SONG: People Say

Not even a full-year after Censored Colors (seriously incredible) our favorite Wasilla, AK progressive rockers, Portugal. The Man, are set to release a new album titled The Satanic Satanist on July 21st.

Having the littlest bit of a sample of this forthcoming album increases my excitement nearly ten-fold. (That little guitar riff at the beginning accounts for nearly four of the ten folds. Wow.)

And lets not overlook that besides making exciting and captivating music, Portugal. The Man really shines in the album name department. We've got The Satanic Satanist, Censored Colors, Church Mouth, and, my personal favorite, It's Complicated Being a Wizard.


mp3: Portugal. The Man - People Say
from the album The Satanic Satanist (Amazon)

SONG: River by Akron/Family

This song by Akron/Family is really really good. The record is called Set 'Em Wild, Set 'Em Free and it's also really really good. I'm planning on writing more, but I may not be able to get to it before the move. So here's the basics: the record's good. You should check it out. More to follow.

mp3: Akron/Family - River
from the album Set 'Em Wild, Set 'Em Free (Amazon/iTunes)

SONG(s): New Songs From The National

A huge thanks to nyctaper for recording The National's set at the Dark Was The Night benefit concert in NYC last Sunday. The National played two brand new songs, along with "Slow Show" and "Up Around The Bend" (their submission to the Dark Was The Night comp). For the full set, or to get the flac audio files, go HERE. To buy the fantastic Dark Was The Night album, go HERE. The songs are pretty amazing, and show off a bit of a different side for Matt Berninger & co. (i.e. the guitar solo in Vanderlylle Cry Baby - love it. UPDATE: apparently that's Bon Iver's Justin Vernon on the guitar there. I love it more). Enjoy.

(Thanks to stereogum for the pic.)

The National - England (Live at Radio City, NYC 5/3/09)


The National - Vanderlylle Cry Baby (Live at Radio City, NYC 5/3/09)


And as a bonus, here's two more new tunes from The National recorded at Carnegie Hall back in February. The sound quality isn't as good as the two above, but the songs are solid, and you can still get a sense of all the orchestration involved. These four songs, along with their work on Dark Was The Night and the Score! comp all seem to point to one thing -- The National's next record is gonna be tight, yo.

The National - Karamazov (Live at Carnegie Hall, NYC 2/3/09)


The National - Wake Up Your Saints (Live at Carnegie Hall, NYC 2/3/09)

SONG: French Navy

Camera Obscura's latest record, My Maudlin Career, has got me pretty well under its spell. Especially this song. The strings, the dramatic stops, Tracyanne Campbell's hopeless romantics - it's all here. And it's got a pretty adorable video too, especially for someone who's planning on backpacking Europe this summer...

If you like this one, check out the album. It's a pretty great one from these Scottish retro-poppers.

Camera Obscura - French Navy
from the album My Maudlin Career (Amazon/iTunes)

SONG: Up To Our Nex

While I'm still warming up to the album as a whole, Track 7 from Robyn Hitchcock's Goodnight Oslo is kind of my favorite thing right now. It's called "Up To Our Nex". And I love it.

Robyn Hitchcock & The Venus 3 - Up To Our Nex
from the album Goodnight Oslo (Amazon/iTunes)

SONG: Be Somebody

When did I get old? I feel like it happened sometime in between the realization that cartoons are no longer funny and that I'm about to graduate from college.

Well, like everyone that enters the doors and walks the halls of academia I have high hopes of making something of myself. Changing the world and all that...

I guess only time will tell. I'll keep you informed.
In the meantime I have my self-contained support network in my iPod cheering me on. (And my parents who don't want to see their son living in their basement)(Again).

Kings of Leon - Be Somebody
from the album Only By the Night (Amazon/iTunes)

SONG: Finally some fun!

You may remember way back in August that the now-disbanded Format's Nate Ruess started a new act with some friends, called it 'fun.', and recorded a pretty amazing little number in their garage. Since then we haven't heard too much from Nate & company. Until today.

Nate says, in an email:

"Yeah, I know... "it's about time"... but really... it took forever to make this record... and I honestly couldn't be more proud of the job that Andrew, Jack, and I did... this is most certainly the best record I've ever been a part of... and i hope when it's released this summer that you guys will still be around to listen and enjoy."

