“Here’s to all you crazy dreamers, dream your crazy dreams, don’t let them slip away, there’s more to life than living day to day.”
Back to summer favs ? I’m a bit late pointing you on this one but in case you’ve missed this fabulous release, be sure to buy the first collection from this awesome irish soulwriter : James Vincent McMorrow ! Here we go…
Everything fine Laura ? Enough handkerchiefs Trini ? Get Ready for a second one ?
Now, call me “Fleur Bleue” !
Let’s have a short break from my recent posts… It’s not a “fav” but it may soon become one…
Matrimony released a collection of catchy tunes, which make me feel this same exact mood than the one I feel listening to a recent favorite summer tune from Heather .
Jump to their base bandcamp site and stream the hole album.
It’s a non-stop-loop since the early days of its release ; It’s a cracker ! “History from Below” is so far my best 2010 alt-rock album and its ending track “Ballad of Vitaly” is absolutely stunning.
“In the German sky there once was a plane
It carries 71 children and their mothers to spain
Well this plane was sure something
It was full of young Russians
Proudly to gander at topics discussin’
Now Pete the Swiss was doublin’ shifts
Jugglin’ the iron controlled by his lips
Not a minute too soon children fell to their doom
Struck dead in the air, orphan a father or two
He just laid in the alley
Now orphan Vitaly met a young girl
Married her quickly
Was so damn in love that they had their two kids
Had a great job; construction in Spain
They were going to see Papa from Caucasus mountain range
Now that damn Swissman crashed them into a plane
I will find where he lives
Speak to his face with the blood in my eyes
He will see my pain
Many weeks passed
For fear of a suit
The airline said nothin, Vitaly turned blue
For the killing they done
No apology made
Is it ’cause we are Russian you treat us this way
Through a friend that he new Vitaly found Pete
He came to his doorstep expecting to speak
But Pete blew him off
Threw down the pictures Vi brought
Pictures of the 3 most important he lost
As the pictures fell down
Re-enacting the day
Vitaly’s eye blackened
No human remained
Well so much can be said
For a man in his shoes
There’s no glamour in vengeance
There’s only this rule:
That the lives that you lost can never come back
And the deed in return is worse than the act
Blinded by love and the pain of his loss
He could not remember the act of assault
He awoke in his room all covered in blood
The cops they’d come knockin
They knew what he’d done
The government leaned
Vitaly was free
They called him the hero, a man above kings
A shadow of man, they were praising his deed
He was alone
Killed a father of 3
No deed that he did could make him complete
It could have been different if only Pete said
“I’m sorry for killin’ the few joys you had”
But now there’s nothin’ for Vitaly to do
But step off a cliff or hang in the noose
Robbed of forgiveness that he could’a gave
There’s no man left to save ”
Just in case, you’re lost in those summer releases ; I’ve collected couple great albums. As i’m not sure to have more free time, let’s start with my best one : “4th of July” from Joe Purdy.
“Leavin’ from the water ain’t never easy
Takin’ to the city is harder still
Don’t forget your brothers
And don’t forsake your sisters
Because they will take you back when nobody will.
You can have my money
And you can take my guitar
Just make sure you that use them and you use them well
Ain’t nothin’ wrong with ramblin’
Aint nothin’ wrong with dyin’
Just make sure when you’re finished you got a story to tell
Take your painted pony and ride up on the hillside
And tell all of my loved ones that I’m glory bound.
Take 16 pretty maidens with 16 pretty roses
Singing pretty to my darling as they lay me down.”
Here is the other video I took of last night’s show at Lincoln Hall in Chicago. Nathaniel Rateliff & his band take the stage to join The Tallest Man On Earth covering Bob Dylan’s “The Man In Me”
So I have been a bit MIA around here lately, so long time no chat? I thought I would put down some tunes here based on a referral from fellow blogger Tart over at Love Shack, Baby. Tart was watching The Wailing Wall playing in Chicago and immediately tweeted that I needed to listen & pick up the new album.
Who is “The Wailing Wall”? Well it is 23 year old multi instrumentalist Jesse Rifkin. Again, it always makes me feel old when you find someone so young that seems so talented. But I digress.
So…the new album “The Low Hanging Fruit” is from JDub Records (see here) but alas, it is sold out currently from the site (but pre-order the bonus track version on iTunes). Good sign I think. So…what do you do now? Well you listen to the numerous available free downloads from the label of course! Well with that thought I have been listening to this fringe folk artist’s demos and earlier works and they indeed deserve a shout out for purchase. I have included a favourite track “Dear Mother” with the demo and final version from the Hospital Blossoms album. Its a great little diddy, especially the uber lo-fi start to the final version – frickin’ good. Also attached is the album title track for juxtapose (or not) to the remainder of the songs.
“Dear Mother (demo)”
“Dear Mother”
“Hospital Blossoms”
Find the remainder of the downloads on his artist page over on JDub (here) along with some bonus tracks from Archive.org (here). You can also find all the links in one convenient location on his MySpace page, along with a crap load of other info (here).
~Smansmith
