John - I’ve been going down lots of Americana rabbit holes lately and the rewards are aplenty. A young woman who has captured my ear is Anna Tivel. She will be at Eddie’s Attic later this month and I highly recommend her show. She is widely considered to be one of, if not the best songwriter of her generation. Her 2025 album, Animal Poem is full of stunning lyrics that are loaded with existentialist thought and insight. She has been writing and recording for over a decade and her oeuvre is filled with jewels. Take a listen to Dark Chandelier from her 2017 album, Small Believer. 

Chris - Karnivool - In Verses - It’s been 14 years since this Australian prog outfit’s last record and they’ve delivered in spades. I’ve long joked that Karnivool is the band that makes me question why I still make music because they already make what I wish I could think of! This newest record continues to offer what I’ve grown to expect from the band in that I have absolutely no idea what to expect from them. Complex rhythms and song structures, guitars that bounce from textural to crushing, and vocals that maneuver those complexities with hooks that make it all sound so simple.  

Mike - Ebo Taylor - My Love and Music - In 1976, Ghana artist Ebo Taylor issued this outstanding collection.  A debut record that boasts more soul, groove, and heart than most artists' entire catalogue could ever hope to.  Every song is terrific, every moment matters.  In my mind there is not a wasted second on this album.  Though its original release was limited to a purported 500 copies (in the musical vacuum the dictatorial government had imposed), mercifully, it was re-released in 2016, or else this all time classic could well have faded into the inky void of time.  In dour times, an LP like this may as well be honey for the soul.