Bloodline

Junge, ist das geil. Fantastische Musik mit tollen Texten

Kelpo levy tämäkin, joskin vähän geneerinen, mutten ymmärrä miksi juuri tämä tälle listalle. 3/5

Interesting history, but overall it lands somewhere on Indie light. I think this is the equivalent of Easy Listening Indie.

neloše, ugodno iznenađenje jer sam očekivao neko žešće sranje, budući da je ovo album iz najnovijeg izdanja knjige, koji je ujedno objavljen iste godine kad i izdanje. na trenutke možda malo kao pregenerična pop produkcija, ali progledat ću kroz prste zbog kratkoće i jednostavnosti

[odslušao i napisao 28/10/26]

1.62

He has a nice voice, but this is all just a little too safe sounding. I got bored of it about half way through. Milquetoast.

Good, just not my thing.

A very pretty listening experience; his charm comes from his aesthetic and unique sound (african folk). Clearly very personal lyrics conveying trauma and survivor's guilt- I think his vocals aren't as strong as the bands he pulls influence from (First Aid Kit, Lord Huron, Bright Eyes). Overall, however, really nice

I'm honestly torn on this. On one hand, the personal stories in the lyrics are really powerful, hearing about his childhood in Liberia through such a unique sound is definitely something special. Songs like "Field Song" and "Somewhere Down In Georgia" hit hard and show he's a hell of a storyteller. But at the same time, the production feels a little too safe for me. It’s got that polished, coffee shop vibe that sounds a bit too much like Bon Iver or Sufjan Stevens. While the craftsmanship is clearly there, the sound leans heavily into a well-trodden aesthetic that feels slightly derivative rather than truly innovative.. It’s hard to tell if this is a raw, essential record or just a bit over-sanitized for modern ears, so I'm really not sure if it holds up as an all-time classic yet.

The lyrics here are great. However, every single song sounds like Let Her Go by Passenger which is a song I absolutely hate so this sucks to me. Favorite song was Heavy Foot.

sort of a Cosmo Shelldrake vocal sound. Prey the Devil back to Hell is cool. Katie Taylor would be into this. His lyrics are very poetic and I like his easy delivery. Oh Wide World is an easy single. Heavy Foot is a really cheery protest song. Some good tunes on here, but not something I would come back to as a whole piece.

The first run of albums i’ve been getting during this coda period have trended on the overproduced side, so the calm tempo of this was extremely welcome. I like how he arranges a song, too. Feel like with most things in this genre space (Bon Iver comes to mind, to pull an artist popular on the user submissions) I get completely sick of it by the end. Not so here.

Plus I’m a big fan of international crossover and fusion, so Liberian-Appalachian Folk is an inherently interesting project to me.

Another american with a guitar and a book of folk songs. Great. Just what was missing from the book (and the user list). Seriously, is anyone over there *not* putting albums out every five minutes?

It was, like many of the others, fine.

understated lovely vocals, some beautiful sentiments, some pretty melody.

I really liked this. Pretty chill album overall. Nice vocals and interesting music. I’d listen to this more. 4.5/5

Milquetoast snoozefest.

What is this man doing that hasn't been done 1000x before?

Leonard Cohen's You Want it Darker was removed for... this 🤨

The sigh of relief I release when I finish this damned list will shake mountains.

Mon Rovia is the first Liberian on the list, so imagine my surprise when Bloodline serves me Americana inspired folk music! You don't have to look far to see why, Mr. Rovia was raised in Appalachian Tennessee.

Bloodline has a very dreamy sound for a singer-songwriter album. It immediately reminded me of something on the list already, but I don't remember what, possibly Sometimes I Wish We Were an Eagle by Bill Callahan. Like the Callahan album, Bloodline utilises chamber music strings to achieve the soft, floaty, dreamy sound, and it does elevate the comforting aspect of the folk.

I've been ambivalent about the use of autotune in the new additions, loved it in brat, was unimpressed by it in Empty Hands, and unfortunately in this album I think it takes away from the lush and calming sound that Mon Rovia is going for. This style of folk benefits from acoustic sounds, or at least the appearance of such (I.e. don't make it obvious!), and so this blatent use of it makes the singing feel artificial in an album that sounds anything but.

I don't think this album is in any way spectacular, but Mon Rovia clearly has a knack for songwriting, and the album is gorgeously produced, so I do see what Dimery saw in this album to make it essential, though I disagree with the final conclusion.

Was it a good addition to the list: No. Don't get me wrong, it's a good album and the dude clearly has potential, but singer-songwriter is not an under-represented genre, and as a result I'm expecting artists of this genre to be a cut above the norm.

Top 3 songs: Black Cauldron, Day at the Soccer Fields, Bloodline

indie landfill

Can't stand this soft and floaty superficial spirituality sensitive nice guy sound. Well assembled, super polished, extremely generic over elaborated cutesy pastoral ukulele core indie folk fresh out of 2005 that might as well be AI is extremely discordant with songs evoking a brutal civil war. The artless sanctimonious emptiness of the corporate coffeeshop / megachurch form undermines any possible content. Ends up having all the emotional impact of a college admissions personal essay. Deeply cynical.

The mist insufferable person you know will say this is the worst album on the list.
The second most insufferable person you know will say it's the best.
Me? I think it's quite nice :)