The Pink Stones' 'You Know Who' and Julie Byrne's 'The Greater Wings' Are Two Distinct Albums Ya Gotta Hear
Highly anticipated releases in the form of Athens-based cosmic country, and a New York singer-songwriter with a golden voice.
Hey there! You may have noticed my less-than-frequent newsletters over the past few weeks. I’ve been working on some other cool projects that have eaten up most of my time, and I’ll share more about them in Friday’s newsletter. In the meantime, enjoy two records I’ve had in constant rotation over the past week.
Thanks for your patience. We should be back on schedule. ✌️
The Pink Stones - You Know Who
The Pink Stones, the hazy twangin’ pride of Athens, Georgia, are back with their sophomore record and making all the right moves you want to hear from a band who started by making all the right moves. You Know Who retains the same key players found on Introducing… The Pink Stones, down to producer Henry Barbe (Drive-By Truckers, Deerhunter). We still have frontman Hunter Pinkston’s reliably honed honky tonk lyrics and waltzing melodies and John Neff’s twangy pedal steel, yet the sextet continues to find new ways of exploring its cosmic country accents.
“Roses & Poppies” and the single “Baby, I’m Still Right Here” are a potent one-two combo to kick things off, especially the duet with Nikki Lane for the latter. The middle goodness of You Know Who is the most enticing, though. There’s a fair amount of “crying in my beer” shuffling happening on the album, but “Moving on (Without You)” is the top gem amongst them. “Who’s Laughing Now” has Teddy & The Rough Riders (last seen around here with Sean Thompson on the excellent Weird Ears) stop by. The result is something closer to some late seventies Grateful Dead than The Pink Stones have explored before, thanks to keyboardist Neil Golden channeling Keith Godchaux, and Gideon Johnston’s funky drumming ala Billy Kreutzmann. Following a cool little segue, the title track continues to conduct this same much-welcomed psychedelic turn, with some wah’d out guitar and reggae rhythms for good measure. If ya dig, stick around for “Rich Rudy,” which shows a new side of the band.
You Know Who is an excellent second record and the perfect continuation for the new kings of cosmic country. It’s a little bit richer, the musicianship a little bit tighter, but mostly, it’s a whole lotta fun.
You Know Who is available on New West Records.
Julie Byrne - The Greater Wings
Julie Byrne’s Not Even Happiness was one of my favorite records of 2017, so when The Greater Wings was announced as its follow-up six years later, it shot up my anticipated list. Byrne is one of those singer-songwriter talents whose transcendental voice is more than worth the price of admission, and she wisely continues to focus almost exclusively on a minimalist presentation of her vocal beauty. Her past work found her mostly accompanied by fingerpicked acoustic guitar, but The Greater Wings excels at painting the vocal focus while adding celestial synths and well-placed strings. We don’t often discuss cover art around here, but this transformation is apparent from Not Even Happiness’s black and white photo of Byrne with her eyes closed to The Greater Wings’ shot of Byrne in a technicolor sweater.
Byrne started recording The Greater Wings a few years ago, between tour dates and longtime collaborator Eric Littman producing. In late 2021, Littman passed away unexpectedly, giving Byrne pause while she grieved and wrote more songs dealing with the loss. Her new label, Ghostly International, is an interesting pairing, as they’re typically known for their electronic outings with Tycho and Com Truise. Still, the label’s suggestion of Byrne working with Alex Somers (Jónsi & Alex, Sigur Rós, Julianna Barwick) to complete the record is an excellent combination. These haunting textures are most apparent on “Summer Glass,” which links the two phases of The Greater Wings, but every song is must-hear. The album rightfully carries a heavy air, but Byrne wonderfully mixes gratitude alongside grief - one has to be in the right mood for The Greater Wings, and many oncoming autumns listens should only solidify Julie Byrne’s latest as a still blossoming career high and one of the year’s best.
The Greater Wings is available on Ghostly International.
Listened to either of these records and have some thoughts? Let me know in the comments!