I’ve been addicted to the music of Mr Luck Lucas since the release of his previous album ‘What We Whisper’. And from the date, we’ve started this blog, I’ve watched for any little update on his website / myspace page to track every little change. And here it is : two new tracks from this forthcoming autumn release : Lion’s Jaw.
Lyrics for these 11 new songs are available for couple weeks on the San Francisco songwriter’s site. Having the opportunity to peruse them before the music is a strange experience. When the poem finally find the author’s rythm : the words are reaching a new dimension Space, breathe, elevation…
I’ll update this post as soon as any release date will be known - or any pre-order form. In the meantime, check his myspace page for listening to ‘Sadists’ song.
Since the release of Ray LaMontagne first single ‘You’re the best thing‘ from his forthcoming album ‘Gossip in the Grain’, and some early reviews ; discussions on the ‘Acre of Land‘ message board about his new style are impassioned. Maybe due to close voices, I’ve always drawn a parallel between RayLaMontagne and Kreg Viesselman ; at least in their early releases. If the first seems to enlarge his musical horizon, the second seems to keep digging the same furrow, and time is almost there for an upcoming collect of demos for his new album : as usual with this American songwriter, absolutely gorgeous !
I’ve discovered Minnesota native Kreg Viesselman, and now Oslo resident, with the release of his 2 years-old last album : ‘The Pull’. It’s a wonderful collection of Americana tunes, balancing from blues to gospel. It’s a must have while awaiting for Kreg’s forthcoming album.
This album had already been reviewed on many sites but I can’t resist ; nothing really original to comment, always a matter of sharing. On September 2th, The Low Anthem released their third full lengths “Oh My God, Charlie Darwin“.
Set the sails I feel the winds a’stirring
Toward the bright horizon set the way
Cast your wreckless dreaming on our Mayflower
Haven from the world and her decay
And who could heed the words of Charlie Darwin
Fighting for a system built to fail
Spooning water from their broken vessels
As far as I can see there is no land
Oh my god, the water’s all around us
Oh my god, it’s all around…
These are the first verses opening the new collection with the Charlie Darwin song. In a recent interview granted to The Providence Journal, Low Anthem, Ben Know Miller says “I think we pushed the hard things a little harder and made the soft things a little softer. The poles and the swings are a little wider”. After a first loop, I do agree. The two slowcoustic intro tracks are followed by two devilish folk tunes (almost traditional country) including a Tom Waits/Kerouac cover “Home I’ll Never Be”. Then another low rebound with the sublime ‘Ticket Taker’. And so the album is flowing with these unique textures (almost 30 instruments without counting voices have been used) already evoked in their sophomore brilliant opus ‘What the Crow Brings‘. This album is like the wind offering sweet breezes to stormy gusts ; a delicious balance between white, colours and black.
Low Anthems co-founders and multi-instrumentalists Ben Miller and Jeff Prystowsky have been joined by Jocie Adams and Cyrus Scofield. The Band is on tour all this september month check the schedule.
It’s about 10 days, I’ve bought this album ; addicted. Acoustic guitars, violins and pianos melting together, delivering one of the most beautiful romantic love songs for me this year : “Enough” ! I wish I had a longer way to introduce you, New-York songwriter Tony Penn (aka Anthony Pennimpede ) but there’s so few information about him. I’m afraid my froggy English dissuaded him to take part in an interview ; So I’ve got to play with a single digital purchase from cdbaby … and that’s enough !
With a shy but deep voice, Mr Penn fly over his 12 songs collection entitled the Quicken anchored in the Folk/Rock Americana genre, giving the best balance for such classical and so personal themes : love, loss and sin. Fly Over, in the naturally meaning of the term… nothing forces… right with the wind.. deeply natural…
I could spend the full night self-masturbating about this album…’She Comes to Me’ (it’s the song’s title!), ‘Can’t Stop the Tears’, ‘Rough Hands’… all five rated in my library. The Quicken is an absolute gift. Thank you so much Mr Penn : I hope the coming years will bring you more much stories to tell. If not, the Quicken is a masterpiece. And I’m sure, that many new songwriters will be soon referring.
