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ALBUM REVIEW: THE IMAGINARIES, SELF-TITLED LP
The marriage vow, ‘for better or worse,’ likely has special meaning for the Oklahoma-based husband and wife duo, The Imaginaries. For most of the last year and a half, Maggie McClure and Shane Henry have struggled through the ‘worse,’ facing medical setbacks and tour cancelations (even before the mass COVID live music pause), which led to unexpected financial burdens and ultimately a lengthy delay in releasing their album. The details of their personal and professional struggles were recently laid out well by the Oklahoma City Free Press. However, the ‘better’ is on the horizon for the duo as the world starts to reopen and the band celebrates the release of their self-titled LP today through ONErpm.
The album is a mix of dramatic folk-rock anthems, tender ballads, and sunny acoustic folk melodies. A great example of the balance on The Imaginaries is in the record’s first three tracks. It starts with a lush, one-two punch of singles, “Revival” and “Walking on a Wire,” and quickly follows with the gentler, “Thinking ‘Bout You.” “Revival” is a surefire attention-getter, moving from the string-bending opening guitar notes paired with McClure’s beckoning vocals to a foot-stomping, soul infused, blues rocker.
“Walking on A Wire” gets its power from the pair’s woven vocals. The ripples of electric guitar wail, urgent acoustic guitar, and a big drumbeat are bold, yet smartly produced so they don’t overrun the duo’s yearning words. “Thinking ‘Bout You” puts a pause on the dramatic vibes and gives us a jaunty toe-tapper where acoustic guitar is front and center.
While it’s hard to match that opening combination, The Imaginaries has plenty of tracks to keep you listening for the whole album. Those of you who like a lot of rock in their folk-rock won’t want to miss the raucous track, “Enough of You.” The song is loaded with a driving, head nodding beat and even a screaming electric guitar solo. Album closer, “You Remind Me,” is a straight up country ballad, featuring a swing quality in its rhythm and light gospel influences in McClure’s vocals.
Across all the tracks, what stands out about the Imaginaries is their pure chemistry. There are plenty of other duos and collaborations to listen to, but the bond between McClure and Henry creates an intimate flow that’s often missing. It feels like they are finishing each other’s thoughts rather than simply exchanging lines in a recording studio.
More than a year and a half later than expected, the Imaginaries are finally getting to share their completed album. There’s some unmissable irony in the fact that the record, mostly recorded prior to the delay, is loaded with optimistic lyrics about overcoming obstacles and brighter futures. However, maybe having that mindset from the beginning is what allowed the duo to persevere. Many of the songs, after all, are the perfect anthems to make you feel strong on dark days and remember that the ‘better’ is just around the corner.
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Featured image and album art photos by Reagan Elkins
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ALBUM REVIEW: MELISSA CARPER — DADDY’S COUNTRY GOLD
What is “real” country music? That’s a debate that will likely never be resolved in our lifetime. What we can agree on is that as the genre has evolved over the last century, with the current product sounding much different than its roots. On her latest solo project, Daddy’s Country Gold, singer/songwriter/upright bassist Melissa Carper transports us back to a time before rapping cowboys; before George Straight realized where all his exes lived; and even before Willie’s blue eyes were crying in the rain.
Carper reminds us that country music didn’t just materialize out of the ether as its own sound. Whether performing solo; in The Carper Family trio; with the award-winning Arkansas foursome, Sad Daddy; or with her girlfriend, Rebecca Patek, in the roots duo, Buffalo Gals, Carper has always paid homage to the traditional side of country music. This continues with Daddy’s Country Gold.
Lyrically, the album feels like a collection of Carper’s diary entries reflecting on personal moments—some intimate and passionate, some with a fond playfulness. Musically, you can tell that her parents’ record player spun the classics including Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, and Johnny Cash. Combined, we get a distinctive sound that blends elements of Kitty Wells, Billie Holiday, Pokie La Farge, Loretta Lynn, and the aforementioned Williams. The head-nodding swing of album opener, “Makin’ Memories,” would feel right at home at an old-fashioned honky-tonk beer joint. Slower, blues and jazz influenced, “I Almost Forgot About You,” inspires thoughts of slow sipping a drink in a hazy country lounge while Carper croons in the spotlight. Twangy, fiddle-heavy, “Arkansas Hills,” and the lighthearted, “Would You Like to Get Some Goats,” feel like they came straight off my father’s VHS tapes of Hee Haw. Album closer, “The Stars Are Aligned,” is a timeless ballad that lets us fully appreciate Carper’s ability to reflect emotion through her vocals.
