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SPRINGTIME
FOR HITS LIST
Meet this week's ensemble cast. (3/18a)
NEAR TRUTHS: STREAMING AND STREAMLINING
Knight's new day (3/18a)
TOP 50: ARI BASKS
IN THE sunshine
The biggest bow of the year (3/15a)
THE COUNT: ROLLING LOUD KEEPS ITS EYES ON THE PRIZE
The latest from the live sector (3/14a)
DEEPER WELL MARKS KACEY MUSGRAVES’ “SATURN RETURN”
Gleason on Musgraves (3/18a)
THE NEW UMG
Gosh, we hope there are more press releases.
TIKTOK BANNED!
Unless the Senate manages to make this whole thing go away, that is.
THE NEW HUGE COUNTRY ACT
No, not that one.
TRUMP'S CAMPAIGN PLAYLIST
Now 100% unlicensed!
Critics' Choice
OFFA REX: BOW BEFORE THE QUEEN
7/6/17

About 45 seconds into "Sheepcrook and Black Dog," a track from The Queen of Hearts, the forthcoming Nonesuch set from Offa Rex (due 7/15), I said something I don't often say these days:

HOLY FUCKING SHIT.

The Zeppelin-esque riff rock that kicks off the tune gives way to gorgeous, authentic English folk, and the effect is electrifying. The band is an inspired collaboration between Portland pop-rock provocateurs The Decemberists and English artist Olivia Chaney, whose grasp of classic Celtic song is as profound as anyone's—and whose voice is a gift from heaven.

While the rest of Queen isn't quite as heavy, it is relentlessly riveting, and a showcase of the participants' musical versatility. Among the other highlights: the beguiling title track, the rousing, politically charged "Blackleg Miner," a gorgeous take on Ewan McColl's evergreen "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" and the stately memento mori "The Old Churchyard."

What's perhaps most staggering is that these songs are all either traditional or well-aged standards in the folk canon; Offa Rex's interpretations (driven by Chaney's canny arrangements) sparkle with immediacy.

You can hear the whole thing here, thanks to an NPR advance stream. It's a a welcome drink from the deepest of wells.