Stop reading this blog ! Merge couple bucks together and run / click the closest link below : gift you ‘the Quicken’. And to be honest but not modest, Sure you’ll thank me (;)) !
I’ve been directed to the songs of Grant Olsen by a simple investigation on Utah songwriters and i’ve finally found my way adding ‘Waterland‘ to my cdbaby.com cart… : once again those Utahs are a ruin for your finance. Waterland released in 2006 is Grant Olsen’s sophomore album, a follow-up to 2003’s “Excerpts From a B-Movie”.
Grant Olsen writes all his songs on a guitar given to him by a hermit named Ron, who lives deep in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. In his day, Ron had been a stellar musician who’d performed with the likes of John Denver and Willie Nelson, but for one reason or another, he’d given it all up and was living the hermit life when Grant happened to stumble upon his mountain cabin. “Hawley,” the first track on Grant’s new album, is dedicated to Ron. It tells the story of his early life and how he came to be a musician in New York City during the late 1960’s.
And this intro song is a good introduction to Grant Olsen’s storyteller talent and intimate composition. A sweet, almost murmured, voice is guiding you through this smooth 10 tunes filtering each words to delivered an captivating rebound.
Grant granted us a brand new track in 2007 : Carolina. Listen and enjoy.
I’ve been listening to the songs of Ben Rogers for the last six months. And no matter how good are the brand new songs flowing from this blog, I’m returning to Ben Rogers.
Everyone always asks me why I always write about the past or set my stories in the past. Truth is, I can’t relate to anything today: computers, television, even the wars we’re fighting. It’s like I always say: “out with the new, in with the old.” That’s not to say I’m oblivious, I’m just not finished with the past and I’m in no hurry to catch up. I’m wandering along dormant railroads strangled by tall weeds in the time of cowboys and Indians. I’m lost somewhere along the Wakarusa River, but instead of a rifle in my hands, I got a ‘63 Gibson guitar and aside from a few cuts and scrapes, I still have most of my skin to speak of.
This is an excerpt from Ben Rogers’ page at Dragline Records. The Vancouver artist is a talented songwriter who is about to release his second collection. ‘The Dawn of a New Error’, his first album released at the age of 19, is covering a wide range of styles from Rock to Folk including some amazing tunes. I’ve collected some media coverages and If this young opus received some comparisons with L. Cohen writings, others crucified. I have to confess that I’ve been listening to the 2 minutes samples streamed on the cdbaby.com at lesat a ten times as the album is permanently on the ‘out of stock’ status. If some titles such as ‘Jesus and a Jacknife’ or ‘Night on the Ghost Town’ and ‘I Hate to Say This’ - I’ve finally found a way to download some demos - are really great tracks as valuable as the recently blogged Lucky Jim, others could be received the terms of premises ; a quest that could remind me a young Geldof.
Now, 4 years later, Devil Take The Hindmost, is almost done - but the deadline. Most of the orchestral style used in the previous album have disappeared to produce a pure country album where voice and guitar are playing the driver’s role and harmonica is from time to time a welcomed hitch-hiker and so the mandolin (?). Influenced by the likes of Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan, Rogers is a true storyteller. From start to end - only the fourth track is missing to my library - this album is a pure gem and a must have. Ben Rogers gritty voice ; “a voice of smoked damaged velvet soaked in Tennessee Whiskey” is hypnotizing and so the stories told.
As far as I can get through lyrics - you know how this Vancouver accent is quite harsh to understand for the froggies ears - this following song is dealing with a game called Cowboys and Indians …“and she cried oh oh oh!”
Rich ! It’s the first word which surfaced from my mind when thinking about sharing with you my emotions after 3 months long of perusing the third collection of my favorite Utah songwriter : Colby Stead.
‘So It Goes‘ is an intense and comfortable patchwork of Colby’s amazing talent. Based on a close canvas than his previous album ‘No’, most of the new tracks are delivering new colors and opening vast territories ; some paths recrossed, some discovered. Rich, I’m rich.
