BLOOMING THROUGH THE BLACK
Parsonsfield
Signature Sounds
Leverett has fewer than 2,000 residents, so it’s kind of a miracle that it has launched a young bluegrass folk band as well-toured and nationally recognized as Parsonsfield. Then again, the cute, quiet town has road names like Juggler Meadow, Rat Hollow, and Teawaddle Hill. How could you live in a place like that and not want to pick up a guitar — or a saw, a mandolin, or a pump organ — and start singing?
Parsonsfield plays all of those instruments and more, but it’s the raw soul and great harmonies pouring forth from these five guys that prompted The New York Times to call them “boisterously youthful yet deftly sentimental” in a 2013 review of their debut album Poor Old Shine.
Never ones to rest on their homegrown laurels, Parsonsfield released a new LP, Blooming Through The Black, on Sep. 9. It’s a beautifully layered album produced by Sam Kassirer (Josh Ritter, Lake Street Dive) that tugs at old notions of what a string band should be. These songs are delicate, thoughtful, and muscular all at once. On the opening track “Stronger,” which twinkles with joy, they wail: “I only wish you could see/ What I’ve become since you left me.” No worries, guys — we’re not going anywhere.
Parsonsfield plays the Iron Horse Music Hall in Northampton on Thursday Oct. 20 and Saturday Oct. 22 at 7 p.m. Follow the band at parsonsfield.com.
— Hunter Styles
JULIE CIRA EP
Julie Cira
Self-produced
Frontwoman Julie Cira and bandmates Nadia Elle Levin, Kathleen Mahoney, and Ruune stay true to their self-described style of “sometimes alt-country Americana, sometimes lo-fi indie rock” on their debut self-titled EP, released July 12. The Northampton-based band uses the three tracks on Julie Cira to show a master understanding of their craft, with dreamy guitar riffs paired with raw, ethereal vocals.
Their first track, “Time,” harkens back to instrumentals by alt and indie rock groups of the early 1990s, like The Sundays, mixed with sentimental vocals comparable to modern indie artists like Frankie Cosmos. The rest of the album is just as heartfelt, with lyrics that speak of loss and emotion. But amidst these lyrics, an overall sense of empowerment can be felt from the EP, with Cira’s vocals juxtaposing her lyrics, giving the listener the sense that there isn’t any hardship you can’t overcome.
Find upcoming Julie Cira show dates at facebook.com/cira.julie.
— Kyle Olsen
from your body, flowers shall grow
Old Red Dog
Self-produced
He wowed small crowds in the Valley as the lead singer of Red Panda, then released a solo album as Editor In Chief in 2014. Now Jake Reed is back and newly-renamed as Old Red Dog, and the album he released Oct. 10 is a scrappy, glittering treasure chest of Rubblebucket-y electropop confessionals, lo-fi space-out ballads, and operatic slow-burners in which Reed uses his candid but powerful vocals to backstroke across pools of reverb.
Songs like “Golden” and “Still Be Young” could play at a chill, all-night pool party co-hosted by Rufus Wainwright and The Weeknd. On “Beat Goes On,” Reed’s bitter-tinged tenor evokes the voice of Jake Shears so eerily, it might as well have floated up out of a Scissor Sisters B-side.
It’s a little bizarre, appealingly baroque, and pretty damn heartfelt. Reed calls this album his “personal diary from the last two years,” focused on honoring two young loved ones who passed away in 2014. from your body, flowers shall grow comes paired with a 28-page zine designed by Reed, which includes drawings, collages, photos, and stories from himself and other artists.
Find upcoming Old Red Dog show dates on Facebook, and download the album and zine for free at oldreddog.bandcamp.com.
— Hunter Styles
