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Talkhouse

It’s hard to survive in the music business, but Peter Bjorn and John have done that and then some. The Swedish indie-pop trio have been triumphing via their pitch-perfect alchemy of varying sounds and styles for two decades now, and their ninth album Endless Dream is proof of the unique creative chemistry that Peter Morén, Bjorn Yttling, and John Eriksson have successfully worked with for so long. Every PB&amp;J album sounds liked falling in love with music for the first time, and the deceptively light confections contained on Endless Dream continue with the trio’s latest romance, the Endless Play EP.
(Photo Credit: Johan Bergmark)

Peter Bjorn and John

Music

Three Great Things: Peter Bjorn and John

Kate Teague claims she’s not a poet. “I’m just trying to be as real as possible,” Teague says from Oxford, Mississippi. When you’re making a name for yourself writing and performing songs in William Faulkner’s hometown, it may be a healthy distinction. It’s also not entirely true. Teague does draw from her own life and from those close to her. She mines lived experience ranging from heartbreak to misread body language to misogyny for honest, concise reflection. At 27, to quote another Southern writer, she’s made of wise blood. It runs through all these songs. “My songs are like journal entries,” Teague says of the six tracks that make up her debut self-titled EP, which was recorded at Memphis’ Delta Sonic by veteran producer Clay Jones. “And I rarely filter myself.” But, tethered to silky melodies, those sharply observed, plainspoken verses belie the daydream cadences, the lush arrangements, and Teague’s clear, graceful voice in ways that do verge on the poetic.

Kate Teague

The Way Forward: Kate Teague

Joe Wong is the Los Angeles-based, Milwaukee-raised multi-instrumentalist, podcast host (<a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001wOexcE0IwUcYN0KxCmMu-kihr8RGS3Rr7hGb5xp1kdYpuD1DGWWuMypjMNud656dJjt_qeb7dTowW7N8pidjT9sgfaOVyl5kpZtwW0bBhwMzllBqC-TmHLc2nFM1k-WfmTj5XVOzeHe8Zx4dY0yd7Q==&amp;c=8qr-kN6Sx7tG9tBlUQzHv2TFXQZ5wT8Pn5FjsFLDCuQeVvC18k9dgA==&amp;ch=D8HOLN4DWuMO7JkTaIyv4jDuWu2R2NZ4anq7AOfKL72PH6lShIF1cQ==" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Trap Set</a>) and composer behind buzzworthy shows including Master of None, Russian Doll, Ugly Delicious and Awkwafina is Nora From Queens more. He recently released his Mary Timony (Ex Hex, Helium)-produced debut album Nite Creatures via Decca Records. The album includes an incredible array of guest musicians, including Mary Lattimore, Steven Drozd, Craig Wedren, and more.
(Photo Credit: Priscilla C. Scott)

Joe Wong

Three Great Things: Joe Wong

Grammy-winning artist and producer Knox Fortune has released his highly anticipated sophomore album Stock Child Wonder via Nice Work. The 11-track project features support from indie mainstays from his hometown of Chicago, including Lala Lala, Will Miller of Whitney and Resavoir, Lane Beckstrom of Resavoir, Colin Croom and Jack Dolan of Twin Peaks, Macie Stewart of Ohmme, and Elliot Skinner formerly of Third Story along with Grammy-winning producers Nate Fox and Pomo and Grammy-nominated producers Carter Lang and Pete &#8216;Scum&#8217; Nebula.  The album is a follow up to Knox Fortune&#8217;s highly lauded debut LP Paradise in which he introduced his breezy, addictive sound.

