Darlingside

The Jayhawks are back with a stunning new album. It’s their first in five years, and one of their finest achievements in a long, acclaimed career. Praise for Paging Mr. Proust is plentiful.

“From the opening notes of “Quiet Notes & Empty Spaces,” it quickly becomes clear that Paging Mr. Proust will be something special. Gary Louris’ delicate tenor floats atop beds of lush harmonies through the song’s unforgettable melody and chorus, and it’s only the beginning. Proust is the Jayhawks’ ninth album since coming together in Minneapolis in 1985….Louris and the band’s late 1990s lineup play like they never parted, with scintillating results.” – Sam Gnerre, Daily Breeze

When you hear Jessie Baylin sing for the first time, it takes a matter of moments to realize that she’s intimately familiar with pop’s history – but not at all interested in repeating it. Her songs – and her plangent voice – carry a classic pop tone that evoke memories of the Brill Building and Laurel Canyon in the ‘70s while retaining a decidedly modern, empowered worldview. Baylin’s ability to listen is palpable throughout Little Spark, in her mellifluous phrasing, the gentle twang that’s crept into her voice in recent years. But even more tangible is her ability to feel – and make her listeners feel. Listen to a song like “Joy Is Suspicious” – a starkly vulnerable self-assessment about learning to love against some pretty strong odds – and try to remain unmoved.

The Milk Carton Kids, a harmonizing, minimalist duo, use two guitars and two voices to create a new combination of back-porch Americana and classic folk. Relying on compelling narrative, the seamless interplay between their 1950’s acoustics, well-constructed harmony lines which play more like counterpoint melodies, and their natural stage chemistry, TMCK have drawn in and excited sold out crowds across North America since their formation in early 2011.