New Music Reviews: Flock of Dimes, Nourished by Time, and Candelabra

Flock of Dimes and Nourished By Time are both solo projects from Baltimore artists, with monikers that sound like band names. And they’re both excellent. Meanwhile in Chile, Candelabra are making epic Christian-themed rock.

Flock of Dimes

The Life You Save

2025, 8.5/10
Jenn Wassner is known as a member of Wye Oak and Bon Iver, but she also releases her own music under the moniker Flock of Dimes. Her last record was wide-ranging, but The Life You Save is autumnal and intimate.

This record is about codependency. And obviously, codependency and addiction are two sides of a coin. So when I was making this record, I thought I was making a record about other people’s addictions. And in the process, I came to understand in learning about myself and being able to shift my perspective that I was actually making a record about my own codependency. And part of the struggle is learning to see the ways in which your behavior, that you believe to be helpful, might actually be harming people.

Jenn Wasner, Under the Radar

It can be a tough record to get through, with a relentlessly subtle palette. The record’s intimate enough that the synth stabs on ‘Defeat’ are among the most vibrant moments. The closer ‘I Think I’m God’ is reminiscent of Joni Mitchell’s Hejira, with the clear, emotive vocals backed by acoustic guitar and fretless bass. The best tune, ‘Afraid’, opens the disc, a pretty, searching melody.

Jenn Wasner is supremely talented, and The Life You Save is an excellent record.

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Nourished By Time

The Passionate Ones

2025, 8.5/10
Marcus Brown records as Nourished By Time, delivering lo-fi soul songs in his soothing baritone. The Passionate Ones is his second album – he began playing guitar at 15 after seeing Slash support Michael Jackson. His music sometimes recalls Alexander O’Neal’s terrific 1980s albums with Jam and Lewis.

Brown’s interested in late-stage capitalism and class politics. He told Rolling Stone, “Name one socialist pop star – it doesn’t exist. I can be a socialist rock star or something like that. But I can’t be a socialist pop star.”

The Passionate Ones starts strongly with the aggressive, off-kilter ‘Automatic Love’. But some of the best material is buried in the second half, like the pretty ‘When The War Is Over’ and the ‘Tony Bontana’ feature on ‘Jojo’.

Sly Stone and Brian Wilson recently passing away in such close proximity to each other is crazy. They were home studio musicians who revolutionised lo-fi music. Both of their imaginations are so inspiring.

Marcus Brown, The Face

The Passionate Ones is a terrific second album from Brown.

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Candelabro

Deseo, Carne y Voluntad

2025, 7.5/10
Candelabro are a seven-piece Chilean band. They blend Christian themes (their second record’s title translates as “Desire, Flesh, and Will”) with a big, bombastic sound. With their saxophone and rough-edged sound, they’re reminiscent of English contemporaries like Black Country, New Road, although the jazz and

I like this live set, where their jazz grooves are more prominent:

On the ten-minute long ‘Cáliz’, they sing “this body is the chalice of what I am/May this blood serve as an offering for forgiveness.”

If you like this album, there’s a chance you’ll become a devoted fan of this ambitious ensemble.

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