Blog: Given and Taken in Ink

Frightened Rabbit is back with the title track from its forthcoming EP, State Hospital , due September 25.  Recently signed to Atlantic Records, the Glasgow-based band will release a full-length follow-up to 2010's The Winter of Mixed Drinks sometime next year. And if you missed it previously, Frightened Rabbit released a free 3-track EP on its website, which requires only that you sign up for the mailing list.

The Deadline Shakes is a new band based out of the burgeoning Glasgow music scene.  "Sweeten the Deal" is the band's first single, a delicious slice of indie folk-pop in the vein of the New Pornographers.  (Side note: I also thought I heard a bit of Belle and Sebastian in there, but my wife said no.  So there's that.)  With lines like, "Because I'm lonely and desperate / How can you resist that?," it's got the witty, self-deprecating humor to match its sunny guitars. "Sweeten the Deal" will be available for download on November 5 via [...]

Brooklyn-based The Babies are due to release their sophomore LP, Our House on the Hill , this fall via Woodsist Records .  Until then, you can check out the fuzzy burst of garage rock, "Moonlight Mile," which will be released on August 14 (preorder here ).  The Babies began as a collaboration between Cassie Ramone (Vivian Girls) and Kevin Morby (Woods), but has since morphed into a full-fledged band with the additions of Justin Sullivan and Brian Schleyer. And if you're in Brooklyn next week, the band will be playing here: 8/15 – [...]

Paper Garden Records is emerging as a musical force to be reckoned with.  Hot off the heels of Conveyor's debut release, the Brooklyn label is also home to Fierce Creatures , whose debut Catacomb Party just dropped this week.  Originally hailing from Fresno, CA, the band is comprised of Mike Adame, Mathr Collom, Tomas Galvan, Joel Melton, Jon Rulloda, Nathaniel Stiers, and Amanda Valdez. Much like their labelmates, Fierce Creatures stylistic muse is Change, as the band shifts deftly among various genres within the diverse indie [...]

The lovely Norah Jones is back with "Miriam," the second single from her new album, Little Broken Hearts , which was released back in April via Blue Note Records.  The album, which was produced by and co-written with Danger Mouse, shows off a darker side to the jazz/folk singer-songwriter.  Be sure to watch until the end for a little surprise. ...Catch that?  Ladies and gentlemen, don't mess with Norah Jones! Support This Artist :

Calexico 's new single hit the Internet on Monday, and we're bringing it to you exclusively four days late!  It's called "Splitter," and you can stream it at Soundcloud :  The song is the latest taste of Calexico's upcoming new album, Algiers , due for release on September 11 via ANTI- Records .  Here's the track list: 1. Epic 2. Splitter 3. Sinner in the Sea 4. Fortune Teller 5. Para 6. Algiers 7. Maybe on Monday 8. Puerto [...]

I may have mentioned it here before, but making mix tapes is one of my favorite hobbies.  At some point during high school, which I mostly found unbearable, I distinctly remember thinking that I had all these great sad songs, but they were spread out over too many different albums.  Why not combine them into one powerful tape of self-loathing?  Seemed a great idea at the time.  I don't know about anyone else, but when I'm feeling down, I just can't stand upbeat music.  I'd rather play something that echoes my mood; it's always done a much better job of [...]

I have been remiss in writing about The Tallest Man on Earth 's new album, There's No Leaving Now , but it's been one of my favorite releases of the year.  So I was excited to drag my pregnant wife down to Union Transfer in Philadelphia for an artist who has been in heavy rotation in our house for the past several years. I always expected Kristian Matsson to be tall (a shocking assumption, I know), so it was a bit surprising when a not particularly tall man walked out on stage.  My first thought: "The [...]

At some point between when I saw Strand of Oaks last year and when I saw them again last night, Timothy Showalter graduated into the realm of rock star.  Maybe it was the venue; Union Transfer is a much bigger stage than the intimate Johnny Brenda's.  Maybe it's the joy of playing new material.  Or maybe Showalter had it in him all along and only decided to reveal it now.  But either way, Philadelphia saw a different Strand of Oaks on Monday night. Showalter, who often performs solo, was joined on stage by drummer [...]

The Rocketboys have released a new single, "The Best," accompanied by the Austin-based indie rock quintet's first ever official music video (directed by Chris Phelps).  "The Best" is the final track on Build Anyway , the band's sophomore album released last month.  Apparently the song is an apology from lead singer Brandon Kinder to his former bandmates: "You spent your time trying to make a better life, while I was spending mine making up bitter rhymes / But I know if I ever had brothers, I hope you know that you were always them."  Check it out: [...]