Daddy’s Country Gold is pure vintage country music, full of jazz, blues, and western swing influences. However, it isn’t a tribute album to a bygone era. Melissa Carper writes with a genuineness and sings with an authenticity that lets you know that these are her songs. It’s steeped in tradition, yet reflects Carper’s modern influences, creating an album that all generations of country music fans can appreciate.
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ALBUM REVIEW: LEAH WATTS — “FINDING HOME” EP
Country music isn’t known for its concept albums. There have been a few over the years but listing them takes a few minutes of thought. On her debut EP Finding Home, Leah Watts shares her memories from a passionate relationship. The 5-track EP follows the evolution of her emotions from burgeoning love to finding resolve in the aftermath of a breakup, adding a new offering to that concept album list.
Normally, I try to avoid reviewing tracks in the same order as the album. However, Finding Home is all about progression—both musical and emotional. Album opener, “Dancing in the Moonlight,” watches new love develop and is the most joyous track on the album. It’s also the only song that flirts with “commercial country,” with a sound akin to Sunny Sweeney or Kelsea Ballerini, but thankfully eschewing the modern country music tropes associated with the genre. On the second track, “A Million Tiny Little Things,” Watts hits full stride as she unleashes a pure piano-led love ballad and shows off her impressive vocal range. With a John Legend-meets-Tammy Wynette quality (never thought I would type those words), the song features an intensifying string section that accents the building fire of love in the lyrics.
However, the fervor fades quickly as the album transitions to “Poison in My Heart,” a country rocker that blends electric and acoustic sounds. As the relationship—and the album—come to an end, we see a distinct change in the sound and feel of the final two tracks. The genre defying “Numb” features a true pop meets country rock music quality reminiscent of the crossover sounds from artists like Clare Dunn and Danielle Bradberry. “Numb” has a big sound, full of electric guitar and a thunderous drumbeat that set the stage perfectly for album closer, “Enough.” With an air of resolve, Watts moves on emotionally from the breakup. Once again evoking memories of Bradberry’s brand of rock-pop-country, the song features plenty of electric guitar and an anthemic chorus. However, on “Enough,” the vocals are in the forefront, allowing them to be the real star of the track. Matching the lyrical explosion of internal strength, Watts once again shows off her vocal range that helps her close the album with a powerful emotional punch.
Even if the album were not a concept album, it would still have a feeling of completeness. It uses its five tracks well to explore a range of country music influences, showcasing the artist’s flexibility in the genre. On her debut EP Finding Home, Leah Watts gives us memorable moments throughout, especially on “A Million Tiny Little Things,” “Numb,” and the standout “Enough,” and leaves us anticipating what’s in her musical future.
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ALBUM REVIEW: JOHN PAUL KEITH — “THE RHYTHM OF THE CITY”
Sometimes the biggest challenge in reviewing an album is finding a theme. However, John Paul Keith’s aptly named The Rhythm of the City gets straight to the point. Recently released on Wild Honey Records, the album is a clear ode to the sounds and influences of the Memphis music scene.
The sultry album opener, “How Can you Walk Away,” features plenty of tenor and baritone sax, soulful background vocals thanks to Tierinii and Tikyra Jackson of Grammy-nominated group Southern Avenue, and Keith’s trademark youthful, yet emotive, vocal quality. It also features the first of many fiery guitar solos that remind us why Keith is a go-to musician in the Memphis scene. The song stands out in my mind for its crossover potential where it could easily appeal to fans of blues-rock units like the Black Keys.
If you’re more a fan of the toe-tapping side of the blues, The Rhythm of the City also has you covered. The album takes a rockabilly turn with “Love, Love, Love.” The song has enough Elvis Presley influence that it should come with a Sun Studios label. Later, “If I Had The Money” pairs up-tempo R&B with finger-snapping swing. The saxophone solo and subtle, yet powerful, guitar work on this track are some of my favorite musical highlights of the entire album.
