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.
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
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Taken from the post over on Slowcoustic – this is You Crazy Dreamers post on what was best from 2009 reposted over here!
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Today is Day 11 of this Best of series and we have the You Crazy Dreamers Blog! YCD is compiled of 5 contributors in total with myself included (What you say, Sandy is on two blogs!! Yes, its true!) and we span two continents and 4 countries and thousands of miles between us 5 lovers of music. The title of the blog is taken from a Ray LaMontagne song, so if that is any idea, then you know the style of music we like to feature! There is a lot of albums (and bonus items thank to Trini) below!
So the lists include contributions from Olivier (France), Martin (UK), the US contingent of Trini (California) and Laura (Chicago) and then the Canadian me, Sandy. So five heads have to be able to pick something good…right? Right?
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This is just a start! If you like what you are hearing – you can download the playlist by clicking HERE. Thanks Olivier!!
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Laura has been a bit slammed by work and such lately, but she did advise that besides meeting J. Tillman in Chicago a month or so back she thought the below was the best of the year.
Martin found some love for a lot of music from his Brighton home and between Radio23.org and Simple Folk Radio shows he has found some real great offerings.
Best albums of the year (in no particular order, but you know..still numbered..so you know)
I (Sandy) have managed to like a lot of music this year and I don’t care what anyone is saying about 2009 being bit light on quality releases. I tend to be able to find much to like, adore and obsess over each year, so no real problems here.
I have decided to simply mention a few albums that for lack of a better term are “in my top 20″ of favourite listens for the year. Sure there will be more once I finally listen to the numerous albums that I haven’t given enough time to, but damn it, it’s just a music blogger best of list and you know – we are mostly about telling other bloggers what is good or bad! We (music aficionados) tend to be overly opinionated on what is “good” and what is “great” and what is “totally and utterly disappointing”. I find my niche being Slow and Acoustic makes for bit of an auditory “tunnel vision” when it comes to judging music, but I’m okay with that. Also, despite how I may bitch about how too many people list “The xx” or “Animal Collective” or even “Grizzly Bear” in their top lists, they probably aren’t as bad as I might think that they are. But my choices are better….{sarcasm intended}.
In order to make this fairly easy format-wise, my top albums are from my Rate Your Music profile (a needed website for all music nerds)!
Another triumph for Tillman, gentle and yet showing growth to a fuller sound. You get the dark dusky corners of an old
farmhouse and the sombre timbre of Tillman’s breathy voice over, at times, sparse acoustic songs
Overwhelmingly overlooked by many, but still such a great album. They are bringing their sound into the mainstream
but it is still so lovely to listen along to.
Folk from long ago is still being released today. So dusty you need a drink alongside your headphones. This song is
absolutely amazing and one of my favourite songs of the year.
Dirty, dark and destined to find every last piece of yourself splayed out before you. A little bit rock, folk
and singer songwriter mixed in for good measure
This song-crafter/school teacher is making some of the loudest quiet music around. He sounds graceful but sings of real life,
tragedy and the meaning of it all.
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I (Trini) am going to start of with my top ten albums of 2009. They are really in no particular order other than that each one of these has helped me heal in ways that only music can. I started the year feeling a little lost. Songs from each of these albums helped me find my way back.
1. Cory Chisel and The Wondering Sons – Death Won’t Send A Letter
Song: So Wrong For Me
2. Mumford & Sons – Sigh No More
Song: White Blank Page
3. Treetop Flyer – To Bury The Past EP
Song: Is It All Worth It?
4. Wilco – Wilco (The Album)
Song: You and I
5. The Avett Brothers – I and Love and You
Song: Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of Promise
6. J. Tillman – Vacilando Territory Blues
Song: Masters House
7. William Fitzsimmons – The Sparrow and The Crow
Song: Even Now
8. Jack Savoretti – Harder Than Easy
Song: Harder Than Easy
9. A.A Bondy – When The Devils Loose
Song: A Slow Parade
10. The Felice Brothers – Yonder Is The Clock
Song: All When We Were Young
In my attempt to gain some sanity, I’ve taken up baking. It is by far the only thing aside from music that helps me relax. I can say with absolute confidence that I’ve mastered the chocolate chip cookie recipe and will forever be making root beer float cupcakes. These two should be a staple in everyone’s baking repertoire.
Now, let me introduce you to my new toy which I’m anxiously awaiting its arrival. The Digital Harinezumi 2 Audio and Video camera. http://poketo.com/shop/archives/1009 What is it you say? Check out this cool little video, can’t wait to start shooting with it.
Insert shameless plug here→ I’m putting together this little nifty music festival next year you should join me. NOZZAFEST! ←
Ending my year for the first time not wishing for it to end, I’ve learned a lot about myself and am looking forward to new beginnings in 2010. Enjoy the tunes, bake something and go record life. It’s what I’ll be doing.
YCD ~ Trini
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So Third Floor Sessions have done it again…a great live performance caught on video (and mp3) from Canadian indie icons Ohbijou!
