Outside temperature are painfully reaching the 10° (celsius) in the afternoon, starting from a low 4° in the morning : an overlook on a yearly calendar.. here we are : winter knocking at the door ! So it’s been a busy time… many stuff to deal with, preparing everybody before the first snow falls…
Excuses. These are only excuses for posting a so short article about an artist who had released about 7 albums ! But excuses as a transition : before hibernation, I need WARM music to enjoy along a peaceful sitting by the wood-stoven light ! And Forest Sun is the one that match my quest.
Teased by Sean Hayes appearance on the song ‘Queen Anne’s Lace’, I’ve bought ‘Harlequin Goodnight’ on cdbaby.com earlier this summer and the full album is still shining. And I bet the Californian songwriter will be a long-term company during these coming months as his previous releases are on my never-ending-wish-list…
Autumn has come to soon ? I’ve got a solution… a one album-trip to Australia. It’s been a while, since ‘To The Dogs or Whoever‘ blog has stopped bringing me its regular dose of Australian music, that I didn’t receive any input from the land down-under.
A moon on an album cover ; nothing more, nothing else, I was a click away to discover the most brilliant EP this year hold so far. Phillip Bracken is a young – at least in music, so few information is available about him on the net – a young singer from New South Wales.
Beyond the first calm acoustic tags emerging on a primary listening, this short (i’m just eagerly awaiting for a full length) but intense 5 tracks collection revealed a powerful and hypnotic songwriting. For sure, Phillip’s brilliant and unique vocal is a major instrument in this beauiful delivering. I’m also totally seduced by the beauty of his compositions : simple – pure – and perfectly arranged.
With songs format which are mostly exceeding the standard, this album is an invitation for a peaceful break… and so residing one of its prowess : peaceful and contemplative but you’ll be surprised murmuring on ‘The Boy and the Sickle’ and ‘Ishmael’ is simply irresistible for your hands to be clapped, foot-taping later – even dancing for sure ! Mesmerizing.
If you need comparisons, the likes of Ben Harper, Nick Drake, Doug Burr or Josh Garrels (for both evocative guitars and warm voice) could be cited. But be sure, you will find none of those afore mentioned listening to Phillip Bracken ; none of those, but a highly dose of unique emotions. Soon to be yours !
For a debut, it’s a monument ! Such a major act won’t be unpunished ; my curisoty, once again, pushed me to contact Phillip for an interview : an opportunity to discover this promising talent. Enjoy his music while reading his anwsers.
YCD : Hello Phillip, how’s it going down-under ? Phillip Bracken : Really well. I’ve been living in a small coastal town for the last few months and I really like the energy here.
YCD : Before asking any further question, One is teasing my curisity : Tranquil Dwarf, what does it mean ? Phillip Bracken : It was going to be a moniker until I decided that my own name was good enough. To abbreviate the story the name came from a t.v show. I adjusted it to give it more irony and I guess for something for me to hide behind as well.
YCD : Would you mind telling us your story about music ? Phillip Bracken : I think we all have something we’re passionate about and that we feel a connection with. Music has always been the companion that accepts and understands all my moods. I’ve always enjoyed singing and writing as separate elements but I didn’t start taking guitar more seriously until a few years ago.
YCD : ‘Everything Looks Better in Candlelight’ is your first release. How did you finally decide to merge your songs into this dense collection and bring it to an audience ? Phillip Bracken : I wanted something to help myself be heard, remembered after gigs but something more complete than a demo. I was introduced to an amazing musician named Peter Northcote who gave me a nudge. Initially I wanted to record more songs but Pete and a couple of others told me to be patient and just put out five. We recorded the ep in his studio.
YCD : I have played ‘The Boy and Sickle’ at least a hundred times in these last 15 days… what’s your recipe for creating such a flowing song ? Phillip Bracken : That’s so great to hear. I’m not sure that I have a recipe or set method in the way I write. Sometimes the lyrics come first and at others it’s the music which was the scenario for this song. Finger-picking is also something that feels natural to me.