I would, of course, be remiss if I didn’t mention the title track. In both the words and the music, you can feel the spark that drove the artist to create this record. Sonically the richest on the album, it features a bold horn section that is matched with the intensity of Keith’s crying guitar.
It is important to clarify that The Rhythm of the City is not a Memphis music clone. Instead, each track feels like an original thought that has been shaped by Keith’s genuine affection for the city where he plies his trade. In wrangling so many iconic influences, there’s always the risk that the work will feel affected. Instead, Keith presents us with an authentic look at how he has embraced the Memphis scene and how the scene has influenced him as an artist.
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ALBUM REVIEW: NIGHT BUS REVIVAL — “TRAGIC MAGIC” EP
Isolation offers room for our thoughts to wander. A long quiet car ride, a walk in the forest, or even the few peaceful moments of a morning shower, can trap you in a world of self-realization. On his debut EP, Tragic Magic, Night Bus Revival (the creative project of Nils Dylan), embraces the solitude that came from a move from bustling London to the more rustic Midlands of the UK. The album was spontaneously recorded as the artist felt inspired, giving its introspection a unique authenticity.
In Night Bus Revival’s musings, we find that clarity is honest, but not always joyous. All 5 tracks on the EP are distinctive explorations of anxiety, restlessness, and melancholy. “Brand New Estate” is a lyrical highlight, as the storyteller explores his existence and wonders aloud if there’s a place for him in the world. The song feels like it’s being sung by an outsider who is always on the edge of fitting in. The lyrics are reminiscent of early Springsteen while the clashing acoustic instrumentation presents the morose discord of a Suitcase Junket track. In contrast, “Nowhere” slips into the comfort of seclusion, but ponders whether solitude brings the escape that the singer envisioned. The two songs highlight the artist’s struggle to find personal balance.
The album’s greatest strength is that it refuses to fit within the confines of our concept of folk music. Ambient noise, electronic hum, and that extra dose of angst in the vocals give Tragic Magic its delightful edge. It combines the ruminating style of Gregory Alan Isakov, with the quirk of Bon Iver, and the glow heard on gentler works from JJ Grey and Mofro. Album closer, “2:47am on the hotel bathroom floor,” starts and ends with glitchy electronic effects. In the middle, Night Bus Revival pours forth the most emotionally raw lyrics of the album, as layered vocals punctuate a chaotic and fragile mental state:
Days they go easier/If we don’t speak/Soon I haven’t seen your face for weeks/Months they go easier if I don’t think/I start unravelling when I drink
Tragic Magic feels like a diary, turned to poetry, which in turn is set to music. No words are wasted; no filler added to make it radio friendly; no anthemic choruses for beer-soaked concert singalongs. Instead, the album is built on emotional hooks–embracing the weight of life through an exploration of sadness, doubt, and loneliness.
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OFF THE STAGE: VAN PLATING
For this edition of Mother Church Pew’s Off The Stage series, we catch up with folk-pop singer and songwriter, Van Plating.
About the Off the Stage Series:
For most music fans, the forty-five minutes that a band spends on the stage is all they can see. However, when the guitar cases are closed and the venue’s floor is littered with empty beer cans and trash, most bands load their gear into the van and return back to their normal lives. In COVID times, even that connection has been limited.
Mother Church Pew’s Off The Stage is a series that celebrates a band’s path to where they are and the things they do behind the scenes to stay there.
From Van Plating, in her own words:
Photo and Cover Image By: Michael McArthur Right before COVID hit, my career was on an awesome trajectory, with lots of solid press, a growing listener base, and tour + festival dates rolling in.
It felt like after years of waiting, I was finally on the right track and set up to succeed at the thing I most love to do. Then March 13th happened (The date FL shut down) and like all artists in my field, our world came to a screeching halt and then went down in flames. The last show I played was a songwriter’s round on March 3 in Orlando. The last show I attended was the following weekend – Brandi Carlile at Gasparilla Music Festival in Tampa. March feels like a lifetime ago now.
When the Florida shut-down announcement went out, I did everything a gal could do to get ready for an indefinite stretch of at-home time with the fam.
I got every pool float they had at Target, essential groceries, a respectable-but-not-crazy amount of toilet paper, some hand sanitizer, an obscene amount of popsicles, and a kitten. One of my besties who lives alone came to stay with our family so she wouldn’t be quarantined by herself.
