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Steve Marion, the critically acclaimed-and completelywordless-songwriter and guitarist known as Delicate Steve, has unveiled a new album called Delicate Steve Sings. Is the album title a reference to the instantly recognizable "voice" of his guitar? Does he actually sing this time? Has he not been singing all along? That"s the crux of Sings-Marion is the rare guitarist where you can put on any of his records and know exactly who"s playing. In an indie rock landscape stuffedend-to-end with guitars and amplifiers, nobody else sounds like this. That unique voice has kept Steve busy in an unpredictable variety of settings. The sheer spread of his work outside his own records-collaborating with Miley Cyrus and Paul Simon, playing in Amen Dunes and the Black Keys, and being sampled by Kanye - doesn"t mean Steve"s a chameleon. It means he"s singular.Delicate Steve Sings is a record centered on channeling iconic voices with his guitar. In doing so, Marion is casting himself in the role of iconic singers like Willie who make standards their own. In the process, he reveals just how singular (dare we say iconic) that voice is. The guitar sings these songs-smoothly, sweetly, boldly, and on its own terms. Recorded with JonathanRado on bass, Kosta Galanopolous on drums, Renata Zeiguer providing strings, and co-writer Elliot Bergman, the album features both original songs with titles that suggest they might be new recordings of classics. "I"ll Be There" is smooth like a lost Bill Withers track; "Easy for You" isn"t the Elvis song of the same name, but there"s a hint of the king in there, in addition to Marion"s own takes onclassics such as the Emersons" "Baby,"The Beatles" "Yesterday" and Otis Redding"s "These Arms of Mine." "You"re tapping into something universal and in the consciousness of pop music," Steve says-tacit permission for his guitar to drift into vocal expressions he"s internalized through years of close, repeated listening. Just like all the great singers.

Emerging in the late 1990s, Division OF Laura LEE quickly established themselves with a unique blend of post-punk and alternative indie rock. Celebrating their rich musical heritage, Lovitt Records has released the 25th anniversary edition of their seminal 1999 album, At the Royal Club. This special edition is a thoughtfully curated compilation of tracks from the band's first two years, inviting both long-standing fans and new listeners to experience the album’s visceral intensity and the band’s trailblazing spirit. Previously only available on CD, this reissue of At the Royal Club has been expertly remastered for vinyl, bringing a renewed vibrancy to the original recordings. This release not only breathes new life into an iconic collection of tracks but also honors the enduring spirit and influence of Division of Laura Lee

These cats hail from Nashville, TN, and they call themselves Dixie Fried. Their music falls into many categories: hillbilly boogie, western bop, hillbilly bop, drum-less rockabilly, rockin’ hillbilly, hillbilly rock…you get the drift. We really dig ‘em. They’re a pure example of early rock and roll, before it was even called that – the type of upbeat music Elvis was doin’ at Sun Records. Here these fellas show you they have captured that style to perfection, recording it all live in one room, raw, without tricks or gimmicks. They can bop and play pretty music at the same time; this 10-inch LP clearly proves all that and more. We at Sleazy Records welcome Dixie Fried, and sincerely hope you dig ‘em too!

Baltimore’s Doubt are on your head with their new EP, Held In Contempt. With their single “The Hard Way,” the newest Get Better Records (HIRS Collective, Open City) band kicks the door in from the first second with fast, pummeling drums as vocalist Claire Abila contemptuously snarls at objectification. Each portion of the song is optimized for the dancers, as Doubt evenly pairs fist-pumping punk with slamming mid-tempo hardcore. There’s nothing missing from this song, or the entire EP. If you don’t feel the need to move to this, check your pulse.

Many of us may have to remind ourselves that it's not 1967. This masterpiece is crafted from that same heart that folks like Brian Wilson, Neil Young, Robbie Robertson, John Lennon and Paul McCartney were masterfully culling from to create some of the most important songs ever recorded. Dr. Dog have written a classic that is not only timeless, but rich in soul, alive via rock and roll, at some times eerie with its familiarity, and wholly unique in sonic experimentation. The production on "We All Belong" lends as much to George Martin as it does to Jeff Mangum. The songs written by the young gentlemen in Dr. Dog could be considered a grand homage to the brilliance of an era long gone, or even a wake up call to a generation of equally uninspired and tiresome indie rock. This is where many will find a new appreciation for Dr. Dog which can easily last another...