Considering how much I still adore Dog Problems, this is great news indeed. Nate goes on to say that the record, apparently called Aim & Ignite, is completely done - artwork and all - and they're hitting the road at the end of the month. Yup. I'm giddy. Giddy is definitely the word for what I am.

They're coming to SLC on May 13th with Manchester Orchestra - so be sure not to miss that date. And go HERE to sign up for fun.'s mailing list - there should be some more good news coming soon!

fun. - At Least I'm Not As Sad (As I Used to Be)
from the album Aim & Ignite (due this summer)


And here's that fantastic demo from last August:

fun. - Benson Hedges (demo)

SONG: New Bob Dylan

I've been on a pretty massive Bob Dylan kick for the last month or so. It started with a curiosity about his three Christian-themed albums from 1979-81, but has blown into an all-out re-discovery of his entire catalog. I love it when that happens. Bob Dylan was a pretty foundational artist for me - he was the first singer-songwriter I really listened to/admired, and he was the inspiration for a lot of my early songwriting and performing. I remember thinking as a kid, "if he can sing like that and make it, I've at least got a shot." As the years have passed, I've come to realize that a little bit of brilliance helps make up for a lackluster voice - and Bob's more than just a little brilliant.

Recently, I've been pretty excited to learn that his 33rd(!) studio album is on it's way, and will be out in April. Never mind that the album cover looks like an Abercrombie & Fitch ad (see right). A really really bad Abercrombie & Fitch ad. I'm sure it'll be great anyways. Because this is Bob Dylan. And his worst album cover is still better than any other guy's best album cover. Or something like that.

He's released the first taste from the new album on his website, called 'Beyond Here Lies Nothing'. Not a far cry from 2007's Modern Times, it's got a real southern swing to it, with plenty of horns, organ, and bluesy guitar riffs. Get it at the link below. The record's called Together Through Life, and it's out April 28th.

Bob Dylan - Beyond Here Lies Nothing
from the album Together Through Life (out April 28th)

SONG: This Tornado Loves You

I'm completely loving this song.

Neko Case, whose voice is already a force to be reckoned with, becomes an actual force of nature on her latest album, Middle Cyclone. Literally. On this, the opening track, she sings about how she's "smashed every transformer with every trailer / til nothing was standing / sixty five miles wide / still you are nowhere."

The outro refrain of "This tornado loves you / What will make you believe me?" is just so great.

This is an album you should own.

Neko Case - This Tornado Loves You
from the album Middle Cyclone (Amazon/iTunes)

SONG(s): Josh Ritter (w/ String Quartet)

Last June, Josh Ritter played a show in MA with The Boston Pops that was supposed to be incredible. He followed up with two sold-out shows at Vicar Street in Dublin with a full orchestra, and is now planning to do the same in Cork, Ireland this coming July. All I can say is that I'd give anything to be in Cork that night.

Well, for all of us un-lucky folks who have yet to see Mr. Ritter with a full 24-piece orchestra behind him, he's given us a little treat. In December he went into a studio in Dublin with a small string quartet (made up of Kenneth Rice and Lynda O'Connor on violin, Cian O'Duill on viola, and Kate Ellis on cello), and came out with two beautiful versions of two already beautiful songs. Check them out below.

Also, if you're lucky you can catch Josh on his 'Teeny Tiny Spring Tour' starting in March - check here for dates.

Josh Ritter - Girl in the War (w/ String Quartet)
originally from the album The Animal Years (Amazon/iTunes)


Josh Ritter - Empty Hearts (w/ String Quartet)
originally from the album The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter (Amazon/iTunes)


Really, truly, I think Josh Ritter is the most talented singer/songwriter out there. I just love this guy.

SONG: Sufjan's contribution to Dark Was The Night = mind-blowing

So, apparently we're gonna have six more weeks of winter. That doesn't worry me so much as long as I've got some good music to bundle up with in the interim.

Luckily, here's some samples from the highly anticipated Red Hot charity compilation, Dark Was The Night. Produced by The National's Aaron and Bryce Dessner, it's a double-disc (triple-LP) compilation to raise money and awareness for HIV and AIDS. I've included the full track-list below, and it's pretty insane, actually. Names you might be excited about include Feist, Bon Iver, Grizzly Bear, Spoon, Sufjan Stevens, Arcade Fire, Beirut, The New Pornographers, The National, and Andrew Bird (just to name a few). Yeah, like I said, insane.

