Artist: José González Album: Against The Dying Of The Light Label: City Slang Link: https://jose-gonzalez.com/ Genre: Pop, Folk
The José González we are talking about here is, of course, the musician, born in 1978 to Argentine political refugee parents in Sweden. He took his first musical steps in several hardcore punk bands, though he also sang in a choir and quickly traded his electric guitar for an acoustic one, which better suited his influences, notably the Cuban Silvio Rodríguez. He released his debut album in 2003, and the growing importance of his musical commitments led him to abandon a PhD in biochemistry. He then collaborated with numerous groups, and his music was initially used as much for advertising as for film and video games.
Through the lyrics of his fifth studio album, Against The Dying Of The Light, José González almost asks us what remains today of the Age of Enlightenment. In any case, he prompts us to question the ways of thinking that are becoming commonplace in the Western world. To do so, he arms himself with his reassuring voice and his guitar, from which he quietly plucks the notes. This album strikes a balance between light and shadow, offering a folk sound that could just as easily draw inspiration from Bert Jansch, Leonard Cohen, or Simon & Garfunkel—though it lacks the vocal harmonies of the latter duo, even if the studio setting occasionally helps alleviate the artist’s solitude.
A few ethereal percussion sounds and claps in the background, resonances from the guitar’s body that fill the soundstage beyond the speakers, and a voice that is always soothing; this is the setup that highlights the Swedish guitarist’s talent. The instrument has volume, and the sound unfolds to better envelop us. The strings are indeed nylon and the guitar is made of wood, which comes across with perfect naturalness on a high-quality system or high-performance speakers. No excess is needed to draw us into listening to Against The Dying Of The Light, which knows how to combine a definition pleasing to audiophiles with a warmth made for long listening sessions by music lovers.
Artist: Toro Y Moi Album: Unerthed: Hole Erth Unplugged Label: Dead Oceans Link: https://toroymoi.com/ Style: Electro, Folk
American Chazwick Bradley Bundick graduated in graphic design from the University of South Carolina. With three fellow students, he founded his first indie rock band before joining forces with the artist Washed Out. Like Washed Out, during his solo career under the name Toro Y Moi, he went through several phases before finally settling on a quiet, sensual pop sound with a strong electronic influence, where synthesizers and samples reign supreme. He released his first album, Causers Of This, in 2010 and has since released a dozen or so albums, dabbling in different styles according to his desires and inspirations.
Accustomed to musical contradictions, Toro Y Moi offers us a reinterpretation of Hole Erth, his previous album with a strong electro influence, in which he used computers and filters almost to excess. With Unerthed: Hole Erth Unplugged, the artificial flourishes have been abandoned, and the central elements return to the acoustic realm with guitar and vocals. It is even surprising to discover these compositions in a version stripped of all artifice, showing how some of them can be content with simplicity to ultimately highlight their strength. For this album, we will therefore look for comparisons in folk accompanied by a light psychedelic veneer.
With these new arrangements, the songs take on an unexpected character, with the strings of the folk or slide guitar vibrating gently. Carried along on a down tempo rhythm, they follow the lead vocals and backing vocals. Even though they don’t hesitate to show that they are made of metal, they avoid going too high and overloading the tweeters. A violin or piano accompanies them on certain tracks, but it is always the mid-range frequencies (and therefore the vocals) that are seductive with their presence within a soundstage of unfailing stability.
Artist: Alex G Album: Headlights Label: RCA Records Link: www.sandyalexg.com Style: Pop, Folk, Alternative & Indie
Alex Giannascoli was introduced to the guitar at the age of eleven by his older brother. At the same time, he began composing and recording himself in his bedroom. In high school, he played in several bands in his hometown of Havertown, Pennsylvania, which allowed him to explore different musical styles. Between 2010 and 2012, the young man released his work independently on Bandcamp, which earned him a strong online following and led to him signing with various labels, including Domino, before signing with RCA. He cites Neil Young and Elliott Smith as his inspirations, and the lo-fi sound of his early work also brings his music closer to that of the band Pavement.
