Another gem from Austin TX! The once solo efforts of Martin Crane has bloomed into a 3-piece live act, with Crane’s lyrically creative, acoustical & piano-driven songs flourishing in Brazos‘ first LP Phosphorescent Blues. The LP’s ruby is definitely “The Observer,” Crane’s musical vision of mid-century poet Adrienne Rich’s The Observer. This album evokes a strong feeling of bittersweet nostalgia for me, personally.

Posted by: Sarah

Finder’s Credit: Chase Weinacht (Marmalakes)

I’ve been itchin’ for some good folk dittys on ol’ Newdust. And wouldn’t you know it, the freshly formed duet Mahoney & The Moment found their way to my inbox, and they’re just what my ears have been longing for. With clean & simple, melodic folk tunes, their debut self-titled is fantastic from start to finish. The roughly 3 minute tunes are extremely catchy, some upbeat & lively, some downtroddin & dirty. Keep your eyes peeled & your ears perked for Mahoney & The Moment, I sure wouldn’t want to miss them live!

The story behind the origin of Virgina locals River James is something that’s almost too picturesque to be factual: after hours of bro-bonding and soul-searching during a leisurely canoe trip down the James River, these four VA lads decided to tell their story through song and thus formed a band appropriately titled after its birthplace. The resulting self-titled EP is proof that their story is one worth hearing, with four tracks that run the gamut of emotion from deeply personal to playfully poppy. Something that definitely shines through is the organic electricity that can only truly be felt thru live performance, which is exactly how this album was recorded. With great bass and guitar work, warm and inviting vocals from Vince Scheuerman (formerly of Army Of Me), and the drumming of none other than Jacob Marshall (formerly of MAE, a band that will always have a special place in my heart), this is truly an excellent debut so give it a listen.

Although Amor Ad Nauseum has been around in one form or another since 2006, what once was Bud Wilson’s bedroom project got its bearings in 2008, when the Portland-via-Eugene, Oregon songwriter added two more musicians to his band. With accompaniment, Wilson’s brainchild manifested into multi-faceted instrumentation drenched in reverb, uniting folk guitar plucking and warbling vocals with synthetic bursts of sound. Aan’s latest 7″ (that was released yesterday!), Somewhere’s Sunshine, gives its listeners both sides of the trio’s sound, starting with the digressive, pop-turned-ambient A-side, “Haunted, Million Ways,” and ending with the funky, soulful title track as its B-side. You can purchase a physical or digital copy of the EP here.

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AAN | Somewhere’s Sunshine

I don’t know much about Alex Borgella (Ghost Crab), but sometimes ignorance is bliss. I do know that his blend of electronica and folk is beyond satisfying, and that’s all I care to know. He starts “In Heat” (also the title of his latest EP) off nice and simple, and slowly adds in layer upon layer of fantastic guitar lines. Vocals creep in midway through the tune, with an equally simple melody that to me is the icing on the cake…..sweet, sweet folktronica cake!

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Ghost Crab | In Heat

“Grown Oceans,” the first video from Fleet Foxes‘ upcoming sophomore release, Helplessness Blues, depicts a myriad of candid footage that gave me such a nostalgic, fuzzy, warm feeling, I had to share it with you all right away! The album will be released by Sub Pop on May 3rd, and you can pre-order it here.