Below are some streaming mp3's of what I think are a few of the stand-out tracks so far. The National and Bon Iver's offerings are both solid, as expected - but the Sufjan piece is something else altogether. A reinterpretation of 'You Are The Blood' by his label-mates Castanets, it's a sprawling 10 minute epic touching on just about every musical influence Mr. Stevens has entertained in the past - from electronica to symphonic pop, to Gershwin-esque piano solos. Take a listen below and see if it blows your mind like it did mine.

The album is out February 17th (in the US).



DARK WAS THE NIGHT

DISC 1
1 Knotty Pine – Dirty Projectors + David Byrne
2 Cello Song (Nick Drake) – The Books featuring Jose Gonzalez
3 Train Song (Vashti Bunyan recorded, written by Alasdair Clayre) – Feist + Ben Gibbard
4 Brackett, WI – Bon Iver
5 Deep Blue Sea – Grizzly Bear
6 So Far Around the Bend – The National (arrangement by Nico Muhly)
7 Tightrope – Yeasayer
8 Feeling Good (popularized by Nina Simone) – My Brightest Diamond
9 Dark Was the Night (Blind Willie Johnson) – Kronos Quartet
10 I Was Young When I Left Home (Bob Dylan) – Antony + Bryce Dessner
11 Big Red Machine – Justin Vernon + Aaron Dessner
12 Sleepless – The Decemberists
13 Stolen Houses (Die) – Iron and Wine
14 Service Bell – Grizzly Bear + Feist
15 You Are The Blood – Sufjan Stevens

DISC 2
1 Well-Alright – Spoon
2 Lenin – Arcade Fire
3 Mimizan – Beirut
4 El Caporal – My Morning Jacket
5 Inspiration Information (Shuggie Otis) – Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings
6 With A Girl Like You (The Troggs) – Dave Sitek
7 Blood Pt 2 (based on original song “You are the Blood” by the Castanets) – Buck 65 Remix (featuring Sufjan Stevens and Serengeti)
8 Hey, Snow White (Destroyer) – The New Pornographers
9 Gentle Hour (Snapper) – Yo La Tengo
10 Another Saturday (traditional song) – Stuart Murdoch
11 Happiness – Riceboy Sleeps
12 Amazing Grace (traditional song) – Cat Power and Dirty Delta Blues
13 The Giant Of Illinois (Handsome Family) – Andrew Bird
14 Lua – Conor Oberst + Gillian Welch
15 When the Road Runs Out – Blonde Redhead + Devastations
16 Love vs. Porn – Kevin Drew

SONG: Sold! To The Nice Rich Man

Still working on a solution to that server problem. This post should work fine in the meantime. Thanks for staying with us...

Here's a song that's been tickling me since I first heard it a few weeks ago. It's called "Sold! To The Nice Rich Man" by The Welcome Wagon from their debut, Welcome to the Welcome Wagon (clever), out on Sufjan Steven's Asthmatic Kitty Records.

There's no denying the influence of Mr. Stevens on this little ditty - it's got all his brand of bells, whistles, horns, strings, and kitchen sinks. On the Asthmatic Kitty website, The Welcome Wagon's debut is described as "a ramshackle sing-a-long enterprise of a Presbyterian pastor (the Rev. Vito Aiuto) and his wife (Monique) wrestling out the influences of folk music, religion, popular culture, and church tradition in a collection of songs that is as soulful as it is good-humored". I haven't heard the rest of the release yet, but after falling for "Rich Man", it's high on my to-do list for the New Year.

The Welcome Wagon - Sold! To The Nice Rich Man
from the album Welcome to the Welcome Wagon (buy it from Asthmatic Kitty/iTunes)

SONG: Carol of the bells

Have you ever noticed that some Christmas music is borderline haunting?

Carol of the Bells by The Bird And The Bee is one of those songs best enjoyed in a room lit only by the Christmas tree and with a flurry of snow falling outside the window.

The Bird and the Bee - Carol of the Bells
from the EP Carol of the Bells (Amazon/iTunes)

SONG: War is over (if you want it)

Post #5 in our continuing Christmas music campaign!

This song by Mr. Lennon is one of my favorites during the Christmas season (and the rest of the year, frankly). It's message of peace and hope is as appropriate now as when it was written, and though no-one really holds a candle to the original, Joshua James does a pretty great job of capturing the weight of this beautiful song.

