The Ash & Clay, the sophomore album from Los Angeles based indie folk duo Kenneth Pattengale and Joey Ryan (a.k.a. The Milk Carton Kids), offers 12 beautifully minimal Greenwich village era inspired folk that blends the close harmonies reminiscent of Simon & Garfunkel or the Jayhawks and the technical chops you see in the Punch Brothers or with the pairing of Gillian Welch and David Rawlings. The album draws heavily upon classic folk themes like love on “Honey, Honey”; heartbreak on “Years Gone By”; religion on “On the Mend”; and politics on “The Ash & Clay”. A few other key tracks are the honeyed waltz “Snake Eyes”, the emotive opener “Hope of a Lifetime”, and the lonesome “Memphis.” The songcraft, harmonies and finger-picking on the album are so good that not only do I look forward to seeing this newly formed duo mature, I encourage you to take a listen. – Written by JFelton
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