Music
Paper Wings, Mountains on the Moon
Emily Mann and Wila Frank, aka Paper Wings, play indie folk with immediacy, pulling listeners into their world from the first riff. But when the two sing together, an entire lineage of traditional music floods in. An instant classic.
Mattie & Debbie, Satan’s Junction
Hyper-talented, unrelentingly creative, deeply weird. Stash Wyslouch and Sean Trischka of Mattie & Debbie are two of a kind, and Satan’s Junction explores their shared musical interests: funky bluegrass, falsetto, shredding, protest songs, love songs, “Yankee Doodle.” The album is like a roller coaster; sweet country-rock dance numbers build up steam before freefalling into decidedly heavier territory. Don’t skip Satan’s Junction. Hail Mattie & Debbie.
Katherine Priddy, These Frightening Machines
Priddy’s third album finds the British singer-songwriter expanding her sonic palette with stunning results that defy easy categorization. At times the music is dissonant and driving; at others, jazzy and sardonic, and it closes with a pair of stripped-down, folky ballads. Priddy’s soft, poetic voice stands up to dark emotional themes, pounding drums, and aural exploration.
Goran Ivanovic, Far Away Feeling
Ivanovic continues to carve out his own sound, pulling from Balkan folk traditions, classical compositional structures, American roots music, and the Spanish guitar. This collection of originals and one Bulgarian folk song, “Dospatsko Horo,” finds Ivanovic reinvigorated, playing his guitars with equal measure of excitement and dexterity.
Dylan Golden Aycock, No New Summers
Aycock’s approach to American Primitive guitar feels less concerned with impressive picking, leaning more toward expansiveness. His improvisational compositions blend ambient exploration with a touch of twang, leaving vast sonic ripples in their wake. [Editor’s Note: While new to us, this record was released in March 2025.]
José González, Against the Dying of the Light
González has embraced an African desert-blues influence, and his enchanting, rhythmic fingerstyle proves a perfect vessel for this universal prayer for humanity. When he pulls back, his soft nylon-string strums and bilingual lyricism seek connection.
Hurray for the Riff Raff, Live Forever
Thanks to a 2024 photo assignment for Acoustic Guitar, I was lucky enough to attend a handful of Hurray for the Riff Raff shows around the time this live album was recorded. In preparation, I listened to their 2024 release, The Past Is Still Alive, on repeat, but the live show was something else entirely. The passion, energy, and humanity of Hurray for the Riff Raff are expertly captured on this album, culled from two sold-out performances at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago.
Wendy Eisenberg, Wendy Eisenberg
Massive, emotional, Baroque folk from a daring guitarist. Eisenberg’s virtuosic chops inform dazzling and ethereal arrangements; you don’t have to listen too closely to the lyrics to feel these are love songs.
Joey Lusterman
Opinionated creative slash beginning guitarist. Joey has worked in every department at Acoustic Guitar in the past 10+ years: front desk, ad sales, editorial, sound guy, camera man, booth babe, email coder, podcast editor, photographer, book designer…