Julie Byrne - The Greater Wings (2023)

I definitely enjoyed this but I'm not sure I would listen to it again on my own and can't think of a scenario in which I'd want to have it on in the background. It would probably make me cry. Having said all that, it was obviously made with a lot of love, thought, and care, and I definitely want to hear the rest of Julie Byrne's stuff. She has a wonderful, breathy, haunting voice. The instrumentation and arrangements are great. Random, but I love the album cover too. This mostly evokes Vashti Bunyan for me but also has flashes of that Sufjan Stevens sweeping epicness. There is also the slightest hint of...electronic music? Ok I know zero about electronic music but whatever the electronic music is called where the singing is emphasized...damn, I am the best music reviewer. Okay, I could put this type of thing on in the background while getting ready for bed maybe. A nice cry before bedtime, that's the stuff.

Highlights: The Greater Wings, Flare, Conversation Is a Flowstate

For Fans Of: Vashti Bunyan, Joanna Newsom, Nick Drake, Sufjan Stevens