EP Review: "The Rains" by Henry Jamison

Autumn is a time for relaxing with the windows open, finally able to turn off the air conditioning, and to enjoy a relaxing, often chilly evening.

If I was choosing something to listen to while taking that break it might be Henry Jamison's debut offering, The Rains, available everywhere tomorrow on Akira Records.

Jamison brings to mind the beat poets of Greenwich Village, a Bohemian voice with an almost meditative sound, yet modern and his own.

Displaying Jamison's wide vocal range, The Rains provides an almost ethereal background of gorgeous acoustic guitar, at times sleepy and haunting and at others bright and insightful. There are ghostly moments as in Dallas Love Field and the early strains of Real Peach that flow smoothly and effortlessly into thoughtful refrains.

Album Review: "Queens" by La Sera

Music and memory tend to go hand-in-hand and it's always fun to hear a throwback on the radio, some song by one of those bands you listened to growing up that makes you reminisce about high school days, if only for a few minutes.

Ah, nostalgia!

Take that feeling and add surprise when you hear something from a new band that puts you right back into on old familiar place you didn't even know you missed.

This album has the power to make you wonder where your old cassettes are hiding.

Los Angeles based punk duo, La Sera, recently released their second album with Polyvinyl Records, Queens, putting a new spin on some favorites as well as recording new tunes, including a surprise for fans of a classic rock juggernaut which I won't reveal.