Swell Album: Mothers - When You Walk a Long Distance You Are Tired [indie rock / folk / experimental]

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Mothers is an indie band from Athens, Georgia with one hell of a debut album and an unforgettable live performance to back it up. When You Walk a Long Distance You Are Tired came out a couple weeks ago and is currently my favorite release of 2016. Singer/guitarist Kristine Leschper's gorgeously fragile voice bears a striking resemblance to that of fellow indie folkstress Angel Olsen (whose last album wound up at #2 of our best of 2014 list), but Mothers makes a name for themselves by experimenting with richer instrumentation and more complex compositions.

What begins as a simple folk song with acoustic guitar and piano, the beautiful album opener "Too Small for Eyes" really takes off when it welcomes a sweeping string orchestra into the mix about halfway through. Mothers flips the script on the next couple of songs, "It Hurts Until It Doesn't" and "Copper Mines", introducing the listener to the more rock-driven sound that they do so well, with busy intertwining guitars and powerful percussion. Not unlike other bands drawing from multiple genres, on the rest of When You Walk a Long Distance You Are Tired Mothers balances these two different styles song to song before leading us to the epic 7-minute rollercoaster of a closer, "Hold Your Own Hand", which alternates between uptempo with downtempo, catapulting you into space one moment while channeling veteran post-rockers Explosions in the Sky, then abruptly cutting the power to let you slowly drift away with Leschper's voice as your only beacon. Instead of letting you coast to a smooth stop, Mothers caps their debut with a bang to remember, one final shot for the stars.

Stream When You Walk a Long Distance You Are Tired below and get your hands on a copy of the album here.

Just Rolled In: Wilder Maker - "Hope Springs" [americana / indie folk]

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Boston-born, Brooklyn-dwelling Gabriel Birnbaum is the songwriter behind the Americana/folk rock band Wilder Maker, which used to be known as Boy Without God and already has a couple records out, but his credits don't stop there. Whether on stage or in the studio, the twenty-eight-year-old musician has played with the likes of Sharon Van Etten, Jens Lekman, Akron/Family, Lady Lamb the Beekeeper, DeVotchKa, Landlady, and SKATERS. He is also a member of the Ethiopian pop group Debo Band who released a critically-acclaimed full length back in 2012 via Sub Pop Records.

With this extensive résumé and the release of the lead single, "Hope Springs", from the first volume of Wilder Maker's upcoming Everyday Crimes Against Objects of Desire series, Gabriel Birnbaum is on the right track to making a name for himself and putting his band on the map. The song floats along at a leisurely pace with wispy guitars, dreamy organs, and beautiful boy/girl vocal harmonies, but the most standout characteristics of the track are Birnbaum's blues-y baritone (much like Bill Callahan's voice, or Justin Vernon's, when he's not hitting falsettos or tweaking the AutoTune knob) and the contradictory echo of the word "die" during the hopeful choruses. However, considering that Everyday Crimes... is a conceptual series of three EPs dealing with the tribulations of a rough breakup, the mixed emotions of the choruses make sense, and when bandmate Katie Von Schleicher chimes in with Birnbaum on the choruses just after he finishes reminiscing over his lost love in the verses, it effectively adds a realness to the melancholic situation of which we have just scratched the surface with "Hope Springs".

Pre-order a copy of Everyday Crimes Against Objects of Desire, Vol. I here or get your hands on it when it's released November 18 via Bleaksploitation Records. Enjoy the first single "Hope Springs" from Wilder Maker's three-part EP series below, as well as an excellent track from their 2013 album Year of Endless Light.

Swell EP: Griff's Room Band - Shut The Case EP [folk rock / pop rock / bluegrass]

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Griff's Room Band is a folk rock/pop trio from Virginia that formed in 2011 and earned its street credit (quite literally) by playing to tourists and locals alike on the streets of Colonial Williamsburg. Over the past few years of their existence, the three friends have tightened up their infectious sound, playing numerous shows at and away from their usual bench location (see picture above). They even traveled over to Europe to enliven other historic streets. Recently, they uprooted their two acoustic guitars and fiddle over to Richmond, VA to live and make music together, which led to their first proper recording.

Their debut EP entitled Shut The Case is a 6-song collection of what Griff's Room Band does best: upbeat folk pop with rich acoustic guitar melodies, lively fiddling, and vocal harmonies that are almost too perfect. From the energetic lead-off track "Cornerbooth" and the sincerity of "Could Be" to the bluegrass-leaning "The Fine Line" and complex intertwined guitar picking of "All In", Griff's Room Band's proves to be a band with enough range to please just about any pedestrian and the originality to attract active listeners.

Download the Shut The Case EP at iTunes or BandCamp and stream the whole thing below. If you happen to be in Richmond, VA on July 25, be sure to join Griff's Room Band and their good vibes for their CD Release Show.

—My personal favorites: Could Be, The Fine Line, All In—