Okay, it’s July, and time for our regular ‘EP’s Round-Up’, of all that falls under the Americana Music banner. This month’s collection offers a broad selection of the genre, so plenty to get your teeth into, and hopefully something to satisfy all tastes. Dig in.
First we have a fascinating collaboration between SONOFDOV and Renee Maskin entitled “Chanson Du Lune”. Both artists hail from New Jersey and have been garnering high praise for their recent solo work, SONOFDOV (aka Dennis King) with his debut album “Towers” (2019), and more recently Maskin who last year released “Shimmer”, to rave reviews and numerous awards. Together their vocals combine effortlessly, weaving around lyrical narratives full of poignancy and imagery against an atmospheric multi-layered soundscape. Opening track ‘Jacques Cousteau’, captures the vastness of the ocean’s depth with an arrangement awash with guitars against Maskin’s quiet reflective poetry, while closing number ‘Wild Winds’, offers up some delightful Pedal Steel from Joe Palmisano. Highly recommended.
Next up we have “Beechwood”, a four-track EP from Indiana-based Delafaye, the moniker of Andrew Shockley. As Delafaye he has two albums already to his credit, his most recent “Rose”, seeing the light of day in 2021. The songs here fall squarely into the singer-songwriter bracket, vocally strong and distinctive, while the guitar playing, a mix of strummed and picked, offers pleasing melodies and interesting chord changes all underpinned by an arrangement that subtly helps to deliver the tension and release. The opening track ‘City Lights’, delights with its lyrical imagery and atmospheric ambience, while the storytelling on ‘Maria’, betrays a songsmith of the highest order. Delafaye is a name we should all being hearing a lot more of, and this EP is the perfect place to start.
Philadelphia-based Indie Folk band 100 Watt Horse originally hail from Atlanta where they formed approximately twelve years ago and now have two full-length albums under their belt, the most recent being 2020’s “Dog Is Goob”. In many ways the release of this six-track EP, “Okey Donkey”, is the culmination of a decade-long recording partnership between songwriter and multi-instrumentalist George Pettis and producer/engineer Graham Tavel. The songs collected here are drawn from across the last decade, reflecting a gradual change in musical style from the folkier roots of their early years, as in the banjo-driven ‘See Us Now’ and the highly enjoyable and reflective ‘You’re My Friend’, leaning towards a more minimalistic country aura as on ‘Calico’, and the holistically sprawling ten-minute title track. At the opposite end of the scale opening track ‘Bees’, is an instrumental number lasting barely fifty-three seconds, while pick of the bunch is probably the closing track ‘Untitled’, which reflects the band’s musical journey.
LA-based singer/songwriter and violinist Chris Murphy is no stranger to these pages with fifteen albums behind him, including last year’s The Road And The Stars”, which infused a mix of Celtic bluegrass with a dash of folk rock. Here on his new EP release “The Red Road”, Murphy delivers a more stripped-back recording than on previous albums with five tracks that are mostly a solo violin and voice affair, choosing to focus on the instrument’s natural rhythmic properties to create a powerfully hypnotic two-beat fiddle groove. This is shown to best effect on ‘Wore Thin’, with an almost tribal musical intensity supporting a lyrical narrative reminiscent of early Tom Waits, shady characters bereft of good fortune and full of romantic fatigue. Elsewhere, the title track flexes its musical muscle with Celtic and Appalachian reels wrestling between each bar on a tune that celebrates a little hippie free-love, while closing number ‘Tara McKinley’, gallops at pace in search of lost love. This is an EP that is as stark as it is bold, displaying Murphy’s deceptively sleight of hand magic of fusing multiple musical styles against a strong poetic narrative that holds together perfectly over the five tracks.
Cleveland, Ohio-born and Los Angeles-based Matt Moody has a new five-track EP out in collaboration with production duo Seacoast entitled “Gripping At The Wheel”. This follows the release of his sophomore album “Still A Kid In A Painted Sky”, which drew on a wide range of influences from Tom Petty to Jonathan Wilson mixing dreamlike lush scenic landscapes with traditional blue-collared storytelling. On this new releases he expands his musical palette to include a mix of Hip Hop, with a distinctive percussive groove and strong pop sensibilities that appears to be aimed at a more chart-minded audience of which ‘Mustang’, and ‘Devil And The Denim Dove’, are both prime examples and possible contenders.
