On the heels of the cover song from yesterday, I bring you even more options to hear musicians perform other musicians intellectual property. This time it is full album cover project for The Postal Service's album ' Give Up ' for it's 10 year anniversary. A pretty influential album at the time and almost defined a new wave of 'indie' in music. Many may deny it's importance or downplay the effect this album on today's music (if asked today), but you know they still don't even fully believe themselves. There are two sides to this digital offering with [...]
We are not new to Fort Frances and we are not new to Fort Frances covering songs (see their J. Tillman cover-song here ) and once again good things have come from the effort. David McMillin sent me an email with this cover of the Ryan Adam's song " New York, New York " and he indicated his love for the city of which the song laments. In fact the boys of Fort Frances are hitting up New York this weekend (see what is happening here?) and playing the [...]
New album Alert: Frank Schweikhardt has just released his newest album 'Kitchen Table'. While the album was expected and I am aware of FS due to his incredible previous album "Life But No More" I was more than pleasantly surprised to hear this new project. The album isn't a departure from his previous sound yet it still sounds like a completely new beast...I can't really convey my thoughts clearly (maybe it is a larger sound?) but hopefully you get a little bit of what I am saying. His sound is not folk and not indie-pop but yet [...]
[RUMOUR] New album will stream in full tonight on iTunes! This. Rules. S
Videos have made a resurgence in the past few years since the "official" days of MTV died an unwarranted death. Maybe it is because things are easier to do with the great camera/recording equipment now, maybe there is more creative types in full view, I think it might be a bit of both. For me, I tend to stick to 'my people' for videos and I have a couple people among them that are doing good things. Halfway House out in Michigan and Show Me Shows down in St. Louis in particular are getting the love today. [...]
Field Report and HearYa - a match made in indie-folk heaven? I definitely think this now. The Milwaukee boys turned up in Chicago in a blizzard and heartily performed 4 tracks. These 4 songs are now available for immersing yourself inside...completely. The latest album from Field Report is a square kick in the gut of an album and it continues to impress with the additional sessions the band is performing lately. The songs are growing, flexing, gaining additional character (if possible). I like that as a band, Field Report are performing their songs in almost original form each time you [...]
Some good music circling overhead these days. Despite the lack of posts lately, there is still great tunes out there and I have grabbed a few that I would like to recommend to my fine readers. ~~~ Canadian Jim Guthrie has a new album out today called ' Takes Time' and it is a mix of folk and spacey indie pop. Yup, I just said that and I am still posting a song. Regardless of the earnest folk tunes mixing with the dreamy atmospheric moments [...]
Last night the twitter gods provided some material for the blog. Great little bastards they are. Jeremy Squires has appeared on the blog before and I sense he might be appearing more and more. His most recent (as in last night) endeavour is a cover of Jill Andrews "Rust Or Gold". You know Jill Andrews - The Everybodyfields...ahhh, now you got it! The original is a current release as well, so if anything you are enjoying some on the spot cover-song action! I think the original was just [...]
All this discussion on whether or not Slowcoustic is done, over, and complete is unwarranted. I hear the whispers, read the underground forum threads and I see the sideways looks when you notice me at the pub and then nudge your fiancée and ask " isn't that the guy from that boring blog that has okay music? " Sorry all, I have been finishing up a course at school, and waiting on a new job (IRL) and sometimes I feel pre-occupied when I think about posting on the ol' web log. So I tell you what, how about I [...]
Just wanted to post this song as I had my sloth-like excuse for a body on my Schwinn studio cycle and this was my ending/power-song. Sure it is cliché to have a song to boost your energies but honestly, it worked. I don't normally listen to that much indie rock but sometimes you just need to. I don't even know how to categorize Japandroids. Are they like some mash of indie-rock-powerpop-etc, etc, etc? Guess so. Regardless, the song The House That Heaven Built is extremely catchy and even this pretty average white guy can "rock out to it". [...]
