Best of July 2022

Where is this summer going??? I know that, for me, it’s been lost in the rush of wedding planning — which is why this is a great playlist of breakup songs. Writing these out has made me realize how much I miss writing reviews so, starting in September, Adobe & Teardrops will be focusing on reviews but I’ll continue writing themed lists like this.

If you are into playlists, you can listen to my playlist on Spotify or Tidal.

The Early Mays (Prettiest Blue) — [”On a Dying Day”] Pittsburgh duo The Early Mays have an eerie chemistry born of years of musical partnership. Their latest EP, Prettiest Blue, explores the natural world with traditional music and contemporary dissonance. The pair work best at their most plaintive, particularly the arresting “On a Dying Day.” (PS — you can read their interview with Adobe & Teardrops here.)

The Grisly Hand (Traitor) — Kansas City’s The Grisly Hand is one of the very first bands I wrote about on Adobe & Teardrops. I’m sorry that they dropped off my radar for a bit, but I’m glad to see that they’re still going as strong as ever. Traitor runs the gamut of Americana to Southern Soul and groove. “Aventine Hill” hearkens back to the band’s earlier Gothicana material, but Traitor for the most part focuses on quotidian betrayals that are fun to dance to.

Amanda Shires (Take It Like a Man) — Whew. By the time you read this, I’ll be legally married to my gay-ancee! We signed the paperwork this morning. So listening to an album about a relationship in peril sure was one way to spend my week — but also makes me appreciate what I have all the more, and the need to work for it. Shires continues spinning her stunning poetry into challenging, dark pop music. I don’t have many intelligent things to say, but expect to see Take It Like a Man on many a best-of list in December.

Andrew Duhon (Emerald Blue) — [”Down From the Mountain”] Andrew Duhon brings the Big Easy to the Pacific Northwest on his new album Emerald Blue. Duhon’s Southern soul groove channels easily through his songs about wandering and finding peace in the moment — but it stands out most on starker songs of isolation and tough times. No matter what, though, Duhon is confident that the bad times will pass just as easily as the good. (You can read my full review on No Depression.)

The Kentucky Gentlemen (The Kentucky Gentlemen, Vol.1) — So here’s the thing: pop country can be really fun if you actually care about what you’re singing. The Kentucky Gentlemen can’t help being charismatic as hell, and that energy comes out no matter what they’re singing. “Alcohol” makes a devastating breakup sound like a great time. “Love Language” is a classic attempt to seduce a would-be lover — and doing so by appealing to their heart and mind. The Tim Barry lyric “Music should sound like escape, not rent” comes to mind here. The Kentucky Gentlemen bring us country music escapism while leaving the crass commercialism in the trash where it belongs.

Shawn Williams (Wallowin’ In the Night) — Shawn Williams has no illusions about titling her latest album, a monument to bad decisions and heartbreaks, Wallowin’ in the Night. A little bit punk, a lot of Americana, Williams scorns her eyes and mourns her part to play in relationships that didn’t work out. There is a LOT of wallowing here, but hey —that’s what all of that delicious pedal steel is for.

Sarah Bethe Nelson (Mental Picture) — Sarah Bethe Nelson’s playful Mental Picture lies at the intersection of folk, pop, and Americana ruggedness. Mental Picture isn’t an angry album, but it’s rebellious in its quiet way. Nelson’s hushed voice explores the twee tropes of early 2000s hipster folk, but her restless artistry doesn’t settle for easy answers. The hypnotic rhythms throughout the album are perhaps a product of Nelson’s writing them during early lockdown, tense and impatient. But Nelson marshals these forces into a soft-spoken order, speaking to a confident and assured sense of artistry.

Deathcruiser (Deathcruiser) — [”Under Your Skin”] Adam Roth’s solo debut, Deathcruiser, is shaped around grief but never bogged down. The EP sketches out songs of new love, old love, love rekindled, and a yearning to return to crowded, sweaty concerts. It’s a tidy sampler of Roth’s breadth and depth — and hopefully will lead to more excellent Americana from the Nashville singer-songwriter.