If you're looking for "I Spys," dating or LTRs, this is your scene.
View ProfilesPublished December 13, 2023 at 10:00 a.m.
As 2023 draws to a close, music editor Chris Farnsworth is making his list and checking it twice — for albums from Vermont musicians that came out this year and almost fell through the cracks. Some hidden diamonds are always biding their time in the queue, so here are six records that might sneak into your end-of-year lists.
(Self-released, CD, digital)
When Oakland, Calif.'s Jack o' the Clock moved east in 2019 and relocated to Brattleboro, they added something unique to the Green Mountain music scene. After all, there was hardly a glut of avant-garde prog folk going around. Based on the songwriting of vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Damon Waitkus, the sprawling, endlessly sophisticated music heard on The Warm, Dark Circus often sounds like an auditory hallucination, with surprises around every corner.
The playful, free jazz-leaning "Stuck Inside of Elvis" blends seamlessly into the sedate transition of "Sage's Song," which moves right into the 13-minute epic "Dürer's Rhinoceros." Each track brings a new sonic landscape, fully realized and vividly detailed by Waitkus' complex, evocative lyrics and the band's fearless sense of adventure. The band had been working on some of the music on The Warm, Dark Circus since forming in 2007, leading Waitkus to call it a "musical palimpsest."
Key Track: "How Are We Doing..." Why: The proggiest of the album's proggy cuts, the 13-minute song plays out like an impressionist painting set to music. Where: jackotheclock.bandcamp.com
(Self-released, digital)
Plattsburgh, N.Y., is already known to produce quality metal and folk acts that make the ferry trip to Burlington. But the Lake City's burgeoning hip-hop scene has also started dropping killer jams, from classic boom-bap raps to modern drill-inspired, new-wave-influenced sounds. G Hanz's latest, The Streetlight Era, hews closer to the former.
A mostly instrumental collection of icy, synth-driven jams and massive, often distorted beats, the record feels as crisp and sweet as a freshly picked apple. G Hanz — aka Gary Travers — is clearly influenced by various genres, with hints of sonic maestro J Dilla popping up in the ultra-melodic jams. On tracks such as "Far Galaxy," the beat is insistent, urgently pushing against the full-color blast of layers and layers of synths. Instrumental hip-hop sometimes feels like an audition or a backing track just waiting for a guest rapper, but The Streetlight Era is a self-contained world seemingly full of neon lights and metropolises shining through the night.
Key Track: "Chasing Stars" Why: G Hanz goes full M83, putting layers of washed-out synth over a stop-start beat. Where: Spotify
(Self-released, digital)
Despite its reputation, the Burlington jam scene does sometimes swim beyond Phish's giant, watery shadow. The Fab Phour have undoubtedly left an imprint on other Vermont bands in the genre. But trying to copy and paste Phish's format is an exercise in futility. So the most interesting local jam acts are the ones that go their own way, and Moondogs are a perfect example.
The Burlington trio certainly fits snugly in the world of long jams, hyper-compressed guitar tones and meandering middle eights. But on their self-titled sophomore album, Moondogs inject hints of southern rock and '90s alt rock, especially on tunes such as "Switchback." They even blast off into space funk on "Aurora." Perhaps the album's most surprising moment is the jazz-funk take on the Allman Brothers Band's classic "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed."
Key Track: "Magenta" Why: The LP's final track showcases singer Will Sturcke's songwriting and the band's ability to transcend genre. Where: Spotify
(Self-released, digital)
Those who closely follow the local reviews know that the Vermont experimental and ambient music scene is thriving. Between Burlington's Community of Sound, East Montpelier label Histamine Tapes and artists such as Glenn Weyant, the Green Mountains are alive with the sounds of weirdness, and long may they continue.
One of Vermont's most prodigious experimental musicians is Jo Bled, the free-form solo project of percussionist Jabe Ledoux. A relentless sonic experimenter, whether as a psych-jazz drummer with Nest Material and the le duo or with Jo Bled, Ledoux continues that tradition on 1000 Days.
Recorded on Ledoux's phone throughout 2023, the album is "a sort-of musical amends for all the creativity and inspiration lost to alcohol abuse disorder," Ledoux wrote on Bandcamp. The collection of sounds made with shakers, gongs, cowbells, washboards and anything else remotely percussive within arm's reach was released on the artist's thousandth day of sobriety.
"The album makes little sense as a whole: While this was not on purpose, it is necessary," Ledoux writes.
Key Track: "Powerful Symbols of Belonging" Why: The persistent tittering of Ledoux's beats sounds like a rainstorm on a metal roof. Where: jobled.bandcamp.com
(Self-released, digital)
Under the radar, a steady stream of notable indie musicians have been moving to Vermont. In the past few years, the likes of singer-songwriter Ryley Walker and Big Thief's Adrianne Lenker have slipped out of bigger city scenes and sought the solitude and snow of the Green Mountains. Mary Esther Carter recently made the move from the singer-songwriter and folk scenes of New York City to Burlington, recording her latest, Dust, at Colchester's Sabi Sound studio.
A former professional dancer, Carter has embarked on a second act as a honey-voiced troubadour, penning confessional, often emotionally fraught songs such as "How Many Times?" and "Rapid Heartbeat." "You're a checker board playing chess / You don't know all the steps / You're a kite runner / Losing wind," she sings on "Sinking," a delicately heartbroken song. Carter's lyrical dexterity and penchant for dark, almost Appalachian folk make for a gothic, gorgeous and vulnerable record.
Key Track: "I Don't Know Where to Rest My Head" Why: Carter pushes her voice into a lower octave, crooning over an electric guitar and building intensity as she goes. Where: maryesthercarter.bandcamp.com
(Tastee-Tone Records, CD, digital)
Montpelier's Dave Keller is one of the hardest-working bluesmen on the scene. The singer-songwriter and guitarist has released seven full-length albums including his latest, It's Time to Shine. Recorded in Chateaugay, N.Y.; Ipswich, Mass.; and Houston, Texas, Keller's new record is a fully fleshed-out, slickly produced love letter to blues music, R&B and blue-eyed soul, well in keeping with his previous catalog.
Keller isn't here to reinvent the genre or reinterpret things for new generations: He knows what he likes, and he knows just how to get it. On tracks such as "789-0133," Keller builds a perfect blues rocker, chock-full of tasteful guitar solos and powerful backing vocals from Annika Chambers-DesLauriers. By and large, the tracks are radio ready, highly accessible and by the numbers, focusing on soaring choruses that put a spotlight on Keller's big voice and trusty axe. The album's strongest moments tend to be when Keller lets his band dig in, such as on the slow-burning blues rocker "Mayor of Memory."
Key Track: "Waiting for the Sunrise" Why: Keller comes in on a killer bluesy riff that the band rides with aplomb, building a soulful rocker. Where: davekeller.bandcamp.com
Tags: Album Review, Jack o' the Clock, The Warm, Dark Circus, G Hanz, The Streetlight Era, Moondogs, Jo Bled, 1000 Days, Mary Esther Carter, Dust, Dave Keller, It's Time to Shine
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