Continuing with the quick round up posts. This time some advance singles and music videos from forthcoming 2020 albums. The new Drive-By Truckers album The Unraveling is due out this Friday 31st of January on ATO Records. Both advance singles have been really great and I can’t wait to hear this one. The latest one Thoughts and Prayers is a powerful and important song about gun violence & gun control and the failure to address the issue in a meaningful and concrete manner. Thoughts and prayers don’t cut it anymore. It never did.

Drive-By Truckers Website
Drive-By Truckers at Facebook

There’s also a new Lilly Hiatt album on the horizon. We still have to wait a little while for this one, because Walking Proof is out on the 27th of March on New West Records. There’s a lot of good ways to pass that time. Like blasting this fabulous first single Brightest Star on repeat as long and as loud as you can without causing a distress among the neigbours. This is going to be a damn good album.

Lilly Hiatt at Facebook
Lilly Hiatt Website

Another beauty that comes out this Friday is the Tré Burt album Caught It From the Rye that will be released by John Prine’s label Oh Boy Records. This Sacramento, CA-based songwriter self-released the album back in 2018, so people in the know might have heard it back then. I’m grateful for the re-release, because based on the two singles this is going to be a rather special one and deserves a wider audience. Watch the videos below and then carry on setting a camp outside the record store.

Tré Burt Website
Tré Burt at Facebook

This Friday is shaping up to be a brilliant release date. Possessed by Paul James aka songwriter Konrad Wert is also releasing a great new record As We Go Wandering on the 31st of January. I first got to know him from the 2008 movie The Folk Singer: A Tale of Men, Music & America over a decade ago and have been a fan ever since. There’s a couple of advance singles available (you’ve already heard them, if you follow the weekly playlist. Like everything else on this post too). When It Breaks is a beautiful new rendition of an older PPJ song and then there’s this powerful and important first single Be at Rest.

Possessed by Paul James Website
Possessed by Paul James at Facebook

A couple more quick round-up things, but in a few days I start scraping together the EOTY lists. First we are heading over to New Hampshire to revisit the Sidney Lindner & The Silver Wilderness Collective album Summer Ghosts/ Nightfalls that was co-released by Burst & Bloom Records and Broken Sparrow on the 13th of September. I’ve loved Sidney Lindner’s songwriting since I heard The Shining Example Is Lying on the Floor by The Hotel Alexis back in mid 00s and therefore this is really a big one for me. Here’s a couple of personal favorites from the new album with the Silver Wilderness Collective. You & Me Kid from Bandcamp where you can buy/hear the whole thing and a music video for the opener Sweet Brother. Ryan Prows also directed a must see epic three part short movie for album tracks Mother’s Tongue, You & Me Kid and Who Are You When No One’s Looking. Start from here and check out the whole story.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OssSQfkge1Y

Sidney Lindner & The Silve Wilderness Collective at Facebook
Sidney Lindner & The Silver Wilderness Collective

From the long time favorites to the new favorites and across the border to Hamilton, Ontario. A little over a month ago, I stumbled upon a music video of Heather Valley singing a song called Lovejoy and I instantly loved it. The interest grew even higher when I read the premiere interview where she named some of my biggest favorites like Jason Molina and Jennifer Castle as her influences. The album Desert Message followed on the 22nd of November and it was able to match my high expectations. Here are the wonderful singles Lovejoy and Ohio River, but make sure you hit the bandcamp player links too to hear/buy the whole great record.

Heather Valley at Facebook
Heather Valley Website

Next this dark but beautiful blog entry takes us to Paris, France. Songwriter Flora Hibberd is originally from London, but resides in Paris these days. Her powerful debut EP The Absentee came out on 1st of November on ClearLight Records / Declared Goods. All four songs are strong and haunting, but here’s my personal favorite As Long as There Is Night.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oxw1mUEfkjk

Flora Hibberd at Facebook

The last one for tonight comes from Rothesay, Isle of Bute, Scotland. My blissful obsession to the new Josienne Clarke album In All Weather is rising all the time, so I have no other choice than share this brand new video for song called Host along with another big favorite called Dark Cloud. This remarkable record is now out on Rough Trade.

Josienne Clarke Website
Josienne Clarke at Facebook