Stumbled upon Ontario singer-songwriter Ken Yates today and I think a lot of folks would like his music. Had never heard of him before, but apparently his last album from 2016 won two Canadian Folk Music Awards (Songwriter of the Year and New Artist of the Year). His third album Quiet Talkers comes out later this month, and the songs online so far have that combination of dusky sensibility and heartfelt lyrical storytelling that is right down my alley. Reminds me of a more upbeat Ruston Kelly or a folkier version of the Ethan Gruska record from back in January. Independent artists need help these days. Pre-order the album or buy merch here. Tracklist 1. Grey County Blues 2. Surviving Is Easy 3. Two Wrongs 4. Quiet Talkers 5. Easy Way Out 6. When We Came Home 7. Disillusion Day 8. Safe From Yourself 9. Novelty 10. Evangeline 11. Anchor And Sail 12. Pretend We're Alright
Yeah, this really clicks into place from a good record to a great one with the last few tracks. "Novelty" and "Pretend We're Alright" are killer. Let’s pretend we’re alright. See a show, dance all night. Call some friends, play along. Let’s pretend nothing’s wrong Let’s pretend we’re alright, if it’s just for one night. Call some friends, stay out late. Let’s pretend we’re okay.
holy shit, this is so good. was an awesome surprise to find today. hoping that bumping this thread gets people to check this out.
Getting around to this one this evening, and yep, it's an "I'm all-in by the end of the first song" album. Reminds me of the vibe of Natalie Hemby's Puxico. Paging @zmtr.
Yeah, this was fantastic. Between this and Katie Pruitt, @Matt Chylak is winning the recs game for 2020 new releases.
Glad you like it! Still waiting for my vinyl in the mail, gonna spin this endlessly when it comes. Need the lyrics too.
I had listened to a couple of the pre-release singles and was pretty hyped for this. Glad it lived up to my expectations.
I didn't realize this until today, but I listened to a podcast with him about Jason Isbell's Southeastern back in April, before I knew who he was/how much I liked his music. Worth a listen, for those who are fans of both artists! Episode 90: Ken Yates Discusses Jason Isbell’s “Southeastern” | Free Podcasts | Podomatic"
I liked this a lot when it first came out and then forgot existed until @Matt Chylak mentioned it in a different thread. I've been listening to it constantly since then. Definitely gonna end up in my AOTY list somewhere.
Listened to this today on a long drive home from saying goodbye to my grandma, who we expect will pass in the next couple of days. Something about it was just intensely comforting for that situation. Definitely just jumped up my end-of-the-year list.
The biggest issue with this album is that it's really hard to describe what's special about it other than "he wrote about 5 perfect songs here and the rest are great too." It's also the best B side of the year for late night vinyl listening.
Added this vinyl to the Christmas list. I’ve been listening to it the last few days non stop. I think my favorites are Two Wrongs, Quiet Talkers and Safe From Yourself
I get the feeling from music writer Twitter that a lot of critics don't go for this kind of music for precisely the reason you're naming, which is that there's no real "narrative" for what makes it great, be it something in the artist's background or something about the music that reinvents the wheel. But writing about five perfect songs and putting them all on one album is also more than most artists can say they've done!
Album is out June 3, called Cerulean. Ken Yates - Cerulean — Killbeat Music 01. The Big One (feat. Kathleen Edwards) 02. The Future Is Dead 03. Don’t Mean To Wake You (feat. Stephanie Lambring) 04. Consolation Prize (feat. Katie Pruitt) 05. Small Doses 06. Best Of The Broken Things 07. Honest Light (feat. Caroline Marie Brooks) 08. Half Clenched Teeth 09. Good Things (feat. Liz Longley) 10. Grocery Store 11. Cerulean Here’s the vinyl preorder: Cerulean Vinyl — Ken Yates