“Liminal”, is the new four-track EP from Houston-born and raised, Mabilene, that follows her debut album release “The Other Side” which came out in 2021. This quartet of new songs are the precursor to her sophomore release, but delivered here with a stripped-back acoustic guitar and vocal arrangement that helps to accentuate the lyrical narratives and sweet melodies. Opening track ‘In Between’, gently leans towards a sixties folk vibe without ever truly committing, but the following track ‘Lullaby For Margo’, with its melancholic narrative works better. The standout song by far is ‘Sycamore Tree’, with its dark poetic imagery helping to create an atmosphere full of ethereal mystique and brooding tension. Mabilene has a delightful voice, comfortably encompassing the more commercial side of folk and country music.
Motel Sundown are a trio of songwriters based out of Liverpool consisting of Karen Turley, and Naomi Campbell, both originally from County Tyrone, along with Londoner Robert Johnson. Together they deliver exquisite three-part harmonies, drawing their influences from L.A’s soft rock of the seventies and acts such as Fleetwood Mac, The Eagles, and Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young. Their debut album “If You Were Listening”, was released in 2022 since when they have been garnering a strong following on the road across the UK. Their new five track EP, “El Dorado”, is an excellent listen with each of the tracks showing off the band’s strengths both vocally and as songwriters. The title track which opens the EP, immediately strikes you with its large production and layers of sound, but quickly your ears are drawn to the three-part harmonies and a song that draws favourable comparison to the hippie period of C.S.N.&Y. That quartet would seem an obvious touchstone for the gentler ‘Your House’, and ‘Waterfall’, but again the trio make the songs their own with beautiful melodies and pristine harmonies. The Rockier ‘Lost Time’, with its driving rhythm section and flashy guitar solo conjures up memories of Heart, with Hurley and Campbell’s vocal interplay reminiscent of the Wilson sisters in their pomp. Even the more lightweight ‘Midnight Blue’, that closes the EP still manages to ensnare you with its nod towards the Carpenters. Yes, Motel Sundown do wear their influences on their sleeve which makes it easy for those of us of a discerning age to draw comparisons, but in truth every track here more than holds its own, and if this EP is anything to go by then ‘the sky’s the limit’ for Motel Sundown. Definitely worth checking out.
As usual I have saved what I consider to be the best until last, though to be fair it was a very tight call. Jake Neuman & The Jaybirds debut release is this five-track EP entitled “Little Bitty Town”, recorded at Peacedale Records and Studio in Connecticut under the watchful eye of producer Gregory Dwane Griffith. Twentyfive year old Neuman’s backstory is a compelling narrative of resilience and determination which saw him struck down with a life-threatening brain haemorrhage back in 2020 during which time he turned to music as a lifeline. Fully recovered, the EP’s opening track ‘Saved’, bears witness to the scars of battle but is infused throughout with a sense of triumph over adversity and a sound and lyrical integrity that immediately draws comparison to Jason Isbell. Second track ‘Say What You Mean‘, squares up to deceit, as seen through the eyes of a young man who has already endured much, with no punches pulled, while ‘Two Days Ago’, narrates the sudden upheaval of a breakup, full of lyrical sagacity and not one ounce of self-pity. Throughout the five tracks Neuman is musically supported by The Jaybirds who include Jeff Hill on bass, Tony Leone on drums, and Jimmy Wallace on keys, and together deliver a raw, alt-country groove, that provides the perfect conduit for his engaging blue-collared poetry. The penultimate track here is the title track which bursts out of the speakers, a hypnotic backbeat, and a fist-pumping anthemic chorus that just demands to be listened to on repeat, while the EP closes with a joyous rendition of John Prine’s ‘Clocks & Spoons’, complete with a brass section to add an audacious splash of colour. These are early days for Neuman but if this EP is anything to go by then a certain Mr Isbell may need to take a look over his shoulder, for there is definitely “a new kid in town”.
