As folks start to think about their favorite records of the year, I wanted to shine the spotlight again on one of my own favorites which has unfortunately flown a bit under the radar: Steve Salett's project The Poison Tree. Salett—who also wrote one of the year's best tracks in The Bandana Splits' "Sometimes" —quietly released an intimate treasure last winter sparsely colored with bits of acoustic guitar, upright bass, and jazz-flavored horns. Here's what I wrote back in January: "The songs on Steve Salett's debut as The Poison Tree are in no hurry [...]
The Poison Tree is the latest incarnation of Steve Salett -- or Salad, as he calls himself -- a veteran of the downtown New York music scene and co-founder of both the Saltlands music collective in Brooklyn and his own well-regarded outfit The King of France. If King, with its broad, intense swipes of jittery if melodic Talking Heads and Beatle retro influences, represents one side of the musical coin, Salett's latest project The Poison Tree, arriving digitally in March, is the other. The upbeat garage [...]
If I were catty, I'd say Steve Salett (or, less formally, Salad) is a bit of a rock-n-roll trollop. Deformo, The Kelley Deal 6000, The King of France ; the guy plays it fast and loose. Now he's cattin' around with an outfit he calls The Poison Tree , and I'd be tempted to be very critical of Mr. Salett's indiscretions if he didn't slip us one on the sly. C'mon C'mon is the first single from the self-titled EmBarque release that's set to drop in March. It's [...]
If I were catty, I'd say Steve Salett (or, less formally, Salad) is a bit of a rock-n-roll trollop. Deformo, The Kelley Deal 6000, The King of France ; the guy plays it fast and loose. Now he's cattin' around with an outfit he calls The Poison Tree , and I'd be tempted to be very critical of Mr. Salett's indiscretions if he didn't slip us one on the sly. C'mon C'mon is the first single from the self-titled EmBarque release that's set to drop in March. It's [...]
The above was just a regular 'ole moonrise over some Sonoma vineyards. Tonight's gonna be a doozy. For the entire northern hemisphere. This evening's Autumn Equinox brings the first Super Harvest Moon in 20 years; a rare combo of Summer setting on a full moon. It'll make nearby Jupiter the second-brightest object in the sky. Step out, crack open some pumpkin beers, and turn up the tunes. Fall's a-comin'. Here's a super soundtrack: Elliott Smith "Harvest Moon" (Neil Young) The Kinks "Autumn [...]
If you have a soft spot for romantic comedies like I do—and you know you do, come on—then I'd suggest Netflixing Michael Showalter's 2005 film The Baxter . It's fairly predictable and simple, but Showalter, the silly bastard behind The State and the unequalled Wet Hot American Summer , shines as a milquetoast dud who's had every girlfriend stolen from him since high school. Justin Theroux, Peter Dinklage, Michael Ian Black, and the always hilarious Elizabeth Bank costar. And most importantly, the film has a solid soundtrack—one that introduced me to this [...]
Random Music Fridays is a section I created to list a couple of songs from any genre and from any specific time. Anything pretty much goes. New songs, old songs, obscured songs, popular songs. It will contain a little bit of everything. Every week I come across a handful of great songs and artist that I would like to share and talk more about but cannot find the time to write a full review or bio about. Rather than put them off for later and perhaps be forgotten, Random Music Fridays will be their home every week! Enjoy. [...]
Everybody Taste
Direct Current
My Old Kentucky Blog
Unnecessary Umlaut
The Music Ninja
Bison - Quill
Monday Music – 28 May 2012
Music Singles Chart #109
