Autumn of the World

A familiar array of mostly acoustic instruments deftly wielded in the service of retro-modern styles make for an exceptionally compelling third album by The Resonant Rogues. When they're not teaching swing dancing or touring, Rogues founding partners Sparrow (accordion, banjo) and Keith J Smith (guitar) front a swing band (Sparrow and her Wingmen) and Balkan troupe (Black Sea Beat Society) in their Asheville, North Carolina hometown. On Autumn of the World, the multi-faceted duo, whose harmony singing often sounds superior to either voice on its own, are joined by Kristen Harris (fiddle) and Eric Heveron-Smith (upright bass), plus an assortment of local collaborators on pedal steel, percussion, trombone, cello and vocal harmonies.

Drawing upon influences ranging from Appalachian ballads (‘Strength of Water’) and urban swing (‘Dueling with the Demons’) to Balkan dance (‘Zeus Faber’) and Gypsy jazz (‘Tramp’), the album's 13 original songs (including one bonus track) wax lyrically on 21st century folk noir themes including addiction, depression, insomnia, wealth inequality and urban gentrification. That said, don't let the messages' melancholic cast discourage a listening session with these extraordinarily talented messengers.