Two of this region's most admired indie-rock singer-songwriters return with new releases this week, as Jim Guthrie releases his follow-up to 2003's Now, More Than Ever and Mike "Michael" Feuerstack makes his first full-length album under his own name after nearly twenty years of recording and touring as Snailhouse.
"Although the sounds Guthrie creates are often airy, nothing was instantaneous in creation. Forget the magnitude of layers Guthrie adds; the key contributors were a discerning ear and patience. Time quickly became an irrelevant factor as Guthrie tried endless combinations of emotion, tone and texture until the final dressing was right. These songs are finished products—even on the most casual listen, you hear complex and complete thoughts. All things considered, the most remarkable aspect of Take Time is that even with Guthrie’s constant tinkering and meticulousness, the end result is a record that breathes deeply and savors each moment." - Herohill
"Even after saying goodbye to his spiral-shelled pseuodonym, Michael Feuerstack keeps the delicate destruction of his work in Snailhouse close by. Tambourine Death Bed, the first record under his own name, sees the indie-folk mainstay managing to keep dazzling and drawing tears with a marvellous, macabre collection of love songs, lust songs and hard-done-by singalongs. Wonderfully fragile, heart-wrenchingly powerful, it’s just what you’d expect from Feuerstack, except with the shell shed from his back, his lyrical penmanship seems that much more like a rousing grasp at something new and clear and less like sombre soliloquizing." - Beatroute