A killer soundtrack leads the pack this week.
Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
The Devil and the Daylong Brothers
Without having seen the film, this soundtrack is a triumph of thundering, go-for-broke Americana, folk tunes. In every way, this reminds of how the first listen to the Civil Wars’ “Barton Hollow” knocked me on my ass. These vocals and end-of-days narratives? Tremendous.
Original Broadway Cast Recording
Swept Away
I’m not averse to the Avett Brothers, and there’s something to be said for the ambition behind their stage show. And the cast here is game, full of strong vocalists. But this never really gels as a narrative, nor are any recordings better than the Avetts’ originals. Inessential.
Bonnie Prince Billy
Purple Bird
I can’t be too mad at anyone who records a killer duet with John Anderson (“Downstream”) in 2025; the rest of this set falls more on the right side of Oldham’s forever struggle between sincerity and shtick. Some of his loveliest ever singing and melodies here.
Pigeon Pit
Crazy Arms
I can’t think of another “cowpunk” type act who leans harder into both the ferocious punk and twangy-AF country sides of their aesthetic in equal measure; it’s their mastery of both forms that makes Pigeon Pit soar. And beneath the bluster, a bleeding, open heart.
Palmer Anthony
Same Blue Eyes [EP]
Can’t speak to his eye color, but the vocal timbre, the anonymous POV in the songwriting, and the afraid-to-be-too-much-of-any-one-thing production are all very much the same as 95% of the Gen-Z men trying to make it in the country mainstream right now. Utterly forgettable.
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