Jay Malinowski & The Deadcoast’s latest, Martel, is a collection of fictional letters-as-songs. Moving away from Bedouin Soundclash, the singer’s project pays homage to his grandfather, Martel. Each song is supposed to be a letter from Martel to his granddaughter, Kit. In a blog post, he explains that the album idea came to him when he was walking across Spain and found a place called the deadcoast. Martel is more of a concept album than anything else. The narrative doesn’t really make sense without checking Malinowski’s website or blog. Its eighteen tracks are divided into two parts: Atlantic and Pacific. On the website and cover art, each song is numbered and placed on a different spot on the map, making every song a letter from Martel to Kit about the places Martel has been, from “The Shadow of St-Malo” to “Dying Californian.” Not surprisingly, most of the songs sounds like sea shanties. Although some of them come off as a little strange and short, like “Main-a-Dieu” and “Les Bas Fonds (Paris Syndrome),” which both run no longer than a minute and thirty seconds. Martel goes through everything from sea shanty “Dying Californian,” which was the standout track for me, to the flamenco inspired “Carnival Celebration #2.” While it can seem a bit confusing and runs a little long, the album features some winners and makes for an easy listen. (Pirates Blend Record Inc, jaymalinowski.com) Martyna Turczynowicz