Brad Armstrong was born in Birmingham, Alabama, where he spent the majority of his formative music years with 13ghosts. Now that 13ghosts has seemingly dissolved, he has re-located to New York, where he has continued his solo career as well as other collaborations like The Glass Hours.
I wanted to show some love for his most recent solo release, his third full-length 'Heart Like A Sigil', from 2022. He paired up with Maria Taylor's (Azure Ray) LA-based indie label Flower Moon Records, as well as featuring her on 10/12 of the album's tracks with accompanying vocals. This album basically became my "bummer but bright" go-to album when it released, with certain tracks like "Take Me Down to Carolina" seemingly having even more added weight to them today. Other favorites include "The Witch (Part 1)", "Fading Out", and "Reels Out", which cast the most evocative shadows to the contrasted lighter moments on the album. Overall every track feels very cinematic and filled with specific purpose.
Just a great songwriter, and he manages to tow a line of multiple genres with a solid country/rock foundation. Maria Taylor also deserves a lot of credit too -- her harmonies and voice give this album a lot of added dynamics, punctuated by Armstrong's unique lyricism and delivery.
