63. SUMMERLONG by Rose City Band

Fans of the Moon Duo record I discussed here will no doubt find something to like on this 2020 release. Why? Because Rose City Band essentially consists of one half of the duo - Ripley Johnson. Although he calls this endeavor a “band” he sings and plays all the instruments on this album, save for the drums. In terms of genre, the closest thing I could come up with to describe the sound is psychedelic alt-rock-country. There’s a bunch of twang in these songs along with steel guitar and melodic finger picking guitar solos. Comparisons have been made to the Grateful Dead, Dire Straits and even Bob Dylan. I would recommend checking out album opener ‘Only Lonely’ and then ‘Real Long Gone,’ both of which will give you a taste of the alt-country nature of the record. ‘Floating Out’ slows things down a notch. Finally, the last two tracks really meld with one another, making for 12 minutes of psychedelic heaven. Oh, and it’s “Rose City Band” because Portland, Oregon, where Johnson resides, is nicknamed Rose City or City of Roses.