Recent and Remarkable: Records from Fall 2025 

Autumn 2025 saw the release of new albums from some great acoustic artists. Here are some quick takes on new offerings from Joan Shelley, the Onlies, Neko Case, Hannah Frances, Thibaut Garcia and Antoine Morinière, Carson McHone, Sharon Silva, Laura Snowden, and the Bob Dylan Bootleg Series.

Joan Shelley, Real Warmth
As with all of Shelley’s music, Real Warmth is layered. Cultural and musical touchstones surface in every chord, phrase, and rhythm. The album emphasizes the groove of folk music without losing its spirit. Shelley protests, pleads, and inspires.

The Onlies, You Climb the Mountain 
Ripping old-time tunes from the Onlies. Originals, trad tunes, instrumentals, and vocal numbers alike are delivered with resonance, skill, and spirit.

Neko Case, Neon Grey, Midnight Green
How can an album feel massive and intimate at the same time? The songs on Neon Grey, Midnight Moon are exquisitely orchestrated—Case recorded with a 20-piece chamber ensemble—but the rich imagery she conjures remains at the forefront; she’s singing directly in our ears.

Hannah Frances, Nested in Tangles
Frances’ unique folk feels progressive, baroque, and chilling. Nestled in Tangles allures and beguiles, its poetic distortions coalescing with soaring saxophone, dissonant guitar, and bird-like whistling. This is fine art by way of a folksinger.

Bach: Goldberg Variations, Thibaut Garcia and Antoine Morinière 
Stunning craftsmanship and artistry abound as the two classical guitarists re-imagine the Goldberg Variations with studious attention to detail and deeply expressive performances. Adding to the magic, Garcia and Morinière play twin guitars—built from wood from the same tree—crafted specifically for this project by luthier Hugo Cuvillier.

Carson McHone, Pentimento
Pentimento feels familiar, but its timeless harmonies, warm riffs, and masterful tambourine serve as entry points to its dissonance, poetry, and creative exploration.

Sharon Silva, Underachiever 
Thrilling indie-folk rock, Underachiever is the solo debut from the former Wild Reed member. Silva’s intense wit and passionate voice electrify every word.

Laura Snowden, This Changing Sky
After years of performing and composing boundary-pushing classical guitar music, Snowden delivers a full-length debut unlike any other. Contemporary classical guitar recordings often skew toward atonality or technical difficulty, but on This Changing Sky, she approaches folk traditions with reverence and wonder. Her unique voice combines the full, beautiful dynamic range of the classical guitar with a spirit of exploration. The playing is flawless—crystalline—and the ensemble writing, vocal parts, and repertoire choices make this record truly extraordinary.

Bob Dylan, Bootleg Series Volume 18: Through the Open Window, 1956–1963
Rare, low-quality, homemade, intimate early Bob Dylan recordings. This release from the ever-golden Bootleg Series offers a treasure chest of never before heard outtakes from Dylan’s first Columbia sessions, taped performances from live gigs, and field recordings from the era’s folk-scene gatherings. Like many Dylan obsessives, I take real pleasure in the seemingly endless variations he plays on his own songs. His recent percussive wrench performance made waves for its novelty, but these new-old recordings—which include a pre-Freewheelin’ rendition of “Don’t Think Twice” at the Gaslight and a funky uptempo take on “Dink’s Song” recorded at Bonnie Beecher’s house—are revelatory. A portrait of the artist as a young artist; sensational.

Joey LustermanOpinionated creative slash beginning guitarist. Joey has worked in every department at Acoustic Guitar in the past 10+ years: front desk, ad sales, editorial, sound guy, camera man, booth babe, email coder, podcast editor, photographer, book designer…