1) Snocaps, self-titled / A supergroup seemingly built for me, this project brings the Crutchfield sisters, MJ Lenderman and the unsinkable Brad Cook together for an indie-rock record that is beautiful, thoughtful and visceral.
2) Claire Rousay, “A Little Death” / Few musicians are doing more interesting work today than Rousay, whose “emo ambient,” collage-meets-composed sound takes a new step on “A Little Death.”
3) Chat Pile and Hayden Pedigo, “In the Earth Again” / A truly inspired collaboration pairs the metal-leaning OKC outfit with the artful Texas guitarist for a series of gloriously surprising moments.
4) Taylor Byas, “Resting Bitch Face” / Sometimes, given my background, I think of artists in other disciplines as if they were musicians; in that case, poet Taylor Byas is a superlative songwriter with the capability to deliver virtuosic, diva-esque runs. Byas’ latest is gorgeous and sexy, wrenching and inextricably tied to people and place.
5) Annie Proulx, “Brokeback Mountain” / I finally caught up with Proulx—ever masterful—and the short story that launched a major motion picture. The prose here is perfect and heartbreaking, gritty and romantic/Romantic in all the best ways.