NPR

Joan Shelley Admires The Beauty In All The Fading

Joan Shelley's songs have the sturdy, classic construction of folk tunes. But even when the tone is serene, there's a distinctly modern restlessness lurking below the surface.
Joan Shelley's latest album, <em>Like The River Loves the Sea, </em>is out now.

There's been no shortage of great music by soft-spoken women playing acoustic guitar in 2019. But if you pay attention to one song in that vein this's breathtaking latest album,It's an elegy tuned to the present moment hitting ominous notes of environmental dread, glaciers disappearing, things breaking down. You can tell that Shelley is rattled, but gracefully sidesteps despair on the refrain.

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from NPR

NPR4 min read
Pro-Palestinian Campus Protesters Face Looming Deadlines And Risk Of Arrest
Hundreds of students have been arrested for participating in pro-Palestinian protests in recent days. And some schools, like Columbia and GW, have given them deadlines to dismantle their encampments.
NPR5 min readWorld
Blinken Tells China It's In Their Interest To Stop Helping Russia
NPR's Steve Inskeep talks to Secretary of State Blinken about U.S. foreign policy and his meeting with China's President Xi Jinping.
NPR4 min read
Taylor Swift Fans Mean Business With Tortured Poets Soap, Eras Yarn, Kelce Cookies
Entrepreneurial Swifties are selling crafty products inspired by Taylor Swift's music and style. Swift herself has been known to send notes and even homemade gifts to creative super-fans.

Related Books & Audiobooks