Double Roses

Karen Elson’s songs feel like the soundtrack to an unearthed photograph: weathered, mysterious, textured by time. Her second album—following a seven-year break—is a lush mix of psychedelia and folk, with hints of windswept country (“A Million Stars”) and orchestral grandeur (“Call Your Name”). Elson’s guests (Laura Marling, Father John Misty, and The Black Keys’ Patrick Carney, to name a few) are impressive company to keep, but never overwhelm Elson’s penetrating yet ethereal presence.