Our main babysitter, who is also a close family friend, lost her job at a local restaurant so we made arrangements for her to be the only one in and out to care for our kiddos and be backup while all three adults living under our roof attempted to work from home AND remote school four small children. We set up a quarantine pod with two other neighborhood families so the kids would have each other. We took turns going to the grocery store to limit impact.
I had made recording plans but we put those on hold. Bryan Elijah Smith, who co-wrote “Brid On A Wire” and was tapped to produce my first three singles of the year, and I would facetime fairly frequently to check in, talk through songs and run ideas by one another.
My best friend who lives near NYC was experiencing even more intense times than I was, and we made it a priority to Facetime more often than we ever have before. My writing room, being closed down, meant figuring out how to write at home in a house full of people. I set up regular office hours in my bedroom, lit some incense (palo santo is my favorite), and went to work, as I watched tour dates and festivals cancel and my friends sign up for stimulus and hope for the best. It was hard. There was definitely a grieving period. The kids think the kitten was for them, but really she’s MY emotional support animal.
Luna The Cat How it’s going:
I’ve written somewhere in the neighborhood of 40 songs in quarantine. No small miracle. My marriage is stronger than it was because we’ve had to face ourselves and work out our shit. My kids are thrilled to be in school again. When Florida opened up phase 1, I flew to VA to record three songs with Bryan (observing all of the COVID protocols, of course) and we filmed a music video for the first single, “Bird On A Wire.” I pivoted my model for the next year and started thinking hard about what my goals will be and what the plan of attack would be for Van Plating from 2020-2021.
I dreamed a lot about recording a full body of work over this period of time, somehow. I worked really hard on myself. Being present where I am, not always on to the next thing. Focusing on my relationships with the human beings in my immediate vicinity. I rested. Even with all the writing, my schedule was SO OPEN for the first time in over 10 years. I got in the sun and read books, and wrote songs, and parented and wife’d and friended my friends. I cut out the extras and got back to what matters to me, which is art, faith, and my closest relationships. We closed back down, not completely, when COVID cases spiked again and it was back to the basics. I was so thankful to have been able to sneak away and get some work in, and made myself content to wait and see what was next.
I kept right on writing up til about a month ago, when I was tired. Tired of living the same day over and over with a varying kaleidoscope of emotions. Crazy, being on a rollercoaster that never moves outwardly but inwardly is the wildest ride of your life. The return of precedented times will be greeted by me with a warm hug and a high five. And maybe a fist bump or two. So anyway I said forget it with my daily routine and started ripping out bushes in front of our house.
We moved into our home 6 years ago and have created this magical jungle paradise in the backyard, but the front yard looked like a bank parking lot.
Just giant blocks of hedges and bushes as far as the eye could see. So my bestie and I ripped out 60 bushes over the course of a week or two and I went on a grand planting adventure, sourcing a wild conglomeration of botanical beauties from local nurseries all around Polk County. It was so good for my soul to dig in the dirt under the Florida sun. My husband was feeling the same way about his job, so he designed and built shutters, a new fence gate, and trellis for my bleeding heart vines to climb out front. It took a month to design and install but now it’s like a brand new house with this incredibly colorful, tropical Eden. It makes me smile every time I look outside.
Van Plating’s Front Yard Garden You can check out Van Plating’s recent release “Bird on a Wire” on Spotify:
Also take a listen to her 2019 album, Van Plating:
Connect with Van Plating on social media:
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THE PEW PLAYLIST: NEW AMERICANA MUSIC FOR NOVEMBER 11, 2020
Ranging from good old fashioned toe-tapping bluegrass to modern-influenced country, this edition of the Pew Playlist has something for everyone.
Without further ado, here is this week’s Pew Playlist presented in the order they were added to the list. Music is sorted for an enjoyable “mixtape” experience. But feel free to shuffle it up!
“AFTER SO MANY DAYS” – JIM AND SAM
“After So Many Days” is the title track of Jim and Sam’s documentary feature film which followed the duo’s tour where they performed one show every day for a year. The film recently won the Best Music City/Music Documentary Feature award at the Nashville Film Festival. Featuring perfectly paired harmonies and a building folk rock melody, you can feel the miles and cities roll by.
