Paper Wings,\u00a0Mountains on the Moon<\/em><\/strong> Mattie & Debbie,\u00a0Satan\u2019s Junction<\/em><\/strong> Katherine Priddy,\u00a0These Frightening Machines<\/em><\/strong> Goran Ivanovic,\u00a0Far Away Feeling<\/em><\/strong> Dylan Golden Aycock,\u00a0No New Summers<\/em><\/strong> Jos\u00e9 Gonz\u00e1lez,\u00a0Against the Dying of the Light<\/em><\/strong> Hurray for the Riff Raff,\u00a0Live Forever<\/em><\/strong>
<\/a>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.<\/p>\n
\n
<\/a>Hyper-talented, unrelentingly creative, deeply weird. Stash Wyslouch and Sean Trischka of Mattie & Debbie are two of a kind, and\u00a0Satan\u2019s Junction<\/em>\u00a0explores their shared musical interests: funky bluegrass, falsetto, shredding, protest songs, love songs, \u201cYankee Doodle.\u201d The album is like a roller coaster; sweet country-rock dance numbers build up steam before freefalling into decidedly heavier territory. Don\u2019t skip\u00a0Satan\u2019s Junction<\/em>. Hail Mattie & Debbie.<\/p>\n
\n
<\/a>Priddy\u2019s 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\u2019s soft, poetic voice stands up to dark emotional themes, pounding drums, and aural exploration.<\/p>\n
\n
<\/a>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, \u201cDospatsko Horo,\u201d finds Ivanovic reinvigorated, playing his guitars with equal measure of excitement and dexterity.<\/p>\n
\n
<\/a>Aycock\u2019s 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\u2019s Note: While new to us, this record was released in March 2025.<\/em>]<\/p>\n
\n
<\/a>Gonz\u00e1lez 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.<\/p>\n
\n
<\/a>Thanks to a 2024 photo assignment for\u00a0Acoustic Guitar<\/em><\/a><\/strong>, 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,\u00a0The Past Is Still Alive<\/em>, 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.<\/p>\n
\n
![\"music](\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d62788a8fb3719a625c95a649fc05b0d673d8921c9f2491f0a36cc588ee3c452?s=120&d=mm&r=g\" "\\"music\\"")