Album: Anaïs Mitchell, Young Man in America (Wilderland)

There comes a point when even American folk culture ceases to be local and goes mythological.

That's the borderline Steinbeck was interested in; it's the liminal territory Mitchell likes to explore – even more vividly here, if that's possible, than on 2010's Hadestown. Young Man... deploys a quiet chamber-indie ensemble behind Mitchell's chirrup of a voice (make your own mind up about that), in the service of an epic tale of American becoming. Marvellous.