You’ve heard Luke Schneider play. Maybe you don’t know it but as a longtime member of the Nashville music scene, he’s played with the likes of Character, Margo Price, Teddy & The Rough Riders, William Tyler, Caitlin Rose and so many more it’d probably be impossible to list them all. He’s generally known for his performances with the pedal steel but his recently announced full-length solo album, Altar of Harmony, flips those expectations on their head. He’s still sitting behind the classic country instrument but he’s using it to create immersive, ambient soundscapes; just about the complete opposite vibe of what you’d expect from anything involving pedal steel.

The official video for the first single, “Anteludium“, is an excellent representation of the kind of sprawling, layered and transcendent works to expect. We’ve not heard the whole record yet but were lucky enough to catch him perform at DRKMTTR some months back – complete with the wall of lights shown in the video – and can confirm that this is 100% worth looking forward to. It’s best listened to extremely loud and in a place where you can chill the fuck out.

In the meantime, the writeup for the record (see the details on the video) is an interesting read as it discusses the history of New Age Music and Southern New Age Music in particular. I can’t say that’s a world I’m all too familiar with but it certainly caught the ear of Third Man Records, who will release the album on May 8th. Get your pre-order in here and stay tuned for future singles.

Dale Hollow is a bit of an enigma. At a quick glance, he cites that Rolling Stone Country called him “Relentlessly Entertaining” (they did), his album covers feature him in western shirts and yellow aviators and he’s given himself the moniker “The Country Music Superstar”; assumed emphasis on The. If you didn’t know better, Dale Hollow is your typical songwriter looking to make it in Music City through sheer bravado. But that’s only at a glance.

Back in 2017, Dale Hollow released the EP Fast Cash Now, Break Hearts Later and recently unearthed the video for the lead track “Dreamboat Babe.” The conceit of the video is that Hollow was looking to follow in the grand tradition of knocking down doors at the Grand Ole Opry but got mislead by Waze and ended up at the Opryland Hotel and Convention Center. It’s absurdity played with straight-laced perfection as he wanders the arboretum serenading the plants and tourists.

The track is a fun listen; particularly if you’re keen on paying attention to lyrics. The ballad comes across as a sweet ode but, deceptively, seems to be a plea to get out of paying a sex worker for their services. Again, Hollow never breaks and plays his request as honestly as possible.

The real trick here is that it’s entirely unclear what is authentic and what is a put on. Sure, the outfit and the lyrics are all part of a character but the song is legitimately well performed. Furthermore, Hollow probably wouldn’t mind being The Country Music Superstar if it were offered. In the words of Rolling Stone Country, it’s a “relentlessly entertaining” mixture of satire and real talent.

Watch the video all the way through for a fun treat at the end and then go listen to Hollow’s latest release Yourstruly.

Having a distinctive vocal style can be a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, you’re quite literally able to distinguish your style simply be embracing your comfort zone. On the other hand, there may be a hurdle to overcome with new listeners that have set their expectations on something more traditional. On Eight New Songs, alt-folk, bedroom DIY artist Iven finds himself straddling the line between both worlds.

The entirety of this latest release leans in hard to the vocals and lyrics from Iven, aka Isaac Q. Horton, weaving tales of unrequited relationships and hopeful optimism towards future interactions. Underlying the distinctive stories of each track there are fairly consistent references to the narrators home – be it track titles like “On This Roof”, “Dirty Room” or “Weren’t You At My House Last Week?” or lyrics referencing couches, the dangers of sidewalks or the terror of leaving someone’s bed – there seems to be a subtext of social anxiety. That’s only one possible theory but, all told, the lyrics from start to finish work to create a cohesive tale of one individual and their bouts with overcoming doubt.

Rather surprisingly, the album credits note that the release was “recorded very quickly.” Musically, the songs are delicately layered; never pushing too far into an overwhelmingly dense wall of sound but never straying into sparse territory either. The acoustic guitar, drums and keyboards all swirl behind the aforementioned distinctive vocals. “It Had You” functions as the most emphatically emotive piece of the record, as it continuously grows and unfolds into a tumultuously pained refrain.

Which brings us back to that distinctive vocal style. Iven’s vocal delivery has two primary modes; a gentle and somewhat restrained delivery and an unhinged caterwaul. The later may be the most likely to throw off new listeners but the authenticity of the emotion behind it quickly makes undeniably enjoyable. There is a true catharsis to the release for both the narrator and the listener.