Checking in with Martin Sexton some 20 years after he sold his first self released cassette tape on the streets of Harvard Square, and 8 albums later, he can be found in a good place, his voice still spanning multiple octaves, his guitar a one man band, at once lead, rhythm, and percussion.
DiFranco's made a record that, while at times inconsistent and frustrating, continues to affirm her impressive songwriting hand and relevance as America’s leading folk singer.
The debut release from two of Nashville’s better singer-songwriters, Amy Stroup and Trent Dabbs, is meant to be something of an odd bird. From the sometimes coy lyrics to the jangly rhythms and grooves, the album’s eight tracks are straight out of the 50s and 60s, and in a time when it would be easy to write commentaries on the woes of the world 2012-style, they choose instead to give things a more upbeat perspective. It’s something of a departure from their solo material, but it works pretty well when all is said and done.
Something, Brooklyn-based duo Chairlift’s second LP, and their first since signing with Columbia, is a masterful stroke of experiential alterna-pop that demonstrates the power that creative freedom and big label investment can provide for exceptionally talented musicians.
With a name like Moon Taxi, the casual music fan might expect an electronica untz-fest that sounds better after midnight. Being so wrong rarely feels so right.
Whether Boris Garcia’s band name is an albatross is officially a moot point with Today We Sail. This recording is the work of a band well grounded in their roots and fully into the process of transcending them.
You may have wondered what became of the former Rolling Stones bassist since he left the group in the mid 90’s. This five cd set will give you a partial answer; it contains all four Rhythm Kings releases he recorded from 1998 to 2001, including a double album. Taken as a whole, these discs cut through a wide swath of musical genres.
The trio of Dan McCurry, Nick Jenkins and Ash Hopkins comprise the Charleston, South Carolina group Run Dan Run and their newest album Normal is a slice of danceable white indie rock. Songs run long with hazy/lazy intros each containing a light airy vibe even when the lyrics border on vengeful.
Now that the whirlwind in recent years that has been the film (Once), the band (The Swell Season) and an award (Oscar for “Falling Slowly”) has concluded, singer Marketa Irglova has branched out on her own. The personal relationship with Glen Hansard now off in the distance but the professional one still ongoing, Irglova has finally gotten around to recording her debut solo album. And it is as haunting, brilliant and spine-tingling as anything she did before in the other group.
Ken Will Morton is a singer songwriter from Georgia. To stand out in that crowded field one has to have the humility to sit back and let the song take center stage. Morton successfully walks the fine line between playing the music and letting the music play him on his latest disc, Contenders.
