Dream Travelers: Little Red Bus

Oh Little Red Bus, where do I even begin talking about you? This album is really a musical hodge-podge. There are a lot of different styles and feelings all thrown in with each other, which can work just fine, but in Joel Straup’s case there’s no fusion between those different styles.

The first track on the album, “Corporate America,” is incredibly socio-politically driven. Now, it’s not uncommon for folk music to have that kind of message behind it. This particular track, though, feels like it would be better suited to an angry punk band than to a middle-aged folk rocker.

Next up is “The Old Man’s Barn,” the focus of which is taking responsibility for one’s own actions instead of playing the blame-game. Looking just at the instrumental backing of the song, this is one of the best songs on Little Red Bus. However, there are times when the background vocals hit a very shrill, squeaky high note that does not mesh with the rest of the song in any way whatsoever, and makes an otherwise decent track almost unlistenable...MORE

Jesse Payne: Nesting

Coming into a genre full of such established artists as Bright Eyes, Bon Iver, Fleet Foxes, and Andrew Bird, Jesse Payne certainly had his work cut out for him to make his mark.

And with his album Nesting, Payne definitely delivered. From start to finish, it’s is a solid record in every aspect.

First off, there’s Payne’s voice. It’s moody, sincere, and all-around pleasant to listen to. Payne doesn’t sing with a lot of force, but there’s a subtle power behind his voice that will capture the listener. It doesn’t demand the listener’s attention, but it gets it anyway....MORE