Category Archives: year in review

NJ-based producer Mike Volpe, better known as Clams Casino, very quietly had a prolific and remarkable run in 2011.  He turned up on releases from Mac Miller and, more prominently, A$AP Rocky, scored a buzz hit with “I’m God” (first … Continue reading →

Chris Kiehne released two of the year’s most captivating folk albums – the subtly zombie-themed Pray for Daylight and its quick Hank Williams-inspired follow up A Widower’s Kind.  With a new album in the works for 2012, Kiehne took some … Continue reading →

You know the deal – these are my 50 favorite songs of the year.  For the sake of variety, no artist appears more than once.  You can stream each track, you can download the ones that were promo mp3s this … Continue reading →

It was an impressive year for the guys in Howth, an eclectic folk rock band that, until recently, was a cross-continental songwriting partnership between Carl Creighton and Blake Luley.  Things are looking pretty good for the duo with a solid … Continue reading →

Recording as Expwy, Matt LeGroux dropped Dance Maul this past summer, a vintage-sounding homemade folk/rock album.  It took one listen for me to fall under its spell – ghostly organs, healthy doses of reverb, and some of the year’s most … Continue reading →

It’s been almost two years since Berlin-based songwriter Jacob Faurholt, recording under his Why Write? indie-rock persona, absolutely floored me with the blistering, electric-guitar fueled “Burning Holes”.  This past summer he re-emerged under his given name with an album of … Continue reading →

Kicking off PHW’s annual Year in Review guest post series is Antiques, whose 2011 record JWNS is an endearingly slapdash collection of 90’s-influenced indie-rock.  It’s also a free download available right here, so no excuses.  Here’s Timothy from the band … Continue reading →