Your Custom Text Here
Bright Eyes: Five Dice, All Threes
New album: Equal measures of toe-tapping catchiness, poignantly sharp, intelligent lyrics, intensity, tenderness and moving melancholy come in this excellent new LP by the US indie-folk rockers fronted by singer-songwriter and guitarist Conor Oberst, and featuring guests Cat Power, The National’s Matt Berninger, with co-writing by Alex Orange Drink of New York punk band The So So Glos
Read more
MJ Lenderman: Manning Fireworks
New album: Engagingly easygoing alt-Americana-country-rock drawl underpinned by darkly humorous, droll lyrics in this excellent fourth LP by the sharp 25-year-old Asheville, North Carolina singer-songwriter in this follow-up to 2022’s Boat Songs
Read more
Brigitte Calls Me Baby: The Future Is Our Way Out
New album: Summoning musical echoes and powerful, soaring vocals reminiscent of The Smiths and Vauxhall-era Morrissey and dash of rockabilly, Richard Hawley, Elvis Presley and Roy Orbison, an impressive debut from the Chicago-based rock band fronted by vocalist – the be-quiffed Wes Leavins
Read more
Orville Peck: Stampede
New album: A hugely enjoyable, mischievous, tuneful and genre-spanning LP by the South African-born openly gay but often masked country singer-songwriter, joined by an impressive array of co-performers doing original numbers and covers, including Beck, Elton John, and Willie Nelson
Read more
Cassandra Jenkins: My Light, My Destroyer
New album: A strong, sensual, astronomy-themed third experimental album by the New York singer-songwriter, mixing gentle indie, dream pop, jazz and field recordings in this alluring contemplation on the heartbreaks and highs, the quarks and quasars that make up her universe
Read more
Richard Hawley: In This City They Call You Love
New album: The veteran Sheffield singer-songwriter returns his ninth solo LP, a touching, gentle love letter to his home city, referencing that South Yorkshire universal term of address, local characters and perspectives, with a set of heartwarming, heartfelt indie, blues, and Americana-style numbers
Read more
Kaïa Kater: Strange Medicine
New album: A beautiful fourth album by the acclaimed Montreal-born banjo player and singer-songwriter of Grenadian heritage, mixing folk, Americana and bluegrass with a palette of sounds – percussion, orchestral strings and brass in songs mixing history, politics and the personal
Read more
Cindy Lee: Diamond Jubilee
New album: One of the most unusual releases of the year – 32 tracks, more than 2 hours, with the style from an indeterminate era, perhaps ghostly love song echoes of 60s girl groups – come delicate and crash-bang electric guitar, percussion and vocals from the glammed-up alter ego of Canadian songwriter, guitarist, and drag performer Patrick Flegel
Read more
Leyla McCalla: Sun Without The Heat
New album: A deliciously uplifting fifth solo LP by the American singer-songwriter and mult-instrumentalist, fusing folk, country, Americana, Afrobeat to Brazilian tropicalismo
Read more
Beyoncé: Cowboy Carter
New album: A big, bold rhinestone-studded musical statement from the US megastar, delving deep into country & western territory and cross-pollinating with pop, soul, rock and R&B, with added Beatles, and guests including Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson and Miley Cyrus on this whopping 27-track LP
Read more
Waxahatchee: Tigers Blood
New album: Following 2020’s acclaimed album Saint Cloud, Alabama-raised, Kansas City-based singer-songwriter Katie Crutchfield returns with a strong, solid, steady release that sits comfortably in the middle ground of Americana, pop and country
Read more
Adrianne Lenker: Bright Future
New album: The Big Thief singer-songwriter returns with another solo folk album – minimally exquisite, delicate, at times heartbreakingly, with a title that is ambiguous - a future that could be beautiful and dazzling, but also blinding and burning
Read more
Faye Webster: Underdressed At The Symphony
New album: Gentle, reflective indie with flecks of country in this fifth LP by the Atlanta singer-songwriter, capturing tiny, intimate details of life’s in-between, under-the-radar moments, and inspired by the idea of slipping late in the audience at an Atlanta Symphony Orchestra concert
Read more
Hurray For The Riff Raff: The Past Is Still Alive
New album: New Orleans-based Alynda Segarra’s ninth album is a classy, intelligent emotional mix of country and folk, travelling in time and place reflecting on her youth, family, community, ups and downs, and life’s passing
Read more
Real Estate: Daniel
New album: Warm, engaging, easygoing alt-folk-country-pop by the Brooklyn band with their sixth album, here given a name as if a person, but also produced by acclaimed songwriter Daniel Tashian at the famous RCA Studio A, in Nashville
Read more
Grandaddy: Blu Wav
New album: This serene, sixth LP from California’s Jason Lytle brings that meltingly beautiful melancholic voice, slow, caressed guitars, country pedal steel (Max Hart) and some Beach Boys echoes with themes of loneliness dotted with droll humour
Read more
Vera Sola: Peacemaker
New album: Oozing style and sophistication, the smoky, velvety-voiced American singer-songwriter returns with a follow-up her 2018 debut, Shades, with a sublime set of vivid, poetic, atmospheric songs, laced with a Nashville-recorded country, folk and ghostly, theatrical twang, and influences from Tom Waits to Dvořák
Read more
J Mascis: What Do We Do Now
New album: Like Neil Young, a fine wine or a classic car, the Dinosaur Jr frontman returns with another (his fifth) solo LP, with melodies of ever maturing, timeless quality, rich in guitar, piano and that distinctive, emotive, croaky voice
Read more
Katy Kirby: Blue Raspberry
New album: Following 2021’s strong debut Cool Dry Place, the Texas singer-songwriter returns with another collection of intelligent, sharply observed numbers with beautiful clarity of voice, fine balance of instrumentation, unflinching honesty, great turn of phrase, and powerful melodies
Read more
Favourite LPs of 2023, Part 2.
Welcome once again to the annual tradition of Song Bar’s favourite album releases of 2023. This is Part 2, and Part 1 was yesterday. There’s no such thing as a chart rundown or ‘best of’ here, and these come in no particular order …
Read more