Molly Ledford has spent much of the past 15 years making âkidâs musicâ out of indie folk-rock, with a bittersweet beauty and open-hearted wisdom that belies that pejorative-seeming subcategory. In Pears 4 Bears, she finds a deeply sympathetic and complementary partner in Aaron Graves, the Those Lavender Whales frontman who died last year. Hearing them shout at each other about peanut butter sandwiches over a gloriously grungy bridge and the indelible final image of Graves on his cherished skateboard will leave you with all the feels, whether youâre 5 or 65.
KYLE PETERSEN
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This smooth record was exactly the escape I needed from the overwhelming anxieties of this year. It slowed me down in the best way possible and, like a meditation, let me breathe through the stress and put on pause the racing thoughts I typically use to fill the silences. Charlestonâs STEPHAN reminds us, in interesting but subdued layers of