Austin Texas duo-turned-quartet Balmorhea makes melancholic acoustic music, complicating roots Midwest Americana with cinematic ambience. It took me a few tries to get into their music since I’m not preloaded with the rural midwest culture, in fact I’ve lived %99 of my life within the hubbub of a metropolis of over 10 million. Campfires, none. Summercamps, nope. Hell I guess I’ve never even seen a lake.

Yet Balmorhea’s music had this universal quality that transcends cultures, which made me persist in trying to get into their music, which is something I rarely do if it doesn’t hit me at the first listen. Taking the rock bit of post-rock and the sluggishness of shoegaze while heading straight to the roots, “Rivers Arms” is an album with more than a handful of good songs and some lackers, (isn’t that the case with the 1000s of post-rock bands) enough to make way for itself in this slow year. Out on Western Vinyl. “Lament” dedicated to a friend who’s just lost his father. RIP

Balmorhea - Lament
Balmorhea - Divisadero