Record Roundup: 2024 Rock, Folk, Etc. In Focus

In advance of "Best Of" season, the In Focus series continues with song-based genres.

When I published the first “In Focus” entry, focusing on classical music, in June, I had hopes of wrapping up the whole series by the end of July at the latest. But those plans were dashed, as they so often are, by what John Lennon referred to as “life.” So here we are, on the verge of “best of” season and I’m just getting to this crucial roundup. Most of these have been featured on my podcast over the last few months but I wanted to shine a further light on them. If you keep up with my A Song For Friday series, you’ll find much more from these realms. But for now I invite you to turn your attention these 20 fantastic EPs and albums.

Listen along here or below as you read.

Guitar-Focused

Finnogun’s Wake - Stay Young A blistering blast of pure Aussie rock celebration that arose from the May-September friendship between young Finn Berzin and the more veteran Shogun (ex-Royal Headaches). This EP seemed to promise further explorations of jousting guitars and insouciant vocals, but these four songs are all we have so far.

Levitation Room - Strange Weather This fifth album finds the East LA psych-rockers dreamier on the dreamy songs and more intense on the intense songs. Tying it all together is their brightly hued sensibility and the snaky slice and dice of the guitar solos.

Starcleaner Reunion - Café Life New Jersey high school friends who coalesced later, this band of singer Jo Roman, guitartist Pat Drummond and Neil Torman, bassist Adam Kenter, and drummer Sam Unger sounds so assured on this second EP that you would be forgiven for thinking they were much further along in their career. Their sleek pop-psych has some of Stereolab’s bright bounce but creates a universe all its own on these four songs that I ordered another latte just so I could enjoy them again.

Mary Timony - Untame The Tiger Stripping away the haze and wobble of her old band Helium and the grunge of Ex Hex, her more recent one, Timony’s first solo album in nearly two decades puts the focus on her reflective songwriting and inventive guitar playing. There’s also an elegance to the proceedings, with crystal-clear production, rich string arrangements, and the crisp propulsion of Brit-folk legend Dave Mattacks on drums. Timony should do this more often.

Robber Robber - Wild Guess Mostly the project of Nina Cates (vocals, guitar, bass) and Zack James (drums, guitar, bass), Robber Robber has come straight outta Burlington, VT. to satisfy all needs for jabbing guitars, over-driven vocals, and inexorable rhythms. As I mentioned on my podcast, they also bring that hard-to-define quality of swagger to everything they do. Can’t wait to dial this up next time I’m shooting down Perry Merrill at Stowe.

Winged Wheel - Big Hotel On their second album this driven band of rock instrumentalists expanded from four to six pieces, adding Lonnie Slack and Sonic Youth’s Steve Shelley to the core group of Cory Plump, Fred Thomas, Whitney Johnson, and Matthew J. Rolin. All the guitar firepower is well deployed, not only for volume but also for starward layers sometimes reminiscent of the Velvets live in 1969. The drums underpin everything, unstoppable like an express train beneath your feet. While the album has some vocals, their effect is almost subliminal. Instrumental rock this epic hasn’t been heard since Pell Mell’s Interstate - a band Winged Wheel now joins on my (Mostly) Instrumentals playlist:

Singing And Songwriting

Jackie West - Close To The Mystery With a voice as cool, clear, and unaffected as a glass of water drawn from the deepest well, West and her collaborators wisely make it the centerpiece of this gorgeous debut album. The songs and settings fit the voice like a glove, locating her in a timeless musical space where Julie London and Julee Cruise would be equally welcome.

Annie Williams - Visitor A move from Wyoming to Nashville set Williams on the path to her first album and you can hear a fine strain of Americana and even country throughout. But she’s a highly individual artist with no fealty to radio formats. The title track, for example, is a dreamy number driven by a languid drum machine and pillowy synths. But the cascading melody would sound good in any surroundings, which you can say for all the well-crafted and emotionally connected songs here.

Anika Pyle - Four Corners While still as personal as Wild River, her wonderful 2021 album, these four songs are more outgoing, with Arizona especially sounding like an instant classic. If country radio isn’t playing it alongside Brandi Carlile and Kacey Musgraves (both of whom could learn a few things from Pyle), they’re out of the loop.

Wild Ponies - Dreamers Returning after seven years with their strongest album yet, Doug and Telisha Williams present a vision of community, both musical and otherwise. With Doug serving up guitars that sparkle or sting and Telish relentless on upright bass, the songs also incorporate pedal steel and other signifiers of country music, all to support sturdy and sweeping melodies mostly delivered by Telisha with a sweet tang in her voice. Reading between the lines, their personal story of polyamory and parenthood reveals itself and sounds as traditional as baseball and apple pie. That they deliver that narrative without ever lashing out at those who prefer hate over acceptance is as remarkable as the songs themselves.

Laika Songs - Slowly Spiraling Toward The Light I met Evan Brock through the Rosy Overdrive Discord but I didn’t realize he was a musician until he announced this album on the #self-promotion channel. This is not always the best way to find great music because if you don’t like it, an awkward online silence can ensue. But risk is what it’s all about, as Bones said to Captain Kirk, so I gave it a listen. And it was great! The first thing that impressed me was the sound, a richly layered indie rock that can be gently enveloping or energetic as the songs demand. Most of the sounds are made by Brock himself (guitar, bass, keyboards, harmonica, and percussion) aided by the steady hand of Ian Romano on drums. A few other folks show up to help, most notably Chanele McGuinness whose sweet voice provides a nice contrast to Brock’s warm tenor on many tracks. But the songs stick, too, often delivering a wistful, searching mood that feels straight from the heart. I’m glad I listened and think you’ll feel the same.

