Hearing Voices Edition: Lucy Dacus, Melaena Cadiz, Dana Falconberry And Medicine Bow & Tiny Ruins & Hamish Kilgour
By Aaron Stein May 4, 2016 • 11:13 am PDT
Lucy Dacus: No Burden
Seems like a large number of fantastic female voices among my new discoveries this year and I can’t resist sharing some more of them. Lucy Dacus‘ singing on her debut LP, No Burden, reminds me a little of Erica Wennerstrom: lovely and unique with a bluesy bite. Coupled with lyrics filled with warmth and wit and an excellent crank-it-up, rocking vibe and you’ve got a serious something going. Lot of great music coming out of her home of Richmond, Virginia these days, I wouldn’t be surprised if Dacus catches a little fire once more people hear this album, so if you haven’t yet, be the one who knew first.
Melaena Cadiz: Sunfair
“Smoked a joint/fell asleep/in my chair at the symphony” — so starts Sunfair, the new album from Melaena Cadiz and one of my new musical obsessions. Yes, the voice, a hypnotic flower with natural color and grace and a light touch. The accompaniment is mostly acoustic guitar, a beautifully spidery playing that matches the singing perfectly with hints of other instruments as well. And finally the lyrics, that opening line just the first of so many poetic turns. Many listens later, I’ve only found more to love on Sunfair.
Dana Falconberry And Medicine Bow: From The Forest Came The Fire
Fitting right in with the theme, Dana Falconberry has a voice that both evokes past legends and modern day favorites with her own unique feel. Along with backing band Medicine Bow she goes big on her latest, From The Forest Came The Fire, with longer, patient tracks that bounce between traditional English folk, indie rock and orchestral pop, with most songs having room to move and breathe. The album has a natural beauty both in the songs’ subject matters and the earthy melodies, vocal harmonies and instrumentation combinations.
Tiny Ruins & Hamish Kilgour: Hurtling Through
Finally, if you’re digging these picks so far, I can wholeheartedly recommend Hurtling Through, the newest album from Tiny Ruins, which is Auckland’s Hollie Fullbrook. This album was a collaboration between Fullbrook and The Clean’s Hamish Kilgour recorded in New York City and featuring minimalistic accompaniment — acoustic and electric guitars, light percussion, a saxophone here or there — to Fullbrook’s beautiful singing. With some tracks just poems set to music and others more-or-less improvised, there is a real lovely, dreamy quality to the record. Each song brings a different feel, with some interesting surprises along the way, but through them all, it’s Fullbrook’s voice that is the centerpiece.
