Palehound: CMJ 2015 | NPR MUSIC FRONT ROW

Finding a songwriting voice takes time — and then there’s the process of pinpointing the best way to send that voice hurtling through speakers. Palehound’s Ellen Kempner has long had the words: scathing and evocative, certain even when swimming in an ocean of doubt. And with every live show, she’s finding surer and surer footing as the central force in a band that marries rock muscle to bedroom folk’s wiry vulnerability. At an NPR Music showcase recorded live at New York City’s (Le) Poisson Rouge in the fa