Saudade is either the guy in the hoodie, or the spatula. After a nationwide search-coast to coast, LA to Chicago-local label Arena Rock Recording Co. (Richmond Fontaine, Talkdemonic) has signed soul icon Sade. Oh, sorry, I mean, Saudade (pronounced "so dodgy"). While not quite a smooth operator, Saudade represents a bit of a departure for the local label, bringing them a more ambient, experimental act for their primarily indie roster. Saudade's second full-length, Lookouts' Journal will be out on [...]
Hello Slowcousticals, I bring you a weekend playlist because I don't have a feature post (let's just be honest here). There isn't even a compromise though because there is some really great music included. If you are a regular reader or are a member of the Last.fm group, you know I am a bit of a playlist fiend. So enough with the blather and let's get to your weekend soundtrack! Slowcoustic Saturday Playlist (November Edition) ~ Wonder Stranger [...]
Kelly Blair Bauman sees Portland burning, and he's got the midlife-crisis folk to soundtrack the destruction. [DOOM POP] "Across the bridge to this forsaken town/ Like some Gomorrah in the night," sings Kelly Blair Bauman on "I Saw Stars," a gorgeous standout from his debut solo record, Gomorrah. That's as specific as he gets in identifying the modern stand-in for the doomed biblical city of the album's title. He claims it's "any town where there's a lot of excess." How about an example? "Portland's a good one," says the Northwest [...]
The wait is finally over. After years of speculation, Nice Nice—Jason Buehler and Mark Shirazi's drums/guitar/loop duo—has announced that its long in the works and oft-delayed new record is coming out on Warp Records in April 2010. I know, that seems like a long wait, especially since the band's last material dropped in 2006. But to tide us over until then, Nice Nice is releasing a 7-inch single for "One Hit" which you can download RIGHT NOW . Or stream below: Nice Nice, "One Hit" Download audio file (One Hit.mp3) [...]
Top Album Releases: October 2009 Nick's Top Neon Indian: Psychic Chasms Black Heart Procession: Six Califone: All My Friends Are Funeral Singers Jay-Z: The Blueprint 3 The Flaming Lips: Embryonic Monsters Of Folk: Monsters [...]
New Recordings 28/10/2009 David Ford - Rescue Rooms Nottingham 20/10/2009 AA Bondy - Academy 3 Manchester 17/10/2009 Richard Hawley - Philharmonic Hall Liverpool 11/10/2009 Richard Hawley - Albert Hall Nottingham 24/09/2009 Otis Gibbs - The Maze Nottingham 24/09/2009 Chuck Prophet - The Maze Nottingham 16/09/2009 Richmond Fontaine - Academy 3 Manchester 16/09/2009 Al James - Academy 3 Manchester 13/09/2009 Josh Ritter - Bridgewater Hall Manchester 12/09/2009 Ray Lamontagne - City Hall Sheffield 10/09/2009 Okkervil River - The Rescue Rooms Nottingham 07/09/2009 Josh Ritter - Brudenell Social Club Leeds 06/09/2009 The Low Anthem - The Deaf Institute Manchester 04/09/2009 [...]
Het was een mooie avond in Paradiso. Op zaterdag 19 september waren daar Al James van Dolorean , Richmond Fontaine en Neko Case te zien. Ik heb Richmond Fontaine vaak live gezien, maar de band klonk nu anders dan de eerdere shows. Vooral onder invloed van het nieuwe album We Used to Think the Freeway Sounded Like a River heeft de band van Willy Vlautin haar livegeluid wat aangepast. De band klonk "muzikaler", de verhalen van Vlautin zijn wat naar de achtergrond verdwenen. Zo had Willy geen zin om I Fell Into Painting Houses in [...]
My Favorite 100 LPS since I was born. My Top 100 LPs since I was born! 1. American Music Club – California 2. New Order – Low Life 3. The National – Alligator 4. Momus – Tender Pervert 5. Tricky – Maxinquaye 6. Pixies – Surfer Rosa 7. Joy Division – Unknown Pleasures 8. Burial – Untrue 9. Portishead – Dummy 10. PJ Harvey – Rid of Me 11. The Human League – Dare 12. My Bloody Valentine – Isn't Anything 13. Band of Holy Joy – Manic, Magic, Majestic 14. [...]
Since the release of the brilliant Post to Wire in 2004 and subsequent masterpiece The Fitzgerald in 2005 Richmond Fontaine have immersed us in a world of gambling, whiskey, cheap motels and cheaper women. They disgruntled a few fans with their move from punk-rock to alt-country but our lives have been the richer for it. Sure, many of us can relate to Steven Morrissey's lovelorn fables, Alex Turner's observations or even Thom Yorke's paranoid mutterings but how many of can really relate to tales of being down and out in Reno? For those of [...]
