Cotton Jones - Paranoid Cocoon

Paranoid Cocoon is an album full of quiet, wooden psychedelia reflecting Cotton Jones' casual pursuit of comfort and freedom. Michael Nau and Whitney McGraw have hearts - huge, questioning hearts - full of music that mixes elements of soul, rock, and gospel into a gauzy cocoon of small-town sound. Under the mountains of Cumberland, Maryland, where creeks zigzag in the lonesome dark of the forest and a red moon hangs overhead, these songs were born of leaving, of dreams both good and bad, sung from surroundings the band has known their whole lives. In the album's 2009 debut, NPR lauded Nau and McGraw's ability to "create a mature, oddly woodsy feel, with strikingly evocative and despondent lyrics. Nau's baritone, which recalls that of Lee Hazlewood, sings of forgotten happiness and missed chances, evoking charming sadness throughout the new record." Rolling Stone noted how Nau and McGraw "craft jazzy folk peppered with pianos, strings, and organs, and drive them with down-home vocal harmonies. Importantly, they've got lyrics to back up the gentle vibes." Paranoid Cocoon is simple, understated perfection: they sound timeless from singing together forever.