Folk/Review Block - Lead Me Not Into Penn Station

Block belongs to a unique category of artists—a pioneering force behind the anti-folk movement, his influence can be felt in every corner of modern indie and lo-fi songwriting. Instead of riding the wave of a genre, he helped create one.

Block's “Lead Me Not Into Penn Station,” which debuted underground in 1996, is one of the few albums that can be said to both define and disrupt a genre. Initially exchanged at performances and even outside the artist's vehicle, the record swiftly became as a key component of the emerging anti-folk movement. Through the prism of punk irreverence and lo-fi intimacy, it represented a moment when folk music was being destroyed and reconstructed. It was gritty, unrefined, and unabashedly real. Its re-release almost thirty years later feels more like the restoration of an important cultural item than a nostalgia exercise.

Meridian (ECR Music Group) has restored and released the album, marking its first foray into the streaming era. Mastering artist Blake Morgan adds clarity without erasing the flaws that gave the original its powerful effect. The songs, which tell restless tales with scathing humor, restless energy, and an unbalanced beauty that defies convention, are still as incisive and unadulterated as ever. Once a tenacious underground declaration, it now serves as a model for whole generations of DIY, folk-punk, and indie singers.

It also has historical significance because Block was the first artist signed to Java Records, which was founded by Glen Ballard, thanks to this album. Beyond the legend, however, “Lead Me Not Into Penn Station” remains because its spirit—equal parts confession and protest, humor and sincerity—feels eternal. Block's influence has come full circle with this reissue, solidifying the album's status as a must-listen in the annals of contemporary indie music.