Nathan Bowles Trio Create Cosmic Americana on ‘Are Possible’
On their first official album as a trio, the Nathan Bowles Trio forsake egotism in favor of collective world-building with warm, inviting acoustic music.
experimental folk
Hannah Frances Unveils Mystic, Lush Folk on ‘Keeper of the Shepherd’
Hannah Frances’ hypnotic new album Keeper of the Shepherd is a master class in sophisticated songwriting and pastoral scene-setting.
Avi C. Engel Evokes Ancient to Modern Sounds on ‘Too Many Souls’
Too Many Souls is the latest installment in Canadian alternative folk artist Avi C. Engel’s pursuit of “one long continuous song”.
Mare Berger Mesmerizes and Enchants on Gorgeous ‘Dreaming Blue’
Mare Berger’s Dreaming Blue is a richly melodic ode to love, grief and nature, and it wears its Joni Mitchell and Joanna Newsom influences well.
Dave Scanlon’s ‘Taste Like Labor’ Is Quietly Intense
Dave Scanlon’s Taste Like Labor straddles a line between dark folk and fractured indie pop on his first solo album in more than two years.
‘One Way Or Another’ Robin Holcomb Will Take One Back to See What’s Ahead
On One Way or Another, Vol. 1, Robin Holcomb follows American modernist classical keyboard tradition mixed with an alto voice using folk and jazz intonations.
Edith Judith Perform a Beguiling Style of Indie-Folk on ‘Bones & Structure’
Chicago experimentalists Edith Judith combine unique arrangements and beautifully crafted songs on their debut album, Bones & Structure.
Inside ‘Modern Folk One’ lurks one strangely fascinating Americana album.
Modern Folk One rings from serenely pastoral to shockingly different, making it a terrifically new twist to some sounds that are, on their own, not that surprising.
Jeremiah Chiu and Marta Sofia Honer Build a New Sense of place on ‘Recordings From the Åland Islands’
Recordings From the Åland Islands goes beyond soundscape ambience and utopian visions of isolation and delves into the living connections between people, place, and sound.
The Weather Station Silently Grapple with the End on Their Devastating New Record
On the companion piece to last year’s Ignorance, the Weather Station creates a piano-based record just as existentially anxious but anchored by quietude.
It’s All About the Mood on Birds of Passage’s ‘The Last Garden’
Electronic minimalist music comes in many forms, but Birds of Passage’s The Last Garden could be the most minimal electronic music I’ve encountered so far.
Jeff Parker’s Music Is a Shared Consciousness on ‘Forfolks’
Chicago jazz/post-rock guitarist Jeff Parker channels ancestry and our sense of communion on the expansive Forfolks.