Heavy-hearted in the Midwest since 2011
It feels like this was bound to happen. A decree by the power pop Gods from high, even. At some point you just knew there was going to be a She & Him covers album filled with Brian Wilson covers. The Zooey Deschanel/M. Ward project has been a source of pop song comfort since their […]
Read More She & Him : Melt Away : A Tribute To Brian WilsonTy Segall might be the busiest man in indie rock. He’s certainly one of the most prolific, dropping something new seemingly every 6 months. Whether it’s solo albums or with one of his many side projects, Segall seems to have a mind that runs 24/7. Albums spanning garage rock, psych folk, wonky synth workouts, and […]
Read More Ty Segall : Hello, HiThere’s an uninhibited joy on Fischer & Forde’s debut album It’s Just Business. The dance/disco/house LP begs you to unplug from the big machine, put on your dancing shoes, and give into the grooves. It’s the kind of album you decimate your eardrums with in the car and drive an extra couple blocks just so […]
Read More Fischer & Forde : It’s Just BusinessGreetings fellow space travelers, time bandits, and cosmic riders, welcome to another exciting edition of Complex Distractions’ Long Story Short. Here’s where I chat up an album I’m digging in a paragraph or three. I’m getting caught up on some amazing records that have been released over the course of the last three or so […]
Read More Long Story Short : Steve Hadfield, Cinchel, zake, Coral Club zakèEvery once in a while an album works its way into your brain that truly soothes the soul and calms the buzzing mind. 2020 was a year that I subsisted on ambient and drone music. It was the kind of music that offered what my weary head and heart needed so badly, a reprieve from […]
Read More Marine Eyes : ChamomileOne of the most prolific Fort Wayne artists is easily Sankofa. There’s a monolithic creative force behind the man known in everyday life as Stephen Bryden. When he grabs the notebook, the mic, and puts on the fly kicks he becomes one of the finest rappers in the Midwest. With a catalog years deep and […]
Read More Sankofa : BLKTCHP2Today I’m covering albums from Audio Obscura, Henning Zinoviev and Floating Candles, Andy Fosberry, Social Union, and Bagaski. Lot’s a great stuff to dig into from some of the finest independent artists and labels currently filling our brains. Make sure to hit them up and snag it if you like it. Now grab a cup […]
Read More Long Story Short : Audio Obscura, Social Union, Bagaski, Henning Zinoviev and Floating Candles, And Andy FosberryBlue Skies, the latest from Chicago’s Dehd continues the band’s melody-heavy, jangly indie rock vibes they established on 2020’s Flower Of Devotion. The powerful, raspy howl of singer/guitarist Emily Kempf continues to amaze and astound, while the rhythm section of Jason Balla and Eric McGrady lay a solid foundation for the songs to spring forth […]
Read More Dehd : Blue SkiesI know, you’re thinking to yourself, “Man, I sure wish someone would tell me what’s great and what I should be shoving in my ear holes right about now.” Well guess what, I’m here to help you out. Once in a while it’s nice to just talk about a song. I’m normally spreading the gospel […]
Read More Five Songs : New Sounds For Your Next Great MixtapeThere’s something transcendent about the album Born, the debut long player by California’s prog/psych outfit Birth. Southern California has been ground zero for a new wave of prog and psych bands in the last decade and a half, with heavyweights like Astra, Psicomagia, Monarch, Sacri Monti, and Earthless lighting the way to some kind of […]
Read More Birth : Born