American Songwriter

Reviews

Band of Skulls: Sweet Sour(0)

March 1, 2012

Band of Skulls Sweet Sour (Pias Recordings) Rating: As its title would suggest, Sweet Sour is a study in juxtaposition. The sophomore release from British trio Band of Skulls is a play on soft and heavy, melody and noise, and despite its idiosyncrasies comes together to form a thoughtful and cohesive work that can just [...]

Band of Skulls: Sweet Sour

Jay Farrar, Will Johnson, Anders Parker, Yim Yames: <em>New Multitudes</em>

Jay Farrar, Will Johnson, Anders Parker, Yim Yames: New Multitudes

Jay Farrar, Will Johnson, Anders Parker, Yim Yames New Multitudes (Rounder) Rating: This year represents the centennial anniversary of Woody Guthrie’s birth back on July 14, 1912. Even though the Okie troubadour died on October 3, 1967, he left behind an extensive treasure trove of completed and unreleased lyrics written between 1939 and the year [...]

Amy Ray: Lung of Love

Amy Ray Lung of Love Daemon Rating: If there’s one thing Amy Ray fans can count on, it’s the sometime-Indigo Girl’s kinship with incredible harmonies. And it only make sense that on her most collaborative solo album to date (Ray, usually a lone songwriting ranger, co-penned Lung of Love with producer Greg Griffith), those harmonies [...]

Anais Mitchell: <em>Young Man In America</em>

Anais Mitchell: Young Man In America

Anais Mitchell Young Man In America (Wilderland Records) Rating: Just as it took until 1999 for the larger world to wake to the brilliance of Stephin Merritt, in 2010, the popular musical consciousness caught up with the work of Anais Mitchell via her ambitious album and stage show Hadestown. And just as Merritt didn’t squander [...]