Bill Callahan "Shepherd In A Sheepskin Vest (Drag City)"
Is there anything more comfortable than having the sound of Bill Callahan’s voice wash over you once again? After all, its been nearly 30 years since his Smog career started, and now here it is-2019-and we still are gifted with his singular works. Shepherd In A Sheepskin Vest (Drag City) is everything you want it to be. Gentle, sparse, experimental folk/rock music with Bill’s singular baritone delivering the poignant lyrics. In a perfect world, this is what country music would sound like-emotional and personal. For a glimpse into the mind of the master check out the smashing “Son Of The Sea.”
House And Land "Across The Field (Thrill Jockey)"
When we last heard from Sarah Louise, she was releasing one of my favorite albums of the year thus far- “Nighttime Birds and Morning Stars” which found her finding common ground between Americana music and melodically ambient music a la Fripp/Eno. Now here she has teamed up once again with multi-instrumentalist Sally Anne Morgan as House And Land. Across The Field (Thrill Jockey) finds the women indulging their every bluegrass/Americana whim. These are songs from the earth. Sounding like they’ve existed forever, with 2-part harmonies and hardly an instrument plugged in (though Sarah is lending a bit of her amazing electric guitar work to the LP this time). Check out the simply lovely “Two Sisters.”
Palehound "Black Friday (Polyvinyl)"
In its history, Boston has meant many things to many people. A great place to throw a tea party. A killer spot for some equally killer beans. Boisterous sports fans. But in my mind, all of those things are falling away as now Boston is primarily, to me, the hometown of Palehound! On Black Friday (Polyvinyl), their third LP, Ellen Kempner and the gang deal with the many different forms love can take with occasionally hushed vocals, delicate lyrics, and spindly bedroom rock for a sound that falls somewhere between modern indie and the most classic indie bands you can think of. It’s a delicious combo, so order up a heaping helping of the whisper rock of “Aaron.”
Cy Dune "Desert"
Look, we’ve been big fans of Seth Olinsky ever since the first time we heard Akron/Family. But for now, those days are behind us. Here, Seth is known as Cy Dune, and his latest, Desert, is another noisy, experimental collection of guitar-driven tunes caught out of sync with the rest of the world-yet right on time. A little like if The Velvet Underground had access to the Bang On A Can catalog, this weird mixture of noise, punk, rock and roll, and modern classical is sure to win over critics and fans alike. Heck, I’m gonna say that I am both of them and I am absolutely smitten with Desert. You will be too, so check out the in-the-red rockabilly screech of “Desert 3.”