Tag Archives: indie folk

Abigail Lapell’s Anniversary

I haven’t closely followed Canadian singer-songwriter and indie folk artist Abigail Lapell, but I very much enjoyed her earlier album Getaway. Her emotionally direct but never overwrought lyrics, sturdy melodies, her unique voice and superb guitar fingerpicking style all added … Continue reading

Posted in Music | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Abigail Lapell’s Anniversary

Teddy Thompson’s Separate Ways

No sophomore slump for Teddy Thompson. On the contrary, his second outing Separate Ways is altogether a more muscular and cohesive affair than his 2001 self-titled debut. He’s aided and abetted by dad Richard and mom Linda (on the hidden … Continue reading

Posted in Music | Tagged , | Comments Off on Teddy Thompson’s Separate Ways

Evan J Cartwright’s bit by bit

Evan J Cartwright is a Toronto-based musical polymath who is best known as the go-to drummer and collaborator for a variety of top-notch indie acts, the best known of them being The Weather Station. For his first full-length release under … Continue reading

Posted in Music | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Evan J Cartwright’s bit by bit

M. Ward, September 30, 2006, Crystal Ballroom, Portland, Oregon, U.S.A.

One of the things that immediately attracted me to M. Ward was his muscular guitar playing. Sure, he was sometimes lumped in with the early ’00s crop of sensitive male singer-songwriters dubbed emo, for the way they often wore their … Continue reading

Posted in Music | Tagged , , | Comments Off on M. Ward, September 30, 2006, Crystal Ballroom, Portland, Oregon, U.S.A.

The Felice Brothers’ From Dreams To Dust

On my first spin through The Felice Brothers’ new album From Dreams To Dust I found my new favorite song of 2021. The second track “To-Do List” is a rootsy, rocking romp through existential angst disguised as a humorous list … Continue reading

Posted in Music | Tagged , | Comments Off on The Felice Brothers’ From Dreams To Dust

Matthew Fowler’s The Grief We Gave Our Mother

Matthew Fowler’s The Grief We Gave Our Mother is a lesson in how arrangement and production can turn a collection of good songs into something more. Along the way a collection of confessional songs that started out as bare-bones acoustic … Continue reading

Posted in Music | Tagged , | Comments Off on Matthew Fowler’s The Grief We Gave Our Mother

Trippers & Askers’ Acorn

This is an absolutely spellbinding record that defies easy description, so settle in. Jay Hammond, now based in Durham, North Carolina by way of Brooklyn, and his musical collective called Trippers & Askers, have created a layered masterpiece of spiritual, … Continue reading

Posted in Music | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Trippers & Askers’ Acorn

Abigail Lapell’s Getaway

Toronto-based singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Abigail Lapell follows up her Canadian Folk Music award-winning sophomore album Hide Nor Hair with Getaway. It is a remarkably mature record — both musically and emotionally — for a young musician cutting her third … Continue reading

Posted in Music | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Abigail Lapell’s Getaway

Pat Keen’s Cells Remain

Pat Keen has unleashed one of the most enigmatically enjoyable albums of 2020. Or perhaps it’s the most enjoyably enigmatic. Probably both. Cells Remain is a puzzle wrapped in a conundrum, or whatever that saying is. On the surface it’s … Continue reading

Posted in Music | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Pat Keen’s Cells Remain

Squirrel Flower’s I Was Born Swimming

Squirrel Flower is the stage name of the Boston-based singer-songwriter Ella O’Connor Williams, making her recording debut with the beautifully realized I Was Born Swimming. She has a singing voice that conveys heartache and steely determination in equal measures, an … Continue reading

Posted in Music | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Squirrel Flower’s I Was Born Swimming