
Sixty-five is a number that might well suffer from self-esteem issues. As the U.S. speed limit and the age at which you join the ranks of the elderly, 65 comes off as a scold, a cut-off point—in short, nothing much to celebrate. Country great Merle Haggard addressed this on the recent "Come On, Sixty-Five," a musical wish to hasten the arrival of his 65th birthday so he can get his gold watch, kick back, and perhaps enjoy some warm evenings sipping Bourbon and branch on his porch (after pawning that watch). The song is summed up in the line, "I've [...]

The Darling Downs are nothing like the sum of their parts. Combining the somber pop sensibilities of Died Pretty founder Ron Peno with Australian punk rock legend Kim Salmon should not have resulted in an album of understated gothic folk. But somehow it did. The duo's debut together was 2006's critically acclaimed recording How Can I Forget This Heart Of Mine . Now the followup is due out in September/October on Carrot Top Records. "Circa `653 is the "single" off of the new record From One To Another and it features [...]
I've been listening to the new Jason Collett record a lot of late. Usually I avoid writing about major indie acts like this but the record just keeps growing on me. The single "Out Of Time" is not really representative of the whole record but it's like the record dressed up in a suit and tie ready for company. So if you like this you'll love the rest of the record. Out Of Time I've got a thing for the English band Bearsuit . I don't know why [...]