+Rose Thomas Bannister- The long-awaited third album, and second vinyl release, by singer-songwriter Rose Thomas Bannister is finally here: The Little Wren.
Adopted as a child and raised by militant Christians, Bannister was enticed from the Lord's army by a library copy of A Coney Island of the Mind and escaped with her glove box stuffed with illicit "secular music" cassettes. 

Bannister's first record, A Cruel, Cruel Woman, was warm, twangy, and almost unknown. Her second, The Sewing Room, was a slow-blooming underground hit of subdued, mystical folk. Her new record, The Little Wren, is Bannister's most ambitious. 

Her highly specific biblical imagery takes on a darker edge than on The Sewing Room, without sacrificing pathos or wit. On the “B” side, she moves away from the Old Testament with a song cycle based on Macbeth. She's focused obsessively on familial betrayal and naturalistic symbols, experimenting with shifting time signatures and tonal surprises.

Bannister has worked with a notably eclectic range of musicians and artists. This record features a significant contribution from the late pedal steel legend Susan Alcorn. Other collaborators and guests include Bob Bannister, Pat Gubler, Debby Schwartz, Gary Foster, Concetta Abate, Lenna Pierce, Charlie Rauh and Jessica Pavone. 

The record was recorded and co-produced by Greg Talenfeld in OK Records in Nyack, New York. Cover art is by the visionary Baltimore artist and musician Liz Downing, with design by Alfra Martini.

+Psychic Lines- Phil Jacob’s confusing melodies and musings with a good dose of sax, carried by bassist Dann Baker and drummer Nancy Polstein. Like Leonard Cohen leading Sonic Youth into Gerry Rafferty’s underwater lair. “There is something intensely cinematic in the way Psychic Lines sets the scene.” (Atwood Mag)

+SWRM-