Alabama Shakes, Adele Lead Coalition of Independent Music Stores' Best-Sellers List

The Coalition of Independent Music Stores (CIMS) has released its year-end best sellers list, and a lot of the names that were being thrown around in various “Best of” columns are in the mix here as well. The list of sales is a decent gauge of what’s selling in indie stores rather than iTunes or large chain retailers. Indie breakout acts Alabama Shakes and The Lumineers both cracked the top five (coming in at No. 1 and No. 4 respectively), while The Black Keys, Jack White, The Shins and Of Monsters and Men all managed into the top 20. Some...  read more

Matthew Ryan: Dear Lover/Dear Lover Acoustic

Dear Lover: 7.0/10 Dear Lover Acoustic: 7.9/10 Excellent songwriter strips down On Matthew Ryan’s twelfth record, Dear Lover, released last February through the Coalition of Independent Music Stores, the Nashville singer/songwriter explores a typically personal theme, this time touching on the intimate space between lovers. ...  read more