Denison Witmer’s new single espouses a quiet life in a suitably hushed manner.

These eight songs are effortlessly pretty, weaving delicate guitar melodies together with dreamy atmospherics.

After all, grief isn’t rational or given to nice, neat organization.

In a more perfect and just world, hushed and heartfelt folk-rock like this would earn all the likes and favorites.

This “children fairytale book concept album” is full of enchanting, beguiling music.

Two decades after its original release, Havalina’s third album remains as much an unsung masterpiece as ever.

A wonderfully direct and captivating album, though it’s somewhat hampered by some muddled production.

Leave it to a guy from Denmark to compose the perfect soundtrack for driving across the Nebraska prairie.

Stripped of his usual pomp, Sufjan’s latest explores his relationship with his troubled mother with grace, compassion, and brutal honesty.

Disasters isn’t just Forster’s most experimental release to date; it’s also one of his best and most emotional.

Duncan Sumpner’s first album in five years proves just as beguiling as his earlier releases.

Pearson’s songs pull no punches as he chronicles all of the ugly, nasty, and shitty things that bring about a relationship’s end.

Cadiz’s self-released debut conjures up June Carter Cash and Patsy Cline as much as Joanna Newsom.

“All Delighted People” contains some of the most ambitious music Sufjan has recorded to date, but it’s still just as heartfelt and poignant as ever.

Crepusculum’s debut full-length is full of Fred Baty’s deft, intricate guitarwork and beautiful, subtle arrangements.

Put simply, Wind’s Poem is the most haunting album I picked up in 2009.

Replete with Christian imagery as far removed from traditional praise and worship music as can be.

The album’s mix of musical traditions from around the world is both improvisational and intimate.

A batch of homespun, country-inflected ballads that straddle the line between folk and rock musically.

The album is dedicated to both of Karen’s parents, and that sense of loss and mourning permeates the album.