Until recently there's been something of a divide between pop-country and alt-country, but now they seem to be finding common ground more often. Tracy McNeil finds gold by mining the tried and true washes of guitar distortion, twang and tremolo that characterise melancholic Americana with added melodic riches. A Little More Like Love is a swaying slow-burner while Wildcats overflows with hooks and a gloriously chiming guitars. Neko Case and Jenny Lewis are two songwriters that do pop-leaning alt-country so well and in its best moments Nobody Ever Leaves breathes the same rarified air.
The Marten Bequest Travelling Scholarships Open For Australian Musicians
