Archive for the 'Alt-Country' Category

The Low Anthem - Oh My God, Charlie Darwin

Published
by
Olivier
on September 10, 2008
in Acoustic, Alt-Country, Alternative, Americana, Folk, Indie and Singer Songwriter
. 1 Comment

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.

 
 Charlie Darwin - The Low Anthem [4:33m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 
 To Ohio - The Low Anthem [3:20m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Please, as usual, support the band on tour, at your local retailers or your online store.

Band : Low Anthem
Label : none
Where to buy : lowanthem.com / cdbaby.com
You should also enjoy : Camphor, Chris Bathgate
More Appetizers : @lowanthem.com - @myspace.com

Ben Rogers - Devil Take the Hindmost

Published
by
Olivier
on September 6, 2008
in Acoustic, Alt-Country, Americana, Folk and Singer Songwriter
. 1 Comment

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.

 
 The Bums of Easy Street - Ben Rogers [5:14m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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!”

Artist : Ben Rogers
Label : Dragline Records
More Appetizers : CBC Radio 3 , Herohill review
Where to buy : Not yet available
Post Scriptum : Yes, any album deadline / any further information will be welcome…

The Donkeys - Living On The Other Side (2008)

Published
by
smansmith
on September 6, 2008
in Alt-Country, Americana, Folk and New Album Alert
. 1 Comment

So I have recently been introduced to “The Donkeys” who hail from San Diego, California by a good friend in Rosenheim, Germany…figures I have to hear about some good alt-country from some German!  All kidding aside, thanks Pip for keeping your eye on the ball!

This is not your father’s Donkeys from the 60’s/70’s, but the new breed – wow, that sounds awkward…breeds of donkeys…  Well, let’s just get back to the music, shall we?  The Donkeys bring both the slowed down Americana alongside some mid tempo alt-country.  For the un-initiated this may sound like the very same thing…no so my friend.

I have chosen two tracks that display this very phenomenon - “Dolphin Center” brings us a mellow Alt-Country ballad featuring some piano and great guitar accents (I dare say guitar solo even) – this is not your father’s Country music.  Then we have “Boot on the Seat” which has a mid tempo (it does actually reach mid-tempo near the end there), and a truer Americana sound with use of slide guitar, simple bass line, harmonica and some southern drawl.  Okay, maybe Alt-Country and Americana can be interchanged for both tracks…I almost had you for a bit though.

You might even remember them from their appearance on Daytrotter from 2006 (2006!!!!) that includes “unreleased” tracks at that time that have made it to this album.   So take a listen and once you have the feel for this album then head over to Dead Oceans and pick up a copy upon its release on September 9th!

~Smansmith

 
 The Donkeys - "Boot On The Seat" [4:32m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 
 The Donkeys - "Dolphin Center" [5:42m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download