Dead Western

Contemplation, sadness, mourning, the cozy feeling somewhere between lights out and conked-out—Dead Western’s new 10-track LP, Soften Your Screams Into Sings, evokes these moods. Western, a.k.a. Troy Mighty, sings with a lamenting drawl; it may require a few listens for some to appreciate. Conversely, he strums merrily and plucks his acoustic guitar in a lazy Saturday afternoon way. Guest musicians enrich the lullabies with violin, trumpet, autoharp and accordion. Brianna Lea Pruett lends the “beautiful voice” on “Beautifully Powerful/Powerfully Beautiful,” with such lyrics as: “When the sun is cold and dead is when I will cease to believe that we are the perfect team.” Soften comes out August 22, encased in intricate, lacy silk-screens crafted by Mighty himself.