Music Recs, the Journeying Edition

All of these are connected, albeit loosely, by the theme in the title.

First of all, Hem released a new song(!!!) via No Depression's latest sampler. It's called "Traveler's Song," and if you're in the US, you can download it and the rest of the sampler for free here. The lyrics are not as specific and vivid as some of their other work, but the melody and instrumentation are lovely, and Sally's voice is gorgeous as always. I think of their earlier work, it reminds me most of "Great Houses of New York."

(Still no official release date for the next album, but Christina at All About Hem suggests this autumn. WANT.)

Toad the Wet Sprocket
Windmills - You can't go wrong with a Don Quijote reference. Especially not when the music is so lovely. Glen Phillips's voice breaking just a little bit at "World without end couldn't hold her" gets me every time.

Priscilla Ahn
Her voice reminds me a little bit of Vienna Teng's, but her music is usually based around the guitar rather than the piano. A Good Day (Morning Song) is by far my favorite--simple, but beautiful. Dream is more complex, and also very nice.

Meg Hutchinson
Okay, yes, some a lot of her stuff is completely forgettable acoustic pap one might hear in a Starbucks. Some of it, though, is good. She's sort of a less-country Kris Delmhorst, and a jazzier Lucy Kaplansky. If you liked the Antje Duvekot songs I recommended a while back, you'll probably like her.

There's something about the chorus of Home that I like very much, and Coming Up has an excellent slow build. Before I started doing this semi-formally, I think I recommended Leonids; of all of hers, I think it's my favorite. Possibly this is because it brings to mind some good memories from undergrad.