Category: folk

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Plain Mister Smith Teams Up with Tyson Motsenbocker on Lush, Painterly “Lucian & Francis”

Vancouver-based Mark Jowett, the mastermind behind Plain Mister Smith is a Canadian indie scene veteran who has had stints in Moev and Cinderpop, as well as a stint playing cello with the Vancouver Philharmonic Orchestra. 

With Plain Mister Smith, the enigmatic Canadian artist draws influence from an eclectic range of artists including The Beatles, Bryce Dessner, Matt Maltese, Led Zeppelin, The Zombies and 20th-century classical composers like Prokofiev, who subtly influences his string-driven arrangements. The result is a sound that seamlessly blends elements of indie pop, baroque folk and psychedelia. 

The Vancouver-based artist’s new album is slated for release this month and will feature the previously released Forever So-era Husky-like “Dream To Be Free” feat. Jordan Klassen and its latest single “Lucian & Francis.” Released late last month, “Lucian & Francis” feat. Tyson Motsenbocker continues a run of lush and dream-like indie folk.

Inspired by the works of painters Lucian Freud and Francis Bacon, who frequently depicted raw, realistic portrayals of the human body, “Lucian and Francis” is fittingly, a rather painterly track with each sonic layer adding texture, shading and depth to the piece, much like how the painters, who inspired the song would do with color. Interestingly, the lush new single also manages to evoke the colors of early spring after the bleakness of a long winter.

Video by William Ruben Helms

Throwback: Happy 62nd Birthday, Tracy Chapman!

JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates Tracy Chapman’s 62nd birthday.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Saltmother Shares Dreamy, Hopeful “Masske”

Amanda Appel is a Danish singer/songwriter, best known for being a member of the Danish Music Award-nominated vocal outfit ilinx. Since their formation back in 2020, iinx has been at the forefront of the Danish experimental scene, playing sets at Roskilde Festival, midsummer bonfire ceremonies, fashion shows during Copenhagen Fashion Week and niche classical music festivals across the country.

Appel is also the creative mastermind behind the solo recording project Saltmother. Appel’s Saltmother debut, 2022’s Heavy in Baby Blue EP was an adventurous batch of electronic music with songs that thematically touched on being young and in love, living in rental apartments and taking hormonal contraception.

The Danish artist’s forthcoming Saltmother debut album reportedly marks a shift towards a much darker, more organic sound, anchored around intimacy and filled with captivating and deeply human imperfections.

The album’s first single “Maaske” is a weird yet gorgeous song that features a seamless blend of doom metal, stoner rock, folk and choral music, complete with some stunning harmonies. The song is anchored around a universal sentiment: that the darkness of our moment — or of any moment, really — isn’t forever; that we can overcome darkness by the comfort of being and singing together; and that brighter days are just ahead.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Alex Amen Shares Breezy “Cabin by the Sea”

Alex Amen is a rising, 26 year-old Texas-born, Los Angeles-based indie folk/country singer/songwriter. When he was 18, Amen relocated from Texas to California to study filmmaking. After one semester, he dropped out and moved onto the Dittman Family Commune, a commune with historic ties to the countercultural movements of the mid 1960s. While on the commute, he formed his first band in 2017. The band broke up shortly after, resulting in his relocating from Southern California to an island in Washington State’s Puget Sound.

Over the course of the next three years, Amen spent in relative isolation, taking up interests in mycology, mountaineering, poetry and wooden boat building. But as the years began to pass, he felt an increasing need to return to California to pursue music.

In January 2023, the Texan-born artist began self-production his debut EP, last year’s The Zorthian Tapes in a self-built studio at Altadena, CA’s historic Zorthian Ranch. He now resides in Los Angeles, releasing music among the city’s growing folk/Americana/country scene and playing shows across North America and elsewhere.

Just in the past year, he has toured with Folk Bitch Trio, a tour that included a stop at Baby’s All Right. He has also made the rounds of the international festival circuit, playing Pitchfork Festival London and Pitchfork Festival Paris, Newport Folk Festival, Iceland Airwaves, Austin City Limits and Outside Lands. And he participated in the Americana Music Association‘s annual Grammy Eve concert at the Troubadour to honor the legendary Neil Young.

The rising young singer/songwriter recently signed to ATO Records, who will be releasing his highly-anticipated debut album late this spring. He also announced that he signed to Rick Rubin’s American Songs/PULSE Music Publishing. Adding to a what may be a breakthrough year, he has a busy touring schedule that incudes a just started, month-long NYC residency across three boroughs, performances at Willie Nelson’s Luck Reunion at SXSW, Analog Reunion Festival and Green River Festival. (As always, tour dates below.)

In the meantime, “Cabin by the Sea,” his debut album’s first single is informed by his proclivity for nature and his time spent at the Dittman Family Commune and the Puget Sound. Featuring some gorgeous and expressive pedal steel from Tommy de Bourbon, strutting bass from Grammy-nominated Billy Mohler, Amen’s deftly plucked guitar, accompanied by his easy-going John Denver-like yet subtly Texan drawl singing lyrics describing a simple yet beautiful scene — a bluebird that he sees flying near his cabin. And naturally, he envies the birds ease, simplicity and freedom.

The result is a song that sounds a bit like a mix of classic Nashville-era country and Laurel Canyon-era folk while showcasing a songwriter that pairs poetry and songcraft with a breezy ease.

Video by William Ruben Helms

Throwback: Happy 78th Birthday, James Taylor!

JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates James Taylor’s 78th birthday.

singer/songwriters by William Ruben Helms

Throwback: Happy 99th Birthday, Harry Belafonte!

JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates the 99th anniversary of the birth of Harry Belafonte.

Video by William Ruben Helms

Throwback: Black History Month: Tracy Chapman!

JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates Black History Month and pays tribute to Tracy Chapman.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Plain Mister Smith Teams Up with Jordan Klassen on Lush and Shimmering “Dream To Be Free”

Vancouver-based Mark Jowett, the mastermind behind Plain Mister Smith is a Canadian indie scene veteran who has had stints in Moev and Cinderpop, as well as a stint playing cello with the Vancouver Philharmonic Orchestra.

With Plain Mister Smith, the enigmatic Canadian artist draws influence from an eclectic range of artists including The Beatles, Bryce Dessner, Matt Maltese, Led Zeppelin, The Zombies and 20th-century classical composers like Prokofiev, who subtly influences his string-driven arrangements. The result is a sound that seamlessly blends elements of indie pop, baroque folk and psychedelia.

The Vancouver-based artist’s new album is slated for an April release. “Dream To Be Free” feat. Jordan Klassen is a lush, gorgeous tune featuring twinkling keys, strummed guitar and the pair’s remarkably sonorous harmonies. While sonically reminding me a bit of Forever So-era Husky, the track as the Canadian artist explains is a reflection on a trip to Kyoto that took place during Daimonji, a festival where locals light giant bonfires to guide spirits back home.

Video by William Ruben Helms

Throwback: Happy 84th Birthday, Graham Nash!

JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates the legendary Graham Nash’s 84h birthday.

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Tom Woodward Shares BruIsing Neil Young-like “Phoney Messiah”

Over the course of the past two decades, Aussie singer/songwriter Tom Woodward has crafted a unique brand of baroque folk-rock, cosmic country psychedelia and fuzzed out lo-fi jams through the release of 11 albums and 10 EPs.

During that same period, Woodward has lived a deeply fascinating life, writing songs that document his thoughts and experiences: He cut his teeth and honed his craft in the Canberra and Melbourne music and arts scene in the mid-2000s before touring across Australia, Japan and the States.

2015’s Beautiful Shadows received critical acclaim from international media outlets including For Folk’s Sakes and The Huffington Post, and earned him a Canberra Critics Circle Award. Adding to a growing national and international platform, Woodward has played sets at the National Folk Festival and The Multicultural Fringe Festival, as well as opening slots for Abbe May, The Drones, Mikelangelo & the Black Sea Gentleman, Cash Savage & the Last Drinks, Machine Translations, Steve Poltz and a lengthy list of others.

Back in 2023, Woodward put down his guitar and embarked on a two-month walk up Australia’s east coast, which ended with a hospital stay and a hard-earned respect for the fragility of life. 18 months later, he got deported as an illegal alien from the USA.

Woodward’s 11th album, the recently released Adam Casey-produced Come Come Karma features the previously released “Termination Day” and “If You Wanna Stay Alive,” “Sails In Your Heart,” and the album’s latest single “Phoney Messiah.”

“Phoney Messiah,” is bruising song that seemingly channels Crazy Horse-era Neil Young, anchored a swirling haze of fuzzy power chords and Woodward’s urgent, incantatory delivery as his song’s narrator guides the listener through a world of conmen, carnival barkers, gurus, strongmen and internet demagogues prey on our hunger for meaning and her need for easy answers to deeply complex solutions.

The accompanying video is an uneasy, reeling fever dream featuring a collage of our current hellscape, presented as entertainment and clickbait, which further emphasizes the song’s critique’s of false prophets in the digital age.

singer/songwriters by William Ruben Helms

Throwback: Happy 81st Birthday, Stephen Stills!

JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates the legendary Stephen Stills’ 81st birthday.

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Aure Shares Meditative “L’orage”

Music has always been a vital form of expression for Paris-based Aure, who found her path as a professional musician after a career in architecture. The Paris-based artist specializes in a minimalist, stripped back folk sound inspired by the likes of Sibylle Baier, Jessica Pratt and Nico with multilingual lyrics.

Her debut EP, 2023’s a few notes was released to praise from Télérama, France Inter, RFI, Les inRocks, and more. She supported the album with touring across Europe, opening for Andy Shauf and Tom McRae.

Building upon a growing profile, Aure’s full-length debut, printemps is slated for a March 20, 2026 release through Belgian label MayWay Records. Informed by the poetic minimalism of artists like Atahulpa Yupanqui, Facundo Cabral, Lhasa, Jessica Pratt and Nico, the album sees the French artist drawing from a wide range of musical influences and languages, while allowing them to intertwine as different facets of her own identity. The album’s songs unfold in a visual world informed by the photography of Graciela Iturbidem and Katrien De Blower and Wim Wenders’ Wings of Desire.

Thematically, printemps is an album of thresholds, written in that liminal, in-between space where one chapter has just ended and another one is about to begin. And as a result, the album thematically evokes new beginnings, shifting bearings, turbulent crossings towards safer harbors.

printemps‘ third and latest single “L’orange,” which features arrangements by Aure and her collaborator Corentin Oliver is a meditative song built around a gorgeous arrangement of plucked and twinkling guitar and gently padded drumming serving as a lush bed for the Parisian artist’s hauntingly ethereal yet yearning delivery in French and English. Sonically, the track subtly recalls a synthesis of the psych folk of Nick Drake and of contemporaries like French-born, Montréal-based artist Lonny, evoking an impressionistic painting.

“Two people are looking for shelter, and the storm is still close. This song evokes a flight and tries to capture the fleeting moment of a break in the clouds – uncertain how long it will last, yet filled with a particular kind of grace. English and French answer each other throughout, leaving us unsure whether we’re hearing two voices or just one, inviting the other to join in their escape,” the French singer/songwriter explains.

The accompanying visualizer features the French singer/songwriter flying a kite on the beach, split in a way to look like a collage.