This week may provide the greatest variety of music releases all year. From Sufjan Stevens' debut classical work, The BQE to Jay Farrar and Benjamin Gibbard's collaborative effort One Fast Move or I'm Gone: Music From Kerouac's Big Sur to Things About Comin' My Way - A Tribute to The Mississippi Sheiks , the week's release list is filled with variety. The week is deep in quality releases, from what I have already heard I can strongly recommend The Atlas [...]
Richmond Fontaine is not one man, but a band composed of many (well, five). The Portland, Ore., outfit just released its eighth alt-country-tinged album, We Used To Think The Freeway Sounded Like A River (Arena Rock). This appropriately folky video features the band playing its unique brand of country rock in the middle of the [...]
[After his highly successful stint Toadsitting while we were away on holiday, Euan returns to write what is going to become a monthly column in our new Sunday Supplement section. You can find more of his stuff on his blog , at his gigs or with his band , so please go and have a sniff.] "The only true currency in this bankrupt world is what you share with someone else when you're uncool." This quote is taken from the film Almost [...]
Here's a cut from a band playing Dante's tonight with Michael Dean Damron (and not playing with the pulled-out Richmond Fontaine. Portland spaghetti westerners Federale brought out their second disc mere weeks ago, telling a whole new story in their inimitable soundtrack-without-a-film style. Enjoyed best while reading the plotline in the sleevenotes, you can still get the gist from song titles like "the Hanging", "Bring on the Whores", and "War Cry." This pick, "Starvation Creek Trail", is a short scene-setter, but easily sets up the Kill Bill atmosphere, in a tale where our protagonist Jack [...]
Worst news ever! Richmond Fontaine has canceled tonight's CD release show at Dante's as well as the band's Seattle appearance. Frontman Willy Vlautin is "sick as hell." So sick, in fact, that he won't even be able to go see the Pogues this Sunday. "I'm trying to heal up enough to go on tour next week," he says via email, adding an ominous "We'll see." Here's to a quick recovery and successful tour on the band's best album yet, We Used To Think the Freeway Sounded Like a River . No word yet on whether Federale and [...]
Richmond Fontaine was all set to celebrate the release of its latest record, We Used to Think the Freeway Sounded Like a River , at the show tonight at Dante's, but we've got some bad news, I'm afraid. Richmond Fontaine's Willy Vlautin is still quite sick, apparently, and the show has unfortunately been cancelled. Tomorrow's show in Seattle has been cancelled as well. Hopefully all will be well before the band leaves for Europe next week. Get well soon, Willy! [ Subscribe to the comments [...]
Ken Anderson A quick note: Richmond Fontaine's in-store appearance tonight at Music Millennium will not be happening. Willy Vlautin's voice is shot, unfortunately. But the record release show for their latest, We Used to Think the Freeway Sounded Like a River , is still taking place at Dante's on Friday. And of course, you'll be able to read lots more about Vlautin and Richmond Fontaine in this week's Mercury . [ Subscribe to the comments on this [...]
Richmond Fontaine comes clean and releases its best album yet. The bar side of North Portland's Overlook Restaurant, with its stained-glass porthole windows and white-haired waitresses, makes a nice backdrop for an interview. And Richmond Fontaine frontman Willy Vlautin, with a day's worth of stubble and a button-up shirt, blends nicely into a menagerie of slot machines and working-class folks on lunch break. But an hour into our conversation at the Overlook—wherein Vlautin, sipping a Bud Light, covers everything from his mother's death to the genius of the Pogues' Shane [...]
Bob Dylan, Nick Lowe, Robyn Hitchcock and Greg Brown are but a few of the names playing area stages this week; plus new releases out Tuesday from Built to Spill, The Mountain Goats, Mike Doughty, Air, Black Heart Procession, Lou Barlow, Exene Cervenka and Daniel Johnston, among others. We'll get to a healthy dose of stuff from both categories. We'll also hear upcoming stuff from Loch Lomond, Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson and Spiral Stairs. Our featured in-studio session tonight is with Portland band Richmond Fontaine, who plays a CD release show for their new We Used to [...]
150 - Band of Horses Everything All the Time 149 - Ray Lamontagne Trouble 148 - Franz Ferdinand Franz Ferdinand 147 - The Acorn Glory Hope Mountain 146 - Richard Thompson Front Parlour Blues 145 - Iron & Wine Our Endless Numbered Days 144 - Robert Wyatt Comicopera 143 - Leonard Cohen Ten New Songs 142 - Yeah Yeah Yeahs Fever to Tell 141 [...]
Vampire Weekend - Cousins
Bobby B's Top 50 Albums Of The Decade (#25-21)
HOT CHIP TAKE another crack at IT and I’m IN