Knox Fortune

Three Great Things: Knox Fortune on Tetris, Sticky Rice, and Biking

Rich Jones is a prolific Chicago artist, community figure, and veteran of the cultural scene. Known for his versatile and evolving style, his latest album How do you sleep at night? finds him returning to his hip-hop roots as he tackles class complacency and complicity under American authoritarianism and the value of human life vs. what’s profitable.
(Photo Credit: Katie Levine)

Rich Jones

Three Great Things: Rich Jones

Roosevelt is always looking for that special moment. The producer – Marius Lauber – utilizes outstanding electronics, matching club tropes to pangs of melancholy, all wrapped up in gorgeous melodies. Inventive early singles such as “Montreal” led to the outstanding debut album Roosevelt and the bold, addictive follow-up Young Romance, but increased success seemed to take him away from his core desires, from his musical roots. Polydans, his forthcoming album via City Slang / Greco-Roman) has the energy of a club experience, the implicit communication between a musician and the crowd. 
(Photo Credit: Joseph Strauch)

Roosevelt

Three Great Things: Roosevelt

Felix Walworth is a Brooklyn based songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer. Their songwriting project, called Told Slant, has been described as &#8220;very sad&#8221; and &#8220;like church.&#8221;

Felix Walworth

A Guide to Told Slant’s Point The Flashlight and Walk

Tunng is Mike Lindsay, Sam Genders, Becky Jacobs, Ashley Bates, Martin Smith, and Phil Winter. On November 6, the British folktronica band released Tunng Presents… DEAD CLUB,  a new album, podcast series, and conversation on death and grief.
(Photo Credit: Lilias Buchanan)

Tunng

Three Great Things: Tunng

Late at night, as the world felt upside down in quarantine and when a hush fell over the house after his kids went to bed, Donovan Woods got to work on his latest album, Without People. In a makeshift recording studio at his Toronto home, the acclaimed Canadian singer-songwriter tracked his vocals and guitar alone and then emailed files to producer James Bunton. As Woods’ new songs took shape, backing musicians sketched out their own parts in isolation from their respective homes.For an album made so piecemeal,  Without People (out November 6 on Woods’ Meant Well label) is alive with intimacy and connection at a surreal time when we’re all in desperate need of both. So much of its allure and power is rooted in how Woods connects with his collaborators.
(Photo Credit: Maya Fuhr)

Donovan Woods

Three Great Things: Donovan Woods

It’s a Beautiful Day and I Love You carries harmonic and emotional heft in the vein of Patty Griffin’s Flaming Red or Joni Mitchell’s Court and Spark. There’s an open-heartedness in the Nashville-based Jillette Johnson’s songs, the kind of deeply experienced inner peace that results from a journey through vulnerability, pain, and struggle to gratitude, forgiveness, and, ultimately, acceptance. “I was in control,” Johnson sings on the album’s opening track, but “that was many moons ago.” Johnson’s a rare gem in Nashville, having written the entirety of It’s a Beautiful Day and I Love You alone, running contrary to the common Music City practice of co-writing. She did, however, find herself drawn to the city’s creative adage of “three chords and the truth” — though in Johnson’s case, it’s more like a dozen chords, especially on the harmonically elegant title track.
(Photo Credit: Betsy Johnson)

Jillette Johnson

Three Great Things: Jillette Johnson

South of Eden (formerly Black Coffee) are: Ehab Omran [lead vocals, acoustic guitar], Justin Young [lead guitar, vocals], Tom McCullough [drums], and Nick Frantianne [bass]. The Columbus, OH quartet have already performed alongside everyone from the Foo Fighters to System of a Down, and invite you to join them on their journey of looking at rock &amp; roll through a modern lens. Their debut EP, The Talk Sessions, is out now on Lava/Republic.

South of Eden

The Way Forward: South of Eden

The Brooklyn-based, Baltimore-raised songwriter Aaron Frazer first came into the international spotlight as multi-instrumentalist and co-lead singer for <a href="https://deadoceans.com/artists/durand-jones-the-indications/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Durand Jones &amp; The Indications</a>. He penned some of the group’s most notable tracks, including &#8220;Morning In America,&#8221; and sang lead on &#8220;Is It Any Wonder?&#8221; – the latter an instant sweet soul classic anchored by Aaron’s falsetto, which caught the ear of producer and Black Keys guitarist Dan Auerbach. Frazer’s debut album, Introducing…, will be out Jan. 8.
(Photo Credit: Alysse Gafkjen)

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