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.
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.
Another installment of the Song o’ Day series I have been indulging in this last couple of months, hope you all like the fast blast of one track hits. Well, hits in my books…
Today we have Mason Lindahl and his incredible guitar work. He just happens to craft a song around his display of delicate acoustic guitar playing. He is new to me but apparently well known for being quite the “finger picker” and I am inclined to agree. There is a juxtaposition in this track though – you have delicate fretwork, but you also get coiled energy – this isn’t your daddy’s classically trained guitar work friends. I guess this is why the words Alternative and Folk were used by IODA (even if both words are bastardized versions of what they once were, but I digress…). There is just something about this track, I get the feeling there is more than just a song in this song…ya know?
Enjoy the title track from the recently released “Serrated Man Sound” album, it is worth multiple spins folks.
So “Song o Day” today is a great cover. I say this as not all covers are great, some are simply imitation. It is nice to have a song that even though it is a cover, it can stand on it’s own. This is one of those tracks from Kyle Swartzwelder and his cover of the Kathleen Edwards track “Away”. Kyle sent these over to me the other day (along with a Neil Young cover of “Powderfinger”, nice), and I needed to share at least one of them. Man the slide guitar (or what I think of as the slide guitar) is just gorgeous, waning and waxing throughout!
Enjoy a bit of folky Americana for your Thanksgiving. Canadian Thanksgiving that is, and give thanks for talent such as Swartzwelder and Edwards. If you like this unreleased cover track – pick up Kyle’s album over at CD Baby HERE. If you wanted to hear more of Kathleen Edwards, visit her on her website HERE.
There is something about European Folk – it is soo good. This example by Signe Tollefsen provides the beauty of strings and Tollefsen’s almost classically trained voice with lazy banjo of a rocking chair on the prairies of Oklahoma. Definitely a song of the day here folks – this “half American in Amsterdam” provides you a gorgeous bit of European Americana. This could be the next big thing (as big as indie Americana singer songwriters can be…). Highly Recommended.
Another installment of “Song o Day” for you folks – and yes, another winner from the Great White North (or Canada as I know it). This time we have the title track from the upcoming album “Burnout” that is due out on November 10th.
OX’s previous album (American Lo Fi) was considered a bit of a tour de force of the indie stoners – huh? Yeah, described as “weed infused” it was a pretty decent hit across Canada’s College/University radio scene. While I tend to shy away from describing music by indicating an intoxicant of sorts is needed to enjoy (because it isn’t) – the new album obviously is following the theme with a title like “Burnout”. They have brought a bit of country folk into the fold from the sound of the below track and I even though I enjoy the previous work, I like the direction of the mellowed out, day after vibe that this crew are putting forth.
“Burnout” – OX, from 2009′s “Burnout” album – due November 10th
You can always swing by their Website or visit iTunes for a copy of American Lo Fi HERE.
~Smansmith
p.s. If you like this track, swing on by my Slowcoustic postfor a bit of back story on OX!
So “Song o’ The Day” is kinda my thing around here the last few weeks. Sorry folks for the sporadic posting, life simply getting in the way for all of us!!
Well being the Canadian around these parts I always seem to be pushing my brethren, but that is because I keep being impressed by the talent from the “Great White North”. Today’s selection is Matt Epp who I also might be attached to as he is from one of my hometowns of Winnipeg, Manitoba (he’s a “pegger”). While I tended to overlook what was in my own backyard while living there, I seem to see more talent now that it is no longer underneath my own nose. Matt Epp has a new album coming out called “Safe or Free” this November and the track “This Old House” is the lead off single. It is a bit of singer-songwriter with shavings of Alt-Country adorning his duet with Eliza Gilkyson. It is also a Ryan Adams’ style ballad including a harmonica feature at midway (love that damn harmonica). Hope you like as much as I do!
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