Sitting in the hospital next to my dying father contemplating the vernacular to describe something titled End of Times is a bit on the nose, to say the least. Fortunately, Kerhonkson’s very own Brother Jax’s new record (available digitally and on vinyl) is a welcome distraction/addition to this most enigmatic and mystifying experience of the human condition. The album is a diverse collection of psych folk/bardcore, somewhere between Donovan and post-King Crimson Adrian Belew. That said, there is light. Beck-like banter accompanies the first song’s driving acoustic verse, which falls into the comforting hammock chorus refrain of “Lean Back.” Jeff Buckley-esque arrangements continue on, reinforced with flowing, floating falsettos. The introspective instrumentals “Subsurface Iceflow” and “Kerhonkson” meld troubadour-like into and out of the Costa del Sol balladry of “Balgue” and “Vengo Solito.” The final track, “Something Big,” lands like a tongue-in-cheek, yet vulnerable, existential bucket list. An apropos companion for intense days.
This article appears in May 2026.
