Zen Buddhism teaches us that everything we do should be done with mindfullness. In other words, if you have a voice, use it to convey mutual understanding and love. Or, as our mothers all put it, if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all. Arguably, no artist understands this as well as Becky Stark of Lavender Diamond. I wrote about Lavender D. last year at this time. Back then, she was an unknown with a self-released EP called Cavalry of Light. Those four songs were nothing but a ray of sunshine, which I was delighted to find out will see an official release via Matador this January (with a full length following in May). Songs of peace, love and understanding that aren’t cheesy or delivered with a hint of irony are much needed in today’s world. Words are pretty much useless when describing her brand of morning peacefolk, but you can listen here for yourself. So, congrats to Becky, and to Matador.