“In My Dreams, A Perfect Chair” by Gawain and the Green Knight: Creative, Strange, Beautiful
“In My Dreams A Perfect Chair” is the new single from Brooklyn-based chamber folk duo Gawain and the Green Knight. It tells the unlikely and remarkably compelling story of a woodworking apprentice, so terrified of failure that she wants, on some base, fight-or-flight level, to quit – “Somebody tell me I’m not good at this […]
“Don’t Mind The Weather” by Sunflower Thieves: The Peaceful Promise of Nostalgia
It’s easy enough to evoke nostalgia through music. Music, after all, is primarily an auditory medium, which means it can hit you more immediately than a book or a movie: consider how a five-second snippet of a song from your childhood can bring you back to the backseat of your mom’s car on your way […]
“Brand New” by Sea Glass, Misty Boyce and Dripping Honey: Pure Chill
I’m just gonna say it: “Brand New” by Sea Glass deserves a spot on your Chill Hits playlist. Full stop. This warm, swaying three-minute track is a song to listen to at the beach, with sunlight sponging over your back. It’s quietly captivating, with gentle vocals and a rewarding rise and fall. The song features […]
“Lady” by Danny Addison: Lush, Lovely Indie Folk
Although my own ventures in romance have been far from idyllic at this point my life, I find myself no less able to appreciate the music of those who have found themselves a bit more successful than I. With the message remaining the same regardless of one’s own experience, these songs either serve as an […]
Rachel Efron’s “I Changed My Mind, I Want You”: Stellar Songcraft
Rachel Efron’s song “I Changed My Mind, I Want You,” is a clean, shining stand-out in Efron’s 2020 album, Human as I Came. In January of 2021, Efron’s album was noted as the number one folk add for college and community radio across the country, tied with the massively popular Andrew Bird. Efron’s appeal is […]
“She” by Mirabai Ceiba: A Rediscovery of Nature
Some chord progressions are full stories. They start at home, leave, grow, and return having learned something new. Marabai Ceiba’s new song “She” has such a progression. It begins with a pensive descent down the frets of a guitar, but at the end of every line there is an unexpected step upward – a remarkably […]
“Funeral Song” by Daniel God Damn Byrom: Wistful, Folky Melancholy
Hissy 8-tracks, guitar chords I’ve heard a thousand times, and multi-tracked soft-boy vocals always manage to weasel their way into whatever corner of my head houses nostalgia. Whenever I put on a 16 year old Conor Oberst, Roman Candle era Elliot Smith, or (to cite a recent obsession of mine) a Field Medic EP, I […]
“Fireflies” by Caoilfhionn Rose: Cathartic Indie Folk
When people joke about music being the only therapist they need, I sometimes wonder if they’re joking or if they really mean it. Because, in truth, music can be a cathartic and emotionally rewarding experience. Whether or not it is actually a replacement for a therapist, I don’t think I’m qualified to speak on, but […]
“Golden State” by The Indigo is Smooth Indie Rock with Feeling
“Golden State,” the tenth track off of The Indigo’s debut album Future Self Only Dreams, is an unusually warm indie rock song. The Indigo, a post-angst rock band hailing from Birmingham but based out of Nashville, have previously described themselves in three words as, “Not-Genre-Settling.” Equal parts indie rock, R&B, pop, folk, and psychedelia, the […]
“Let the Horses Run” by Samhain: Folk with Passionate Urgency
I know that I am not the only one who is in a constant search for songs that seamlessly blend into the different categories of the day. Meant to match the various moods and phases we encounter as we go about our daily lives, these songs add texture and life into the monotony of routine. […]