YCD : Suppose, that you have been condemned to spend a full year on an isolated island. Allowing to bring with you a single object which would you choose : a book or you guitar ? Phillip Bracken : Tough one. Probably a book and I would create an instrument out of coconuts and banana leaves.
YCD : Is there a song you wish you had written ? Phillip Bracken : I like the idea of going largely unnoticed and developing an underground following so something like Sugarman by Rodriguez.
YCD : If you could share a stage with any band or artist who would you choose and why ? Phillip Bracken : Sigur Ros. I saw them play recently and they were completely absorbing as much to the eye as ear. They looked totally lost in their instruments and came across as quite humble and unassuming.
YCD : Any other projects for the coming months, a first full length ? Phillip Bracken : I’m launching my ep in November in Sydney. Other than that I want to play more gigs and improve myself musically. I’d like to do a full-length at some point but it might still be a little way a way.
I first briefly mentioned The Sumner brothers when I wrote about The Wood brothers on this blog here. From British Columbia they have just released their first album In the garage available here which they kindly sent me last week. A band that really wear their hearts on their sleeve especially on the track both back, a song about wanting his late father back in his life but also on the track Pain where the first line “better look over what I got cause it won’t last long” makes you immediately stop and listen. It’s not all doom and gloom though as they start off the album with a banjo led cover of a Stompin Tom Connors track called Luke’s guitar then straight into Girl in the window which is a footstomping folk blues track with Bob Sumner screaming the vocals. They have you smiling and singing along one minute then break your heart the next. Like The Felice Brothers before them I get the feeling a lot of these tracks are just one take with any mistakes just left in giving the whole album a really genuine organic feel to it. Throw in another four covers, A storming version of Johnny Cash’s Folsom prison blues, a live version of Dylan’s I was young when I left home, the folk gospel Carter family song The rock where Moses stood and my personal favourite, Sleepy John Estes‘ Good place to go, now that’s the blues. Somehow you just pick up that these guys are the genuine article, no bullshit, just straight up rootsy country/folk/footstomping blues at it’s raw organic best.
R.C Joseph wrote the following about them.
“Their music is about light, though it is not afraid to explore the dark. Their music is about hope, but it does not ignore the despair. It’s a mournful Johnny Cash, a repentant Willie Nelson, a reflective Stompin Tom. It’s the power of boozy sincerity and hopped-up honesty, and that, brothers and sisters, I can get behind”
I think I can too.
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Sam Corbin with Jen Sygit at Scene Metrospace – East Lansing, MI
It’s been a long time that I didn’t introduce any artist from Michigan : Sam Corbin is the one we’re going to listen tonight. Do you remember The Stranglers ? Hum… I’m a fan. From the unforgettable 96 tears with the ‘Too many tear drops for one heart to be crying… ‘ to ‘La Folie’ through beautiful melodies suchs as Northwind blowing, the unsane ‘Let Me introduce you to my Family’, the famous ‘Always the sun’ – well I’m not here, at least not today, to drive you back in the 80s Stranglers glorious… – and also my favorite ‘Golden Brown’.
And here’s the point. While I was crawling deeply the web, I took a long deep and peaceful pause as soon as I’ve been caught by this song’s title ‘Golden Brown‘ : It was a month ago, on Sam Corbin’s myspace playlist the last track. How to resist giving a try : who dare covering such a gem ? Sam’s version is far from the Barrel Organ sounds of the Stranglers… but with an amazing finger-picking style he released a prowess delivering a sweet acoustic version of this untouchable song !
