Astral folk artist Pantaleimon’s latest release is a dreamy minimalist ambient soundscape that is as soothing as it is enchanting. Pantaleimon is English artist and musician, Andria Degens, of whom graced the first two decades of this century with some of the most gorgeously ethereal records this side of TwinSisterMoon. After a lengthy pause between ..read more

Joseph Allred’s upcoming record on Centripetal Force, New Jerusalem, is perhaps the most fully evolved form of their sound. The string instruments, whirring harmoniums and choruses of overdubbed vocals you’ve heard on their previous records all sing out together as a grand kaleidoscopic orchestra of intertwining sounds. Available now for preorder on vinyl and digital ahead of its October 27th release date, this album plays out like a William Blake spiritual vision, complete with hallucinatory soundscapes and dreamlike lyrics that deal with the religious and the philosophical. This is especiall ..read more

Veteran Swedish psych-rocker, Jens Unosson, gets deeply introspective on this earthy acid folk burner. Available through High on the Pygtrack Records, Be As Good To Others As They Are Not To You is an intensely personal dirge full of grief and an undying need for peace of mind. You can feel the years of struggle, pain and disappointment shaking within Unosson’s tired vocals. Yet you can also hear rays of hope in some of these songs, showing that the psychedelic legend might have begun turning a corner with some traumatic moments, like the loss of his father. Musically, the album utilizes acou ..read more

Armed with banjos and an entire esoteric folk crew, Blake Hornsby studies and draws connections between classic entries in the Appalachian and the UK folk canon. Hornsby, an Asheville, NC based artist, is known for blending psychedelia into solo guitar music (or what has been branded as “American primitive guitar music”). While the main focus on this record is the history of traditional songs and tunes from Appalachian, Celtic and English cultures and how they relate, he still approaches the music with a heady and expanded mind, and even adds some mind-altering effects to a handful of tracks ..read more

For Record Store Day’s “Drop 2” this Saturday, keep an eye out for the first ever vinyl issue of Hurried Life: Lost Recordings, 1965-1971, by astral folk cult favorite, Ruthann Friedman. Originally released in 2006 on CD and finally pressed onto black plastic this year by Tompkins Square Records, Hurried Life features 15 demos, home recordings and other previously unreleased songs by this gifted songwriter. Among these very fine tracks, you’ll find the original version of her hit, “Windy” (yes, the “Windy” made famous by The Association). Friedman made a name for herself as a skilled folk sing ..read more

With the atmosphere of a pagan folk tale and a Victorian ghost story, Widow’s Weeds’ debut is a bewitching affair that perfectly marries dark dream pop with chamber music and gothic electro experimentation. Widow’s Weeds is a collaboration of The Hare and The Moon’s Grey Malkin, darkwave practitioners Daughters of Grief and Hidden Velvet, along with some additional help from Alan Davidson, of whom you may know of as Kitchen Cynics. Their first of hopefully many albums is dense with multiple layers of darkly ethereal drones, which part to reveal chilling poetic recitations and spectral vocals t ..read more

Reticence (A.K.A. Aaron Riverwood) has returned with an album that continues to prove that some of today’s best cosmic guitar music is coming out of New England. Based in Massachusetts, Riverwood channels the glistening stars, flowing rivers and ancient northern forests through his emotive guitar playing. His music never ceases to move and transport the listener, especially here and on 2019’s River Moves Through Snow, which was a favorite of mine that year. The real beauty of This Time Might be The Golden One at Last, is that it allows you to experience the entire spectrum of Riverwood’s soun ..read more

The great people at Null Zone have a couple of exciting new releases that benefit for a very good cause. All proceeds from the pre-orders of Emptied Spaces by Rootless and 3rd Ear Incantations by Prana Crafter will go to the Garrie Vereen Memorial Emergency Relief Fund, which is organized and run by Nuçi’s Space in Athens, GA. The fund provides much-needed emergency support for musicians and artists in the Athens area affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. In case you need more convincing to purchase these albums, let’s explore them a bit, shall we? Rootless – Emptied Spaces ..read more

While we all may be stuck at home, great music continues to pour in through our mailboxes and computers. Here are some more of the best sounds that have reached our ears this month… The Prefab Messiahs – “21st Century Failure” Always with their finger on the pulse of society’s ills, The Prefab Messiahs have returned with the timely anthem, “21st Century Failure.” With crunching guitar and biting humor, The Prefabs tackle in this one song everything from the lack of action against global warming, to the dehumanization of smart phone technology and even the current COVID pandemic. Of course, th ..read more

Winter may not be over quite yet, but Brighton, England’s psychedelic reengages, Wax Machine, are bringing the heat with their new single, “Birdsong.” In the band’s own words, “Birdsong channels the divine energy of the sun. That which inspires flowers to bloom and birds to sing.” Bask in the rays of an early spring and check out this killer sitar-kissed track below: If you dig the jazzy psych-folk pop, It’s a Beautiful Day-meets-Ultimate Spinach kinda vibe of this track, be sure to pre-order the record before you miss out! If you’re reading this in the UK/Europe, check out Wax Machine at an ..read more