Released in 2013—the same year as his higher-profile "solo" album The Coincidentalist—Dust Bowl is Howe Gelb’s true solo album, with him playing all the instruments and working as if no one would ever hear the results. He described this record as being for hardcore fans, while the other album is for the friends of the hardcore fans. Anyone familiar with Gelb’s worldview and musical preferences knows he prefers the first take, the looseness and unsure energy that comes with discovery. “Lost Love” shuffles with ease, with Gelb’s footstomps every bit as important as the words he sings. “Man on a String” (one of the album’s two epics, along with “Redelivery Blues”) plays like a man in the shadows, with the trademark Arizona desert blues flowing through the low-key atmosphere like hazy summer heat. Banjo, guitar, and piano come together over a vocal often heavily slapback-echoed for a vintage tone. “Windblown Waltz” could’ve surfaced years ago. “Forever and a Day” could’ve been found at the end of a tape reel. It’s the feel of pure serendipity.