Local Music Reviews
Jay William Henderson
Hymns To My Amnesia
Self-Released
Street: 07.15
Jay William Henderson = Iron & Wine + The Hollering Pines + Conor Oberst
On album opener “Marrow In The Morrow,” Jay William Henderson cries, “You fool, you fucking fool. You’ve created this torturous mess.” This is some sad-bastard music, and I mean that in the best possible way. Henderson has never really been one for joyous lyrics, even when he was playing slightly more upbeat material with the late Band of Annuals. Fortunately, the somber tone of Henderson’s words perfectly complements the heartbreaking beauty of his alt-country music. As one of the few consistently great artists out there, you can always count on Henderson to put out beautiful and emotional songs to fit a somber mood. Hymns To My Amnesia is no exception. This album contains some of Henderson’s best work to date, an impressive feat given the almost-decade since the first BoA album came out and considering his impressive body of work since. –Alex Gilvarry