Shovels and Rope: Little Seeds
Mournful, soulful, raw, and alive, their latest is the strongest set yet from the duo of Cary Ann Hearst and Michael Trent.
Ed Whitelock
Ed Whitelock is a professor of English at Gordon State College in Barnesville, GA, just 106 miles southwest of Philomath. He is co-author, with David Janssen, of Apocalypse Jukebox: The End of the World in American Popular Music (2009) from the PopMatters imprint of Soft Skull Press.
Various Artists: Waxing the Gospel – Mass Evangelism and the Phonograph 1890-1900
A masterpiece of scholarship and curatorship, this collection sets a new standard for the presentation of early recordings.
Michael Rank: Red Hand
Porter and Dolly. Johnny and June. Gram and Emmylou. Michael Rank and Heather McIntire. This is not an overstatement.
The Devil Makes Three: Redemption & Ruin
A collection of lived in and loved covers made undeniably their own. The Devil Makes Three wrestle hellfire and holiness each to a draw.
Okkervil River: Away
Wherever Will Sheff sets his guitar case down, there is Okkervil River.
Allah-Las: Calico Review
The sound may be retro, but Allah-Las focus upon the now with a strong set of songs on their third release.
The Scientists: A Place Called Bad
A beautifully compiled and curated box set of ugly music from an essential band.
O’Connor Band with Mark O’Connor: Coming Home
A true family affair and a triumphant return home for bluegrass legend Mark O’Connor.
Jonah Tolchin: Thousand Mile Night
Jonah Tolchin drives the Americana genre forward with a reverent eye in the rear view mirror and a right foot heavy on the gas.
Various Artists: I’m a Freak Baby: A Journey Through the British Heavy Psych & Hard Rock Under
If you have ever watched Spinal Tap and thought, “Yeah, I get the joke, but this music still rocks,” then this is the anthology for you.
Bob Brown: The Wall I Built Myself / Willoughby’s Lament
Tompkins Square brings a pair of forgotten 1970s gems long cherished by vinyl collectors into the digital age. Bob Brown’s delicate baroque-folk musings will be welcome to fans of the singer-songwriter genre.
Moon Bros.: These Stars
A post-rock homage to the rich vein of cinematic western music, Matt Schneider’s Moon Bros. offers a warm kind of cool.