In the late 90s/early 2000s, Jenny Lewis turned heads with Rilo Kiley, an L.A. based indie-pop quartet whose members embraced the DIY ethic and paid their dues with a little help from rising labels Barsuk and Saddle Creek. At the height of their career, Lewis launched a solo side project with The Watson Twins (now successful in their own right) and tapped into her country inclinations for the sweet and twangy Rabbit Fur Coat followed in 2008 by the powerful Acid Tongue, all the while touring with a back-up band featuring her longtime beau Johnathan Rice, also a solo artist in his own right. Eventually the couple started writing music together and decided to put out a proper album of material that is—as their stage name reflects— equal parts Jenny and Johnny. The record, I’m Having Fun Now, continues Lewis’ penchant for roots-rock with plenty of pop sensibility. It’s sweet, sunny and by the time it wraps you should definitely be having fun. Jenny and Johnny will also be playing The State Room on Sept. 8 so you can witness their chemistry up close.
Even serious fans of My Morning Jacket might scratch their heads over the name Carl Broemel but they’ll definitely recognize his voice as the frequent companion to band mate Jim James’ most beautiful and haunting harmonies. Rolling Stone recently included Broemel in their list of contemporary guitar gods, labeling him and James as Skynard-Art Theorists. But there’s no Freebird-style riffs on Broemel’s solo debut. Instead, All Birds Say is a work of stripped down pastoral folk whose understated beauty is suited for idyllic mornings when you can take your time and soak it all in.
You’d think that being a member of a world-famous rock band would assure Radiohead’s Philip Selway a certain amount of critical excitement leading up to the release of his solo debut, but it turns out prejudices against drummers run deep. Early reviews of Selway’s new album, Familial, tend to start with some comment about drummers as aggressive one-trick ponies whose attempts to strike out on their own are simply vanity projects. Well thank God Familial is an achievement, enough to give lazy critics pause. For the album, Selway channeled his teenage self, returning to the type of songwriting he used to practice in his bedroom. The songs are quiet and precise, powered by Selway’s soft, delicate and often haunting vocals. Like the title of its closing track, the songs are made for The Witching Hour.














