by Ljubinko Zivkovic (@zivljub)
Bandcamp is currently an embarrassment of riches full of artists you’ve barely heard of or those you have never encountered before. Unfortunately, for many of those, unless you (and they) are lucky enough that you hit upon them, they can remain in that dreaded undiscovered category. Don’t let that happen with The Cradle, an artist that has issued dozens of brilliant releases, Half A Double Life being the latest and one that you should definitely pick out first.
The Cradle is actually the project of one Paco Cathcart, out of Brooklyn, New York. They’ve been operating under that moniker since 2012, and they’ve been going deep down into the source of American roots and folk music, giving them a thorough personal touch and adding some other sounds to boot.
As they explains, “the feeling of the album and the melodies of a few of the songs came to me on a rainy walk near my friend Alex's house in Baltimore in autumn 2018.” No wonder, since throughout the album you get that reflective, melancholy feeling, ranging from warmth to sadness within moments. “Pouring Rain’ just might be the giveaway there, but that feeling permeates the album, making this and tracks like “Never Play It Cool” or “There Must Be Some Problem Here” things of pure beauty.
All of it is underlined by Cathcart’s excellent guitar and instrumental capabilities and vocal support from their friend and longtime collaborator Lily Konigsberg. One of the better releases of 2021.