There is something about Ohbijou, they are just a dreamy pop sound that is thick with lush melodies. They create moments instead of songs…I can very much see them sound-tracking moments in time. That perfect moment in time (or not so perfect moment) where through your mind’s eye it has sound. It is the kind of music that can create something deep within you while listening. The same way (for me) Sigur Rós create such deep emotion with music – the sounds can be epic, heart-warming and tragically beautiful.
Enjoy a couple of the tracks and a video: get the full 8 tracks over at Third Floor Sessions HERE.
Probably my favourite J. Tillman track is “Casualties”. I almost fell of my chair when I saw Luxury Wafers put a nice little video of a live recording of it for their recent session with the Tills.
I know I (and others on this blog) preach about Josh Tillman…but seriously, chills.
Visit Luxury Wafers for 3 live tracks (even a nice version of a track from his new 7″ that just came out last week) for free download with one simple click RIGHT HERE.
Song o the day today is selected for two reasons (well three really) and comes from the lovely Kay Pettigrew.
The reasons go something like this: I listened to the Ohbijou live session yesterday via Third Floor Sessions (which was great by the way) and while there I took a look around, as I tend to, and noticed that Kay Pettigrew was the inaugural episode! I did a quick post with a cover Kay did for the theme song of Fresh Prince of Bel Air over on Slowcoustic (click to listen) a while back so I started thinking. The song generated a fair amount of airplay for Kay around the blogosphere and ended up being on the Hype Machine popular charts via myself and a couple other bloggers. So that is a reason isn’t it?
Another reason is I felt I needed to post again as I wanted to make sure that people see her for more than just that cover track. Her Third Floor Session is full of folkish sing-a-longs, bluesy riffs and gritty Canadiana alongside an incredibly mature sound for this young Torontonian. So this is a reason as well isn’t it?
The last reason is simply because I am located in Calgary which is at the base of the Rocky Mountains and this weekend started our “adventure” into winter (see here for a twitted photo from this weekend in Calgary). So this is definitely a reason isn’t it?
Well if none of the above are not enough of a reason, then I don’t know what else is. You can download the entire session from her live session HERE…maybe that is the reason??
I just recently discovered The White Buffalo while trolling Last.fm of fellow friends and neighbors and I must say it has been a pretty good find. I listened to a couple of tracks from his website and then immediately zipped over to eMusic and picked up his Hogtied Revisited album that was released in March of this year.
The video included below is for “Love Song #1″ which is from “The White Buffalo EP” which I believe is from 2005. 2005!?! Yes, this guy has slipped past this Americana/Alt-Country fiend…but no longer. This “White Buffalo” or Jake Smith as he is known to his friends is now on my radar. This song is also streaming on his website homepage along with 2 others – so get a listen on and then zip over for an album if you enjoy it as much as me.
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I don’t remember who sent me this “blast from the past” album from FatCat Recording artist Curtis Harvey. It might have been one of these You Crazy Dreamers bloggers, so I thought I would put a bit of finger to keyboard for it.
The album “Box of Stones” is a new release (Nov. 3rd here in North America, rest of planet still pending I think) and is choke full of acoustic country folk that is just a bit more country than folk. Almost like the album cover, I believe it speaks to another time of sephia toned whiskey joints and live roots music. The sound created seems both personal and full of energy (even if it is a bit down tempo at times) with Harvey’s blood and guts built right in. It is said that he recorded the entire album in his basement with few takes – just took it as it was. I think that is why it seems full of that energy – it is really him, not his recording mixed and reproduced 50 times till it’s a fraction of the sound it once was. A song like “Borrowed Time” has a straight forward structure but seems like was put together like it was happening all at once. It might be the collection of sounds in the background, but I don’t know – it just sounds that way. You can also have a songs like “Joking” or “Words” which are more in the vein of a back porch tribute to a previous time while at the same time being quite beautiful.
Another great track I found on the album is the sing a long “Oldertoo” which is a bit up tempo and brings a bit of kick to the step of this sad bastard. It brings in banjo and an easy sound…I think it could just be the leg slapping (or what is reminiscent of a lite version of “foot stompin’ honky tonk”) – that track is included below, see for yourself!
Sidenote and recommendation: I do know I have kind of beat the vibe of “Americana past” into the ground for this post. I have noticed with today’s indie music landscape where there is a country folk artist on every indie label’s roster (and maybe Harvey is FatCat’s resident guy with a guitar), Harvey brings a country worth considering. With that, Curtis Harvey’s album is definitely worth a few spins, especially while sitting back with a favourite beverage of choice.
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We (music aficionados) tend to be overly opinionated on what is “good” and what is “great” and what is “totally and utterly disappointing”. I find my niche being Slow and Acoustic makes for bit of an auditory “tunnel vision” when it comes to judging music, but I’m okay with that. Also, despite how I may bitch about how too many people list “The xx” or “Animal Collective” or even “Grizzly Bear” in their top lists, they probably aren’t as bad as I might think that they are. But my choices are better….{sarcasm intended}.
Buy at 
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