Quietly affecting indie-folk from from West Virginian turned Seattleite singer-songwriter Pepper Proud, the thirteen self-penned tracks are beautifully embellished with violin, viola, cello and a smattering of trumpet that work alongside the more traditional instrumentation that one would expect to adorn music from Pepper's home state. Buy at.
Classy Canadiana from the wonder True North Records who have a host of Beat Surrender favourites on their roster and have struck another chord with me with the release of Flesh & Bone from the Vancouver-based singer-songwriter Barney Bentall. I'll be straight I'd not heard the name before though this is Bentall's third solo release and his career that kicked of back in 1978 has delivered three independent albums and seven studio albums, in the late eighties he formed The Legendary Hearts who's self-titled debut album made it to Platinum status in his native Canada and [...]
Rita Hosking follows her wonderful 2009 album Burn with the release of a seven track EP of original compositions that were recorded over a four day period in November 2012 in Austin TX at the home studio of Rich Brotherton. The EP that's out on April 8th is a family affair with Rita (guitar and harmonica) joined by husband Sean Feder (dobro and banjo) and daughter Kora Feder (clawhammer banjo), the trio are supported by Rich Brotherton who plays a host of instruments including bass and guitar as well as handling production duties on the [...]
Canadian alternative country singer-songwriter Fred Eaglesmith 's down-to-earth approach to the universe comes from a rural farmstead childhood and a train-hopping past. And so, where other folk artists walk with their fans, Eaglesmith takes trains: both literally - Eaglesmith is known for his rail tours - and as a dominant subject, setting, and metaphor for a narrative approach more broadly grounded in engines, their various rural incarnations, and the escape they embody. Eaglesmith's delivery is raw as the bawdy stories her tells between songs in live performance: couched in a voice that [...]
The product of a successful Kickstarter project He Ain't No Good is the debut self released album from bluegrass harmony trio The Locust Honey String Band , on their debut they interpret a total of fourteen tracks from the rich catalogue of American roots music including Jealous Hearted Me (The Carter Family), He Ain't No Good (Mississippi Shieks) and Time Goes Slow (Louvin Brothers), there's one self-written number on the album, Her Ways , written by band member Chloe Edmonstone (fiddle, vocals, guitar) that holds its own amongst the covers and perhaps is a [...]
The Appalachian ballads of American folk singer and songwriter Ola Belle Reed echo through modernity: best remembered for penning Bluegrass standard High On A Mountain , the Smithsonian honoree is a respected songwriter and radio personality in the annals of country and traditional folk music, both for her interpretation of traditional song and for the hundreds of original tunes she wrote during her four decade career. Add a yearly festival held in her name in her native North Carolina, and note that Amy Helm and friends named their band in her honor, and it's [...]
I sit here surfing the internet listening to the debut album from The Lumineers . The 2012 trio phenomenon that will get you up dancing and singing your heart out with their toe tapping, sing-a-long folk rock. I am belting out every lyric and I am literally dancing in my chair to their top Billboard hit, Ho Hey . I sing along to every song on this album. And although my little indie hipster heart died a little the day they were nominated for a Grammy... I still love them. And when I suffered through a [...]
Hands Of Glory es el nombre del próximo EP de Andrew Bird , y ésta mañana se estrenó “ If I Needed You ”, un cover que se desprende del mismo, original del cantautor de country-folk Townes Van Zandt . Andrew Bird grabó esta canción en vivo -junto a su banda- en un granero, utilizando únicamente un micrófono, lo que le da un toque austero que recuerda la esencia de la original. Ya se puede escuchar “ If I Needed You ” por [...]
I heard this song tonight when a Google Chrome commercial came on. Even though I have DVR there will always be some commercials that I end up watching. This was one that I could not miss and I am so glad I didn't. It made me cry, laugh and I fell head over heels in love with the song accompanying the very touching video. I also fell in love with the rest of the album, it is ever so lovely. Link to the video here . Broken [...]
Your prayers for nasally-voiced indie folk have been answered. 2012, Community Music 5.4 / 10.0 If you’ve been reaching out to a holy entity in search of nasally voiced indie folk, your prayers have been answered with the release of Aaron Embry’s debut full-length Tiny Prayers. With his fragile [...]
