I have about a month left before it’s time to start making those pointless but fun year-end lists, so I better start writing some blog posts if I want to be able to cover even a tiny fraction of the wonderful 2018 releases before that. This one is basicly just a quick video post though, because it’s late, I’m lazy, worn out and a sorry excuse of a music blogger. However, I’ll try to do a bunch of this kind of round up posts of 2018 songs/albums that mean the world to me between now and the end of the year. Hopefully I’ll write a few more words as well, but no definite promises. This is just a hobby and often the day job and other things take all the time and energy.

I will begin with the lyric video Goners from the new Laura Gibson album that came out on the 26th of October on Barsuk (USA) / City Slang (Europe). This particular album is actually the prime candidate to take away the #1 place on that forthcoming albums of the year list, because I love this album madly. Sure it’s quite sad and dark, but it’s not an issue for me. After all, my moderate happiness is built on devastatingly sad songs and without them that still somewhat shaky structure would fall apart. Thankfully music is always on my side. Goners is a phenomenal album and a treasure that I hold dear. This is the gorgeous title track, but you definitely need to hear the whole beautiful album.

Laura Gibson Website

Next up LA-based folk songwriter Anna St. Louis. Her album If Only There Was a River came out on Kevin Morby’s fairly new Woodsist imprint Mare on the 12th of October. Here’s a couple of great songs from her captivating debut full-length (I know the First Songs release from 2017, but I think this is still considered as the proper debut studio album).

Anna St. Louis at Facebook

Moving on to Australia. Julia Jacklin’s latest single Body is brilliant, powerful and moving. The next Julia Jacklin album is going to be something very special if this is any indication. An important song too and one the finest songs of the year.

Julia Jacklin Website

And finally we have the new polaris collaboration single from Canada’s finest songwriters The Weather Station and Jennifer Castle that came out on Paradise of Bachelors on the 18th of October. Here’s a video of the Weather Station song I Tried to Wear the World. Jennifer Castle’s song is equally stunning so leave this blog for a minute and listen to / buy the whole beautiful release here. Oh and while you are at it don’t forget Jennifer Castle’s wonderful 2018 album Angels of Death or last year’s self-titled The Weather Station album that is still my favorite album of the current decade. You’ll find both from that same link above, because they are also out on PoB.

The Weather Station Website
Jennifer Castle Website

Continuing with these round-up posts. I’m not entirely sure are these kind of posts any good for anybody, but at the moment I just don’t have the time or energy to write long posts. Maybe these are better than nothing. If not, just shout STOP and I’ll think it over again.

Last Friday, the 5th of October was a pretty special release date. The new solo album from Big Thief’s Adrianne Lenker was one particular highlight. Abysskiss came out on Saddle Creek and it’s a mesmerizing and enchantingly beautiful collection of songs. Shines as brightly as the Big Thief albums and stays with you long after the last note has drifted away from the speakers.

Adrianne Lenker Website

The Other Years are Anna Krippenstapel and Heather Summers from Louisville, Kentucky and their self-titled debut album came out on the same day on No Quarter. This is such a strong debut filled with beautiful lead vocals, surrounded by the loveliest of harmonies and accompanied by fiddle, banjo and guitar. The whole album is a treasure, but I’m especially fond of this remarkable song Talkeetna. I can listen to it on repeat for an hour or two. Such a beautiful song.

The Other Years at Facebook

Last but not least, we have an EP of the year contender. Two singer-songwriters Haley Heynderickx (Portland, Oregon) and Max García Conover (Portland, Maine) traveled to Spain and spent seven days in a farm among the horses and wrote and recorded a six-song EP during their stay. This approach seemed to fit them perfectly, because the end result Among The Horses III EP is tremendous. It definitely inspires me to look deeper into the work of Max Garcia Conover, because before this I was only vaguely familiar. I was already fully aware of the undeniable greatness of Haley Heynderickx, but somehow she still has the ability to leave me astounded. All of her songs on this little record are again quietly phenomenal and match the sky high level of her earlier 2018 full-length album I Need to Start A Garden. Here’s my early personal favorite from the new EP, but you need to hear/buy the whole beautiful EP. You can follow the links on that player to Son Canciones Bandcamp.

Haley Heynderickx Website
Max Garcia Conover Website

Another one of those round-up type posts, because it’s a continuous struggle to find the time to feature all the great music that is being released. This time I shall begin from West Virginia where John R. Miller & The Engine Lights gave birth to one of my favorite albums of the past few months. I was a big Fox Hunt fan some years ago and have tried to follow the guys who sang their way into my heart back then. John R. Miller is one of them and his new album with The Engine Lights is equally magnificent. The Trouble You Follow came out on Emperor Records on the 31st of August and it’s a first-rate country folk album about leaving and being left and the struggles that it all brings. Here’s the first single Red Eyes from the album.

John R Miller Website

Next up is fellow West Virginian, friend and bandmate William Matheny who has a gorgeous new seven inch single Flashes & Cables b/w Christian Name out on Misra Records. Flashes & Cables is a loving rendition of a Centro-Matic song and Christian Name is a new William Matheny original. Max Nolte directed a music video for Christian Name. Watch that below and order a copy of the seven inch from his website.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtJg0yYzcVQ

William Matheny Website

Last stop this time around is Milwaukee, Wisconsin and the new Nickel & Rose EP Americana. Nickel & Rose is a folk/americana duo of Carl Nichols (guitar) and Johanna Rose (upright bass) and together they have created a very powerful and meaningful EP. The title track is important and awakening song about Carl’s personal experience as a black artist and being an outsider within Americana. The whole thing is just as good and I have to include Hard Day’s Work as well, because I love the song.

Nickel & Rose Website