Hear the Best New Folk Music with Fresh Cuts Friday
Ready for some of the best new music we’ve heard this week? It’s a great list as you’ll see below — and as you’ll hear when you join me for my ‘Fresh Cuts’ radio hour! Listen every Friday at 2 p.m. Eastern, 11 a.m. Pacific via the 24/7 stream on our website, app, or your smart speaker.
Or, just click on the Fresh Cuts stream whenever it’s convenient for you.
In the meantime, check out some of the best new music we’ve been listening to this week.
John Moreland – “Gentle Violence”
A surprise album today from John Moreland features the groovy “Gentle Violence.” The record Visitor was written and recorded during an extended period where Moreland was completely off grid, no shows, no smartphone for 6 months to heal enough from the digital hellscape and life on the road to write the best record of his career.
The new song “In Montreal” comes from Kaïa Kater’s Strange Medicine (out May 17). Of the track, Kaia reflects, “Simply, this is a reflection on the gravitational pull of my hometown, Montreal. I’ve left and returned so many times that it now feels like ghosts of my former selves haunt the city. During the deep winter of 2021 with its short days and long nights, I wanted to write an upbeat song about a poet feeling lost and aimless, tectonic plates stacked in their sink—a nod to Leonard Cohen, Kate & Anna McGarrigle, and all the other incredible songwriters of Montreal.”
Adeem the Artist – “Rotations”
“Parenthood is a wild thing,” says Adeem The Artist, whose new single “Rotations” was conceived when the East Tennessee-based songwriter got to pondering about their wild timing of becoming a parent. “My kid was born on my birthday during my Saturn return,” says Adeem, explaining how every thirty years or so Saturn completes its trip around the sun, returning to the place it was when you were born. Western astrologists have long aligned Saturn returns to crossing major thresholds in life; in Adeem’s case, having a child of their own. “That means the next thirty years are a single rotation of Saturn for the both of us. Got me to thinking about the various measurements of time and how many of those rotations I’m going to get with my kid.” “Rotations” is the newest song from Adeem’s upcoming album Anniversary (out May 3).
Muriel Anderson – “Sailing Dream” (featuring Suzy Bogguss)
Today, Muriel Anderson’s new album, Sailing Dream, is released. She shares: “The music was two years in the making, and thanks to the wonderful musicians who made the music come alive, I think this is a very special release.” Also available is the accompanying board game also called Sailing Dreams: “In the board game SAILING DREAMS you will sail from the south shore of Long Island to the central coast of Maine. It is unique in that there are multiple winners and multiple ways to engage with your fellow players. You’ll also learn something about sailing, something about the area, and something about the music. Fair winds!”
