Peer Validated

Pictured: William Elliott Whitmore. The record label wouldn’t shell out for a studio with walls.

The indie genre has been pretty well drenched with rootsy-folk music over the past few years. Around 2003, all pre-existing bands simultaneously decided on the need to incorporate ‘subtle’ banjo parts into their music, and all newly formed projects since than have only been recognized if they

a) live in Carolina, b) used to live in Carolina, or c) wrote a song about how they want to move to Carolina.

A reference from Sufjan warrants approval as well.

So it’s been fairly easy to fit the mold and spark a little internet buzz lately, however, what’s become more difficult as a result of this is making a contemporary folk album that really stands out and suggests timelessness. William Elliott Whitmore has done just that with his new release Song of the Blackbird. Without gimmick or use of ironic indie cliché, Whitmore’s Blackbird is a straightforward approach to traditional folk and blues music. His voice croons religious and hope-based themes over mostly-solo acoustic guitar and banjo songs. It feels like this music has been around forever, like Blackbird could have just as likely been picked from a collection of vintage blues vinyl than newly released.

William Elliott Whitmore - Dry

Dry is the first track on Song of the Blackbird, and it will make my list of the year’s best songs.