MOTHER LOVE BONE – SHINE EP, APPLE LP (REISSUES)
Before Pearl Jam, before grunge had a name, there was Mother Love Bone. These reissues of Shine and Apple remind us just how wild and theatrical the Seattle scene could be before it got flannel’d. Andrew Wood was part glam alien, part street poet, and his voice still cuts through like a beam of light. “Crown of Thorns” is a slow-burn epic, “Stardog Champion” is dark and gritty, and the remastered sound gives everything a little more punch. There’s bonus material, vinyl variants, and a sense of what could’ve been if Wood hadn’t left us so soon.
Stream • UMe
ROBERT PLANT – SAVING GRACE
Just before the pandemic, Robert Plant found himself trading stadiums for a pub in the British countryside, jamming with a group of local musicians who would eventually become Saving Grace. That chemistry sparked something real and now it’s the name of his latest release. The album is a collection of folk and Americana covers, stripped down and intimate, with Plant leaning into his role as a weathered, mystic troubadour. One standout is his haunting take on “Everybody’s Song,” originally by Duluth’s own Low (love a local connection). It’s a poignant tribute to the late Mimi Parker that feels both reverent and personal. The arrangements are earthy and spacious, with Suzi Dian’s harmonies adding a spectral layer to Plant’s still-commanding voice.
Stream • Nonesuch • Connect: @robertplant
SLOAN – BASED ON THE BEST SELLER
Sloan are back with their 14th album, and they’re still doing the thing that makes them one of Canada’s best-kept secrets: four songwriters, one band, zero filler. Based on the Best Seller is packed with hooks, harmonies, and just enough weirdness to keep it interesting. “Dream It All Over Again” sounds like it fell out of a lost Big Star record, while “Dream Destroyer” is pure power-pop swagger. There’s glam, psych, and even a little punk edge, but it all fits together like a well-worn mixtape. It’s not reinventing the wheel, but Sloan never needed to. They just keep making smart, catchy rock that feels like it should be blasting from your car stereo on a summer night.
Stream • Yep Roc • Connect: @sloanmusic
VARIOUS ARTISTS – YOU’RE NO BIG DEAL: GRUNGE, THE U.S. UNDERGROUND AND BEYOND 1984-1994
This box set is a beast trying to wrap its arms around a big sound (58 songs is a good start!). You’re No Big Deal isn’t about the hits; it’s about the noise, the sweat, and the weirdos who built the underground. You won’t find Nirvana or Pearl Jam here, but you will get some Minnesotans who had a hand in the underground sound; Hüsker Dü and The Replacements. It’s curated with love (and a little chaos) by Mark Arm of Mudhoney and seems built to shine a light on the fuzzier, skuzzier side of things.. There’s punk, proto-grunge, psych, and sludge, all mashed together in glorious lo-fi. If you think you know “grunge”, this set will prove you don’t. And that’s the point.
Cherry Red