I was a click-away from a superb album : Goodnight Candlelight. The opening banjo-driven ‘Twenty three’, the ‘Masterpiece’ – which needs no other adjective – , ‘Dictator’ … Theses 3 intro songs are absolutely fantastic and so many albums will never reach this density… Including the ‘Golden Brown’ cover, the 6 other tracks, of this 10 (hum everything is fine Mr Alzheimer ! count on the hidden track ) songs collection are all deserving at least my 4 stars rating and an absolute 5 stars for the instrumental ‘Nothing to say’ !
Sam released his first full-length album “Goodnight Candlelight” in 2006, choosing a minimalist approach of mostly acoustic guitar and vocals. He recorded the album in his basement near Lansing, MI, with help from singer/songwriter Jen Sygit adding hints of Banjo, Uke, and vocal harmonies. In the fall of 2008 Sam will release his second full-length album, bringing to the lineup some of Michigan’s finest musicians! …
… In 2008 Sam teamed up with percussionist Billy Harrington. Playing on a single snare drum, Billy brought a whole new sound to the equation. Together, their songs travel from a soft whisper, to the rumbling drive of a freight train.
I didn’t get time to contact Sam in time (!!!), so I can’t confirm that the track ‘Kalamazoo‘ will appear on his sophomore -haha learning slowly… – album but if it’s a cover (shame on me for this lack of information) or a song of his own : it’s a ‘cracker’ !!! But no matter, Goodnight Candlelight could loop for a full year and more !
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.
I’m fully addicted to the beauty of Spain. Living couple miles on the border between France and Spain, I can feel the pulse of this country according to the wind. Throw me few acoustic accords, then turn the trumpet on and I’ll sell my soul for the closest feria. Lucho, second full length, teased me – captivated indeed- with this amazing hymn that such bands as Calexico could envied : “Mercy !”. From what I’ve heard so far, the other new tracks of the album are great balances : ones bluesy, others folk ; all unique sound that engaged me to qualify this collection as a beautiful jewel. No matter what’s your mood is looking for, you’ll find the perfect song. Oups just forget : Lucho is from London !
Band : Lucho Label : none Where to Buy : right from their myspace page nowhere else. First full length and self-titled album is available from cdbaby.com or from emusic.com (if someone want to gifted me, all my September credits are already gone !!!)
I bought myself a beautiful 1976 Pioneer pl-510a turntable very recently and my first thoughts when i bought it was ‘That deserves summat old played on it’. Ok 1976 is not that long ago but it’s still long enough and that was the main way to play music for most people back then. Having had most of my vinyl stolen one Christmas eve about fifteen years ago i wasn’t sure what to play on it as my collection is pretty sparse now . I thought about playing some of my Neil Diamond as that would fit perfectly with the date it was made but I then had a call at the door by the postman (Have you noticed how late the postmen come these days?) and he had in his hand my Serious Sam Barrett vinyl E.P which he had kindly sent me, Sam not the postman. It seemed fitting that that would be the first record i should play on my new turntable (I have since been pre-occupied wondering what the first ever song played on it was, something i will never know of course). From the first track Tongue Tied Blues and it’s sliding folk/blues railroad riff and some lovely picking asking where his sweet heart has gone I was instantly hooked. Lately I have heard nu-folk, anti-folk, Homicidal-folk (My personal favourite), metal folk and yesterday came across something called Laptop-folk, wtf? What you get with Sam is folk, Pure and simple and all the better for it if you ask me. From Addingham in Yorkshire, his father is also a folk singer and his Mother a lover of the music of Guthrie, Leadbelly and Dylan so it’s no surprise he has crafted songs in that same style. However, he also has a love of 80′s Madonna records as well as Hip hop and Reggae as you will read in the interview below which he has kindly granted us. Also with Sams kind permission he has given me a couple of Mp3′s for your downloading pleasure but please if you like it buy his E.P (Preferably on Vinyl) form the links provided or from your nearest Independant record store who will either have it or can order it for you. A rising star on the folk scene in the UK and is about to embark on a UK tour, go see him play when he visits your area, offer him and his friends a place to stay if you can as their sleeping arrangements at the moment as far as i can gather is an old battered Ford Escort. For me personally it’s so refreshing to hear music like this still being made. Some people say it’s all been done before but who says music has to progress all the time? Perhaps the most perfect music has already been made and all we need to do is keep playing it and making it in that style? Enjoy.
