Posts by Maeri Ferguson

[rating=8.00] Voices like Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell are classic. Their simple, smart and beautiful country songs are timeless and never go out of style. On The Traveling Kind, the follow up to their 2013 collaboration Old Yellow Moon, they continue to charm with their warm, well-matched harmonies and clever songwriting. Each song is a […]

[rating=8.00] The Milk Carton Kids are preserving folk music as they know and love it, whether it’s performing in their suits on stage, or keeping every song as simple as can be with just acoustic guitars and vocals. On their darkest record yet, Monterey, a follow up to 2013’s stupendous The Ash and Clay, they’ve […]

[rating=5.00] Best Coast is so SoCal it’s impossible not to listen to them and envision palm trees, white sand and sun-drenched neon. Bethany Cosentino is undoubtedly talented. Her voice is strong and emotional, and she has that mastered combination of laissez faire melancholy and swooning romance. As a band, she and her band mate Bobb […]

[rating=6.00] You might not immediately know it’s him when you hear The Tallest Man on Earth. His brand of folk music is nothing new or different, and it isn’t entirely unique. But on his latest record Dark Bird is Home, the man also known as Kristian Matsson has taken a turn for the dreamier, and […]

Water Liars are a mystery. They’re one of the most incredibly talented, tightest bands around with three records of powerhouse songs that read like intricate Southern literature, yet they still somehow fly under the radar. While their albums tend to be a little quieter overall than their live shows (where they rock out with loud […]

Jessie Baylin is a most compelling artist and live performer. She’s adorably shy on stage, but also seems to truly enjoy performing. At a recent show that brought her back to her old stomping grounds in New York City, Baylin filled the Bowery Ballroom with adoring fans and the sounds of her honeyed voice and […]

The velvet-voiced Andrew Combs is a force of nature when it comes to his music. His new record All These Dreams is sweet, smooth, seventies-inspired alt-country, with just the right amount of grit, darkness and romance. At a recent performance at NYC’s Mercury Lounge, though, the soft-spoken Combs did not exude the confidence to match. […]

[rating=8.00] “Some things you will remember/Some things stay sweet forever,” the Mountain Goats sing on “Animal Mask” off their new record Beat the Champ. A quirky, lovable collection of oddball beauties, Champ is a record that’s a joy to listen to from beginning to end. It’s warm, but dark, and simple, yet intricate. An ode […]

[rating=9.00] Nashville band Turbo Fruits have experienced a bit of an evolution. Even though they’re less than 10 years old, I can’t recall a time before hearing them. Their sound can feel like being with an old friend, and there’s something so deeply satisfying about their chill brand of grungy guitar rock. It’s like zen […]

[rating=9.00] Low Cut Connie made their wacky and weird debut in 2011 with the truly fantastic record Get Out the Lotion. With its oddball album artwork and throwback soul songs like “Full of Joy” and “Johnny Cool Man”, no one knew what to make of them. It seemed the Philly-based band had just popped up […]

[rating=9.00] Ever since Alabama Shakes knocked us over the head with their 2012 release Boys & Girls, we’ve all been waited with bated breath for their follow up. Now that it’s here in the form of Sound & Color, we are reminded what made us fall so hard for them only a few short years […]

[rating=8.00] For most people who love them, Calexico can do no wrong. And over their twenty years or so as a band, they’ve continued to evolve while simultaneously remaining consistent. Which is why it’s unbelievably impressive that they’re still able to bend and flex their sound until it’s new and different and fresh. Perhaps their […]

[rating=8.00] Who is Jessie Baylin? Is she a country artist? Pop, rock, or folk? The only thing that’s certain is she can’t be pegged down. She’s got a gorgeous, interesting voice that’s flawed and magnetic, and on her new album Dark Place, she will almost definitely bewitch you. Her songs are like that – a […]

[rating=7.00] It’s impossible to hear a Josh Rouse song and not know immediately it’s him. His sound has been so consistent since the start of his career, and though I personally favor his early 2000s catalogue (1972, Dressed Up Like Nebraska, Nashville, and Under Cold Blue Stars), I can still always appreciate whatever he puts […]

[rating=7.00] Lord Huron burst on the scene in 2012 with the blustery dream-folk sounds of their debut record Lonesome Dreams. A gorgeous flowing stream of clean harmonies and angelic guitars, Dreams made a deep footprint, and the band sold out countless shows on that tour. And they’ll likely follow suit with their follow up record […]

It only takes one listen to the new record Cosmetics from ‘super group’ Diamond Rugs to be won over by their cheeky charm. Which is why it was a bit of a disappointment to catch them at the start of their current tour on a recent Friday night at Bowery Ballroom. Unpracticed and disengaged, it […]

[rating=7.00] Characterized as a break-up album, Death Cab for Cutie’s latest, Kintsugi, follows in the footsteps of 2011’s Codes and Keys, a mostly forgettable record from a band that specializes in memorabilia. Death Cab’s signature songs are like little memory time capsules that explode vividly in your ears as you listen to them. Front man […]

[rating=10.00] Of all the many ventures of Sufjan Stevens, it seems he’s rarely faced inward toward himself. 2003’s Michigan and 2005’s Illinois were deeply intelligent, beautiful, wacko records, but mainly historical works. And 2010’s The Age of Adz was somewhat forgettable, another thematic (and very experimental) piece of work. His latest is on the complete […]

When Dave and Phil Alvin reunited for the Grammy nominated Common Ground last year, it gave longtime fans of the duo the warm and fuzzies. A collection of Big Bill Broonzy covers was what brought them back together to record their first studio collaboration since the 1980s. At a recent show at Brooklyn’s Bell House, […]

[rating=8.00] From the electric guitar licks that give you your first taste to the chaotic percussion that kicks in shortly after, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion’s new record will have you in a vice grip so funky, you’ll submit willingly to its force. Freedom Tower – No Wave Dance Party 2015 is just that: a force, […]