My maternal grandfather was a huge Frank Sinatra fan: one of my most powerful memories of him, in fact, is of my grandparents dancing in their Florida living room, strangely graceful and oblivious to the watching world, their wistful smiles and laugh lines framing faces aglow with an otherwise unseen affection, the swell of strings and Sinatra's voice pouring from the record player like a fog. A year later, they would give up the house, move North, and start their relatively short decline towards death, but it's here where I would remember them best: gliding in rare partnership, recapturing a lifetime I can only imagine. [...]
One of my favorite Christmas themes is homecoming. The concentrated call for togetherness, whether wistful or wanton, is tied tightly to the seasonal trend towards family and friends, the desire for closeness around hearth and heart, a ward against the chill and the commercialism. The intimacy that results - just us and the tree, or perhaps the crowd brought into the home - frames a set of a songs that celebrate being home, or express a longing for it, depending on the narrative stance. But in all cases, the motif [...]
You may not recognize the name Jim Sampas, but true-blue coverfans know his work: as the guiding light behind two of the decade's strongest album-centered tribute albums - turn-of-the-century alt-country-to-popfolk Springsteen tribute Badlands and 2005 indie Beatles tribute This Bird Has Flown - the producer has made an unparalleled mark on the evolving world of coverage. In the past year, Sampas has started new label ReImagine Music as a vehicle for his ongoing pursuit of all things coverage, and his first solo project, Subterranean Homesick Blues: A Tribute to Bob Dylan's 'Bringing It All [...]
I first came across Mindy Smith back when Tower Records was still around. I remember they had a shelf labeled Artists to Watch For and Smith was described as having a voice like that of Emmylou Harris. That was all that I needed to hear… I picked up her debut album, One Moment More, and it didn't leave my CD player for a good few weeks. Smith released her third album, Stupid Love, last year and although it seemed that she was headed towards a more pop direction, her sense of longing remained. There's something about [...]
We've had a blast taking over The Vinyl District this week. To leave our mark and part on good terms, we'd like to share some of our recent and upcoming artists with you all… Myspace | Facebook | Stephen Kellogg & the Sixers - A (With Love) (Mp3) Shady Esperanto And The Young ... [...]
She might be better known today for her flamboyant style, plastic surgery excesses and dumb blond stage persona, but before she became a pop-culture caricature, Dolly Parton was a tremendous singer, under-rated songwriter and country music ambassador to the world. By the age of 13, Parton had already been signed to a label and appeared at the Grand Ole Opry and was well on her way to being dubbed the "Queen of Country Music". To date, she has 25 number-one singles and a record 41 top-10 country albums. Along with classics like "Coat of [...]
You can finally exhale: here are my top 20 albums of 2009. Apart from the two top spots, the order is rather random. Ask me in ten minutes' time, and Grizzly Bear or M. Ward might sit at number 3 and 4. I've put sample tracks of each album on a mix; the song titles appear at the end each abstract. . 1. Richard Hawley - Truelove's Gutter I didn't expect Hawley to top [...]
While the hype machine forever proclaims this or that new artist to be "unique," "original," or "a fresh new voice," most of the time what you hear is more of the same old, same old. Thus, it is a rare joy to hear a newcomer that actually qualifies as all of the above. Mindy Smith fits loosely in the alt-country genre but adds some distinctive touches that set her apart from the field. A
I might be a little bit in love with Mindy Smith so hopefully that doesn't disappoint. I put Passion Pit 's vinyl release in there just cause Sean loves them so much. And someone please tell me why I should even try with the new Thrice release. They haven't been interesting to me since Artist in the Ambulance . Why do people still love them? :: Anna Ternheim , Leaving On a Mayday (Verve Forecast) :: Behemoth , Evangelion [...]
In possession of a lovely crystalline voice that can easily impart both innocence and vulnerablity, Mindy Smith has quietly but assuredly emerged as one of our finest singer songwriters. Crafting songs that dig deep into relationships, heartbreak and the wisdom gleaned from the emotional experience, the Long Island born Nashville resident returns August 11 with her fourth album Stupid Love . Since the release of her debut One Moment More in 2004, Smith has quickly joined the upper echelons of female folk/pop performers, winning critical praise as well as Best New [...]
