Tuesday Tracks: Your new music discovery for Sept. 27

Sam Williams

Sam Williams, courtesy.

This week, we bring you jangle-pop Americana from Taylor Young Band, a banjo campfire singalong by Handsome Ghost, the new generation’s outlaw country from Sam Williams, acoustic balladry by Indigo Sparke, power-pop by Late Cambrian and spiky Irish rock by The Clockworks.



Taylor Young Band, “Belong Together” – This song from Taylor Young Band, made up of Young (formerly of The O’s) and Toby Pipes (formerly of Deep Blue Something), combines threads of Americana, synth-rock and jangle-pop into a stirring anthem of supportiveness as Young sings, “It might be cold outside/ But I will keep you warm no matter what/ When you’re down, I’ll pick you up/ Because we belong together.” Taylor Young Band is planning an LP release in 2023, but “Belong Together” is a stand-alone single meant to be enjoyed on its own.

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Handsome Ghost, “Heaven Isn’t Long for You” – Fans of Mumford and Sons and The Civil Wars shouldn’t miss this harmony-soaked, banjo-flavored, campfire-style tune by Handsome Ghost. Singer-songwriter Tim Noyes and multi-instrumentalist/producer Eddie Byun sing about how boring a perfect place like heaven would probably get after a while. Maybe there’s “not a cloud for miles” there, they sing, but they’d actually like “to feel the rain again.”



Sam Williams, “Blame ‘Em Both” – The grandson of country pioneer Hank Williams and the son of Hank Williams, Jr., Sam Williams comes with his own modern voice and style to country music with “Blame ‘Em Both,” from the forthcoming deluxe edition of his debut album, Glasshouse Children. “Do you blame your head or your heart?/ Baby, I don’t know/ So I blame ‘em both,” he sings, his young voice already full of so much heartbreak.

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Indigo Sparke, “Hysteria” – This is the title track from Indigo Sparke’s forthcoming Aaron-Dessner-produced album, out on Oct. 7. Sparke, who has a simply gorgeous voice, is accompanied mainly by acoustic guitars, on the tune, about the hysteria on being inside of love: “Watch my soul unravel,” she sings.



Late Cambrian, “It’s Always Something” – The creative and romantic partnership of Brooklyn indie pop duo John Wlaysewski and Olive Hu unleashed a monster power-pop banger about nostalgia: “Living in the ’90s twice/ Frente is my secret vice/ Everything still fits all right,” Hu sings. The video features them and their friends dancing to the tune in various places around Brooklyn in such a charming, infectious way, you’ll want to stand up and join in. Their album Future Snacks is out now.

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The Clockworks, “Advertise Me” – Galway, Ireland quartet The Clockworks bust the doors down with a ferocious rock sound and this incisive commentary on hypocrites: “Say ‘vanity’s insanity’/ While suntanning my back/ Complain about consumers/ From the comfort of my Mac.” This rocker was recorded at the legendary Abbey Road Studios in London and it’s got a little of that Beatles’ “Revolution” vibe to it. They just completed a run of U.S. dates with The Pixies, in support of their new EP, Endgame.



Rachel’s Pick: I found Sam Williams’ track to be the one that stuck with me the most this week. Williams was briefly in the news earlier this year for asserting that he was in a conservatorship similar to that of Britney Spears. He later recanted his previously expressed wish to be free and said he just wanted to concentrate on his music. I hope this statement was really from him, and that he was not under duress.

Sam Williams has been through a lot. His sister died two years ago in a car crash and his mother died from surgery complications in March. And coming from such a heralded country music family has to add pressure to a musician. He’s really shown that he has a personality all his own and—more importantly—something to say.

Follow Rachel Alm at Twitter.com/thouzenfold and Instagram.com/thousandfold.