I’m very much into this first outtake Cut My Hair from the forthcoming Jessica Risker album I See You Among The Stars. It’s due out May 4, 2018 on Western Vinyl. The press release even namedrops Sibylle Baier and while that’s obviously not the most important thing, it definitely further sparks my interest, because Colour Green is a masterpiece. Anyway, this first outtake is a really beautiful folk song and I’m eager to hear more, because the forthcomig album might well turn out to be a captivating psych folk treasure.

Jessica Risker Website

The long-waited new Andrew Bryant album Ain’t It Like The Cosmos came out on Last Chance Records on the 9th of March. Andrew Bryant is a huge personal favourite and his previous album This is the Life and this new album are both extremely important and dear to me. I’ve never met the man, but in some weird way I feel a deep-rooted connection with this songwriter from Mississippi. His song are just a direct hit to my heart and the most skilled surgeon couldn’t go as deep within me as these songs go. It’s a cliche-ish type of thing where I can just reflect to the songs on such an intense emotional level. It feels like I’ve felt that song or that line or that I would like to live my life like that line or that song. That I hope I could turn my passion, self-doubt and insecurity into something as beautiful, convincing and powerful. I guess that’s kind of what I’ve tried to achieve during this decade and half of onechord.net. Often failing miserably, but thankfully I have the songs of Andrew Bryant to give me courage to carry on. They hold me in line and make me proud of what I achieved. It might not be a whole lot, but that’s quite alright. Even if it doesn’t make a large impact to the world, in my world it is meaningful and worthwhile.

Ain’t It Like the Cosmos is a brilliant album. The beautiful rock and americana songs are delivered with loud riffs and compelling vocals. The songwriting is honest and heartfelt and filled with sincere reflections on humanity. I’m especially fond of the last three songs, but pretty much every song has left a mark on me and I will carry them with me whereever I roam. Here’s a couple of great examples, but please do follow the bandcamp link to hear/buy the whole beautiful thing.

Andrew Bryant Website

Damien Jurado has a new album The Horizon Just Laughed coming out 4th of May on Secretly Canadian. I haven’t really been super excited about the last few Damien Jurado albums, because I just wasn’t that much into the experiments and the sonic adventures. However, the reason for that is mostly my own narrow-minded music taste and objectively there’s nothing wrong with the albums. Damien Jurado gets to decide what Damien Jurado sounds like, not some Finnish twat who writes a blog in his bedroom. And I do quite like the last few too, but I loved everything before them. This first outtake Over Rainbows and Rainier from the forthcoming album on the other hand, oh my, everything about this song. Damien is fully back in the love column. What a quietly monumental song. Song of the year caliber. I can’t wait to hear the full-length in a few months.

Damien Jurado Website

I think I have a whole lot of listening to do. Clint Michigan led me to the solo music of a former The Moldy Peaches member Toby Goodshank. It looks like this NY-based songwriter has about 14 or 15 solo albums available and your badly educated blogger had heard none of them before last night. It might take a while to introduce my heart to that most likely amazing collection of songs, but better late than never and all the other cliches. His latest album Dream On Me came out on the 9th of March and I’ve been listening to it a lot during this weekend and I love it. Such a beautiful warm-sounding folk rock / indie rock album. I’ve only scratched the surface of it, but I’ve already felt both smiles and tears on my face. <3 gave out, Call Me Dad, I Can Just… Spinning.. oh well all of them actually are just so damn good. Here’s a couple of personal favorites. Buy/listen to the whole beautiful thing over at Bandcamp.

Toby Goodshank Website