If you know any great versions of this one, let us know in the comments. We'd love to hear 'em.

Joshua James - Happy X-Mas (War Is Over)
from the sessions for Fields & Floods (buy it from Joshua/iTunes)

SONG: Someday at Christmas

Do you know what Christmas needs more of?

Soul.

Fortunately Stevie Wonder and Motown have us covered.

Stevie Wonder- Someday at Christmas
from the album A Motown Christmas (Amazon/iTunes)

SONG: The First Snowflake

Get ready for Post #3 in our on-going holiday saga. It's a little Christmas treat I received in my inbox last week, a new song from The Boy Least Likely To, a lovable little duo from the UK. It's called The First Snowflake, and though it's a little melancholy, it still brings some cheer to my holiday season for the following reasons: a) it heralds the upcoming release of their second full-length album (due early next year), and b) it's just so dang pretty.

So here's the video, and be sure to get the song on iTunes December 15th.



And just in case you can't wait, here's another little bit of Christmas loving from The Boy Least Likely To. Enjoy.

The Boy Least Likely To - Little Donkey
for Christmas

SONG: Go tell it on the mountain

I saw this coming or, in the very least, I dreamed of its coming.

Remember the last song on James Taylor's 2002 release October Road? It was 'Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.' Who slips a Christmas song into a record released in August?

Was he teasing us or was he giving us a sign of things to come?

Thank heavens it was the latter.

In 2006 Mr. Taylor released James Taylor at Christmas, a collection of what I don't want to call covers, but rather a reinvention of classic Christmas carols in that sweet and unmistakable style of James Taylor.
It has dominated my Christmas season ever since.

James Taylor - Go Tell It On the Mountain
from the album James Taylor at Christmas (Amazon/iTunes)

SONG: Christmas in July

Logan had this great idea for each of us to post a holiday tune we've been into every week until Christmas rolls around. Consider this our first entry.

This will be the third holiday season that I get to enjoy one of my new favorite traditions - pulling out my Sufjan Stevens holiday box-set, Songs for Christmas. It's a collection of five EPs that Mr. Stevens made for friends and family almost every year from 2001 to 2006, containing a total of 42 songs - ranging from instrumental Christmas favorites, old traditionals given a Sufjan twist, and original pieces complete with all the bells and whistles we've come to expect from the quirkiest of indie's elite. Not only is the music festive, but the package itself makes this a perfect holiday gift - it includes a lyrics and chord book, a sticker sheet, an original comic book and a bizarre Stevens family portrait/poster. Now if that's not awesome, I don't know what is.

So here's one of many great songs from the set. Be sure to check out Songs for Christmas, and maybe we'll soon be sharing a holiday tradition...

Sufjan Stevens - Christmas in July
from Songs for Christmas (buy it on Asthmatic Kitty/iTunes)

SONG: Happy December

Happy December!

What a lovely month! Icy roads, finals, the non-optional social obligation of gift giving , and the thought that you're once again entering the holiday season all alone.

Ok, so it's not all bad because now we can listen to The Decemberists non-stop in celebration of the month that bears their name. (Yes I meant to say it like that. I really love The Decemberists)

And on an even brighter note, we can all look forward to the release of the third and final volume of the band's Always the Bridesmaid series which is due to be released on December 2nd.

In all seriousness, this is a great season. Go sledding, drink some eggnog, and enjoy The Decemberists.

The Decemberists - Valerie Plame
from the EP Always the Bridesmaid: Volume 1 (Amazon/iTunes)

SONG: The pearly gates

I have no intentions of dying any time soon, but when that day comes I have one request:

The final song off Radiohead's 2007 release In Rainbows, Videotape, be played as I am mourned. (Assuming I'm being mourned.)

Videotape is an absolutely stunning benediction to a flawless album and, I feel, an appropriate farewell to a well spent life.

It is a song about death, but please don't let that discourage you from listening to it. This is not a morose look at death or even a lamentation about a life being extinguished, but rather the bitter-sweet acceptance of what is inevitable and calmly facing the next step knowing that one has lived a good life.

"No matter what happens now
You shouldn't be afraid
Because I know today has been the most perfect day I have ever seen."


Radiohead - Videotape
from the album In Rainbows (Amazon/iTunes)