Other You by Steve Gunn To be Steve’s neighbor and hear his guitar explorations over the last 16 months or so would be an enviable position. Since the onset of the pandemic, he’s released a good amount of music, including an EP of covers, two of which originally recorded for Aquarium Drunkard’s Lagniappe Sessions with the addendum of a haunting version of Neil Young’s Motion Pictures”; Spring in Brooklyn, three gorgeous guitar meanderings for Cafe OTO; and a 7″ with Cass McCombs, featuring Michael Hurley’s “Sweet Lucy” and Gunn’s lead on the Scottish trad classic “Wild Mountain Thyme.” I list…

In Cameron I recognize what many other desert dwellers, or those born within it seem to intrinsically understand – how sound is inextricably bound to place, how landscapes influence song, and how aesthetics are the other side of the coin of music, somehow. After this year’s earlier release with fellow guitarist and best mate Eli Winter and our conversation about Cameron’s musical roots and interests (and how they diverge from Eli’s), I was expecting something hyper-trad, but Cameron is a player full of surprises and Places of Consequence shows him truly coming into his own. I’m realizing it’s not that…

Gold Chorus by No Kill The opening organ notes of “Always” from No Kill’s Gold Chorus prepare you for a somewhat reverential and awe-some 37 minutes. Brooklyn’s Jamie Cogar is No Kill, and her debut record is quite a staggering feat – lush, colorful grunge-infused noise rock, walls of sound and interlaced fuzz and effects creating gorgeous sonic tapestries. Her voice is versatile enough to be scathing at times, smart and syrupy at others. “Tremolo” is cinematic and sweeping, with excellent percussion and the right amount of feedback to add dimension without using noise for noise’s sake. “Hallelujah” cements the…

Derek Monypeny’s latest The Hand as Dealt raises many questions about the nature of desert sound. A sonic representation of the multifaceted darkness and light found within the shadows of the Mojave mountains, The Hand as Dealt, questions about traditionalism and experimentalism, the binary between the natural and the inorganic, and the duality of spirituality and chaos. Artfully recorded at Studio Pendejo and at Charlie Stavish’s Clock Tower studio, the album at times lullaby-like, at others anxiety-core at its most intriguing. Inspired by spiritual jazz greats and minimalist greats like Alice Coltrane and Terry Riley, gentle strums melt away into…

Of Compassion by Muwosi A few months ago, I subscribed to Leaving Records’ Bandcamp upon realizing that a few albums I was about to buy – Green-House, Nailah Hunter – shared the label. And that shit changed my life!! I’m finding so much amazing music through the label, leaping away from my comfort zones of Americana and acoustic-driven music, headfirst into extremely synth-y pop, R&B, and… just experimental stuff that caused my dad to check in on me and say “I never thought I’d hear you listening to this kind of music.” Anyway, Muwosi is one of these amazing finds.…

Johanna Samuels’s latest release, Excelsior!, makes good on its promise. Johanna’s previous releases have all sparkled with her brilliant harmonies and clever lyrics, and Excelsior continues Johanna’s musical trajectory, ever upward. Samuels recorded the album at Sam Evian’s studio near Woodstock, with Evian producing; vocal contributions by Courtney Marie Andrews, Hannah Cohen, Olivia Kaplan, and more; and Samuels’s band including Harrison Whitford (guitars), Garret Lang (bass), and Sean Mullins (drums). The album exudes the warmth of a highly collaborative, friendship-inspired series of sessions, intentional on Samuels’s part. The album’s minimalistic opener, “Sonny,” showcases Johanna’s charmingly perfectly-pitched-yet-approachable vocals. “Nature’s Way” and…

P O T I O N S by nasimiYu I’m new to nasimiYu but was immediately spellbound by her ekphratic, expressive poetry. Every single sound on this album was made by nasimiYu herself, although her unique use of forward vocals may be the standout, from the opening vocal-chords of “Watercolors,” layered with her own honeyed vocals singing melodies over doo-wop highs and lows. “Immigrant Hustle” is another stunning feat of auto-creation (as in self- there’s nothing robotic or inorganic on P O T I O N S), and the vibey “Practice” encourages the listener (or creator) to get in touch…

They're Calling Me Home (With Francesco Turrisi) by Rhiannon Giddens They’re Calling Me Home is timeless, and simultaneously very much of the times. Recorded in just six days by Rhiannon Giddens and her partner Francesco Turrisi in the midst of lockdown, the collection of originals and traditional tunes creates a beautiful impression of yearning. Themes of wistfulness and, well, being called home ring true. Perhaps most obviously on “Waterbound,” Giddens sings, “Waterbound, and I can’t get home, down to North Carolina,” driving home the difficulty the pair and their children must have felt while recording in Ireland, their adopted home.…