56. PLUM by Widowspeak

This just-released 2020 record and the two-piece band that made it reminds me (and many others) of Mazzy Star, the 90’s shoegaze/dream pop band (to be covered in a future blog post). From the airy vocals of lead singer Molly Hamilton to the (mostly) shimmering guitars of Robert Earl Thomas, one can’t help but draw comparisons to Hope Sandoval and the late David Roback. The songs are beautifully arranged, truly creating comfort music for the soul. However, the record does display some “top-heaviness” with the singles populating the early half, while the latter half is somewhat darker. Whether this sequencing was intentional or not, I think it actually works well for the music. ‘Plum,’ ‘The Good Ones’ and ‘Breadwinner’ should be on your list to check out first.