Nighttime Keeper is the Heart

Keeper is the Heart is the third album from the aptly-named Nighttime, Eva Louise Goodman’s upstate New York-based psych-folk project. It’s a mournful but undeniably pretty affair that’s draws much of its inspiration from across the Atlantic. I’m reminded of artists like Pentagle and the Incredible String Band, while there’s an air of mysticism that recalls the spirit of Vashti Bunyan. If I hear anything truly American in this record’s DNA, it’s the ethereal sound of West Coast psych-folk pioneer, Linda Perhacs. Outside of the folk sphere, there’s a hint of Nico evident in Goodman’s occasionally detached vocal.

The performances are consistently accomplished, but the brightest moments of Keeper is the Heart occur when the tempo rises a notch and the percussion adds the gentlest swagger — Curtain is Closing and The Way are clear highlights. The momentum fades in the final third, but it’s a very cohesive and charming listen nonetheless.