As the Jeanines, the songwriting team of Alicia Jeanine and Jed Smith have stood out from other indie pop bands by adding folk-rock jangle and other tinges of folksy traditionalism to their otherwise bouncy and melodic tunes. While the band is still exploring a sound that descends from the starry-eyed pop of C-86, Sarah Records, and early K Records lineage, their songs are grounded by their folkier leanings, highlighting a realism and weariness in the songwriting that a fully pop-modeled sound might obscure.
The Jeanines’ third album, How Long Can It Last, is another set of songs from the band that leans into their unique assemblage of sonic reference points and highlights the sharpness of their collective songwriting talents.
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Nostalgia can be a good thing; a warm blanket to wrap oneself in, offering comfort when the present day seems too much to bear.
A man of many talents, 
“Lucy” is 
Ernie Palmer’s music is about as unhip as one can imagine. The 76-year-old retired elementary school teacher and Vietnam veteran sings self-penned old-fashioned songs about rural life, old times, and war in a creaky voice. He plays the acoustic guitar in a relaxed manner that adds a light filigree to the traditional melodies. He wants you to understand the lyrics and appreciate his instrumental accompaniment. In addition, Palmer is assisted by Aaron Zimmer and Jay Rudd on backup vocals and assorted stringed instruments, Vito Gutilla on fiddle, and Taylor Swan on pedal steel.
Duo Ruut (Square Duo) are Ann-Lisett Rebane and Katariina Kivi, two Estonian musicians who write, sing and play facing each other, their instrument being a single kannel (an Estonian zither). Playing with the texts and repetitive motifs of runo song, a form of traditional oral poetry specific to the Baltic Finnic languages, their music holds a glistening minimalism in its rhythms and a crossover sheen in its sound. Rebane and Kivi’s voices help – often sweet, but also sharp when required.
…Eric Clapton reissue an “enhanced” edition of 1992’s live album Unplugged, boasting a slightly reorganized and expanded 2CD or 2LP sequence, a brand-new mix and highlights from a never-before-heard audio interview with Clapton discussing the songs in his set shortly before playing them in that session.
A couple of years ago, playing a house concert in High Wycombe, 
The eleven songs on Weathervane Whale were written and recorded during the lockdown years of the pandemic. Pacific Northwest artist 
Negative space becomes a very positive thing on 
Celebrated Grammy Award winner Ray LaMontagne unveils a special remastered vinyl edition of his seminal debut album, 
“Pretending my life is not in ruins/Pretending I’m not depressed.” So ran the opening lines on Pretending, the quietly devastating final song of Van Morrison’s last album of new music, 2022’s 
Nine years after their last release, 2016’s Born of the Sun, 
In 2008 Jethro Tull dazzled the Basel festival crowd with a performance of power & passion. Previously only available as a DVD edition this 90-minutes live set is now becoming available for the first time in audio form.
…features five reimagined tracks from last year’s album and a previous fan favourite, “Rubberneckers”.
Like the best of poets and storytellers, Mary Chapin Carpenter spins expansive webs of beauty, longing, and emotional depth. On each of the songs on her new album, 
With the release of their fourth studio album, Hope We Have Fun, Mt. Joy have crafted a work that combines their penchant for what their advance press describes as “folk-rock textures with festival-sized hooks” with some bold experimentation. The band’s latest release is super-sized in ambition; big themes, big swings, and plenty of the aforementioned big hooks that have rendered them a live festival favorite. While the latter makes their latest release familiar, the experimentation makes it fun and promising for Mt. Joy‘s future development.
Somewhere on a country lane, in a hut between two tall trees overlooking the English Channel, singer-songwriter Will Varley is putting the finishing touches to his new album “Machines Will Never Learn To Mistakes Like Me”. Throughout his career, he has managed to write songs that can transport you to a completely different place. With his astonishing new album, he continues his decades-long exploration of the human condition, conjuring up strange, beautiful landscapes. Landscapes where salt-encrusted pebbles crunch underfoot and snow streams in through the roofs of abandoned tour buses. Where huge iron structures rise from wild waves and meet a gray, endless sky.