Music Recommendation: Niobe’s Blackbird’s Echo and Wilco’s Wilco

Two standout albums in the last few months for Travelmarx are, drum roll please: Niobe with Blackbird’s Echo and Wilco with Wilco.

Yvonne Cornelius (aka Niobe – taken from a character in Greek mythology) has a few albums under her belt and I can't say I’ve listened to any of them. Her latest Blackbird’s Echo ended up in my lap via a friend and I was immediately taken by its quirky lyrics, vocal styling, and general art-house feel. The songs at times feel like experiments - a splice of sound here, a deconstruction there – deliberately calculated to let you experience a song in a totally different way. I think it works. Favorite track: Fever.

Wilco’s Wilco (The Album) is the second favorite. In this case, I’ve followed most of all of Wilco’s work so I dutifully went out and bought this without thinking much about it. I listened once or twice and it didn’t stick. Then picked up again and now it’s just as good to my ears as A Ghost is Born or Sky Blue Sky. Favorite track: Bull Black Nova. Happy listening.