The Unthanks — Last

Brilliant when brooding, and greatest when gloomy

Folk
Stephen Carradini
“Disappointment is everywhere,” an Unthank sister sings in “Give Away Your Heart,” one of the many highlights of The Unthanks’ new album, “Last.”

 

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Chris Bathgate — Salt Year

He's in the ring with folk's heavy hitters, but he's not a knockout yet

Folk
Stephen Carradini
Close your eyes. Clear your mind. Turn on Chris Bathgate’s “Salt Year.” Let it wash over you. Don’t think about it — just do it.

 

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Emily Arin — Patch of Land

Baffling, awe-inspiring and calming all at once

Folk
Stephen Carradini
Many artists do what they do within a framework that’s easily named: pop, folk, country, metal, etc.

 

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Bob Dylan — In Concert: Brandeis University

A must-have for Dylan collectors

Folk
Rob Collins
A year before The Beatles exploded on “The Ed Sullivan Show,” Bob Dylan planned to perform “Talkin’ John Birch Paranoid Blues” in the spring of 1963 for a national TV audience.

 

Monday, March 28, 2011

Elephant Revival — Break in the Clouds

Family-style folk that's sure to please

Folk
Stephen Carradini
Remarkable consistency marks “Break in the Clouds” from Colorado-by-way-of-Tahlequah folksters Elephant Revival. Although the album is 14 songs long, there’s not a bad tune in the bunch.

 

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

The Rural Alberta Advantage — Departing

More somber than its beloved predecessor

Folk
Stephen Carradini
The Rural Alberta Advantage wrote two of my favorite songs of 2009: “Don’t Haunt This Place” and “The Dethbridge in Lethbridge.”

 

Monday, February 28, 2011

Wellfleet — The District

A great big slice of Southern music

Folk
Stephen Carradini
Some days are stressful. On those days, LCD Soundsystem just isn’t going to cut through the hectic atmosphere and produce some clarity of mind. The District’s “Wellfleet,” however, totally will.

 

Monday, February 14, 2011

The Low Anthem — Smart Flesh

Almost the model of a brilliant folk band

Folk
Stephen Carradini
A lot of bands out there today think a snare shuffle and a banjo makes a folk song. They are wrong. A folk song requires a timeless, rustic feel that can’t be defined so neatly as that.

 

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Starlings, TN — How Dark It Is Before the Dawn

Easily the most crushingly sad album I've heard this year

Folk
Stephen Carradini
I love depressing music, but nothing prepared me for this. 

 

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Jonny Burke — Distance and Fortune

Folk fares better than rock

U.S. Royalty — Mirrors

Vital folk celebrating the Midwest

Various Artists - The Pilgrim: A Celebration of Kris Kristofferson

Samantha Crain - You (Understood)

Folk
None

 

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Penny Hill - Unbutton Your Heart

Folk
None

 

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Monica Taylor - Cotton Shirt

Folk
None

 

Thursday, January 7, 2010