Capsule reviews of new music that might be a lil under the radar. 

MV & EE – ROOT/VOID (WOODSIST)

Gram Parsons famously labelled his country music – rock ’n’ roll hybrid as “Cosmic American Music” and MV & EE take this concept further with the songs on this new album. Properly best described as a melange of country-rock and psychedelia, Root/Void avoid most of the pitfalls of the current crop of psych-rock revivalists by sounding nothing like the 1967 psychedelic bands. Instead there is enough twang in spaced-out tracks like “Much Obliged”, “Yr My Jam” and the rest of Root/Void to keep things restlessly strange. https://mvandee.blogspot.sg/

Buy now from iTunes. 

THE YEARNING – EVENING SOUVENIRS (ELEFANT RECORDS)

Gorgeous orchestral album strongly evoking 60s romantic pop is not something expected in 2016 but kudos to The Yearning viz. songwriter/producer Joe Moore, vocalist Maddie Dobie and guitarist Mark Kiff for this welcome surprise. This is sophisticated pop of the highest order and songs like “When I Lost You” and “Fall In Love With Me” will recall the splendour of The Divine Comedy, Camera Obscura, The High Llamas and that wondrous Bacharach-Costello collaboration of days past. Highly recommended. http://elefant.com/bands/the-yearning

Buy now from iTunes. 

RUE SNIDER – BROKEN WIND (SELF-RELEASED)

Solid singer-songwriter fare from Brooklyn’s Rue Snider with the right amounts of country-folk rock ’n’ roll that evokes equal parts of Willie Nelson and Neil Young – which is great company to keep! Broken Window was written in the midst of Snider’s transition from being a full time drinker to living as a sober person. And yes, that’s a country & western journey of redemption if we’ve ever heard one! Songs like “Blackout” and “Denial” sets out the premise well whereas by album’s end, “Stories” and “Dead Man’s Shoes” wraps things up with a positive resolution of sorts. http://www.musicbyrue.com/

Buy now from iTunes. 

… still there’s more …