There is a beauty in folk music that I am not sure can be found anywhere else in music. It’s an intangible force the brings together the most different of souls through simple lyrics about life and love that many believe has the power to change lives. The best folk artists know how to tap into this power at a moment’s notice, and such is the case with the up and comers we’re going to introduce this afternoon. READ MORE & LISTEN
Atlanta band The Wild came into being thanks to frontman Witt Wisebram, whose solo work as a folk musician evolved into the five-piece that performs as The Wild today. Their latest LP, Dreams Are Maps, is an impressive indicator of how the band has continued to change things up musically while staying true to the sound that first brought them together.
Dreams Are Maps was recorded by Laura Jane Grace (Against Me!) at her Florida studio, and the band considers it to be a memorial for friend Anthony Poynter, who toured with the band often and died of cancer last year. WATCH HERE
It’s only fitting that the Party Dolls’ new album Love Wars Baby (This Is American Music) will drop on Valentine’s Day. The record isn’t only about heartbreak, but there’s no shortage of it, either. Penned by District Attorneys frontman/songwriter Drew Beskin, this batch of personal songs gets gorgeous harmonies and arrangements courtesy of Jeremy Wheatley (Crooked Fingers), Tedo Stone, and fellow District Attorneys members Frank Keith IV and Walker Beard. The title track is an excellent representation of the record, wrapping pleasing sounds around direct, emotional lyrics. LISTEN HERE
Americana trio Lily and the Tigers cut their new album The Hand You Deal Yourself (out March 4) under circumstances some have noted were similar to Bob Dylan & The Band’s Basement Tapes or Bon Iver’s For Emma, Forever Ago – stripped-down, down-home, and downright intimate. You can check out advance track “Home” right here, courtesy your friendly neighborhood BLURT (and we are damned proud to offer it to you ‘cos this group is the real deal). LISTEN HERE
Rolling Stone premiered Party Dolls’ new single “Indigo” today. “The song is basically about trying to keep your priorities straight and knowing that, sometimes, this can be impossible,” Singer Drew Beskin tells Rolling Stone. “There’s also a line in the song that’s a nod to my favorite Saturday Night Live skit – with Tom Hanks and the cast, about a Mr. Belvedere fan club – which fits well because the song has a creepy celebrity-obsession vibe.” Party Dolls’ alternately heartbroken, weary and transcendent debut LP, Love Wars Baby drops Feb. 14 via This Is American Music. LISTEN HERE
Lily and the Tigers’ latest album is set for release on March 4. The Georgia-based indie-folk trio traveled to rural Vermont to record The Hand You Deal Yourself, which presents the current roster featuring co-founders Adam Mincey (upright bass) and Casey Hood (guitar vocals) along with Jared Pepper (Resophonic guitar). Hood explains, “This album is about the all the work we put in to get where we’re going. You can be influenced by a lot of things but ultimately you deal your own hand. We don’t carry our fear. We set it aside.” Lily and the Tigers will support the record with an extensive spring tour. Today we premiere “Angel of Mine” from The Hand You Deal Yourself. LISTEN HERE