The Dirty Nil is like Weezer on steroids.  When do you ever hear a band that sounds like fuzzy 90s alt rock without all of the self-loathing?  I haven't heard rock this ballsy in a long time.  Check out the video for "Fuckin' Up Young," and make sure to pick up the band's Summer Mix-Tape , which is free until September 24.  After that, it'll be gone forever.  ( Forever ?!  Yep.  Click fast, kids.)

Fierce Creatures is high on my bands-to-write-about list.  The raucous art-pop band from Fresno, CA has been making waves with its single "Catacomb Party," title track from the upcoming debut full-length, due August 7 via Paper Garden Records .  Stay tuned to GTI for a complete review of the album, but for now we have the single's new music video for your viewing pleasure.  Director  Jeffrey Prosser absolutely nailed the fun yet slightly creepy spirit of the song.  Check it out: Or just the audio:

The genius of Timothy Showalter's dark folk tapestries is the way in which they are both unassuming and in-your-face.  That dynamic was much more evident on Strand of Oaks ' previous release, Pope Killdragon , as Showalter stepped outside of the mythos of his biography (folk singer whose house burns down and writes a brilliant record about it) to deliver something altogether unique and genre-defying.  Showalter is a bit more pensive on Dark Shores , but the power of his music is the same.  Nerding-out for just a moment: If Strand of Oaks songs played Dungeons & [...]

Though Tristen Gaspadarek's label debut, Charlatans at the Garden Gate , has been out for almost a year and a half, it didn't cross my radar until May 2012, when she opened for Justin Townes Earle in Philadelphia. Tristen has actually been recording for over a decade, and during that time she seems to have built quite the loyal following. One man yelled "I love you more than my wife!" at the end of her set, much to the chagrin of the woman standing next to him. It's not hard to see why. [...]

As the son of a gospel-singing father and grandson of a Southern Bapist pastor, it's no surprise that Nashville-based singer/songwriter Anderson East 's brand of Americana is mixed with a generous helping of soul.  East is set to release his debut double LP Flowers of the Broken Hearted in September 2012.  Both halves will explore the same overall theme, albeit from two stylistically different perspectives.  Disc One will rest within the Americana and soul genres, while the second disc is more modern and dark.  The sample songs I've heard are very encouraging, as East channels Ray LaMontagne [...]

Stone Cold Fox is a New York-based rock band which just released its debut EP, The Young , on May 18.  Combining the energy of rock (particularly mid-2000s post punk revival) with the acoustic strum of alt-folk, The Young is primarily a result of the collaboration between vocalist/guitarist Kevin Olken and producer/synths/keyboard player Ariel Loh.  Together, they show off a great sense for writing melodic, catchy, and emotive songs that capture the spirit of being young in America. While lead single "American" is one of the EP's standouts, I was [...]

This playlist started out as just another monthly GTI mix on 8tracks (for June), but of course I waited too long and now it's July.  Hence the shift to a more seasonal title.  Just in time for summer, there's a strong influence of straight-up rock & roll, especially with the Struts, the Mynabirds, Purling Hiss, and Burning Jet Black.  Mixed in with that are a bunch of new singles released in June, as well as a great song from last year (Vandaveer's "Concerning Past and Future Conquests").  Expect to see a feature very soon for Stone Cold Fox (whose EP [...]

Recording as Radical Face , Ben Cooper crafted one of the finest albums of 2011 in The Family Tree: The Roots , the first of a three-album series following the stories of an 1800s-era fictional family.  (You can read my review of that wonderful record here .)  Songs that did not fit within the narrative were released as a downloadable EP called The Bastards (possibly one of several EPs to be released as Cooper records the remaining two Family Tree albums).  One of these songs, "We're On Our Way," was recently selected to [...]

Field Days is the project of Patrick Damphier, who is also the touring bassist for the Mynabirds .  The band has posted a video for its delicate single, "I'm With You," which features contributions from Jordan Caress, Terry Price, Eli Beaird, and TW Walsh.  The song explores similar territory to the Mynabirds' "Generals," albeit in a less overt way, and could even be taken as Field Day's response to that song.  If Laura Berhenn was issuing a call-to-arms ("I'm calling all my generals"), then Damphier's "I'm With You" seems like a show of solidarity.  Or, ya know, the [...]

Conveyor's self-titled debut album defies categorization.  If teaser single "Mane" led you to believe the band was just a bouncy indie pop act, be prepared to see your assumptions completely upended.  The members of Conveyor are like indie pop mad scientists, with songs whose structures ignore traditional conventions and meander down wholly unexpected paths.  "Homes" is a not-unusual three minutes long, but dedicates over two of those minutes to atmospheric instrumentals before the vocals emerge.  "Short Hair" is built upon (mostly) only one repeating lyric, but is catchy enough to still get stuck in your head.  "Right Sleep" begins as [...]