Category: 1/2/3/4

Jerry David DeCicca’s 5th solo album, New Shadows, is a literary-goth, avant-Americana meditation. Synthetic and surreal, it features a stunning cast of special guests from vocalist Rosali to Los Lobos guitarist David Hidalgo and many more. The production for the album is modelled on Jerry’s love of his favourite early 80’s albums (Lindsey Buckingham’s Law & Order, ZZ Top’s Afterburner, Robert Palmer’s Clues, Lou Reed’s New Sensations,) while the songs’ architectures and pathos lean more towards Warren Zevon, Townes Van Zandt, and John Prine. A excellent release you should explore.

Maura Weaver has been touring for nearly fifteen years with regional projects around Ohio (Mixtapes, Ogikubo Station, The Homeless Gospel Choir, Direct Hit!, The Mimes) that kept her tethered to both the road and to sounds that were not always her own. She’s wanted to do a solo project since she was a teenager, but it took pandemic isolation to force her to confront the reasons why. I’m glad she’s gotten around to record a fantastic collection of songs.

Avalanche is the essential new release from Jenny Owen Youngs. It offers up an achingly beautiful exploration of loss, resilience, and growth from an artist who’s experienced more than her fair share of each in recent years. The songs are deceptively serene, layering Youngs’ infectious pop sensibilities atop lush, dreamy arrangements that often belie the swift emotional currents lurking underneath. Essential!

The rich complexity of life is the focus of the much-anticipated new album from one of Canada’s most accomplished trios – Good Lovelies.  The songs on We Will Never Be the Same, crafted by the Juno Award-winning ensemble of Kerri Ough, Sue Passmore and Caroline Marie Brooks, are as compelling as the engaging vocal harmonies for which the group has been known these past 17 years.

Part experimental indie and part ‘70s soft rock, Califone’s first record in three years finds creative force Tim Rutili reaching new levels of harmony, fragility, and confidence. Over the course of nine tracks, Califone weaves music that spreads out and luxuriates in the messy darkness of modern life.

For Francie Medosch, leader of rag tag Philly country-rock outfit Florry, the 11 songs on their Dear Life Records debut “The Holey Bible” aspires to the special feeling of raucous intimacy achieved by the best records in the outlaw country canon, and strikes that rare balance between a display of careful honesty, and an invitation to a party. Fantastic album!

Swinging Stars is Mapache’s dynamic and ambitious fifth album, it’s a release of calm, the groups’s breathtaking harmonies and heartfelt sound verges on cosmic West Coast Pop Americana. Clay Finch and Sam Blasucci’s musical outings have grown from being the casual project of two longtime mates to one of the most formidable folk acts around. Essential listening.

One of my favourite releases this year is the stunning effort from Allegra Krieger, She’s a singer, songwriter, and composer living in New York City. Krieger’s striking voice and detailed lyricism paint masterful scenes of day-to-day life over spacious and distinctive soundscapes. Weaving subtlety and power together through her perspective, Krieger effortlessly captures the comforting sounds of Joni Mitchell, Nick Drake, and the classic folk songwriters who preceded her. Essential listening.

Sam Blasucci is best known as one half of Mapache, a Southern California roots-rock duo instantly recognizable for their elegant, intertwined guitar parts. But when Blasucci was writing the songs that would become his debut solo record, Off My Stars, he found himself less focused on the guitar and more gravitated toward a different instrument: piano.

London trio Pozi deliver a hyper-skeletal sound palette of drums, bass, violin and three distinct vocals, from which biting social observations and political angst bounce out of the speakers with urgency. They want their music to evoke a feeling and emotion rather than just being a commentary. This is essential listening.

Sara Wolff’s music is rich with childlike wonder, her sound immediately captivates and draws you in. Hailing from Bergen in Norway and now residing in Liverpool in the UK, her EP Magic Hour is a delightful collection, Sara says “these songs are how she sees the world and enjoy the little things along with others who share that excitement, despite how our insecurities may try to prevent it.” Highly Recommended.