Reviews

Turnstyled: Jim White vs. The Packway Handle Band, Emma Swift, Moonlight Ale and Derek Thomas & Skyline Drive

AthJimWhiteJim White vs. The Packway Handle Band
Take It Like A Man
Yep Roc Records

Southern gothic Athens, Ga. songwriter Jim White and the Packway Handle Band are set to release, Take It Like A Man, a raw and fun folk grass record. White describes the union of he and the band as “a synthesis between their zany bluegrass sound and my long-suffering, implosive-depressive novelist view of the south.” White adds that it fulfills his “conniving goal to become a happy bluegrass man.”

Yes, there are banjos, mandolin and fiddles, but there are also strange sounds, maybe a donkey and gang sing along harmonies. No loss for creative songwriting, this record weaves between Peter Rowan, CSNY, Leftover Salmon with the humor of John Prine. There is a close, dark and dusty feel, that puts you in the room, ready to pitch in during one of the choruses. With songs like “Corn Pone Refugee,” “Not A Song” and “Gravity Won’t Fail” there is a light-hearted tongue in cheek style the will leave you smiling.

Jimwhitevsphb.com | Facebook | Pre-Order | Stand out track: “Not A Song”

 

 

EmmaSwiftEmma Swift
Emma Swift

Soft dream-like songs dripping with pedal steel country and pop vocals, Emma Swift delivers a laid back vibey record that makes a nice soundtrack to your afternoon.

Hailing from Sydney, Australia Emma Swift traveled America from Nashville to Los Angeles, inspiring Emma to write and record her solo debut. Emma Swift features Bryan Owings (Buddy Miller, Emmylou Harris, Iris Dement, Patty Griffin) on drums, Russ Pahl (John Hiatt, The Secret Sisters, Elton John) on pedal steel, James Haggerty (The Autumn Defense, Ruby Boots) on bass.

Emmaswift.com.au | Facebook | Buy  |  Stand out track: “Bittersweet”

 

 

MoonlightAle-AstrayMoonlight Ale
Astray

Moonlight Ale is a Celtic-influenced band based out of Charleston, SC, releasing their new record Astray. With folk, bluegrass and punk elements, you’ll find yourself reaching for the nearest pint of Guinness before the second song.

With whispery vocals, full of tandem banjo and mandolin melodies, Astray has a singer-songwriter style with traditional underpinnings. The album has a live feel with multiple singers and low-fi production that places you on a stool at the dark end of the bar. “I’ve been working all day, and you can have my pay, I love a good stout in the afternoon, with the kindest of faces in the coolest of rooms, where the mumbles are melodies of a soothing tune, I love a good stout in the afternoon,” from the song “Stout in the Afternoon.”

If you are a fan of folkie Irish diddy’s without the “traditional structure,” with a contemporary feel Astray is for you.

Moonlight-ale.com | Facebook | Buy  |  Stand out track: “Stout in the Afternoon”

 

 

SkylineDerek Thomas & Skyline Drive
Beyond the Trestles

Derek Thomas & Skyline Drive release their sophomore record, Beyond the Trestles, following 2011’s Topanga Ranch Motel.

Thomas has been on our radar for years now with his own brand of California Americana and Beyond the Trestles doesn’t disappoint, it gets better with every listen. With a great line-up of musicians and mature soulful songwriting, Derek Thomas & Skyline Drive creates a beautiful, polished record that stands up to anything else we’ve heard this year.

Beyond the Trestles was recorded and mixed by both Malcolm Burn (Emmylou Harris, Bob Dylan) and multi-talented Chris Wonzer.

Skylinedrivemusic.com | Facebook | Stand out track: “Honey Whiskey”

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