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“LIKE THE STARS SHINE” – CANYON CITY
Canyon City, the project of singer and producer Paul Johnson, charms with the introspective folk ballad, “Like the Stars Shine.” An acoustic melody fades into the background as electric guitar and a steady drumbeat take control of–but never overpower–the song. Johnson’s clear, heartfelt vocals feel like an authentic exploration of simple ways to help others and the human tendency to overcomplicate this vital task.
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“O LITTLE FIRE, O LITTLE LIGHT OF WISDOM” – THE DUSTBOWL DADDIES
The Dustbowl Daddies blend bluegrass, folk-pop, alt-country, and gospel influences on this toe-tapping romp. The song is a joyous celebration about (along with the inherent trepidation of) bringing children into the world. You’re going to want to clap along with the fiery harmonica, jangling strings, and driving beat.
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“WE COLLIDED” – DAVID LAFLECHE
Perhaps best known for his work as musical director for La Voix (The Voice, Quebec), singer/songwriter David Lafleche brings us his latest single. Lafleche’s feelings after buying a 1998 Martin guitar while visiting Nashville and taking in the creative energy of the Music City inspired the song. While a folk song at its core, “We Collided” gets some delightful classic country touches thanks to flourishes of peddle steel.
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“SOME SORTA GOODBYE” – ABIGAIL FIERCE
Blending country and pop rock, Abigail Fierce gives us an introspective anthem on “Some Sorta Goodbye.” The song is a smart confluence of influences with vocals that remind you of when Taylor Swift was country, a kick of electric guitar wail that would feel right at home on a Keith Urban album, and the addictive lyrical hooks we’d expect from Maren Morris.
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“NOT FOR YOU” – MARCUS LEE
With infectious hooks and swells in its acoustic guitar-led melody, “Not For You” by Marcus Lee is reminiscent of modern folk-pop offerings from The Lumineers and Mumford and Sons. The track expands in grandeur as bolder guitar strums and piano are added. Lee’s emotional inflection adds poignancy to the heartfelt lyrics.
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“GOLD” – OHSERGIO
Ohsergio, the artistic project of Swiss native and Los Angeles based musician Sonia Schmidt, gives us a delightfully vocal-forward folk song with “Gold.” The minimal, plucked acoustic guitar melody pairs wonderfully with Schmidt’s layered vocals, creating an ethereal quality. It will remind you of a bard’s song from times ago meeting up with modern, nuanced complexity.
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“ADELINE” – CASS & CROSSLAND
“Adeline,” by Phoenix’s Cass & Crossland is filled with foot-stomping, hand clapping indie folk. Anthemic acoustic guitar chords and sing-along ready vocals will remind you of The Lumineers while the electric guitar and bass edges share influences with The Head and The Heart. While the song may tell the tale of a girl not knowing where she fits in, this track feels like it belongs on any folk or Americana playlist.
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“700 + 1” – THE AMBER UNIT
“700 + 1” from Switzerland’s The Amber Unit is a “song is about a couple who survived…who’s still there after some rough times…but won’t back down, even if they’re afraid.” Embracing this theme, the track gets its emotional charge thanks to the resolve in the vocals. A true folk-rocker, the song’s instrumentation is a balanced blend of electric and acoustic.
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THE OFF THE STAGE SERIES: FEATURING ANNIE DRESSNER
For this edition of Off The Stage, we check in with Americana singer/songwriter Annie Dressner
For most casual fans of music, the forty-five minutes that a band spends on the stage is all they can see. However, when the guitar cases are closed and the venue’s floor is littered with empty beer cans and trash, most bands load their gear into the van and return back to their normal lives. However, 2020 has been anything but normal.
Mother Church Pew’s Off The Stage is a series that celebrates a band’s path to where they are and the things they do behind the scenes to stay there. That includes checking in to see how the artists are coping with big challenges of this year. We are proud to let the artists share with you a bit of their lives with through their own words.
Without Further Ado, here’s Annie Dressner sharing a few behind the scenes moments on living life during the COVID-19 pandemic and creating new music:
From Annie: Oh, lockdown. A time where one can feel most alone, but also knows that the entire world is in it together! My experience in lockdown has kept my perspective on what is truly important in check. At the beginning of lockdown, my children were two and five. I felt very overwhelmed, and mostly for them and their well-being. I was also quite scared, with so many unknowns and such big changes. I was also very homesick, because I am from NYC but live in England and had to cancel my trip home to see my family.
