Sally Anne Morgan – Second Circle the Horizon (Thrill Jockey)
North Carolina multi-instrumentalist Sally Anne Morgan embraces improvisation on Second Circle the Horizon, moving further from indie-folk toward the “weirder, looser” textures of her 2021 album Cups. Inspired by her second pregnancy and the natural world, this instrumental collection balances rustic simplicity with experimental flourishes.
Unlike her previous solo work, Morgan enlists guests like Animal Collective’s Brian Weitz (hurdy-gurdy) and Joseph Dejarnette. The results range from the jolly banjo of Flowers of Shandihar to the elegiac, Irish-air influence of I Saw a Heron. Blending Appalachian tradition with organic strangeness—cascading sounds and stark piano notes—Morgan crafts an enigmatic celebration of life and nature. It stands as her most cohesive and accomplished album to date.
Oren Ambarchi, Johan Berthling and Andreas Werliin – Ghosted III (Drag City)
Oren Ambarchi, Johan Berthling, and Andreas Werliin return with Ghosted III, an album that finds the trio sounding less like distinct musicians and more like a cohesive, “nebulous and magical entity.” Building on the momentum of Ghosted II, this third instalment is looser, more alive, and even spicier than its predecessors, pushing their unique blend of krautrock, jazz, and ambient into new, expansive dimensions.
The tracks, titled in Farsi, range from the sinuous, North African-tinged funk of Yek to the woozy, expressionistic abstraction of Do. The trio’s chemistry is palpable, balancing repetition and free expression until the post-rock exaltation of the closer, Shesh. Ghosted III is the sound of a band with the confidence to explore the unknown while remaining accessible and eminently listenable.
Constant Follower – The Smile You Send Out Returns To You (Last Night From Glasgow)
Stirling-based songwriter Stephen McAll, aka Constant Follower, channels personal trauma and recovery into The Smile You Send Out Returns To You, a moving collection that finds hope amidst grief. Influenced by the poetry of Norman MacCaig and the Scottish landscape, McAll crafts a sound defined by restraint and “heartbroken optimism.”
Produced by Dan Duszinski, the album features a luxurious, layered aesthetic reminiscent of Low’s slowcore. McAll’s deep, resonant vocals float over clear guitars and meditative textures, particularly on the sobriety anthem Whole Be and the Gene Clark-esque Patient Has Own Supply. Whether exploring the isolation of mental health on All Is Well or the exultant hope of closer It’s Only Silence, this is a record of unmatched emotional depth—a mature, nurtured masterpiece twenty years in the making.
Dean Johnson – I Hope We Can Still Be Friends (Saddle Creek)
Dean Johnson’s I Hope We Can Still Be Friends arrives with the weight of history behind it. Released at fifty, this sophomore effort collects songs dating back to 2004, showcasing a “lonesome tenor” who masters the art of contrast. Produced by Sera Cahoone, the album features gentle acoustic arrangements that belie the sharp, often biting lyrical content within.
Johnson navigates vulnerability and cynicism with equal grace. On Before You Hit The Ground, he openly struggles with the elusive nature of optimism, while Death of the Party delivers a scathing takedown wrapped in soft musical packaging. Whether exploring unbearable heartbreak on So Much Better or offering self-deprecating wit, Johnson’s vocals make even the thorniest sentiments go down smoothly. It is a collection to be savoured—tender, biting, and quietly powerful.
Eli Winter – A Trick of the Light (Three Lobed Recordings)
Chicago-based guitarist Eli Winter fully embraces the role of bandleader on his third album, A Trick of the Light. Moving beyond the acoustic intimacy of his earlier work, Winter commands a powerful ensemble featuring Sam Wagster (pedal steel), Tyler Damon (drums), and Andrew Scott Young (bass). The album opens with an intense, eighteen-minute electric workout of Don Cherry’s Arabian Nightingale, a masterpiece of ebb and flow where “demented electric guitar muscle” duels with Gerrit Hatcher’s tenor sax.
Winter proves equally adept at interpretation on a shimmering cover of Carla Bley’s Ida Lupino, while original tracks like the distorted, violin-laced title track (featuring David Grubbs and Luke Sutherland) explode with confident intensity. Sharp, vital, and “pretty damn thrilling,” A Trick of the Light captures an artist and his band firing on all cylinders.
