Steve Earle & The Dukes Ghosts Of West Virginia New West Records The first sound you hear on Steve Earle’s new album is his solo voice, all gravel and grit as he leads a group chant which sits somewhere between the church and the railroad. It sets the scene magnificently for an album of songs … Continue reading
Recorded at the Butcher Shoppe Recordings Studio in Nashville and produced by Will Kimbrough, the new album by The Two Tracks is one of those consummate Americana albums that sounds like honey to the ears. Melodically the songs just roll along with melodies dovetailing into sublime playing, wonderful harmonies and strong songwriting all round. Right … Continue reading
You don’t hear a great deal of folk and country music coming out of New Zealand. It’s there for sure, and big names have certainly built local and international reputations (Marlon Williams, Tami Neilson, Tiny Ruins etc) but finding the next wave of artists can sometimes involve a bit of digging. This new track by … Continue reading
Courtney Marie Andrews Old Flowers Fat Possum Records / Inertia The evolution of one of the most consistently rewarding songwriters in recent years continues with this devastating treatise and rumination on heartbreak, despair and emotional renewal. Courtney Marie Andrews has taken the tried and true subject of the end of a long-term relationship and bled … Continue reading
Melbourne songwriter Sunset Stranger (Stephen E. Stanisic) has a brand new single, the final one ahead of the digital, CD and limited vinyl release of his new sophomore album Your Home Town on Friday September 4th. Previously recording under the name Eddie Nuardo, Stanisic has proven he’s a consummate songwriter and player, bringing an authentic … Continue reading
Adelaide country songwriter Matt Ward recently released a new single – ‘Tattoos, Trucks and Country Music’. It’s got a big, rich full-band sound with a streak of soul running through it. There’s a hint of ZZ Top in there too, along with the kind of strong and bluesy, country-rock production of contemporaries like Paul Cauthen. … Continue reading
Sydney songwriter Callum Wylie has a brand new single ‘Close To You‘ out now and it’s the perfect introduction to his forthcoming debut solo album Marfa. Callum possesses the grace and relaxed delivery of some of the greats as he blends the finest aspects of folk and country sounds into his own sound and style. … Continue reading
There’s something to be said for simplicity in songwriting and The Montvales, a duo from Knoxville, Tennessee, have captured the essence of melody and feel on their new bluegrass/folk single ‘Oh Louise‘. The catchiness comes from their sweet vocal interplay and banjo playing that provides the rhythm, swing and highly hummable melodies. The track comes … Continue reading
Swedish songwriter Nicky William has released his new single ‘I Fell In Love With Her‘, a minimal swoon of a song that recalls deep-voiced favourites of ours such as Leonard Cohen and Bill Callahan. The gentle sway of the song is an intoxicating and rich sound, propelled by warm, melodic bass and towards the end … Continue reading
There’s a woodsy, hypnotic quality to this new track from New York songwriter Rachel Angel. ‘Strapped’ quickly finds its pulse and the equivalent of circular breathing in the cyclical guitar. It’s wonderfully mesmerising as her ethereal voice intones and drifts across the speakers. It’s a bucolic Mazzy Star folk vibe that sparkles and floats along, … Continue reading
New York quartet Echo Bloom recently released ‘Three Little Birds‘, the opening track from their forthcoming new album Wake. The song caught our ear immediately with its Iron & Wine and Calexico sound that incorporates a wonderful junk shop percussive quality that Tom Waits would be proud of. There’s also a wonderful emotive wail courtesy … Continue reading
D.C Cross Terabithian No Drums Records Bridge To Terabithia is a 1977 novel (and 2007 film) about two kids who discover an abandoned treehouse and create their own fantasy world to escape the trauma of their daily lives. Darren Cross has dialled into his own sonic Terabithia, in this unprecedented time of upheaval, and created … Continue reading
Any song that starts with the line ‘Satan is my father” is a winner straight off the bat in our books. It’s nicely balanced by the line “My mother is an angel”, from Kentucky band Wayne Graham, in collaboration with Nuremburg folk group The Green Apple Sea. This track has a wonderfully lazy, back-porch vibe … Continue reading
Simple, sad and sombre sounds courtesy of Minneapolis resident J.E. Sunde, taken from his upcoming new album 9 Songs About Love, due out on 20th November on French label Vietnam (distributed by Because Music / Universal). ‘I Don’t Care To Dance’ is clearly in debt to the work of Leonard Cohen but one can also … Continue reading