YCD – Hello Sam, or shall I call you serious? How’s it going?
SSB – Alright man, thanks for asking.
YCD – Ok, might as well ask you now, promoting anything right now or recently released anything?
SSB – Yea my first record finally came out in May this year. It’s called the Yorkshire Rambler EP.
YCD – So where can we get a hold of this?
SSB – It’s being distributed by cargo so any independant record shop can get it for you if you ask nicely.
YCD – So you’re from Leeds right? Do you try and make music that reflects your landscape?
SSB – Well I’m from a village called Addingham originally which is a bit North of Leeds on the southern tip of the Yorkshire Dales. I’ve lived in Leeds for about 3 years now though. Yea, The older I get the more I try and put what it means to be from Yorkshire into my music, that is really important to me.
YCD – What are the biggest obstacles you feel a folk singer like yourself faces today?
SSB – An industry that favours the bland, dull, overproduced kind of folk music that you tend to hear nowadays. That’s what pisses me off anyway.
YCD – Ok, I don’t know if you are aware but they have recently found an old law that says all musicians since time began are allowed to take any song from anyone they like from any moment in time and claim it as their own, which one are you having then? Only one mind you.
SSB – Man that’s tough, as far as non-traditional songs go I wish I’d have written “Prove It All Night.” by Bruce Springsteen. That’s a beautiful song
YCD – What’s your guilty pleasure?
SSB – I’m not guilty about any of the music I listen to that a lot of people consider crap. I really like 80s Maddonna records.
YCD – What’s your best musical experience so far and why?
SSB – Going from Nashville to New Orleans with one of my best friends was amazing. We spent about 2 days pretty much in silence because it was such a moving experience finally being there.
YCD – Who’s currently rocking your turntable?
SSB – An old Scruggs style banjo compilation on the folkways label. A bunch of hicks on that record like the Stanley brothers and stuff. It’s ace.
YCD – What band/artist would you most like to play with?
SSB – I really like playing songs with my friends Mike Rossiter and David Broad. They inspire me more than anyone else who’s around nowadays to be honest. The only new music I really like is Hip Hop and Reggae. To me, that’s the only stuff that has the power and sincerity that old blues and folk records had.
YCD – What are your hopes and fears for you in the future, musically?
SSB – I hope to break even and keep travelling around playing songs to people. I only fear that one day I won’t be able to do that any more.
YCD – What did you think the last time you looked in the mirror?
SSB – I’m a greaseball.
YCD – You have a sound that is not dissimilar to the likes of Guthrie, Leadbelly and that depression era. Is this the kind of music you were brought up with?
SSB – Well yea, my Dad is a folk singer too and my Mum loves Woody and Dylan and Leadbelly. I’m a lucky man to have had such an amazing musical upbringing. My parents introduced me to loads of obscure folk music as a child.
YCD – And finally, are you working on anything at the moment? Tours, new albums etc?
SSB – Yup Myself, David Broad and Mike Rossiter are doing a UK tour in early November so check the myspace for the shows on that. I also have a new EP of Yorkshire songs coming out pretty soon. It’s going to be 3 traditional Yorkshire songs and also a song I wrote about growing up around here. I really wanted to make a record that is about where I’m from and the music from here so I’m really exited about it. It’s coming out on an awesome new label started by the guys who currently run Art Goes Pop called Yadig?. It’s sort of a DIY label with a folk/country/roots feel and I’m really happy to be a part of it because it looks really exiting.
YCD – Many thanks for the interview and we here at you crazy dreamers wish you all the best for the future.
SSB – Thank you for having me man, much appreciated.
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YCD : Would you mind telling us your story about music ?