Hayden - photo by Vanessa Heins Hayden has a new video out for the track Oh Memory from his latest album Us Alone that came out yesterday. Hayden is also swinging by the Calgary Folk Fest this summer (July 25th - 28th, 2013 with his main-stage show on July 26th). Still really liking this album and I know it will be a top Canadian album for 2013 for me. ~~~ [...]
As promised late last week, we have a couple copies of this delicious white vinyl LP of Kill County's Dust In Wire to pass on to you, my dear readers. The album is fantastic and was the first album entered into my 'Best of 20132 category here on the blog. If you like authentic country folk (what I am officially classifying it as), then these current and former Nebraskans are the crew for you. The album is 10 songs and not one is a back burner. These all stand up to solid [...]
You may remember Jeremy Squires from our Favourites of Couch by CouchWest 2013 post ( here ) so I wanted to let you all know about a new single he has out currently, Ghostlike. If you are into beautiful but sombre songs that create a moment of reflection, almost a slowing down of life, than this is a must hear. Squires plays almost all (if not all) instruments for his music to increase his connection to it, to use it as a path to find more about himself and to help heal [...]
Calgary's Omarandthebear haven't technically been on Slowcoustic before but at the saem time they kinda have. Omarandthebear (yes, one word I believe) is a duo of Thiessen brothers (Oliver and Jonathan) of which Oliver has seen some Slowcoustic love here on the site prior ( see here ). As this project looks to be an extension and growth from his solo performing, I take Omarandthebear as the next step in what Oliver Thiessen has started. There was a recent 2 track release for [...]
Everybody who cares about music in some way has a few artists that they feel are criminally under-rated. That might not even be the case here as those who like these two tend to like them a lot but I want to hear about them more than I currently do. They make great traditional folk/americana style music and it is both accessible while still being "authentic" music. So I wonder to myself, why am I not hearing more about these two guys? Like everyday. All day. Huck Notari and Joe Sampson seem to be popular among their local brethren out in the [...]
I try not to do too many playlists as they end up being less focused on any one artist or song. While I may want to promote a specific artist more than a "mixtape" or playlist may express, I am by far a lazy man and so here we are. I also am not a huge fan for having a lot of posts with 10+ songs as they are merely click-bait for music bloggers. But alas, things have been a tad quiet here so I kinda have to get you some tunes in bulk to make up for it. Also, if [...]
Andy Oliveri has been a favourite since we connected on our J. Tillman Cover Project and his incredible version of My Waking Days ( see here ). I feel there is good things in the future for this guy and once again he shows me it needs to happen very soon. To prove my point, listen to a new song performed for the Pembroke Sessions and just recently put online. The track is called To be the King and it is absolutely gorgeous. Check out this [...]
Fred Woods - photo by Janek Barb While digging through the ol inbox the other day I came upon an email for Fred Woods. Sounded unassuming and the email was not full of overly flowery wording and was to the point. I gave it a quick listen and was blown away immediately. A lot of music slips past me just due to shear volume released each week (even in a niche genre like "Slowcoustic") and this is one of those moments where I think it might have been fate that I listened. This early 2013 released [...]
Denison Witmer has a new self-titled album coming out at the end of this month and he wow'd with a new song premiere yesterday over on American Songwriter . The song is 'Asa' which is originally from Bry Webb (written for Webb's son Asa) and Witmer pays hommage in the best way, with a incredibly well done cover. Witmer's version carries the sentiment of the original while still having the small nuances that make it his own. When good folks cover songs from good folks - this makes it all worth [...]
Calgary's own Reuben and the Dark have a new video from their upcoming album, Funeral Sky , that is highly anticipated around Slowcoustic HQ. Check out Winter's Widow from their recent visit with Welcome To The West . While you wait, you can swing by the Bandcamp page for Reuben Bullock/Reuben and the Dark HERE or the band website HERE . ~S
Slowcoustic
Watch Fred Armisen’s SNL farewell with Carrie Brownstein, Kim Gordon, J Mascis, Aimee Mann
And We'll Run
Noteworthy (Stream): Kanye West – Black Skinhead (SNL Performance)
