If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Chris Doody Previously Jolie Holland and Buck Meek each released their takes on "Haunted Mountain," the song they wrote together. Now, they've released a duet, "Highway 72." The song is autobiographical for Holland, who experienced homelessness for five years after being raised in a cult and leaving in her late teens. The song has an oddly upbeat sound to it despite the backstory, and despite the pain audible in both Holland and Meek's vocals. The pair have very different voices, but together they blend into something enchanting and nearly otherworldly. "Highway 72" isn't a song about happy times, but it's uplifting and one of the best of 2023. You can listen to "Highway 72" below. Haunted Mountain is due out October 6 on Cinquefoil Records. For more on Jolie Holland, check out the artist's website .

Photo by Chris Doody If the title "Haunted Mountain" sounds familiar, you are correct. Both Jolie Holland and Buck Meek have upcoming albums with that name, and even both have their own versions of the title track that they wrote together. Buck Meek released his back in May , and we called it "... a ramblin' style country song," with "... the slightest hints of indie rock." Now it's Holland's turn. Her version of "Haunted Mountain" sounds more... well... haunting. It's a slower, more folk based version with indie rock leanings that feels heavier than Meek's. I can't think of any other time collaborators have recorded completely different versions of a song this closely to each other, but when both are this great, who can argue? Jolie Holland says of her (and Buck Meek's) new single: “ When he told me he was including our song on his next record, I was extremely pleased at the weirdness - I was going to release a versio...

Photo by Shervin Lainez Despite making relatively traditional music, Buck Meek truly has his own sound. Despite the Big Thief guitarist's distinctive voice and vocal style, even the playing on his latest single, "Paradise," has it's own specific sound. The new single is almost painfully slow and oddly hypnotic. Meek's vocals seem to go on at their own pace, speeding up and slowing down as the mood changes, with instrumentation that's almost too sparse. "Paradise" is the kind of song that shouldn't work, and couldn't with any other artist. Buck Meek has almost created his very own genre of folk. Buck Meek says of his latest single: “Sometimes when you half-hear something spoken, something unspoken inside the words is revealed. Your mind fills in the blank, finishes the sentence, infers deep meaning - though you still can’t fully explain it. Jolie Holland sent me some of the lyrics for this song, about feeling in awe of the vastness within a lo...

Photo by Sherin Lainez Aside from being the guitarist in Big Thief, Buck Meek has been quite the established solo artist. His 2021 album Two Saviors  was a favorite of mine, and now he's back with new music. "Haunted Mountain," co-written with Jolie Holland, is a ramblin' style country song. It has just the slightest hints of indie rock, but other than that this is just a straight up country/Americana track. It's an upbeat song that just has a timeless quality. It feels like it could have been released any time in the last fifty to sixty years. In fact, the occasional indie rock guitar has some roots in Neil Young, which adds more to the timeless quality. Buck Meek says of his new song: “It’s about being humbled by the thing you’re drawing power from only at which point an actual, fair relationship begins." You can watch the video for "Haunted Mountain" below. The album Haunted Mountain is due out August 25 on 4AD, and is available for pre-order her...