It goes without saying that when Jonathan Vassar puts out a record, it’s going to be stellar. Vassar and his band The Speckled Bird seem to outdo themselves yet again with their latest release “The Sky and Country.”

The 10-track album is full of the free flowing light sounding music that Vassar and company are known for. This time around, they delve deeper into the depths of dark folk (how’s that for alliteration?) and create some truly haunting gems. Songs like “The Plain Light of Day,” “The Hanging Rocks” and “The Wreck St. James” are wonderfully intricate and the music flourishes like never before.

It’s been amazing seeing this group evolve over the course of numerous albums and this one is pure magic.

Jonathan Vassar and the Speckled Bird – Heron and the Hummingbird