Ethel Cain : "Willoughby Tucker, I'll Always Love You"

I learned about this artist from Chelsea Wolfe, so I decided to check out her new album. It's a very emotionally fragile take on indie folk. The opening track is very compelling and inspires me to stick around for more. Not as dark as Chelsea Wolfe, but you can hear where their sonic common ground is. There is a very natural feeling of atmosphere that the second song uses in a more expansive post-rock manner. Thematically, this is a prequel to her album "The Preacher's Daughter". 

"Fuck Me Eyes" is the second single that was released. It makes sense as it flows really well, and the melody is poppier than the first song. I would not call it dark, but introspective, and to be a concept album of sorts, there is an honesty to the narrative that is tangible. The electronic elements gather up to take the song away. Lyrically, is paints a wonderful picture. "Nettles" is the first single from the album, but it's just a wandering modern folk song and not as catchy as "Fuck Me Eyes," which is a better song, but it works for what it does, but what it does is not mind-blowing. Almost feels like a Phoebe Bridgers B-side. 

The sprawling seven and a half minute interludes are an interesting touch. They are long enough to count as songs, but for the purpose of this review, I am not going to, as it's clear to hear what her actual songs are. "Dust Bowl" does have a touch of the experimental ambiance to it, as she creates an ambient backdrop for the otherwise breathy introspection that ponders her early glimpses into sexuality. There is a lethargy to the way this song flows that creates a rainy-day melancholy. I love the effects on her voice and how the dynamic builds in this song. The post-rock creeping into things is a wonderful touch. 

"A Knock at the Door" has a hushed urgency to the pastoral manner it floats out. Though the vocals could carry more of the weight, rather than the sparse arrangement captured here. The album does lean heavily into the ambiance so much that some of the storytelling gets obscured by it. The instrumental interlude "Radio Towers" runs right into "Tempest," which finds her more ethereal vocals hovering into place. It rides a beautiful hypnotic drone that almost feels like it's from the '90s. I had to give the closing song "Waco, Texas" another listen, as it carries a similar ambiance that sprawls out with minimal percussion carrying the wave of fragile vocal speculation. I will give this album a 9.5 and see how it grows on me. Excellent songwriting when she commits to it, but it is more about the mood, which works here as a powerful mood conveyed. 

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Black Country, New Road : "Forever Howlong"

 This is the third album from these British indie folksters who flirt with rock music less, and indulge in more woodwinds and jazz-tinged passages this time around. The vocals are what anchors them in indie rock, as the more folk notions lie in the poetic melodies that run the center course of their songs.  Most of it flows really well and seems like how things just progressed. There is a more Beatles-like tone to things on this album. It reminds me of the more quaint pastoral moments from the White Album. The vocal lines on "Socks" wander around a little more. The production quality is the most notable growth as the mix balances all the layers of strings and woodwinds. 

Kate Bush could also be an influence that peers through in some of the more odd vocal phrasings that dance around the instrumentation, think her "Lionheart" era here. If this album gets the proper push, it's already evident in the first three songs that this band could break into a bigger audience with this album, as this could be embraced at local coffee shops everywhere. The arrangements also show great maturity in how these songs evolve. "Salem Sister" does a more delicate dance against the harpsichord and strings. The lyrics feel a little more abstract this time around. I would not say these songs are all that hooky, though impressive in the scope of what is being accomplished. Dynamic in a manner that most indie rock is not. 

When things take a more balladesque turn on "Two Horses," there is a slight wink to Joni Mitchell. The bass line to this one creates a 70s groove. It does take you on a more unexpected adventure than what the beginning of the song suggests, with plenty of jazz infused into it in a very progressive rock manner. "Mary" is a more straightforward folk song. Guitars with a more rock intention creep into "Happy Birthday' to further the Beatles comparisons. 

They go back into a more folky feel with "For the Old Country".  Normally, any song over the five-minute mark on this album finds the band embarking on a wild excursion. This one proves to be dynamic, but it does not venture too far from the main theme.  "Nancy Tries to Take the Night" finds a more jazz embellished wandering being embarked upon with some great drumming to propel it. "Maxwell's Sliver Hammer" is the best point of reference for the direction it heads. The title track is a more subdued folk musing It almost makes me think of something Bjork might due in one of her less experimental moments. 'It's fitting that "Goodbye" should close the album. It's more of a romantic pining with a slight country element to it. It's a pretty solid song, less wandering and abstract, that has a clear narrative rather than elusive bits of abstraction.I will give this album a 9 and see how it grows on me, despite the brilliant compositions I did not rate it higher due to the stream of consciousness vocals that could have hooked me in a little more , but hard not to appreciate what they are doing here. 