I spent the first few months trying to mimic my son’s Kindergarten school schedule. My husband was the lunch man and he was called Mr. Slithers. We would go out at the allowed hour a day, and we taught our kids to ride bikes behind the back of a restaurant near the dumpsters and visited the tadpoles until they were eaten by the swans.
We made the most of it. I kept reminding my kids how lucky they were to have one another to play with and that the amount of cleaning that we were doing was not normal – but just for now. I did homeschool and was incredibly fun — for the first few months. Then I burnt out! (Don’t worry, I’m still fun – but with a lot less energy and definitely more lenient with tv.). I also did yoga for 40 days in a row at 6am until I took a day off and haven’t exercised since.
This year has been hard. I have been so overwhelmed with keeping my children happy and trying my best to hide my fears from them, I did not want to write any songs about lockdown or how I felt about it – to me, it was bigger than something I could write. I write such personal songs, and lockdown is a worldwide issue – not my own to pen. However, as time went on, I did start to play little-by-little. It finally felt good to play and that I was able to make some more room for that in my life.
Over the past few months, I’ve been focused on preparing for my album Coffee At The Corner Bar to come out. That has made me work on music more and play again, and I needed that. I’ve been doing some online gigs here and there and booking some live ones under the tour title ‘Will They Actually Happen?” I made two music videos of my songs Pretend (on zoom) and my song Midnight Bus which was a co-write with Matthew Caws (Nada Surf). [“Midnight Bus” was also featured on the Pew Playlist.]
Photo by: Elly Lucas I’ve realized how little I need, how nice it is to be in nature, and how quickly my kids are growing up. I think I will take less for granted, and I hope that our kids remain as close as they have become. I still feel like we are in the thick of it, even with the kids just back at school, but for now, I am trying to take it a day at a time and get as much work done as I can. My main hope, and concern, is that my children will be okay in the long-term and that the world can heal together and soon. I’ll keep making music, and maybe in a few years, I’ll even write a song about this time.
Coffee at the Corner Bar was released on September 4th.
Connect with Annie Dressner on Social Media:
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Featured Image by Elly Lucas
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THE PEW PLAYLIST: NEW AMERICANA MUSIC FOR OCTOBER 9, 2020
This edition of The Pew Playlist once again circles the globe with Americana and Folk offerings from the United States, Australia, and Norway. There’s also a lot of love songs in the mix this week, paired with heavier topics of breakups, the tolls of addiction, and the struggles with mental health.
Without further ado, here is this week’s Pew Playlist presented in the order they were added to the list. If you haven’t followed The Pew Playlist on Spotify, please take a minute and hit that button in the Spotify app. Music is sorted for an enjoyable “mixtape” experience. But feel free to shuffle it up!
“WHISKEY & WINE” – IVAN & ALYOSHA
I used to say that you can’t really describe Americana, you just know it when you hear it. “Whiskey & Wine” from Ivan & Alyosha is a one of those songs that doesn’t simply check off Americana boxes–it’s a prime example of everything that gets you hooked on the genre. A soulful, classic country rock influenced ballad about the struggle with alcoholism, it features the warm glow of electric guitar, a plaintive drum beat, organ, and well-placed vocal touches from Brandi Carlile and the Hanseroth twins.
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“WOKE UP DRUNK” – CREATURE COMFORT
In “Woke Up Drunk,” the latest single from Nashville’s Creature Comfort, tinkling acoustic melodies meld seamlessly with indie rock influenced electric. Pops of percussion, contemplative lyrics, and little touches of strings round out this intimate reflection on the aftermath of a breakup.
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“DARK STORM” – MIMI GILBERT
Haunting, raw vocals take center stage on Mimi Gilbert‘s open examination of her mental health in “Dark Storm.” It’s the slight tremor in Gilbert’s voice that packs the true emotional punch. The song is a folk rocker at its core with an electric guitar melody and a powerful bass groove that swell with Gilbert’s increased introspection.
