The Brook and the Bluff/Awal
Producers: The Brook and the Bluff/Micah Tawlks
These indie/folk rockers harken slightly back to the heydays of dream-poppers Bon Iver and Fleet Foxes but with more hipster beats, fresh, edgy production that makes their fourth full-length an infectious gem. While offering clever wordplay, insights into love’s travails and other quirky aspects of life, the band’s good fortune as a prolific recording and touring unit is tied directly to the gently hypnotic, intimate lead vocals of frontman Joseph Settine, who brings an ethereal quality to every moment of lovelorn emotion. – Jonathan Widran
