I know I'm gonna have a hard time with you Your heart isn't sad like mine This B-side from Keegan DeWitt 's new single "Two Hearts" is the real gem. Isaaca Byrd of The Bridges nails emotional vulnerability of the song. It is reminiscent of Jenny Lewis's best work with Rilo Kiley, but is a beauty of it's own. Available at Amazon .
This pre-release single is amazing. It is a road song born from their travels in support of last album, Highway Prayer . It makes me cautiously optimistic for the new album due out on January 18th next year. The problem is that Twilight Hotel has a tendency to write one or two amazing songs that leave the rest of the album feeling bare. Still, to write even two songs is an accomplishment. (Side note: the lyrics mention April 10, 2007, the day Johnny Cash's house burned down. Seems [...]
Raindogs - Under The Rainbow I do love my country rock records. This track from The Raindogs fits the mold, but what really makes it special it the Celtic-like violin. The violin solo in the second half is truly the best part. The original poster, Captains Dead, is experiencing technical difficulties, but you can read his original post through the Google cache .
Damien Jurado - Arkansas There were so many Seattle artists that I never came to appreciate. Damien Jurado is near the top of that list - up there with David Bazan . And even this new album isn't very compelling. The songs sound too same-y when queued up as an album. The stories are all loosely tied to geography, which would normally interest me. Here, I fade after four minutes. Via Tune the Proletariat .
World Atlas - Girl on a Boys' Bike World Atlas 's self-titled EP sounds like it is a lost Belle & Sebastian EP from the Jeepster years that has finally been released in the States after years of being a highly sought rarity. In fact, it sounds so much like Belle & Sebastian that it is a little unnerving. World Atlas is like a cover band that decided to step it up a little. Listening to the EP I feel a [...]
Despite years of reading articles, I know almost nothing about Solomon Burke that is not contained within his album Don't Give Up On Me . The control and power in his voice carries a constant sorrow. Solomon Burke - Sit This One Out In 2001, when Rev. Burke recorded this album, people had given up on him. He had been absent from the record charts for almost three decades. All around him, soul and blues legends were being lionized. Aretha Franklin was signing [...]
The Flaming Lips - Do You Realize Last year I discovered The Flaming Lips's Yoshimi Wins live release on the dear, departed Lala. When the service shut down, this is the first album that I downloaded from eMusic so I could keep spinning it at work. The pace is perfect for writing.
Norah Jones - Jesus Etc. (Live) Wilco-California Stars (Live) Captains Dead posted the mp3s for two Wilco shows last week. I'd never heard Wilco live before and they were playing during what I consider the prime years - Mermaid Avenue / Yankee Hotel Foxtrot . I always love hearing old favorites played live. It strips the song of all the production and reduces it to the essence, the walking around under your [...]
White Ravens -Sparks I'm still undecided about what this song. Fun or obnoxious? Lively or dull? Scissor Sisters style hooks with, with - with what? I leave it to you. From the forthcoming album, Gargoyles And Weathervanes. Via The Mad Mackerel .
Johnny Flynn - Trains [Rose, Mary, and Time] Johnny Flynn - Drum Brashness and swagger are necessary parts of the job for Mr. Flynn . The press has him carrying the banner of Anti-Folk in Britain almost singlehandedly. A burden he neither shirks nor disavows. Mr Drum was here yesterday, he knows just what he needs And gives what he's got to the thump of his creed Last November, he released the [...]
Jeremy Messersmith - Wasting Time From the amount of polish on this song, it is hard to believe that it is a cast off b-side from an album still being recorded. I can't wait for the full album from the collaboration between Jeremy Messersmith and Dan Wilson , formerly of Semisonic. Via Borangutan
Josh Ritter - Blame It On The Tetons Blame It On The Tetons is a very Modest Mouse tale of emotional dissatisfaction and escapism. In fact, it is a Modest Mouse song off of Good News for People Who Love Bad News . But ever since I heard this cover, it stopped being their song. Mr. Ritter sells the longing for solace much more sincerely than Modest Mouse ever did. Blame it on the Tetons and be done. From Josh Ritter 's Girl in the War EP [...]
I've written about Hello Saferide two years ago (on the Annex, which was destroyed), but I didn't really listen to her until two months ago.
Semisonic - This Will Be My Year Semisonic had more good songs, but it never had another good year. Nonetheless, this song always stands me in a positive mood. Over the next week, I'll post some of my other favorite "year change" songs. I hope you enjoy them.
Semisonic - This Will Be My Year Semisonic had more good songs, but it never had another good year. Nonetheless, this song always stands me in a positive mood. Over the next week, I'll post some of my other favorite "year change" songs. I hope you enjoy them.
Pearl And The Beard- Voice In My Throat Pearl And The Beard- Donny And Johnny Percussion and harmonies are the central are the dominate layers of the giant cake that Pearl and the Beard have named God Rest Your Weary Soul, Amanda Richardson . The first two songs start off with the big guns. Pearl and Beard jump right into singing duet verses, harmonies, and holding forth with multiple lines at the same time. It is not often that modern artists force me to track two [...]
01 Good Morning Overall, the whole H-Town rap scene has somewhat slowed. Some of my friends even look at me strange when I talk about versions that are Screwed and Chopped. What can I say? The mid-decade extravagance is over. Still, Chamillionaire is fun. Enjoy his guiltless appropriation of Free Fallin'.
I've just finished listening to Elizabeth and the Catapult 's cover of Leonard Cohen's Everybody Knows and it occurs to me that a person could make a pretty good blog off of artists covering Mr. Cohen's songs. It's particularly interesting to me that none of them can ever step too far from the sweet spot carved out by the man himself.
Back Door Slam - Too Good For Me Back Door Slam - Roll Away I saw the Back Door Slam perform at the old Crocodile Café in Seattle, which has since abruptly closed, been sold, renovated, and reopened. As I recall, the band's drummer (Ross) was celebrating his twenty-first birthday that night. He was the oldest member of the band.Back Door Slam - Too Good For Me The set opened with some serviceable blues. Now, I'm not much of a blues guy. I was sort of nodding along, but [...]
Download R.E.M.'s Automatic for the People was perhaps my favorite album in high school. At the time, I identified strongly with the earlier, darker songs (e.g. "Try Not To Breathe"). Only sometime during college did I come to accept the quiet beauty of Find The River and Nightswimming. Via The Docking Station
Soapnix
The Shins: “September” (b-side of “Simple Song” 7”)
St. Vincent - 'Cheerleader'
Jay-Z & Kanye West - Ni**as In Paris (Explicit)
OK Go - Needing/Getting - Official Video
M.I.A. - Bad Girls (Official Video)
Miike Snow – Paddling Out (Jacques Lu Cont Remix)