Josienne Clarke and Ben Walker have a new EP out July 21st, pre-order at Bandcamp and have posted the title track from the EP for your delectation along with a bonus Gillian Welch cover. Homepage
Beat Surrender favourites Hurray for the Riff Raff have released a great new album on their own label Born to Win in the US with funding via a successful Kickstarter campaign for the UK label the purveyors of the finest Americana Loose Records will release the album later this year. The album was recorded in Nashville and produced by Andrija Tokic who had a had in the much hyped Alabama Shakes album, Look Out Mama is the bands third / fourth album ( for the explanation ) and is little more polished but [...]
http://hiphatchet.bandcamp.com /album/joy-and-better-days Hip Hatchet is a country-folk project from singer songwriter Philippe Bronchtein. The tracks on this LP feature some beautifully finger-picked guitar. There's a decent amount of diversity in instrumentation from track to track, helping to keep every song fresh. Bronchtein is a very descriptive songwriter and really excels at making it feel you are there with him in these places and situations he describes. This lyrical ability combined with a vocal delivery that gives him an overwhelming sense of wisdom makes this an album worth checking out. Stream the band's new album, Joy and Better [...]
I missed out on my gig at the Super Happy Funland SXSW after party in Houston this week as my tour bus broke down in Austin, but Space City Rock blog did a really great write up for the gig. I hope people found out in time that I couldn't make it. I'm playing March 25th at Dun Bros Coffee in Katy, TX instead if you want to come and see my show. I’ll admit to being somewhat biased towards Swedish musicians, these days; [...]
Long time readers of Never Enough Notes might be wondering how we pick our reviews. In my case, I do it entirely arbitrarily. I picked this because the label's name references one of John Steinbeck's more lyrical novels. Choosing in this way means that the first listen is always an adventure, but one with rather mixed results. Read more..
Photo Credit : Gabriel Gandzjuk The blueprint for a soul searching road-trip or a blissful Country-Blues ballad, California based singer-songwriter Walter Rose is on the verge of releasing a truly brilliant debut album. Tentative and plodding percussion emphasizes the classic slide guitar sound, allowing Walter`s harsh yet vulnerable vocal to portray it`s emotional content. An eleven track affair, Cast Your Stone is lyrically very personal - memories are almost documented through the creative challenge of each track. Already on heavy rotation, this album is recommended for post-stress relaxation or some good old fashioned romantic reflection!!.. Modern Country or [...]
Angela Easterling embodies all that is good about independent artist’s in niche genres, tirelessly writing, recording, touring and self promoting through the power of social media she's built a solid fan base and continues to impress with each release, her latest album Beguiler like the previous Black Top Road release benefits from the production skills of Americana gun for hire Will Kimbrough but this time around they use a more expansive sound palette to deliver the diverse set of tracks - twelve in all, there are ten self penned numbers, plus one written by Brandon Turner [...]
Between the Ocean and the Blues is the latest release from Collingwood NJ based Americana band Morning River Band, the albums title and five of the eight tracks name-check ‘the blues’ although the style is more East Nashville than Beale Street, laid-back alt-country with plenty of steel and splashes of harmonica creating the mood for the melancholic melodies, self-released the album clocks in at economic 8 tracks and 24 minutes -a short but sweet collection of tunes that leaves you wanting more of the same. Morning River Band - Bluebonnet Blues [...]
Formed in 2009 the trio of Jenny Goodspeed (guitar, ukulele), Stephanie Marshall (guitar, percussion) and Katie Clarke (guitar, banjo) are collectively The Boxcar Lilies - their début album Heartwood is a fine collection of country-folk with some decidedly sweet harmonies. They walk a straight path through the genre with a spring their step and all three contribute to nine original numbers on the album, there’s a fine cover of Shakey’s wonderful Old Man too. The Boxcar Lilies - The Ghost Tree Homepage [...]
I was born in Queens, raised on Long Island. I currently live in Brooklyn. I've never farmed though I did own an Aero Garden for nearly a year. I'm an agnostic and Asian. So there's zero reason for me to be anything but terrified of musical forms that are closely linked to the southern United [...]
Beat Surrender
Cover Lay Down
Untitled Records
noiselab
Earbuddy
The Needle Drop
Sofia Talvik - Swedish Singer/Songwriter - Street of Dreams
Never Enough Notes
MOJOPHENIA
The Tape
Holy Ghost! "Dumb Disco Ideas"
The Weeknd - Kiss Land
Daft Punk - Random Access Memories Unboxed
Kendrick Lamar - Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe (Explicit)
MØ - Waste Of Time (Audio)
Noteworthy (Stream): Kanye West – Black Skinhead (SNL Performance)
Kanye West Performs “Black Skinhead” & “New Slaves” On ‘SNL’ Season Finale: Watch
Watch Fred Armisen’s SNL farewell with Carrie Brownstein, Kim Gordon, J Mascis, Aimee Mann
