At the risk of a Hi fidelity style cop-out of an ending, today I'm posting this smooth lonesome music you know Scott Walker would have loved in his big hair prime. The whole album is worth a listen. Take it easy now.Listen: Alice Clark - I Keep It Hid You can buy it for large amounts of money, or ask nicely...
My love of the seaside knows no bounds. Buy it on a lovely 7" like I did.
So early Summer and I'm already hitting the mid-late 70's Beach Boys, it happens every year. This is from their 1979 album L.A., it doesn't come close to their late 60's peak, but I coming to understand the later albums more as I get older myself. Cheesy sax solo, but a great, mournful vocal. Listen: The Beach Boys - Goin' South Don't buy it from here - there are much cheaper places.
Just over five years ago this album soundtracked my time in Vienna, fitting really as Schiele's pictures were displayed at the Belvedere and his portrait 'De Familie' made me cry. It was a surprise for me too. The painting is infinitely more moving than any photograph of it, so go and see it if you have the chance. The music is equally stark and architectural and fitting for today. Listen: Rachel's - Egon and Wally embrace and say farewell
I'll admit we don't read our lonesome emails often enough, dead country stars tend not to write too often... but it's Friday and I'm going through deleting the deadwood (sorry but neither of us are able to get to SXSW anytime soon, being the the UK) and come across a track from a previously unreleased album by Love (yes that one). It's funky and I misheard the lyrics and thought it was about skin not skid. It's from an album Black Beauty, and so far it is the only track I've heard, and it's so much better than all the [...]
Not very lonesome, but I thought you might appreciate listening to the Ukranians lead track from their 1992 Pisni Iz The Smiths EP, in which the Smiths are mangled to fantastic effect and everyone feels the need to shout Hoi! Listen: Batyar (Bigmouth Strikes Again)
Good news - I'm back in the world of gainful employment. Semi-good news - a longish commute means less Radio 4 and lots more chances to feeling a bit emotional on the train . Or feel a bit helpless and weak during an hour's wait at Retford, but that's all to come. Celebrating my return to work with a few more worky tunes here, then. [Linking back to these posts has made me curse blogger afresh for eating all of our comments - there were some very special Larkin-like ones. Sigh.] [...]
Greetings, thanks for all the kind birthday messages last week. I'm finding it quite hard to choose songs to post these days, I find myself listening to a lot of audiobooks at the moment, but can recommend the PJ Harvey Let England Shake album as a bit of a return to form. Here's some spooky lady-folk from Emily Portman 's lovely album the Glamoury from last year. As an album I think it might be 2 songs too long, but I wouldn't be able to choose which songs would need to go. Tonight I'm off to see one of [...]
It's my lovely brother's birthday today. Mixtape-maker, hearty laugher, voice of reason, source of wisdom, cheerer-upper and all-round good egg, let's wish him many happy returns. Here are some songs from a tape he made for me half a lifetime ago. Listen: Hugo Largo - Turtle Song (Buy) Listen: Billy Bragg - Must I Paint You a Picture? (Buy) And because it's the weekend, and I know there's a thunderstorm coming on, but we mustn't let [...]
Very sad news about Charlie Louvin. So, so very many songs to choose from and so much to say, but let's keep it short and sweet with this one that never fails to make me well up. Weathered but not weary, heartfelt but not heartworn, it's a truly beautiful song. Listen: Charlie Louvin - Love At Home Buy Steps to Heaven.
Hope you're wrapped up warm wherever you find yourself reading this, here we've got a little bit of snow on the first day of my Christmas holiday, and I'm going through the lonesomemusic emails, here's the first recommendation for you: Get yourself over to Bon Chica's bandcamp site and sample and download their 2 Christmassy free tracks.
Walking home from TWP on Monday night, Howard and I were having a keep-warm conflab about the country ladies we've been listening to recently, like you (we) do. I tried to give it my best Dottie West impression, but can't really do her (or her 'do) justice, so I'm putting some up here. I think I first heard these Dottie West songs on the mighty Big Rock Candy Mountain - do go and have a read if you don't already - they've got some right christmas crackers up there at the moment. Why she's [...]
