Callan Furlong is a young Toronto-based troubadour who delivers warmhearted and charming old-timey country sounds. I enjoyed his debut EP The Fool I Was Before several years ago and therefore every now and then I’ll check out if he has released something new. It’s been rather quiet, but a few days ago my email alerted about a new Callan Furlong release. So I went, listened, loved and downloaded the two new songs What’s Left Of Me and Out On The Town. These utterly lovely songs are available on his Bandcamp for name-your-price deal.

Callan Furlong at Facebook

Cha Cha Cha is a 30-song tribute to the great Canadian indie rocker Jim Kilpatrick aka Shotgun Jimmie. I’m not usually that much into tribute albums, but I’m really enjoying this one. I’ve been following Shotgun Jimmie since the Transistor Sister album came out and know the last three albums extremely well, but the tribute shows that I definitely need to go all the way back into the Shotgun Jimmie and Shotgun & Jaybird song vaults and fix some holes in my Jimmie education. There’s a bunch of excellent songs that I haven’t even heard before and I need my heart to be familiar with the originals as well. The line-up of the tribute album is rather impressive. Several of my Canadian music heroes are doing their own gorgeous versions of Shotgun Jimmie’s (should-be) classics. Frederick Squire, Michael Feuerstack, Woodpigeon, Jon McKiel and Ariel Sharratt & Mathias Kom just to name a few.

Cha Cha Cha – The Songs of Shotgun Jimmie is now out on Comin’ Around Records.

Shotgun Jimmie Website

North Carolinian Jeremy Squires is a songwriter that I’ve been following for years and have really liked all of his releases. His new album Collapse came out on the 14th of April and I’ve had it on heavy rotation ever since. The album is quietly mesmerizing and beautifully shattering. I always love this contrast in Jeremy’s music. It can be so devastatingly sad and at the same feel so warm, soft and kindhearted. The songs break me into tiny pieces, but by the time the record finishes he has somehow put the pieces back together in a way that I feel more whole than before. Collapse is another excellent Jeremy Squires album. Here are Night Cars that features Mount Moriah’s Heather McEntire on backing vocals and the music video for the album closer Secrets I Can Keep.

Jeremy Squires Website