Still centered around his guitar, his compositions oscillate between acoustic folk reminiscent of Bonnie Prince Billy and a much more lush and electric pop. Strings and backing vocals, featuring the singer’s partner, add an extra dimension to a few tracks without sounding too conventional. Although Headlights is a departure from his early online recordings, he has managed to retain the indie charm that made him such an authentic artist. Fans will not be disappointed by this album, which is also likely to appeal to a new audience.
Long reluctant to record in a studio rather than at home, for fear of losing total control of his music in the face of technology he doesn’t fully master, Alex G took the plunge for his previous album and repeats the experience with Headlights. To do so, he once again placed his trust in Jacob Portrait, and the result is clearly convincing. The Lo-Fi spirit is preserved, with a homemade feel still present, but with a much cleaner and more precise sound that is better suited to listening on a high-quality system, allowing you to appreciate the intertwining of the melodic lines and the timbres of the instruments.
Artist: James McMurtry Album: The Black Dog And The Wandering Boy Label: New West Records, LLC Link: www.jamesmcmurtry.com Style: Country, Folk, Rock
James McMurtry was born and spent his early years in Texas before following his parents to Virginia. He received his first guitar at the age of seven from his father, writer Larry McMurtry, and began playing his songs in public while a student at the University of Arizona. He then moved to San Antonio, where he worked odd jobs and pursued his musical activities before winning a folk music contest and meeting John Mellencamp, who would produce his first album, Too Long in the Wasteland, in 1989. Known for his carefully crafted lyrics, he paints an uncompromising portrait of America through songs that are like little stories.
Less politically charged than his early albums, The Black Dog And The Wandering Boy focuses on the artist’s father and the dementia that affected him in the last years of his life. James McMurtry delivers authentic Southern Americana, starting with Jon Dee Graham’s “Laredo,” a rock tune that would have fit right in with ZZ Top’s early recordings. The rest of the album veers toward a more country-folk sound, still electric and mid-tempo, tailor-made for his haunting voice, with the ghost of Johnny Cash seeming to hover over the last part of the record. All this makes for a particularly enjoyable album for lovers of traditional music from the southern United States.
Vocals and plucked guitars or banjos are at the heart of the musical arrangement, without overwhelming the rest of the accompaniment. The rhythm never forces the pace, perfectly matching the singer-narrator’s quiet diction. Harmonica, cello, and electronic organ enrich the harmonies and melodies with great skill. The production envelops the sound with a hint of warmth that leans toward a softness devoid of any aggression, which suits the acoustic instruments elegantly. In correlation, the sibilants of the voice will be noticeable on the most defined systems.
Artist : Mei Semones Album : Animaru Label : Bayonet Records Link : https://www.meisemones.com/ Style : Pop, Folk , Contemporary Jazz
From Brooklyn, Mei Semones delivers a true testament to her love of music, flouting styles by blending Jazz, Pop, Folk, Rock and Brazilian music on her highly personal album Animaru.
It didn’t take more than two EPs for Mei Semones to arouse the curiosity of the music world, an interest fully justified when we listen to her debut album, Animaru. A Japanese-born artist, she now resides in New York and has spent the last two years performing numerous concerts (notably in the U.S.) to promote her music, with the result that she has perfected her technique and gained greater complicity with her band. Following the release of an EP in 2024, the NME named her one of the artists of the year to watch, a status brilliantly confirmed by the album released this year.
What Animaru seems to be proposing is to ask why to settle for one style when the horizon is so vast, and when pleasure can be found everywhere. With voice and guitar at their core, Mei Semones’ compositions leave plenty of room for jazz, studied by the now 24-year-old, who also bears witness to her love of Brazilian music. Only her rock inspiration is more discreet, giving way to a cerebral pop-folk. The tour de force of this music, however, is to appear truly personal, while remaining natural and accessible; with alternating English and Japanese, the vocals reinforce this feeling. In contrast to the instrumental density and research of the compositions, which can sometimes emphasize the virtuosity of the musicians, the recording maintains a precision and clarity that enhances the melodic and rhythmic lines without any effort of concentration or intellectualization. The tonal balance of the record is developed mainly towards the upper midrange and treble by the artist’s voice and guitar, to which are added the strings of the violin. The soundstage may at times seem cramped in relation to the number of instruments, but it is just as capable of occupying the space of the listening room in the most open tracks. In our opinion, Anima is a great achievement.