10.3

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Hovvdy : "s/t'

 If Justin Vernon had grown up in a trailer park listening to country music, Bon Iver might have sounded like this. The twang is subtle, meaning if they were trying to be country, it would be more upfront, as that is the act they are putting up. It's detectable, but I think they are trying to make indie pop, but that is what comes out. It's not pop country though I think they recorded this in an actual studio and not their bedroom, like the sometimes lo-fi Soundcloud quality tries to emulate. Though this is their 5th full-length album they have taken enough trips into the studio to settle into their skin. 

 "Big Blue" finds country colliding with indie folk, and it proves not to be the strongest sound as the direction is a little murky. There are some clever moments lyrically, but the chorus does not flow like it did in the first two songs."Shell" is both lush and personal. Then things are stripped back to a more folk mood with "Forever".  "Heartstring" continues to wander around in the organic atmosphere. I would not call it poppy as that would mean more intention was invested in the hooks, which is not the case. "Make Ya Proud". The subtle twang is what separates this from Bon Iver or Iron & Wine. The ambiance becomes more sweeping on this one. 

"Till I Let You Know' drifts by in an honest enough fashion, but I feel "Meant" is a better song. In researching this album, reviews were saying this album is heavier and packs a punch, if your ears are so sensitive that you think anything about this album is punchy or heavy, you should not listen to music at all or at the very least keep your mouth closed and fingers away from the keyboard, as this is one of the airiest lightest albums I have heard this year. Granted more often than not I review metal, but of the 623, albums I reviewed I would say 223 of them were not metal. 

"Every Exchange" finds the vocals in a higher register, as things coast along. The beat to "Give it Up" helps give the song the groove it needs to anchor it. "Angel" is a more timid ballad. I would think "Bad News" would be all over the radio as it marries pop and country better than Beyoncee of Shaboozy. The last song is more of a twangy country ballad. I'll give this one a 9, it could have been a 10 if was 10 songs instead of 18, but they were feeling more prolific at the time I suppose.  Solid pop music. 

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Faye Webster : "Underdressed at the Symphony"

  In the 70s there was a genre called adult contemporary. It was the kind of organic loungy music that was not the bubble gum of pop but found artists in the middle of country and jazz. There was none of the country twang, nor the complex excursions in jamming that jazz ventures off into. More produced than folk;, but many former folk artists would cross over into this for radio play. Mellow is certainly a fitting word to describe it. There are no aspirations to induce dancing. This is what Webster's music invokes. This is my first time hearing her, and the opening track of her new album is quite nice, though I hope other dynamics are engaged or if this is what she does for the entire record it might get boring. 

Going into this all I knew about her is that she is from Atlanta, a city I spent a fair amount of time in, and her mom used to play her Allison Krauss album that she has claimed influenced. I do not hear the Krauss influence on this first song. If you are smoking pot and cleaning your house on a rainy day I can hear where this might be the perfect soundtrack,. There is a more orchestrated accompaniment in the second song, It does make sense to me that she is signed to Secretly Canadian. I just reviewed the new Waxahatchee album, and she was getting the indie rock tag thrown on her when she is more of a country artist, and it feels like the roles are reversed for Webster, who feels more indie than country. I stumbled across her while looking for new country music. 

"I Want to Quit All the Time" finds us getting into who she really is and the melancholic side that is her true internal dialogue. Jazz begins to creep into the with the guitar licks playing around. Then things get really interesting with 'Lego Ring" as percussion builds a groove and effects swirl around her voice. This is all done without sacrificing the warmth. "Feeling Good Today" might have the best lyrics yet, as it retains more of the pop feel. "Lifetime' is the first song that feels like filler, it sounds good, but also sounds like a better song to put on when it's time for a nap than something to engage me. This song stretches out into almost more of a drone with the vocals becoming repetitive. 

