Purple Mountains - Purple Mountains

David Berman's wryly depressive (or depressively wry) songwriting seems to have only gotten sharper during his decade away from music.

Kurt Vile - Bottle It In

Though an improvement on his previous solo effort, Kurt Vile's new album could have used some trimming.

Roger Waters - Is This the Life We Really Want?

Former Pink Floyd frontman Roger Waters applies the politically charged spirit of his past work to the political landscape of today on his latest release.

Feist - Pleasure

2017 keeps the strong singer/songwriter releases coming with Feist's Pleasure.

Laura Marling - Short Movie

UK singer-songwiter Laura Marling releases one of her most upfront albums yet.

Big Blood - Unlikely Mothers

Psychedelic and prolific folk rock outfit Big Blood have recently released their second album this year, and you can stream it via the widget above. The title of this thing: Unlikely Mothers.

It's a double album that features a series of long, patient, and droning psych folk dirges that are both eerie and gorgeous. The album's cover art and concept directly reference the aunt and mother of frontwoman Colleen Kinsella, both of whom were nuns during Vatican II; however, Colleen's mother left to pursue other things--you know, like being a mother.

While some of the tracks--and this record, generally--feel unnecessarily long-winded, there's something twisted and alluring about the nine songs here.

Check a review for an older Big Blood album here.

Jessica Pratt - "Back, Baby"

https://soundcloud.com/drag-city/jessica-pratt-back-baby With a voice like Janis Joplin minus the cigarettes and guitar playing like an angel with problems, Jessica Pratt seems to be a rising contender in the folk rock world. Pratt’s original and peculiar approach is simple, but allows her to enter a completely different category to modern folk rockers: a strummed or plucked guitar, and vocals that hold such unfamiliar nuances that their beauty really lies in the heart of the listener. “Back, Baby” is a single from her upcoming album titled On Your Own Love Again, which is being released on January the 27th.

Although the track is similar to her previous work, there seems to have been some emotional progression. Reminiscent of a pregnant Joan Baez at Woodstock, Pratt tells a tale of a lover from the past, a man she wishes she could revisit, but understands the consequences could be dire. As she “sometimes prays for the rain," I pray her new album lives up to the standard that this single has set.

- Fin Worrall

Sharon Van Etten - "Every Time The Sun Comes Up"

No holds barred on this new Sharon Van Etten track. With some elongated, expressive vocal melodies, I think she's delivering some of her most straightforward lyricism yet. The spacious instrumentation complements her confident vocal delivery fantastically, and the chorus on this thing flourishes beautifully with vocal harmonies bright, shimmering guitars.

Look for Sharon's new record, Are We There, on May 27th via Jagjaguwar.