Right, it's been far too indie-boy/girl credible around here lately - what we need is a dose of some proper good stuff. I know I'll be talking to the right crowd here - but really, can you honestly think of a finer way to spend cold and grey afternoons/your adolescence/a spell of unemployment than with a film, definitely vintage, preferably musical, always with a large mug of tea? It's a lift-up joy in itself, and then you get the added shibboleth delight of talking about it with a small but archly knowing crew of [...]
So this might get taken down quickly, but hopefully I can share a bit of love for a band that loves Fleet Foxes and the Decemberists in almost equal measure, with extra banjo. A late entry for the best album I've heard released this year (are we doing one this year Beth?), Stornaway's Beachcomber's Windowsill start with a touch of plainsong about zorbing and drifts off into sea shanties and the folkier end of rock and pop, but don't let that put you off. Listen: Stornoway - We are the battery human [...]
Dolly and Porter were never married, but their studio recordings (and by all accounts their live shows) are full of ad-libs that show just how close they were - check this piece of high cheese from 'We Found It' Listen: Dolly Parton & Porter Wagoner - I've been married just as long as you But I like to think this is much closer to the truth of their relationship, with its harking back to the music of Dolly's youth. Excuse the vinyl scratches. Listen: Dolly & Porter [...]
Mentioned in the press a fair bit the last few weeks, Dry the River have a free 3 track EP you can download from their website including this one - embedded straight from their Soundcloud: History Book by Dry the River It's close harmony and acoustic instrumentation could do with filling out with a bit of mandolin and more fiddle if you ask me, but that might push it a bit too country. You can buy it with a couple of extra [...]
First a proper blast of banjo, still not allowed one in the house, that's why I'm getting a shed. Both Roscoe Holcomb's albums are highly recommended. Music with grit. Listen: Roscoe Holcomb - Married Life Blues - Buy it Jean Shepard could probably fill an album with wedding, marriage and divorce related songs. I think we've found our Lonesome groove again - check out these beauties: Listen: Jean Shepard - My Wedding Ring Listen: Jean Shepard - Don't Fall in Love [...]
I took a small sojourn from my current occupationless status this weekend to be take up officiant/reverend-duties at the wedding of one of my very best friends. The lakeland horizontal rain held off, hands were fasted, fires were lit, fiddles were played, hearts were warmed. Happy, happy days. So let's have a bumper crop of (slightly sadder) wedding songs, shall we? Listen: Tim Hart & Maddy Prior - Sorry the Day I Was Married (Buy) Listen: Mark Lanegan - Wedding Dress (Buy) [...]
Well that was an interesting spell, long story short, I've just been released from a project that required complete radio silence for the best part of a year and Beth is sorting out 'alternative employment options'. So here's a quick post to tell you that Lonesome favorites ex-Gorky's Zygotic Mynci frontman the gloriously named Euros Childs and Teenage Fanclub's Norman Blake have a free EP of woozy folk pop you can download. It's not tearjerkingly saturated in pedal steel, but I'm sure we'll find our lonesome groove again as soon as we hit a smooth patch. Listen: [...]
Hi all, lots and lots has happened since I last wrote anything here, but nothing that you would want to know. So on with the music, just a few things I've been listening to for a while and would like to share. Heron's anthology has a quiet beauty of soft rock vibes in a CSNY go camping way, indeed the sleeve notes say it was all recorded outside in a field. Check it: Heron - Love 13 (lone) Buy It [...]
lonesome music
No Church In The Wild
Nas - Daughters
The Rains of Castamere by The National
CHROMATICS "THESE STREETS WILL NEVER LOOK THE SAME"
DIIV "How Long Have You Known?" (OFFICIAL VIDEO)
Avicii – Two Million
Beck – I Just Started Hating Some People Today
H&M Lookbook Mujer y Hombre Otoño 2012.
