SXSW Thursday Record Reviews

Johnny Flynn's fourth LP pivots on the English songwriter/actor's distinctive voice, which echoes older UK folk even while wrapping itself in modern indie roots. Opener "Raising the Dead" wrings ancient ballads, but quickly updates à la the Decemberists with "Wandering Aengus" and "Heart Sunk Hank," which contour toward Elephant 6 and Jeff Mangum's nasal howl. "Barleycorn," "In the Deepest," and "In Your Pockets" surge in the epic swell of Colin Meloy's wake, and "The Night My Piano Upped and Died" wails with strings tuned both Appalachian and Eastern. Flynn manages a sound both timeless and timely. (Thu. 16, Blackheart, 10pm)