Beefheart & McQuinn’s Midtown Downtime arrived earlier this year as a ten-song distillation of folk-rock’s softer, more unhurried pleasures. Think. close harmonies, crisp arrangements, and an easygoing, J.J. Cale-like sway. For their Lagniappe Session, William Murray and Winter McQuinn turn to three favorites from their record collections: Danny O’Keefe’s “The Road,” Mark Fry’s “Song For Wilde,” and Heron’s “Lord & Master.” Spanning road-worn singer-songwriter fare and the pastoral reaches of British folk, the selections share the qualities that animate the duo’s own work.
Category: Beefheart & McQuinn
Beefheart & McQuinn :: Midtown Downtime
The new collaboration between UK/Melbourne musicians William Murray and Winter McGuinn, Midtown Downtime is a warmly worn folk-rock set built on intoxicating harmonies and beautifully crisp production. Bound together by a shared lineage of touchstones, the duo channel a loose, rootsy sway that occasionally recalls the unhurried ease of J.J. Cale. Arriving at the onset of summer, Midtown Downtime carries an understated breeze that feels equally suited to late afternoons, long drives, or slow evenings with the windows open.