This is one of those great songs that rolls along effortlessly, blending country, folk and ragged college rock sounds. You can hear Wilco cosying up with Pavement and a cosmic Americana vibe as the perfectly jangly/dirty guitars swing and sway on a warm bed of distortion. There’s also a power pop element, particularly in the … Continue reading
Category Archives: Folk
NEW MUSIC: Tommy Alexander – Drama
I’m a big fan of Tommy Alexander‘s Waves album of last year. He’s followed that up with a new double A side release called Light & Drama. Here’s the ‘Drama’ side of things, a very cool and lazy drawl of a song that shuffles along on the back of Alexander’s unassuming yet infectious vocal melody. Continue reading
NEW MUSIC: The Nielsen Family Band – Fragile Flowers
I dig the way this track dances so lightly across the speakers. There’s a baroque folk feel, a touch of the pop nous of Harry Nilsson and a freak folk freedom going on. The Nielsen Family Band know their way around a charming and clever melody on ‘Fragile Flowers’, it sits on a solid backbeat … Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Kacy & Clayton and Marlon Williams – Plastic Bouquet
Kacy & Clayton and Marlon Williams Plastic Bouquet New West Records A chance Spotify encounter with the music of Kacy & Clayton led Marlon Williams on an adventure that ended up in sub-zero Saskatoon in Canada and Nashville, TN to record this wonderful collaborative album. There’s a clear simpatico between the three of them, with … Continue reading
NEW MUSIC: Fenn Wilson – Love Again [video]
Melbourne songwriter Fenn Wilson returns with his first new single since the release of his Ghost Heroin album in 2019. It’s a deeply emotive song, crafted initially from sparse instrumentation before swelling into a dark and richly textured, country-folk slow burner – built on Fenn’s soaring croon of a voice. Now signed with Cheatin’ Hearts … Continue reading
NEW MUSIC: Loris and the Lion – Eat Me Alice
Here’s some bewitching and baroque English folk that possesses hints of Kate Bush, Aldous Harding and Joni Mitchell. Loris and the Lion (songwriter Georgia Harris and musician/producer Rich Bond) create a rich, shape-shifting piece of hallucinogenic Albion folk. What begins as an ornate and sparse sound is gradually transformed as elements are added to the … Continue reading
NEW MUSIC: The Wicked Messenger – I Am Here
Acoustic guitar, pedal steel and glockenspiel form the delicate musical filigree that hangs behind the vocals of The Wicked Messenger‘s Jimi Beavis and Janey Mac on their brand new single ‘I Am Here’. There’s a meditative quality to the song that feels like those quiet, reflective moments where calm pervades the atmosphere of a room … Continue reading
NEW MUSIC: Greg Farley – Dodge Ram
Greg Farley used to be a member of The Felice Brothers but since his departure he’s slowly but surely carved out an impressive and promising solo career. In 2018 he released his album Taker Easy, featuring the excellent track ‘Make It Out’. His new album Brown Bag was released last month and one of its … Continue reading
NEW MUSIC: Killer Bee – Bluebird
After a stint in federal prison for bank robbery, singer-songwriter Killer Bee (Danny Walker) decamped to Southern California last year and has written an album, When The Soul Lies Down In That Grass, featuring this track ‘Bluebird’. There’s a heartfelt simplicity and rawness to the song with just an acoustic guitar and a raspy voice … Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Gillian Welch – Boots No. 2: The Lost Songs, Vol. 2
Gillian Welch Boots No. 2: The Lost Songs, Vol. 2 Acony Records Followers of Gillian Welch are hardy folk, having to endure long periods between albums to satiate their fandom. Sure they get to hear her on David Rawlings excellent albums as well but there’s no substitute for a pure Welch album, as she’s proved … Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Trees – Trees (50th Anniversary Edition)
Trees Trees (50th Anniversary Edition) Fire Records The name Trees might not inspire immediate recognition for music fans but the English group’s brief, but bright three year existence from 1969-1972 has played the long game as obsessive psychedelic and folk musicologists discovered them and quietly spread the word. Fifty years later we have this wonderful … Continue reading
NEW MUSIC: Kyle Jenkins – Rosey Red Day
Kyle Jenkins, the ever prolific frontman of QLD alt-country group Suicide Swans, has released the first single from his second solo album Love, Lost Love. ‘Rosey Red Day’ sees Kyle reflecting on positivity in the face of the terror and destruction that’s rife in contemporary society. Over a flurry of strummed acoustic guitar strings and … Continue reading
NEW MUSIC: Sam Newton – Ground Me
Sam Newton returns with his first single since the release of his 2018 album Stare Into The Dark. Since then he’s built up his own home studio and ‘Ground Me’ is one of the first results of that endeavour. As has become Newton’s signature sound, a widescreen intimacy casts a warm and resonant shadow across … Continue reading
NEW MUSIC: John John Brown – Where The Good Buzz Goes
Last year we posted John John Brown‘s song ‘On Black Friday I Met Jesus‘ which really impressed us both musically and poetically. That song, along with this new one ‘Where The Good Buzz Goes’ both come from his new album Americana Comics, out now on streaming services. John Prine is a clear influence in the … Continue reading
NEW MUSIC: Henry Conlon – I’m Coming Home
Simplicity done well makes for powerful music and this song from Nashville-based songwriter Henry Conlon grabbed us the second he started singing. One of those voices that sounds both powerful and emotionally wrought at the same time, it reminded me of the dark drama of Townes Van Zandt and more recently, Tyler Childers. ‘I’m Coming … Continue reading