With a lovely crystalline voice that can easily impart both innocence and vulnerablity, Mindy Smith has quietly but assuredly emerged as one of our finest singer songwriters. Crafting songs that dig deep into relationships, heartbreak and the wisdom gleaned from the emotional experience, the Long Island born Nashville resident returns with her fourth album Stupid Love for an August 11 street. Since the release of her debut One Moment More in 2004, Smith has quickly joined the upper echelons of female folk/pop performers, winning critical praise as well [...]
From 2004's One Moment More MP3 File yousendit
In 1999, I flipped on HBO to watch a new show called "The Sopranos." The opening sequence featured Tony Soprano driving through New Jersey to a very cool tune that I had never heard before. After digging around, I found out it was called "Woke Up This Morning" by Alabama 3. Who? In one of the last scenes of Jerry Maguire , Tom Cruise is running through what appears to be an airport to get home and here the now famous phrase "you had me from hello." I always loved the haunting song in that scene, but never [...]
My week at Breakthrough Radio ends with today's entry, and as promised, I'd like to take this opportunity to offer a little thanks and good cheer for the season. What follows is a repost, originally shared last year on Cover Lay Down under the title The Twelve Jews of Christmas: Folk Covers of Holiday Classics by Jewish Songwriters ; though for obvious reasons its interest is seasonal, it remains one of my most popular posts ever, and I'm happy to share it – and a bonus non-cover – here today. Enjoy! [...]
The term singer-songwriter has acquired a bad reputation, unjustly so. As I've said before, the genre is in its best state since the days of Joni Mitchell and her contemporaries. The critics, it seems, seem to conflate the rich diversity of artists thus categorised with a glut of performers who have found mainstream success, but who are not actually representatives of the genre. They are not
It's human nature to turn inward in times of timeturning. It's reassuring that we do; it bespeaks our still-close relationship with nature, and the planet. In a world long teetering on the verge of disaster, our innate need to constantly reground ourselves in history and ecology gives me more hope than anything at the future and continued existence of the human race. That it happens everywhere, regardless of country or creed, only reinforces my faith in all of us. May your year turn joyfully. May you put to [...]
We finish this 6 week series with a look at some albums that didn't fit any other " Best Of " list at The Late Greats . Each category is complete with an Honorable Mention. There is a complete recap of this series at the bottom of the post. ∞ Best EP: Anna Ternheim ~ Anna Ternheim EP I'll Follow You Tonight Honorable Mention: Marla Hansen ~ Wedding Day EP Wedding Day [...]
I was planning on posting this entry for the Sabbath, but the snow's getting deep outside, and in my rural area, that often means long-term network outages. Hope no one minds getting this "Friday" post a bit early... Today we celebrate the holiday coversongs of Jewish-American songwriters, most notably the prolific Johnny Marks , who is best known for penning a holy host of non-canonical Christmas songs, and lesser known for being the head of ASCAP from 1957 to [...]
Bodies of Water : "I Guess I'll Forget The Sound, I Guess, I Guess" [mp3] from Ears Will Pop & Eyes Will Blink out December 4th other Bodies of Water music blog posts: @lhb @hype @elbo.ws Dead Betties : free & legal tour album download [mp3] "The Suicide of Britney Spears" [mp3] other Dead Betties music blog posts: @lhb @hype @elbo.ws [...]
Cover Lay Down
TheFrontloader.com
The Vinyl District
The Stranger Dance
Any Major Dude With Half A Heart
The Mood Indicator 2.0
GreenShoelace.com Music Box
BUZZGRINDER
Direct Current
Keep the Coffee Coming
30 Days Out
The Late Greats
largehearted boy
Diplo - "Climax" (MP3 Stream)
Out This Week 2/14
Jackback Feat. David Guetta & Nicky Romero – Wild One Two
Listen: Diplo and Usher – “Climax”
Skrillex Uses Satanic and Homosexual Influence to Win Grammys
