I'm very excited about the new record from Swedish folk artist Tim Schmidt . The record is called YaYa River and comes out on Thanks For The Postcard on April 26. His voice (a cross between Dylan, Drake, and Jeff Buckley) is well suited to his fingerpicked guitar style. His songs are mostly unadorned acoustic guitar and voice. His English with just an ever so slight Swedish accent makes his vocals sound slightly exotic or romantic. The songs themselves are wonderfully simple; they're often tales of love, obsession and devotion. [...]
Here's my thought process for selecting this song to share: "hey those guys look cool", "love the band name", "oh I like that font", "whoa they're from Austin, I was just in Austin", and "I wonder where he got that mullet". So here's "Shawnee Drive" off the new record from Church Shoes . If you care about album production, quality sound, mic setups, distortion free recordings, and the drums being in the right place in the mix, or if you like your rock and roll to sound like the the Foo Fighters [...]
The first time I heard Canadian Nick Everett's songs I thought "whoa these are perfect". Now Nick has a new project out and while the songs no longer sound perfect they are compelling nonetheless. This song is from a split ep released with the band Poplar Pines. I guess these songs were recorded at Rocky Top farm. The production is decidely lofi (I assume on purpose), the songs have a bunch of strange sounds embedded, occasional feedback, and the vocals are a little reverby. In my first review [...]
Well, it's official. Zoe Muth is the real deal. Her debut record hinted at it but you just never know, that record could have been a fluke. Zoe's new record Starlight Hotel comes out April 19 on Signature Sounds and it's no fluke. The record cover hints at some of the new directions Zoe is capable of moving in. Do you notice that Mexican wrestler hangin' in bed? Well that seems like a foreshadowing of the mariachi horns that adorn the first track "I've Been Gone". Besides some of [...]
I have a tendency to want to write about music early. Preferably weeks before it is available. Honestly it's a trait I'm not that proud of but coming from the music industry this is something that was encouraged and facilitated. However in all honesty I do like being the first to write about a band. Sometimes though a record stews and gets replayed and absorbed over time. Danny Schmidt's record Man Of Many Moons is one such record. I've had it for awhile and knew I wanted to share it [...]
Until today I've successfully ignored all the emails about Brian Wright's new record on New West. And I'd like to make it clear I haven't succumbed to the pressure. The fact is I met a Houstonite at SXSW who was a big fan of Brian's and thought he was going to be the next big thing ("big thing" in relative terms - say Justin Townes Earle or Hayes Carll). On first listen the record the record is more eclectic than you might expect. There are odd bits of conversation, unusual vocals, [...]
No time for a proper post. But very excited to hear about this new Diana Jones record High Atmosphere . Click on the links for lots more info on this one and watch the epk below about the recording and the ethos of the album. Order it here .
I tell you what, this blogging thing is tougher than it looks. Finding new music and separating the wheat from the chaff is harder than you might think. That's why it's nice to occasionally have a known commodity to write about. In this case it's the great folk/blues artist David Olney . The cool thing is this song is from a project that is completely different from his previous work. The new record is called David Olney Presents: Film Noir . And yes, from this first taste the style is certainly representative [...]
Sometimes seeing someone live is all it takes. I saw Carrie Elkin play a stirring set over SXSW this past week and it turned me into a convert for her new record Call It My Garden . Carrie's been know as a woman with a huge vocal range and a pedal to the metal singer. But there is a real nuance to the bulk of the performances on the new Red House record. During her live set I fell for her intimate songs "Berlin" and "Lift Up The Anchor". But I'm going [...]
If you were alive and living in Boston in the late 80's (and had quirky taste in music) you may have heard of Ed's Redeeming Qualities . Also if you were a college radio dj you may have spun their one hit "Lawndart" which could be found on one of those CMJ samplers which were ubiquitous back then. I don't remember when I first heard the band but it was a musical changing point for me. The band played a variety of folky instruments (ukulele, violin, and coffee-can percussion) and sung mostly off key. But [...]
I know a tiny bit about Kip Boardman because his debut record came out on the excellent, but practically extinct, Boronda Records . Charlie McGovern was the label prez and has great taste. Anything on the label was invariably of high quality. Kip's back on a new label with his third release titled The Long Weight . The new record is being compared to the great American songbooks of Harry Nillson, Paul Simon, Randy Newman and Allan Toussaint. The songs below are laid back and Kip is a fairly humble, [...]
