PBNSOTW

I really do love where emerger is headed. Ghost in the Machine is the work of an all-growed-up band with plenty of zip still in the tank. Can't figure out why people aren't clamoring for them to tour. "Where do we go from here?/As reality diappears/We like to revel in the fear/As we drift to opposite sides." Great mix, luscious depth with Emma's voice perched perfectly on top.



Taking a chance on Son of Atticus with Sore Eyes. It's not a great song by any measure, but it's really really good craft practice. The feel grooves, the vocals have energy, and there's an absolutely burning pedal steel solo. Strangely missing are any twists or surprises in the lyric. Keep an eye on them, they may yet surprise us.



Battista Lena has played with everybody. I Fall in Love Too Easily demonstrates something that really irks me about many top-level jazz guitarists: they always roll off so much high end from the tone of the guitar that you don't hear the sweetness of the hollow body. Lena has found that perfect middle ground--his tone just resonates in your head like a sweet memory. Andrea Rea Trio backs the guitar brilliantly.



Not sure why Sleeping with Headphones made the list this week. Lorkin O'Reilly's middle verse delivery is so self-consciously laconic it's almost embarrassing. The lyrics desperately need trimming. But they also contain lines like "Oh your heart is a wave/That's too small to break/It just sways with the wind and the rain." And Melanie MacLaren's voice is hypnotic, so on the list it goes.