So, in the right catholic path that I’ve been teached ; I’ve spread the word to my dear fellow bloggers and bought them the album : sharing… They’ve granted me those following comments :
Kevin from the closed To The Dogs or Whoever
With the recent influx of male singer-songwriters on the market, breaking through or rising to the froth of the cup, or the cream of the crop as they say, isn’t so easy as those youthful days of Jackson Browne’s and James Taylor’s. One needs a little honesty and a whole heck of lot of luck. Scoring a slot on a recent popular prime time drama would help push things along.
‘So It Goes’ seems to be just that for Colby. Poised for some tastemaker to swipe a track off it and key it in as the backdrop for the lead heroine’s next introspective moment. But that’s the cynic in me folks and Colby maybe a little to good for my smart-assed analogy. There’s a striking sense of honesty in Colby songs and his clever, defiant word play and passion on a track like ‘Haunted Hole’ that breaks the deep sense of optimism, drenched in melancholy, that dominates the albums 11 tracks. This of course isn’t helped by the use of accordion and cello, which only add to the somber tone on most cuts. It borders on sugary sweet depression for me and one would be tempted to drop down and give up if it weren’t for Colby’s hope for the resolve… and I may just be resolved enough on the fact that Colby’s onto some great work here and this is a good start for me.
Key Tracks: Breathe, Haunted Holes, Plastic Poses and Keep Breathing. Kevin
“Breathe”
Maybe it is the slow and conscious delivery or the fact that it comes across naturally - almost like breathing - but I find the song “Breathe” to be the song of songs on Mr. Stead’s latest release “So It Goes”. The blending of Colby’s and Amy’s vocals flow over you like many of the tracks of the album but on this one, they hesitate and ease into you as well. I would feel like this track could make great use of old porch with one of those large two person rocking chairs, but with you draped over it lazily. I especially enjoy the accordion (I think it is an accordion..) that in my mind is the third vocal with it seemingly in the background then coming to the forefront at various times throughout the 4 minutes. Certainly a great way to spend 4 minutes… simply breathing. Smansmith
“Haunted Hole”
I’ve been a fan of Colby’s music from the very first moment Olly introduced me to him. There is something so genuine, real, sincere about his lyrics. Often times I feel as if he knows me and is writing these songs for me. There are so many songs off this album that I love but it’s funny how these things happen and one really strikes out at you. When I heard “Haunted Hole” for the first time I was like “wow” - “the tears that keep falling sideways and always never do they stop” Songs are like horoscopes, everyone can interpret them in a different way, apply it to what is directly happening in their present life or past. The lyrics - “how much can my head and my heart really take? They both are compromising they soon will start rising quickly to the top - *sound pop*” - are so deep. This song really struck a chord with me but there are many, many, many others that you will love. I can’t wait to see Colby perform live. Oh, and the build up in the end of this song, f-ing amazing…. .”please, please, please” you just have to take a listen. Trini.
Me (as a good friend of mine, I can’t resist to share my owns ) from youcrazydreamers.com
“A Thought” (instrumental)
“I like floating in the clouds too much”. I’m sorry Colby to publish once again without your permission some of your words, But it’s exactly the meaning of this thought ! Oh, I love - as far as my english knowledge allow me - all of the words you lay on your music, but I really enjoy this absolute talent you’ve granted me : a track of freedom ; an absolute endless moment. Giving me the opportunity to lay a thought, a life, a whisper or just another breathe. Thank you so much ! “Fatherly Love”.
His previous collection entitled ‘No’ was cradling the fabulous ‘Motherly Love’. ‘Fatherly Love’ song speaks to me in a really personal way : both as a father and a son. “There’s a thin line between a coward and a man”… resounds each time differently depending on which point of view you’re listening to the song. It also reminds me the famous Nick Cave’s ‘Wheeping Song’ and and and, and love … Olivier.
Referi : There is no I understand that you need to discuss all,
but it is impossible to create that that like a forum or
at least a photo to add ато the text simply not interestingly
looks and it would not be desirable to read at all?!
referi : There is no I understand that you need to discuss all,
but it is impossible to create that that like a forum or
at least a photo to add ато the text simply not interestingly
looks and it would not be desirable to read at all?!
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