Saturday Songs Jan. 28

1. “Six O’Clock News” – Kathleen Edwards

When I saw her name on a list of recent releases, I knew that I had seen it before, but I couldn’t quite place it. However, the first review I read explained away my half-hearted acquaintance with Edwards; she is the girlfriend of Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon, a fact that figured into several of the seemingly thousands of magazine features that have been written about Vernon and his music. But Edwards, as it turns out, should figure just as much as Vernon in a conversation about the changing landscape of folk- and alt-country-derived pop music.

But as good as her latest album Voyageur is, I looked back this week to her 2003 debut album Failer. The lead track chronicles the death of a lowlife criminal with the same honesty and accuracy that the Drive-By Truckers’ Patterson Hood puts into his tunes about the white trash of the south. Unlike the current record, which finds Edwards and Vernon (who produced the record) playing around more with the texture of the sound, this album is tried-and-true alt-country, the kind of fare you get from Ryan Adams in his brighter moments. Edwards’s voice is the real winner. While it sounds smooth enough, there is a suggestion of roughness around the edges. Unlike brighter-sounding country singers like Alison Krauss or Emmylou Harris, there is a hard-won believability to her voice.

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2. “Desert Dream” – Larkin Poe

LISTEN HERE

Why I haven’t heard more about Larkin Poe in the musical press is a mystery to me. Sisters Rebecca and Megan Lovell started off with third sister Jessica in the aptly titled ensemble The Lovell Sisters before Jessica moved on and her sisters reformed as Larkin Poe. Although the sisters are grounded in a thorough knowledge of country and bluegrass forms and are approaching the status of virtuosos on their respective instruments (Rebecca on mandolin and Megan on dobro), over the course of their four EPs they are moving steadily closer to country-pop fare. While the songwriting is spotty in places, they more than make up for it with their singing and their playing.

I pick “Desert Dream” more or less at random from their discography, but it does a good job of representing their work as a whole. While distinctly coming out of country—for instance, the dobro haunting the seams of the song—it is also clearly moving towards a hazy, dream pop. The production possesses a sparkle and polish that you wouldn’t normally get from a bluegrass outfit and features several well-placed embellishments (triangle hits!).

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3. “Wild Folk” – Jim Bryson and the Weakerthans

Another Canadian songwriter who emerged from the woodwork (meaning Spotify! …and Edwards is also Canadian), Bryson teamed up with the Weakerthans for his album The Falcon Lake Incident (which refers to a famous UFO encounter). The presence of a full band really helps to color Bryson’s tunes; his other work is just as good, but it remains a little skeletal in comparison with The Falcon Lake Incident. “Wild Folk” might be the best example of how well this new arrangement works. The opening seconds feature only Bryson and his guitar—which is pleasant enough—but the song truly opens up once the band comes in.

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4. “Heart of the Continent” – John K. Samson

Can anyone sense my path of exploration this week? It’s Canadian music, for those unfamiliar with Samson, who is of the aforementioned Weakerthans. Samson’s 2012 album Provincial is essentially an exercise in emotional geography that you should read the lyrics to as you listen. I’m so excited by my forthcoming exploration of Samson’s lyrics (“And our demolitions punctuate / all we mean to say, then leave too late. / So I'll make my shaky exclamation mark / with a hand full of the crumpled dark”) that I’m tempted to start on some analysis right here, but I’ll set that aside for a future post.

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5. “Earthquakes” – Danger & The Steel Cut Oats

With a totally weird and unpromising band name, I wasn’t sure what to expect from this recommendation, which came from my friend Sarah. But the band proved themselves more than capable of playing a fine mix of country and bluegrass with some equally fine songwriting. In that they straddle the line between traditional forms and pop music, they’re not too far from Larkin Poe territory. And you can download their EP for free! I know that I’ve been slacking on the free music output recently, but hopefully I can appease everyone with this 6-track offering.