Greg Mendez by Greg Mendez

Sometimes artists don’t burst onto the scene so much as they take the long way around. Greg Mendez, from Philadelphia, has taken a long time to hit my radar: there’s an album on his Bandcamp site called “Home Videos (2006-2018)” as well as an “Early Demos” album from 2009 (14 years ago!). His gorgeous, self-titled album is his third LP in that nearly 20-year span of making music, along with 8 EPs of additional songs. And I only heard about him a month ago.

I have not (yet) had the opportunity to explore the depths of his catalogue, but this album sure makes me want to. The production on these singer/songwriter-driven songs puts Greg’s melodic, doubled voice right next to your ears, as if he’s drawn you in close to whisper something special. This places him in the musical room with Elliott Smith and Sufjan Stevens, and the simple guitar plucking that accompanies his striking melodies is from the room right across singer-songwriter hall, with Jose Gonzales and Sam Beam of Iron & Wine.

If you like any of those artists I just named, then Mendez is for you. But don’t take my word for it – download it and listen for yourself! Or you can check out these additional videos he’s created for his album:

“Maria”
“Goodbye / Trouble”

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Love Letter for Fire by Sam Beam & Jesca Hoop

Prior to hearing the album here at #29, I was familiar with only half of the duo. I’ve been a fan of Sam Beam, otherwise known as Iron & Wine, for over a decade. Jesca Hoop has been recording music for nearly as long as Beam, but this album was my first experience with her sultry voice.

Love Letter for Fire is a perfectly fine record. It’s gorgeous, a lovely thing to put on in the background when you’re — I don’t know — knitting by a fire, ensconced in a cabin deep in the woods on an island in the San Juans, or at least imagining yourself doing as much.

The album is produced, engineered and mixed by Seattle’s Tucker Martine, who has worked on a mind-boggling high number of albums I’ve loved over the years. Finger picked guitars, violins and cellos, pianos, and the buttery-smooth voices of Beam and Hoop — you really can’t go wrong.

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30. Barbara Barbara, We Face a Shining Future by Underworld
31. Preoccupations by Preoccupations

#26 on the 2023 Bacon Top 31 — Greg Mendez

#29 on the 2016 Bacon Top 31