Ante Scriptum : I’m currently deleting all audio files posted on this site before 2009. It’s seems that our little place on the web is consuming to much bandwidth… Jumping from a post to another, it’s always tempting to visit every artist website and check what’s new ! This is the reason that land me on Trappers Cabin brand new website.

“- Hey What Time is it ?”
“- Shhhh I can’t hear the radio ”
“- In the deep dark woods of the North Georgia Mountains there’s only one man you’ve got to hear : Trappers Cabin !”

Not yet familiar to this jingle ? Connect this page and grab your first episode !
But if Trappers Cabin website is reduced to this single show counting 5 episodes so far,  there’s a brand new myspace page where four brand new tracks  (as far as I know) are published. Immerse yourself in this mix of 1970’s british psychedelic with tones of folk ! Awesome. Hope an album will be soon released !!!

Artist : Trappers Cabin.

Those guys are from Vermont. They’ve got a magnifique playlist on their myspace page but nothing else to share. Sometimes driven by piano, sometimes by acoustic guitars, their sound  could be qualified as folk or to be more specific ‘Mountain music’. Is this the reason that let me draw a comparison with Those Mountain Goats ?  I’ve got no link to direct you for buying some stuff. So just listen and hope you’ll be as enthusiast as I am.

Band : Blissville

I first came across Hush Arbors around a year ago when Uncut magazine put one of their tracks on a compilation cd they give away each month.  Signed to the brilliant ecstatic peace label I was immediately struck by the sadness in Keith Woods voice, it reminded me a lot of the late Saint Thomas who I am a massive fan of and the second  track (Lisbon) on the new album which just came out this week in the U.K  yankee reality is uncannily similar. This is completely accidental as when I saw Keith play a solo set recently in London he said he’d never heard if him when I asked him.

Hush arbors earlier albums  blends fuzzy lo-fi  psych-folk with country but on the new one, which is produced by Dinosaur jr’s J Mascis there’s an added rockier edge to it, namely on fast asleep and the blistering final track Devil made you high but it still manages to maintain the default sound on so they say and one way ticket. If I had to pick out my favourite track from this album which quite frankly doesn’t have a bad one on it, i’d probably go for take it easy only because it’s completely different to any other they’ve done, more country sounding in the style of say The Byrds but you could ask me again tomorrow and I could plump for coming home with it’s chugging along riff and mellotron (played by J Mascis) with the first line ” I was thinking about the country, walking down these city roads, thinking about the space between, the silent and my soul” I love shit like this, it resonates with me.

When I was in London and I saw Keith play rue hollow I remember sitting completely transfixed by him and coming to the realisation that I was in the presence of a genius. He’s  got that certain thing no one can name or put a finger on, the same as Elliott Smith had or Nick Drake, just that something. His songs seem to come from somewhere deep within him very few of us ever reach, the bit where the real honesty lays and he’s bearing his very soul. Very few songwriters do this in my opinion, it takes guts to lay it all out on the line for everyone to hear and that leaves a certain vulnerability, it’s risky because it seems so fragile and any criticism could easily break it, or at least try to. Criticism must be hard to take when you’ve just bared your soul.

Now based in London there’s a couple of dates in Italy and then London at the end of October. Info here

Kindly I have been allowed to put up a couple of mp3’s for you to download but please please please, if you like it go and buy it here, you will not be disappointed I promise you. Enjoy.

For your attention Keith is also part of  Six organs of admittance and Current 93 and has just supported Sonic Youth on a London date.

I think sometimes you have to challenge yourself as a listener to explore other genres or sounds and give them enough time to grow, not be put off by first listens or bad reviews. Not that has happened to Nurses as far as I can gather but it is certainly an album that requires more than one listen, in fact takes quite a few if only to ‘hear’ it properly as there’s so much going on. What strikes you first is the swirling vocal harmonies which are prominent throughout the album but after more listens you start concentrating more on the electronics or the piano which I read somewhere give the impression that the band are evolving as you listen and this is true, it’s ever changing but not too much so you lose interest, in fact the more listens you give it the more brilliance you find in it, I think they’ve created a masterpiece. It’s impossible to put this kind of music under any genre as it covers many, folk, Psychedelia, alt-country and pop, in fact it’s the pop side of it that I find works brilliantly, take a listen and see what you think.   Signed to the brilliant dead oceans label they are often compared to the likes of animal collective, yeasayer and Sunset Rubdown  but I hear a little bit of The Low Anthem in there too. They’re currently on a huge U.S tour, go see them. Available as a download, cd and vinyl either from Dead Oceans or your local independant record store. The mp3 available here you can also grab along with another one on the dead oceans website. Enjoy.