"He Loves Me Yeah!" is the first song I would call upbeat and is certainly more pop. But it works really well, so is hard to argue with. "Ebay Purchase History" feels like the down-tempo lounge remix of the previous song as it follows a similar cadence. The album's most country moment might be the title track. It ambles along with the 70s mellow vibes. The last song pretty revisits most of the sounds we have already heard from her. I would be surprised if she did not smoke a ton of pot. I will give this album a 9.5, as the strong songs balance out the moments that wander in the mellow vibes and get a little lost. If you are looking to chill but still want depth this album is for you. 

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Wednesday : "'Rat Saw God'

 

Karly Hartzman fronts this indie rock band that blends the sounds of the 90s into something compelling on many levels. She sings in a very convincing and emotive manner. There is plenty of rock used as a clamoring dynamic. "Bull Believer" has a great deal of ebb and flow to the arrangement with fuzzed-out chords being bashed in unexpected places. The strum of the guitar slows into a more country-minded melody for "Formula 1" which is a fitting title given the subject matter. They prove capable of shifting stylistic gears even this dramatically.

There is a more anthemic rock feel to "Chosen to Deserve" and then the country guitar tone returns. She sings about how she used to drink so much on weeknights that she threw up at her parent's house.  Drinking seems to be a theme of the album. "Bath County" is a story of drug overdose and drunken white trash tricks, told through a more thoughtful eye. The country influence is still there and it works well. The more ambling folk-tinged "Quarry" is pretty effective, as it flows well. It almost touches on the kind of rock country blend that Jason Isbell hits with the 400 Unit. Lyrically it takes a look at the same corners of America. It's Hartzman's voice that keeps things in a more indie rock zip code. 

"Turkey Vultures" is a little darker, but it is also not as focused on the song, The melodies which are normally this band's strength are allowed to wander in a manner that does not work as well with the music building around it. "What's so Funny" works better with its more introspective tone than the previous song. "TV in the Gas Pump" closes the album, with its more deliberate strum that gives the song more motion. The vocal melody is not as hooky, which leaves the song to drone more. I will this album a 9.5, as it is very well written and thought out. 

Up From the Underground : Nate Paladino's "Good Boy"

Right from the opening passages of guitar that opens this ep, you can tell there is something different about Nate Paladino. The smug irony of the lyrics to " My Kind of Bitch" has a dark yet honest sense of humor to them. It takes you back to early days of the 50's  doop wop rock n roll. It seems like something that would be much better suited for this season of American Horror Story than having Evan Peters sing the less time period appropriate Nirvana. There is also a hint of indie folk to songs like the first single "Buy Your Heart". It keeps the swing of  "Earth Angel" covered by a guitarist from Orange County whose riffs reflected the California sun.  This sunny disposition does away with the tongue in cheek darkness of the opener, but it is still well executed.

"Don't Say Maybe" takes on a dirtier  Jerry Lee Lewis style of rockabilly.The piano bangs in the background making this  a pretty color by numbers tribute to this style of Elvis era rock. The guitar playing owes a great deal to Brain Setzer. His voice takes on the mock warble of the King at times. The more western feel that recalls more of a Roy Orbison feel sets the tone to " Come Back to Me." Less heart wrenching than say " Only the Lonely" it is sung in a much less dramatic fashion than Roy, never going up into that classic head voice, instead it brings to mind Bright Eyes ' country album.The blues of "Something to Prove' brings the album up into at least the 70's. He adds more husk to his voice. Not the grainy worship of whiskey and cigarettes that Tom Waits has, but that's  what is being aimed for here. The instrumentation is more in line with something Joe Cocker would have backing him, but the lyrics have that more deprecating Waits feel. Tom Waits never gets this upbeat even in his earlier work.

The album closes with another song that not only steers clear of the earlier retro sound, but brings Bright Eyes to mind. Though he doesn't have the overly emotive quality as His voice returns to his normal plaintive mid range. The guitar is crisp and as lyrical as the folk melody he pours his contemplation over.  This ep is a good escape back to the beach for those of you who do not relish the coming dark of the winter months. At times  Paladino  might relish weaving  some of the songs together with retro sounds, over all it's indie flare and attitude dripped over clever singer songwriter pop that avoids sounding like your run of the mill CW soundtrack fare.  The album is not drenched in the rock a billy reverb and all the sounds are pretty refined and crisp. If you are in the mood for some pole dancing, ... I mean really when are you not ? You can check out the video for the first single "Buy Your Heart" below. While Paladino's the mellow brand of indie folk might be more suited for burning one at at park on a sunday morning, it isn't going to become a strip club classic anytime soon.
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