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“SURRENDERING” – JUNI HABEL
A hypnotic melody pairs perfectly with Juni Habel‘s beckoning, dreamy, folk vocals on her latest single, “Surrendering.” The song has an ethereal quality–a fairytale ballad come to life. It stands out as an exploration in minimalism, as the track maintains its gentle acoustic instrumentation, relying on tempo changes to maximize the impact of Habel’s vocals.
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“THE LONG DARK” – CAMPHOR
Folk music meets chamber pop influences on “The Long Dark” from Camphor, a project of singer-songwriter Max Avery Lichtenstein. An emotional exploration of loss and recovery, the song leans on the interplay between Lichtenstein’s haunting vocals and the crisp, glowing instrumentation.
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“STARRY EYES” – WYN DORAN (Ft. Justin Wiggins)
With a history of international choir competitions resulting in performances at famed venues such as the Sydney Opera House in Australia and Carnegie Hall in New York, it’s impossible to miss the classical training in Wyn Doran‘s vocals. Doran’s crisp voice is the showcase of “Starry Eyes.” The deeper harmonies provided by producer/songwriter Justin Wiggins contrast perfectly with Doran’s range.
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“DANCING ON THE MOON” – BATTS
BATTS, the project of Melbourne-based musician Tanya Batt, brings us a love song set in space on “Dancing On The Moon.” While the setting may be unique, the tenderness and longing in the lyrics translate universally. The use of a minimally strummed acoustic guitar puts the focus on Batt’s yearning vocals.
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“MY QUIET” – KRIS ANGELIS
Tender reflections on love are set to a soft acoustic melody on “My Quiet” from L.A.’s Kris Angelis. The song’s depth comes thanks to its contemplative lyrics that are filled with emotional wandering and brought to life by her naturally reflective vocals.
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“BETTER” – EMILI
A folk-pop song gets a jazzy twist on “Better” from Emili. Ripples of piano interplay with a gentle acoustic guitar melody. However, it’s the artist’s clear, tender vocals that keep this saccharine love song pure.
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THE PEW PLAYLIST: NEW AMERICANA MUSIC FOR SEPTEMBER 19
The Pew Playlist once again benefits from the international reach of Americana music as we add songs from Norway and Iceland. Those tracks are paired with a couple others that highlight classic Nashville and Texas country sounds. We also get to hear how a classical music upbringing is put to work on a folk rocker. The creativity packed in this week’s update is pretty dang astounding.
Without further ado, here is this week’s Pew Playlist presented in the order they were added to the list. Music is sorted for an enjoyable “mixtape” experience. But feel free to shuffle it up!
“AND THEN THERE WAS FIRE” – THE SUITCASE JUNKET
Matt Lorenz, who goes by the moniker The Suitcase Junket, describes his upcoming album The End Is New as “Doom Folk.” On its electric guitar fueled single, “And Then There Was Fire,” we get our first taste of what that will sound like. An ominous melody pairs with dark lyrics, yet there is still a touch of hope that comes through in Lorenz’s vocals.
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“WILDHORSE DREAM” – MALIN PETTERSEN
Classic country and traditional folk sounds combine on “Wildhorse Dream” from Norway’s Malin Pettersen. With plenty of electric guitar twang and a toe-tapping drum beat, the song would fit in any Nashville honky-tonk. Pettersen’s sweet, folksy vocals show flourishes of country crooner power that feel classic, yet fresh.
Photo By by Jonathan Vivass Kise Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | Spotify
“FIREWORKS” – AXEL FLOVENT
Gentle acoustic guitar and piano gets just the right touch of muted electric guitar wail to create a mournful melody on “Fireworks” from Iceland’s Axel Flovent. Contemplative lyrics about a relationship’s end are punctuated by Flovent’s ability to pour sadness and reflection into his vocals.
“BORN TO LOSE” – DAVID QUINN
David Quinn channels vintage country honky-tonk vibes with his latest single, “Born To Lose.” The electric guitar is twangy, aching, and rocking. The recording captures Quinn’s throwback outlaw vocals perfectly, completing this western jam.
Photo by Alec Basse Website | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Spotify
“DARK RIVER” – LYDIA LUCE
Lydia Luce‘s orchestral upbringing no doubt influenced the lush soundscape that she creates on her new single, “Dark River.” The song combines big, psychedelic-influenced guitar riffs, tumultuous strings, and Luce’s powerful vocal flair for a distinct indie rock-meets-folk rock whirlwind.
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