It finally happened. Winter arrived. Snow fell and we woke up this past Sunday with about three inches of the stuff. I’m glad it didn’t arrive earlier, as Friday saw me at KSVR for a four hour stint of music.

I entered the studio at about 9:35pm, meeting up with Stuarto, who has the time slot before mine. A quick interview about 15 minutes before my show, another few songs, and I was up. It was requested that I attempt a transition, and as indie music is my theme, and world music is his, I figured I’d kick things off with an oldie, but goodie: “The Gulag Orkestar” by Beirut.

Split releases are always a love-hate thing for me. On the love side, I’m always introduced to a new artist, such as Sam Humans in this case. Humans’ music is a modern style of biting folk rock, filled with wild guitar riffs. “Hate Is The New Love” begins this process with interesting, angular chords, which is heightened with eccentricities and improvised ferocity of “Firedrill”. This song takes the cake, pulling out all the experimental folk brilliance of artists like Royal City or the master Vic Chesnutt …

Bellingham by way of Chicago artist The Heligoats masters the power of pop songwriter sensibilities in their new album, Goodness Gracious (Greyday Records). The band is fronted by new Washington resident Chris Otepka, who wrote and recorded the band with Mike Mergenthaler, David James and Steven Mitchell. Collectively, they are The Heligoats, a band who blends folk and rock and pop for a sound that is familiar yet warm, somewhat contemporary but truly and honestly good.