No time for a full SXSW update but I did want to share these amateurish video's I took of Sam Baker, Danny Schmidt, Storyhill, Matt The Electrician, and Slaid Cleaves from various showcases. Although the quality may be lacking the songwriting and emotion behind the songs does come through. Danny Schmidt - " Serpentine Cycle of Money " Untitled from craig bonnell on Vimeo . Sam Baker - "Mennonite" Untitled from craig bonnell on Vimeo [...]
Alexa Woodward plays the banjo. Which automatically gets her labeled as some type of Appalachian throwback. But her music is too layered, eclectic, and cerebral to be categorized as old timey folk of that particular variety. For instance on a number of songs from her new record It's A Good Life... you'll hear cello, odd percussion, and deep rich bass. However, thematically the songs do tend to lend themselves to a more folkish bent. For example allusions to nature, spirits, and loneliness abound on the song "Darkest Days". [...]
I think remember getting an email from someone about Slithering Beast but honestly the name was so bizarre I think I passed it up. Since then I've been listening to the songs from their (his) hew EP Delicious and have decided to share them with you. While this is not hard core honky-tonk, there are elements that will remind you of various country music standard bearers. Most notably the chunky bass lines, twangy guitars, and a certain rebellious ethos emanating from the songs. Here are two tracks from the [...]
White Man Runs Me Butch Hornsby Shit! Shit! Shit! I had a post all ready to go today and then this damn song by Butch Hornsby performed by Will Kimbrough from an upcoming book project by author Cyril Vetter crossed my desk. I can't say I know much about Butch Hornsby (and the internet is no help) although those in the know in the Louisiana music community extol his talent and genius. He's got a somewhat typical rock `n' roll story of tremendous talent laid waste by alcohol. Butch died [...]
How can I not write about a guy named Tex Smith who now resides in Austin, Texas and has a record charting on a bunch of Americana charts? Especially since I'll be down in Austin in under a week. Tex's new record is called To A Bird Singing Woe . Tex describes his sound somewhere as a bit like an old scratchy country record. I can definitely hear that on this record and in particular on the sweet little ballad (duet with HalleyAnna Finlay ) "Come On". It's a beautiful, simple song [...]
I'm pretty much done with overproduced crap. I just don't have time for it. The lack of energy and emotion that is present on nearly all overproduced albums is stupefying. Give me bare bones rock n roll over that shit any day. It's a bonus if it's a demo recording but I'll take under-produced due to youth and naiveté as well. I know I've typecast myself as a folk/roots guy but if you'll notice there are rock `n' roll bands scattered throughout the Songs:Illinois archives. Of late I've been writing about bands like The [...]
I'm on vacation in the Keys so this post is not getting the attention it deserves from me but I hope that won't hinder you from giving it all of your attention and focus. Cam Penner has a new record out called Gypsy Summer that immediately struck me as both more personal and more accessible than his terrific 2009 release Trouble and Mercy (wrote about it here ). I was happy to see that Cam himself feels the same way when he stated: "Gypsy Summer is a [...]
I've been checking out the moody americana rock of Mount Moriah . The band's self titled debut record is due out April 12 on Holiday for Quince Records . The band is from North Carolina and seems to relish it's connection to rural America. Yet on record the band is not simply acting out some retro fantasy or worse yet becoming some kind of mealy mouthed freak folk outfit (even if the beard suggests otherwise). In fact I hear much more Rilo Kiley in the lead singer's vocals than say Gilian Welch. And [...]
I like the concept of Hoots & Hellmouth almost more than I do their music. The band is deeply rooted in a number of interesting causes most notably the Farm To Table movement. Even their new EP's title, Face First In The Dirt , alludes to this. I like that on the song "Picked By The Root" I'm reminded as much of Morrissey as I am of some old timey legend. I would say that Hoots & Hellmouth has more in common with a band like The Decemberists than a rootsy band like [...]
songsillinois
Bison - Quill
Neutral Milk Hotel- Aeroplane Over the Sea
Mr Fogg - Eleven
Crocodiles - Endless Flowers
