Lizzy McAlpine Ages Into Herself on ‘Older’
Older hones in on what makes Lizzy McAlpine a compelling artist: astute observations of being young and in love and still learning what those things mean.
folk pop
Rosali’s ‘Bite Down’ Sounds Classic
Rosali’s Bite Down is a deceptively smooth ride that threatens to pull you under at any moment. Its classic sound draws from Fleetwood Mac and 1970s music.
Kacey Musgraves Returns to Her Roots on ‘Deeper Well’
Kacey Musgraves, like all of us, is just trying to learn how to sway in the face of life’s challenges, and she chooses to gift them to us in the form of songs.
Helado Negro Enables Paths to Grow on ‘Phasor’
There is an openness to Helado Negro’s world. His new album Phasor is a dream(y) wake-up call you want to snooze your way back into.
Eliza McLamb Is ‘Going Through It’ with Problems
This is pop music spiked with something stronger than liquor. Eliza McLamb knows that happiness is an illusion yet she can’t help wanting and rejecting it.
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The 15 Best Folk Albums of 2023
The best folk albums of the year are an eclectic lot brought to us by long-time notables, indie greats, and artists taking folk music in new directions.
Beirut Returns to His Baroque Pop Origins on ‘Hadsel’
Beirut has turned inward on Hadsel and it’s an affirming, warm kind of music to serve as a soundtrack for the next valley surely coming for us all.
Kentuckian Abby Hamilton Aspires to Be As Good As the ‘#1 Zookeeper’
Americana’s Abby Hamilton presents her characters’ experiences as valuable simply because of their quotidian relatability. Kentucky is everywhere and everyone.
‘Cat Power Sings Dylan’ Revives a Legendary Bob Dylan Concert
Cat Power’s version of Bob Dylan’s 1966 concert with the Band in Manchester is reverential but not literal and honors the legend more than the facts.
The 20 Best Harry Chapin Songs
In his brief folk singer-songwriter career, Harry Chapin’s philosophy of symbolic action challenged the American status quo on behalf of those suffering from indifference.
Mikaela Davis Creates a New Blueprint for ‘And Southern Star’
Mikaela Davis builds her latest LP as a progression, moving further into rock territory as if demonstrating across an album the fluidity of genre and her art.
Buck Meek Steals Away to the Lo-fi ‘Haunted Mountain’
Reality is much scarier than special effects. Big Thief guitarist, Buck Meek’s music on Haunted Mountain has its charms thanks in part to its purposeful flaws.