Featured Crucial Releases for September 27

Big news! Not only does this post contain ONE week of music (gasp), but the entire Crucial Tracks empire is now on a new platform. I spent the last few days moving the site over to Ghost, which is a platform that specifically tailors to what we do – blogging and email newsletters, with native support for membership and other perks...and best of all, I don't have to maintain the software and server any longer.

So, that means a renewed focus on what Crucial Tracks started as – sharing stories about music. SO, with that said. If you have any interest in sharing your crucial tracks, just reply to this email and we will be in touch. We'd LOVE to have you. (If you are reading on the web, contact us.)

With that out of the way, on to the music for this week...

This week was a strange one for me. None of the records I ended up liking were by artists I was even familiar with prior to this week. I guess that's cool and ultimately a good thing, but it hasn't happened in almost a year of doing this site.

Anyway, my pick for the week is Watch Me Drive them Dogs Wild by Merce Lemon (Listen / Bandcamp)

Lemon plays country influenced folk and this album is absolutely perfect for the coming fall season. What makes her great, beyond the melodies and lyrics, is she'll occasionally lull you into a false sense of calm, before ripping into a serious Neil Young/Dinosaur Jr. inspired fuzzy lead while yelling "You fucking liar." (See "Backyard Lover") It's quite amazing – she can do both dynamics so very well.

Favorite tracks: "Birdseed", "Backyard Lover", "Watch Me Drive Them Dogs Wild", and "Foolish and Fast" (the first two have been on repeat this week)

Honorable Mentions

• Songs From a Thousand Frames of Mind by Kate Bollinger (Listen) - bright, cheery indie folk with sweet melodies and interesting twists and turns. A great full length debut inspired by the 60s and 70s folk scene.
• Below a Massive Dark Land by Naima Bock (Listen) - orchestral at times, jazzy/bluesy folk at other times. A talented singer songwriter making interesting songs. Recommended!
• Dunya by Mustafa (Listen) - kind of bedroom pop, kind of R&B, kind of Bon Iver. Very good. I will definitely be re-visiting this record.

Until next week!