretty bleak, I know.

  Review by Jon Sobel — on Dec 29, 2005

• Indie Round-Up for Dec. 15 2005: Panic Division, Mankita, McMullen

  Behold a true Irish poet of the back alleys.

  Review by Jon Sobel — on Dec 15, 2005

• Indie Round-Up for December 1 2005: Danielia Cotton, Tina Dico, Jay Mankita, Steve Northeast

  It speaks for the romantic, the idealist, the lover, the hopeless (or hopeful) devotee, the Icarus, the Abelard in us all.

  Review by Jon Sobel — on Dec 02, 2005

• Indie Round-Up for November 17 2005

  Stardate 1984: I'm just out of college. Still wearing my Ronald Reagan protest beard.

  Review by Jon Sobel — on Nov 18, 2005

• Indie Round-Up for November 03 2005: fielding, Hayley Taylor, Gentle Giant

  It's fair to ask if we really need another song about a man who can't commit.

  Review by Jon Sobel — on Nov 03, 2005