Sturgill Simpson - The Ballad Of Dood & Juanita

The alt-country outlaw returns for his seventh release, a concept album short and sweet. The Ballad Of Dood & Juanita plays like a novella, a complete and wholesome story from cover to cover. Musically simple, yet complex in its storytelling and quite soulful. Delving into the roots of country music and Americana, this album evokes artists such as Hank 1, Johnny Horton, or Patsy Cline. This 27-minute piece also guest stars fellow outlaw Willie Nelson and contains the sweetest song a man could write about his dog friend.

Low - HEY WHAT

The 13th full-length album from the “Slowcore” duo is perhaps the most interesting thing I’ve laid ears on this decade. HEY WHAT is very, very special, something that seems beyond comprehension without an adequate study. Immediately this album has such great use of distortion; it straddles the line between beauty and wretchedness. It feels reflective, like a corrupted image of the sunset, just before the Instagram filter. Layers of distorted texture, synthesizer, guitar, and haunting vocals are the only ingredients. The words that come to mind are: horribly beautiful, Tastefully destructive, Wonderfully heartbreaking. Disclaimer for listeners: your speakers are not broken, your tubes are not blown, and the CD isn’t skipping; the sound you are hearing is a duo asserting more control over the soundscape than most artists dare to do. It might be my favorite.