Month: January 2018

1. “Mine/Yours” – Long Neck. The rattling fingerpicking, the female speak/sing delivery, and the rumbling enthusiasm of the guitar rock make this one of the coolest songs I’ve heard in a long time. I keep thinking of The Hold Steady but maybe that’s just me? 100% rad, regardless.

2. “all these worlds are yours” – HOLY. If you forgive the 10-car pileup of guitar distortion and drums that takes up the first 25 seconds of this tune, the the next 8.5 minutes are an indie-pop wonderland. There’s perky piano, sighing vocals, found sounds, layers on layers on layers, big drums, everything becoming ascendant, and then some more layers. It lives up to its runtime and will remind you of Spiritualized.

3. “You Are An Ocean” – Beams. Staccato drums accent the lead banjo line in a satisfying way. The rest of the song floats along as an indie-pop tune would, just with banjo. It’s a lot of fun.

4. “We Make Do” – Martha Ffion. “With an overwhelming sense of / making do” caps off the lovely chorus of this low piano-pop tune. It’s got bits of Regina Spektor and Lisa Hannigan in the stew, but it has an air of confidence that’s all Ffion’s.

5. “I Can Run Now From the Hellhounds But I Can’t Hide” – Walter Martin. PETER, BJORN AND JOHN? IS THAT YOU? ARE YOU KICKING IT WITH VAMPIRE WEEKEND NOW? OR MAYBE SOME DISCO DUDES?

6. “Forget Me” – Born Ruffians. Cheery, chipper, emotive indie-pop with gleefully yelpy vocals and effervescent handclaps. Fans of the vintage-y ideas of Stornoway or Bishop Allen will love this.

7. “Relay Runner” – Loma. The insistent beat of this indie-pop track anchors a song that wavers from major to minor key repeatedly. That beat has the sort of groove reserved for deep electronica tracks, but the band tempers that flow with mysterious, ethereal sounds, glitchy bits, and odd vibes. It’s a weird, intriguing track, like some sort of chopped-and-screwed Wye Oak jam.

Finishing out the year in the year is a tough thing to do. We got closer than ever before in 2017, but there’s still a few things to be wrapped up. Here are some of the last tunes of 2017, rolled in with some early returns from 2018.

1. “True Refuge” – Ezra Feinberg. This incredible instrumental track has all of the build of a post-rock song without any electric guitars and all of the exuberance of a Dan Deacon song without any synthesizers. The arrangement is all layered acoustic guitars and piano, which is just amazing. It’s a warm, sun-dappled drive in the country; it’s uplifting in so many ways. Highly recommended.

2. “Tiny Moses” – The Rough & Tumble. The harmonica and accordion come together mellifluously to almost sound like a harmonium–one of my favorite sounds in all of folk. This folky, country-inflected acoustic tune will make fans of the Low Anthem sigh and swoon. The female/male vocal performances here are bright, strong, and memorable.

3. “Open Space” – Micah Olsan. There’s always room in my heart for a fingerpicked acoustic guitar, a distant pedal steel, and a pure voice. This is fantastic folk music.

4. “Little Sparrow” – Racoon Racoon. The vocal performance in this delicate folk tune is equal parts vulnerability and confidence, which is a powerful mix. The rest of the arrangement mirrors that blend, with individually tender sounds put together into a strong arrangement.

5. “Standing on a Corner” – Grace Basement. Alt-country that’s half-Jayhawks blueprint, half-Mojave Three dreaminess. If you’re into alt-country, you may have a flashback to the ’90s in the best possible way.

6. “Northern Town” – Fruition. Oh my goodness, that chorus. It’s short, but the vocal melody, the high harmonies, just everything about it is ace. It gave me shivers. There’s a great acoustic arrangement around that chorus, but whoa. Check this one out.

7. “World of Pain” – Phil Lomac. Some excellent groove-heavy percussion, lovely Wurlitzer, and grumbling guitar distortion meld in unique ways to give this folk a distinct vibe. Seriously, that drumming is tight.

8. “Town Hall” – Youth in a Roman Field. The first half of this tune is a pleasant folk tune led by female vocals from Claire Wellin (San Fermin). The second half bursts open into a horns/strings/vocals party, like vintage Arcade Fire or The Collection. It’s an impressive, throw-open-the-doors move for the second act, and it makes this tune a winner.

9. “Fragments” – Dane Joneshill. This swaying, lilting track fuses a contemporary set of singer/songwriter lyrics to music reminiscent of Josh Ritter’s “The Curse.”

10. “Holdin’ Back the Heart” – The Naked Sun. A jaunty, rollicking Americana/rock’n’roll tune that would make Ivan and Alyosha jealous and make Dawes turn its head. The pure falsetto is a really nice touch.