Tara Jane O’Neil - The Cool Cloud Of Okayness Rooted in her precise bass playing and decorated by her airy soprano, the latest album - and first full-length in seven years - from O’Neil is instantly transporting. Often meditative and hypnotic, the effect is one of delicate strength. She’s been through the fire (literally: she lost her Ojai home in the Thomas fire) and found a place to stand on the other side. Let her help you do the same.

Camp Saint Helene - Of Earth And Its Timely Delights To get an idea of the diaphanous quality of Elizabeth Ibarra’s voice consider that she sang flawlessly at the album release show despite having laryngitis. She could barely speak but had no problem conjuring her medieval Brit-folk songs over the raw-boned guitar and spare rhythm section of the rest of the band. That’s all true of the album, too, although the mood is further enhanced by flute and strings. It was something to witness this band at Baby’s All Right even if a woodland clearing by the light of the full moon may be a more natural setting for them. P.S. I was super-psyched to see Camp Saint Helene included in Angel Olsen’s new Cosmic Waves project!

Minor Moon - The Light-Up Waltz Sam Cantor has been releasing music under this name since 2014 but seemed to be one of Chicago’s best-kept secrets until now. This third full-length evinces the comfort of someone doing exactly what they want to do - and feel - with the tools at hand to realize it perfectly. Rather than the angular post-punk of so many Chicago bands, Cantor leans towards a gentle Americana with brief flashes of fireworks, offering the surprising satisfaction of a new pair of shoes that feels comfortable right away.

Reichenbach Falls - Wayfarer Beware There is some irony that an album about the dissolution of a long-distance relationship was created via a long-distance collaboration. But that’s how it is in our connected world: some distances have shrunk while others are as vast as they’ve ever been. But this collection of novelistic, windswept folk-rock based on the songs of Abe Davies feels intimate enough that all space between its sentiments and the listener’s heart is erased. Davies, who now lives in Scotland, worked with Vancouver-based producer and multi-instrumentalist Jon Anderson who lavishes the elegiac songs with all manner of sensitive accompaniments, from keyboards, pedal steel, and backing vocals to just the right touch of stinging guitar. Released in May, this fourth album may be even more appropriate for the shorter and cozier days now upon us.

Taking Chances

Magana - Teeth Odds are that most times you see a solo artist in concert, those talented folks around them on stage have, to paraphrase Ronnie Wood, their own album to do. One of the pleasures of our time is that it’s now easier than ever for them to get their projects done and out. Getting attention is another matter, but that’s what I’m here for! This is the project of Jeni Magana, a touring bassist with Mitski and Lady Lamb, who has brewed up an album of what she calls “witchy rock,” a dusky blend of folk and chamber-pop that casts a sweet spell. Magana has also just released Dreams, an excursion into ambient electronics and spoken word, which comes with an art book. If nothing else, she knows how to keep busy between globetrotting tours!

Climax Landers - Zenith No Effects The first time I heard this album I was under pressure - if I liked it I could buy a copy weeks before it came out. My ears don’t do well under pressure, I guess, because it was only later, during a more relaxed moment, that I connected to its offbeat charms. Featuring members of Palberta, The Cradle, and many other bands, these characterful musicians gather to support the songs and singing of Will Moloney, which manages to channel the DIY ethic of early Rough Trade bands while sounding completely contemporary. Songs veer off unexpectedly - as do Moloney’s vocals occasionally - but that just makes it even more of a friendly experience. You’ll want to join in.

Chanel Beads - Your Day Will Come The sound world Shane Lavery assembles here is so powerfully distinctive, with rhythms often drawn from hip-hop, spare electronics, and his high-pitched voice (reminiscent of Trevor Powers of Youth Lagoon), that it takes a second listen to realize how resonant the songs are. He can also put together beautiful instrumental compositions, like the title track, which need no words to have an emotional impact. There’s a strength in his vulnerability that draws you close and makes you root for him, or at least the persona he’s projecting here. His day has indeed come.

Mope Grooves - Box Of Dark Roses Before tragically exiting this earthly plane, Seattle trans activist and staunch independent musical force stevie put together this absolutely remarkable and deeply moving collection. The fifth album under the Mope Grooves name, it was my introduction to her offbeat approach to indie pop that draws directly from the great post-punk tradition of The Raincoats, The Slits, and Young Marble Giants. You can pick any song and just marvel at production choices that are utterly original and unexpected, but sound and feel so right. As an example, I’m obsessed with the keyboard touches that come in halfway through Pieces Of God, including one that sounds like a glass - or a tiny universe - shattering. It’s terribly sad that stevie couldn’t find a way to stay, but this music is nourishment for all who find their way to it. Make sure that includes you. P.S. Regardless of where you dial this album up, make sure to read stevie’s liner notes, which provide rich literary accompaniment.

R.J.F. - Strange Going The initials stand for Ross J. Farrar, who has made some noise as the frontman of Ceremony, a California punk/post-punk band that’s been going for 20 years. But on this second solo release, following last year’s Going Strange, he perfects a hypnotic sonic landscape, driven by his rich, exploratory bass playing, which supports all manner of synths, guitars, and moody vocals. While the Bandcamp release is split into ten tracks, I prefer the Spotify version, which is just one 44-minute track that gains power as it goes on.

From the archives:
Record Roundup: 2023 First Quarter Report Pt. 3
Record Roundup: 22 For 22 (Part Two)
Record Roundup: Plugged In
Of Note In 2020: Rock, Folk, Etc.