Transparent Towns
Tin Canyon, 2025
10/10
The Oklahoma artist, John Calvin Abney, returns with 10 new tracks, where themes of time and memories unfold with some pretty serious talent surrounding his alt-folk template.
“Last Chance” opens with Kyle Reid’s warm pedal steel alongside Abney’s warm voice and Alberto Roubert’s crisp drums, and “Wait For Us To Be Home” follows with cozy acoustic guitar and poetic storytelling amid Andrew Perusi’s gentle bass playing.
Close to the middle, Lydia Lovelace lends her pipes to the thoughtful folk climate of “Transparent Towns”, while “Who I Thought I Was” enlists John Moreland’s pipes for the heartfelt album highlight that makes great use of Megan Palmer’s stirring fiddle.
Landing close to the end, “Door Of No Return” might bring to mind Elliott Smith via the meticulous guitar and eloquent singing, and “Cardinal Direction” exits with a gripping softness that benefits from the dreamy rhythm section and hazy vocals.
In the area of modern folk, few people are as consistently great as Abney, and this 7th album is some really well executed introspection.
Travels well with: John Calvin Abney- Familiar Ground; John Calvin Abney- Safe Passage