Jon-Rae And The River — Old Songs For The New Town

Jon-Rae Fletcher and his nine-person musical collective The River work magic on this lo-fi Gospel twang-pop session. And Hallelujah is it good. At turns rollicking and gloomy, Old Songs For The New Town transitions masterfully from gorgeous, quiet and careful to its equally effective, rowdier moments. At times the band's driving intensity and Fletcher's emotional vocals bring to mind a louder Royal City. In fact — both in muffled fragility and when he's screaming full-throttle — Fletcher approaches the heights of Neutral Milk Hotel's Jeff Mangum, the original pained wail. It's imperative that this impeccably delivered alt.country album gets heard.

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