Alex Benjamin, These Two Windows

I first heard Alex Benjamin last year when I stumbled upon his debut album, Narrated For You, which was released in 2018. It quickly became a favorite listen for my family. Usually, I'm drawn to an artists music before I hone in on their lyrics. It was and is the opposite with Benjamin. He is a great storyteller and I love the imagery he weaves with his words. On his sophomore album, These Two Windows, Benjamin does not break any new ground, musically speaking, but he does not need to do so. This is another strong collection of songs.

A Girl Called Eddy, Been Around

Sixteen years after her debut album, Erin Moran, a.k.a. A Girl Called Eddy is back with her very long overdue follow up Been Around. It's a captivating and as Pop Matters wrote, instantly charming album. 'One that is a 'classic-in-the-making that most musicians could only dream of delivering in a lifetime'. I found myself getting lost in this album, drawn in by Moran's velvety voice, poignant lyrics, and luscious and inviting musical arrangements. If you feel the need to get lost, in time and space for fifty minutes, Been Around will transport you off to where you didn't know you need to be.

Inner Odyssey, The Void

I have kept coming back to Inner Odyssey's The Void since its release at the beginning of March. It’s such an intriguing and epic album. There's a lot to unpack and consume here. It’s just not possible to do in one or two listens. 

The band's self-described modern progressive music is both complex at the instrumental level and accessible at the vocal level without denying its ‘70s progressive rock classics roots. While Inner Odyssey certainly has technical prowess and offers up some 'modern guitar fireworks....and musical meat.....they are prone more to offering luscious space and colorful accents (The Progmind).' It's here where the band really shines. 

With each listen, I have picked up on more and have better understood the intentionality behind the band's musical decisions, especially as it relates to the concept of the album where the protagonist looks to escape the realities of a life including failures and loss by diving into and getting lost in a digital/gaming world. It all makes for a cinematic-like musical journey.

The first single from The Void, The Reckoning, offers up the full array of what this band is all about where ‘Sweepingly epic harmonies are pitched against the crunch and hefty riffs, melting into songs that combine heaviness, technical prowess and breath-taking melodies (Metal-Archives). 

The Void is definitely an early contender for my favorite album of the year.  

Joy Downer, Paper Moon

Nostalgic for '80's and early '90's synth dream-pop? Look no further than Joy Downer's debut album Paper Moon. 

Written and recorded with her husband Jeffrey Downer, the couple drew from a wide range of inspirations from disco to punk rock to Broadway. Taking these influences and effortlessly blending her 'enchanting vocal melodies with flashes of synths, drum machines, and guitar' (For the Love of Bands), Downer has produced one of the most cohesive and brilliant collection of songs that I have heard all year. My only problem with the album is that it's not longer. I can't get enough of this one. I'm a fan!

Picks Of The Week

The Howl & The Hum, Human Contact 
After listening to Human Contact's opening track, Love You Like A Gun, I knew that I was listening to something special. While 'shape-shifting' (Atwood Magazine) through music genres, The Howl & The Hum's Human Contact 'presents a thrilling collection of profoundly honest short stories echoing past relationships, regrets, and anxieties that are seamlessly woven into the present realities of the digital world.' (The Line of Best Fit) 

DeadBlondeStars, DeadBlondeStars
I love Soundgarden. I love Alice In Chains. So along comes a band from Sheffield who sounds just like both of them. What's a boy to do? Listen of course....with a healthy dose of skepticism. After a week with DeadBlondeStars....I'm in. Great band, awesome rocking album.

Tré Burt, Caught It From The Rye

Listening to Caught It From The Rye, is like stepping back in time to the late sixties and early seventies when folk greats were at their prime. As Folk Alley writes, "today's generation of artists run their roots through a handful of heroes: Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Townes Van Zandt, and John Prine, then on back further in time from there." And you can hear all of their influences in Burt's music. Armed with a guitar, his memorable voice, and thoughtful lyrics, Burt serves as a reminder of the power that can come from stripped things back to allow the listener to be truly present with the essence of an artist's art.