Voodoo Jets) released his 2012 solo debut
Exhibitionist. But this sublime second studio LP more than justifies the long wait, even though three of its most enchanting and angelic tracks – “Love and Peace,” “The Simplest Things,” and “Favorite Son” – appeared on his captivating 2015
Live and On Fire at Firehouse 12, recorded in New Haven, CT. Behind his eloquent, amorous, Don McGlashan-like croon and resounding, jazz/classical-tinged piano, and smidgens of cello, horn, and prog-invoking guitars, Sheveloff’s vivid lyrics paint picturesque, instantly relatable narratives. To wit, the breathtaking “High Notes” captures the indescribable feeling of hearing a new favorite artist on the radio, the somber “Dynamite” and “Euphoria” pay homage to a lost friend and lover, respectively, and the magical “Rockville” (the street he once lived on) relates cathartic childhood memories, while “Just Love Someone” and “Guns and Cigarettes” are reassuring, ca
Following up 2018’s
Proper EP, this Philadelphia foursome (whose moniker was the original name of Ardmore, the Philly suburb where they first rehearsed) sound even more inspired and imposing on this debut LP. Past reviews have accurately noted singer
Matthew Taglang’s uncanny vocal resemblance to R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe; coupled with the iridescent, soaring guitars of
David Perry, uplifting songs like “No Decay,” “Terrible Cure,” and “The Mentalist” recall
Document’s “Finest Worksong” or
Reveal’s “I’ll Take the Rain,” reinforced with a hefty, Oasis/Doves/U2 alterna-rock stomp. Elsewhere, forceful rhythm section
Mark S. Walsh and