Its hard to believe we are already halfway through another year…a difficult one for many to digest, but we still got the music. I won’t mince words on an introduction. Below is a list. The list of records released in the first half of 2018 that completely blew my mind, rocked my soul or forced me to tears. Beautiful, badass, rock, folk, lyrics or instrumentation…of all of that. Here you go. In no particular order…

Caitlin Canty “Motel Bouquet”  – Perhaps its the Vermont connection, more likely its just the fact that the songs are brilliant and Canty beholds (in my opinion) the best voice of any songwriter out there today, but this record, it just had that something. The comforting feeling of your favorite vintage washed denim that you can cozy up into. Familiar but they have seen a thing or two. These are stories from the road, from a budget motel room, from a seemingly never ending dusty dirt road. Landscapes, characters, feelings all seep out from the notes of the songs and are powerful absorbed by the listener. The visuals that Caitlin can paint with her words and instrument arrangements, its just pure beauty.

 

 Sarah Shook and the Disarmers “Years” – It’s hard to find the right words of what this record does to me. There is so much passion and energy hammered into these songs and I revisit it almost daily. When people talk about rock n’ roll, about rockstars, about artists…all of those things are Sarah Shook. Each word delivered with a carefully sharpened tongue that, while it cuts deep, lends itself a certainly honesty, vulnerability and self awareness that is incredibly refreshing. Taken on its sonic being alone, this record simply rocks your fucking soul, but when you dive deeper into the words, the emotion and the occasional self deprecation and realness, well thats where you find the rawness and heart of Shook’s music. 

 

 Jeffrey Foucault “Blood Brothers” – There is something timeless about Jeffrey Foucault’s songs. They could easily exist 50 years ago or even in the future. His songwriting lends truth to the fact that a great song can stand the test of time and will. Where Salt as Wolves left off, Blood Brothers leaves the blues behind a bit. Sure, there are hues of it here and there, but with songs like ‘Cheap Suit’, the brilliance of Jeff’s writing are on full display. A slow picked acoustic and his sometimes gristled voice are center stage. Its those sparse moments of clarity and sincerity that we are most thankful for in listening to his songs.

 

 Bobby Britt “Alaya” – Being around the block for so many years, its hard to believe this was Britt’s first solo effort. Also, being how well it turned out makes it hard to believe. Tapping into some heavy hitting friends along the way, it never falters from feeling like the artist’s own work. An inspiring collection of songs that elevate an incredible musicians arrangements. Britt steps into the spotlight on “Alaya” and outshines it without so much as flinching.

 

 Hayley Sabella “Forgive the Birds” – Just as important as how a record sounds is the content of the lyrics. A great hook is just a cluster of words if it doesn’t elicit something inside of you. Hayley Sabella’s latest record was all that and more. In listening I was just as eager to print the words to the songs out and read them like poetry as I was to hear her sing them. At times almost conversational, you felt like one of the characters in her songs listening in on what was playing out in front of you. There is a captivating sense in that way of writing and performing songs. A respect for language and the use of words as a conduit for your emotion. If you listen, really listen, it is obvious how much respect Sabella has for that and how hard she strives to put that into her art.

 

 Clever Girls “Luck” – I fell in fucking love. There was something so new, yet so nostalgic, about Burlington’s Clever Girls new album. The garage rock and grunge I grew up on mixed with dreamy indie rock goodness. Singer Diane Jean’s voice goes right threw me. Rock riffs that get you moving, words that keep you feeling. There is something melodic in their songs but overdriven tones and raw emotion strip away at your heart. They aren’t pulling your heart strings, they are tearing them clean away from that most vital organ and leaving you begging for more.

 

 Sam Moss “Neon” – There is something to say about being understated in a way. Sam Moss’s musicianship is something to never be questioned, but yet he beholds an effortless quality to his playing. As notes cascade elegantly, but swiftly from his finger tips you can’t help but be caught up in a magical feeling. “Neon” took Moss’s strongest points as an artist and ran them through faint reverb tanks, added some drums and captured the brilliance of his performances gorgeously. With an acoustic guitar and a voice he is compelling, but the arrangements contained within this album propelled these songs to new heights.

 

 Wise Old Moon “Factory Town” – The ability to take your surroundings and portray them in song in a way that allows a person to visualize that atmosphere in their own mind’s eye, without ever actually seeing that place, well thats a true gift. It is also just what Connecticut’s Wise Old Moon managed to do with their EP ‘Factory Town’. The band didn’t so much shed an identity as take bits and pieces of each iteration of the band that came before the current line up and created and honest collection of tunes that reflected exactly where they are today. Both in terms of influence and inspiration and their physical place in the city of Hartford. 

 

 Gentle Temper “Sleep it Off: Live EP” – The duo may be in the process of funding a new record, but their live EP had so much honestly and sparse heart that it sold me on their collective voice from the first conjoined harmony. Releasing it as a video documentation of the process, even more mesmerizing and absorbs you into the experience that went into crafting and molding the songs on the project. A glimpse into a band just getting their footing, but will surely be scaling the peaks of the local community in the coming months as we see and hear much, much more from them.