While other genres toy with imaginary futures for sources of inspiration, those writing folk music today still find endless lyrical material in the traditions and sounds of the past. But more often than not, a "new" sound is simply a forgotten one, reimagined. Perhaps that is what makes the music of Nighttime so special: listening to her 2018 LP Hand in the Dark takes us back to a soundscape that’s vaguely familiar but almost entirely forgotten. In the record, Goodman relies on influences dating back to the middle-ages, with drum-less acoustic arrangements, droney harmonies (in a church choir kind of way), and a voice deepened with conviction and more than a little sadness. The results are mesmerizing.
Nighttime will play at Alphaville on February 6th – have a listen to the haunting Hand in the Dark below. – Sunny Betz