Merlyn Driver – It Was Also Sometimes Daylight (Self Released)
Raised on an isolated Orkney smallholding, Merlyn Driver channels a deep connection to the natural world on his full-length debut, It Was Also Sometimes Daylight. Following his acclaimed Simmerdim project, Driver blends sensitive, nature-rooted songwriting with a unique “buzz aesthetic” derived from his research into African music.
Mixed by Andy Bell, the album is a masterclass in atmospheric warmth, moving seamlessly from the haunting curlew calls of Simmerdim ii to the South American frog chorus of Cururu. Whether evoking a less bluesy John Martyn on the homesick Onto Something or exploring the drone of Manndalselva, Driver proves himself a vital free thinker. It Was Also Sometimes Daylight is a raw, poetic, and beautifully experimental celebration of the environment.
Hayden Pedigo – I’ll be Waving as You Drive Away (Mexican Summer)
Hayden Pedigo concludes his “Motor Trilogy” with I’ll be Waving as You Drive Away, a record he describes as a “microdose psychedelic album.” The Texan innovator and former city council candidate delivers a set of instrumental acoustic guitar music that thrives on subtlety, challenging genre norms with tiny flourishes and meticulous detail.
Like contemporaries William Tyler and Daniel Bachman, Pedigo expands the vocabulary of the acoustic guitar. Tracks like Houndstooth shroud pretty, multi-tempoed fingerpicking in soft, dynamic strings, while the five-minute standout Smoked layers crisp playing with choral samples and electronic textures. Clocking in at a modest thirty-one minutes, this is a sharp, elegant, and subtly dynamic record that proves Pedigo is a master of understatement.
Joseph Allred – Old Time Fantasias (Scissor Tail Records)
Joseph Allred’s Old Time Fantasias lives up to its title, balancing “dreamlike freeform experimentalism” with folksy fingerpicked twang. A departure from their usual solo output, this “densely orchestrated” album enlists pianist Hans Chew and a host of collaborators to create a soundscape featuring banjo, strings, and trombone.
The result is a widescreen journey through American musical terrain. Opener The Groundhog blends Appalachia with New Orleans jazz, while the filmic Rope Swing on the River Styx evokes the atmosphere of a Jim Jarmusch soundtrack. From the dream-pop wooziness of Moon Dance to the propulsive closer Daji, Allred traverses genres with visionary ease. Old Time Fantasias is a rich, improvisatory tapestry where the musical tropes of the past melt into a timeless, ever-changing world of American pastoralia.
Joan Shelley – Real Warmth (No Quarter)
Joan Shelley’s latest album, Real Warmth, lives up to its title with a sound that is urgent, loose, and visibly human. Moving away from the gleaming perfection of previous releases, Shelley retreated to a remote Toronto studio in the depths of winter to capture a raw, collaborative energy with a close-knit group of musicians, including Nathan Salsburg and Doug Paisley.
The album navigates three distinct interpretations of warmth: the necessity of human connection, the universal heartbeat threatened by division, and the literal warming of our planet. Tracks like the aching New Anthem and the defiant, instrumental-heavy Wooden Boat serve as a “cocktail for resilience” in hostile times. Grounded, focused, and beautifully imperfect, Real Warmth might just be the finest offering of Shelley’s esteemed career.
Lucrecia Dalt – A Danger to Ourselves (RVNG Intl.)
Lucrecia Dalt dials back the high-concept sci-fi of her previous work for A Danger to Ourselves, a deeply personal cycle exploring the physical longing and emotional depths of new love. Produced alongside David Sylvian—who lends his oaky spoken-word to the crisp opener cosa rara—the album balances propulsive, springy bass lines with intimate, often claustrophobic production.
Collaborations abound, with Juana Molina adding a sinister bounce to the common reader and Camille Mandoki fueling the vertiginous dream pop of caes. Whether channelling the smoky jazz of divina or the “twilight-hued trip-hop” of hasta el final, Dalt’s vision remains singular and weird. It is a record of unfathomable musical and emotional depth, where desire springs like a liquid flame—detailed, unexpected, and completely commanding.