Paul Stewart’s all new Permanence is among the best folk records this blog has featured. It is not that Stewart has reinvented the wheel, nor has he re-birthed an aging sound. Rather he has ignored the rest of the milieu of song writing trendsetters and/or classicists and has instead turned his lamp in on himself, creating music of enduring vulnerability and magnetic inner strength—dare I say, songs of permanence! His voice is reticent of Perfume Genius, and in many senses his ethos too reflects the shameless inner searching of Mike Hadreas (with a dash of Phil Elvrum and a pinch of Sparklehorse). The bedroom quality of the recordings also does wonders to enhance the intimacy of Stewart’s swaying cants. I strongly recommend this artist to fans of everyone listed here. He will be playing at The Elevation Room on July 20th. More information here.