“Song o’ Day” is from the duo Wentworth Kersey’s “(O)” album and is the opening track “Adore”.  It is a track that fits its title very well, it is a pining lament in true troubadour style.

The duo of Joe Kersey Sampson and Jeffrey Wentworth Stevens make up WK and bring an overall Americana tinged psych-folk to the table.  The music is something that would make a great soundtrack for a Quentin Tarantino movie (when he decided to make a serious movie).  While I would say the sound is basically “folk” it is soo much more – it has so many textures, auras of rolling Appalachian valleys and a modern day Mexi-Cali conquistadors – all with a slight bit of ambient flowing through it all (yes, you will get the odd floating DJ scratch in the distance).

Wentworth Kersey also have a bit of an interesting project in the release of their EPs.  The track included is from thier 2nd EP “(O)” which was preceded by “O” and we will (hopefully) soon see the third installment “((O))”.

“Adore” – Wentworth Kersey – from 2009’s “(O)” EP

Visit Wentworth Kersey on their Website or MySpace.  Click the below images to pick up one of the EPs via CD Baby – highly recommended.

~

~Smansmith

Let me tell you a little bit about my year, needless to say it’s been one of a lot of reflection and a relentless tug of wars between my mind and heart. I think my heart is losing the battle, but do not fear the mind is still in full operational mode.

On a recent trip to Arizona I picked up this little gem and listened to it non-stop all the way home. It’s amazing how cathartic long drives can be at times. Road trips are great when the destination is clearly define, but at times a road trip with no destination can help clear the mind.

Well enough about me, let me tell you about Cameron McGill, first of all who could resist those amazing blue eyes, wowsers! All kidding aside, he truly has a way with the written word aka lyrics. Pretty amazing if you ask me.

I can say without a doubt that this has quickly become a favorite on the old play list. It’s found a nice little home on all my long clearing of the mind road trips. It was tough trying to pick one song to post up here for you to listen and immediately fall addicted to but I have to say that “Low Ways” and “Minor Suite” are two of my favorites. I’m sure you will all run to your local indie shop or buy online as soon as you listen, you won’t be disappointed.

You can also listen to him on his MySpace page

Well off to think some more. I’ve recently taken a hiatus from FB and Twitter in hopes to get back to the simpler things in life like music.

Like Cameron says “Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)”
Be well all ~ Trini

“I just want this record to do well,” he says without irony, sipping coffee near the still-not-open venue. “I want to pay that money back. I also want to do something bigger than Ann Arbor or Ypsi. … I get crowded into the Michigan indie folk scene a lot,” he continues, and then he finishes the thought as if he scorched his tongue on the hot liquid, “I love it, but …”

That’s how ended this cinematographic review of Matt Jone’s first full length The Black Path from Brian Smith, editor on the Metro Times ( read the ful review here).

I know you lazzy-click so the link will be paste later down this short modest and encore review. Another article about the black path ? Yes, for sure, this Matt Jones is rich enough to gifted us million dollars spreading his music all day long on this blog.
How really rich is this mattjonespainting ?  Rich enough to blow you away from start to end in this 45 minutes session : from the battling Threadlines intro to the perfect soft-sorrrowful Nothing Joyful closing tune ; an abundant set of unique blend of poetries, paintings, crossing borders, fronting and facing cliches.. to you to pick and choose its resilience, and few chances you won’t be untouched from his art at a very first note.
Isn’t it richness : Painting stories over melodies, serving floating spaces in both timeline and mapline to the completion of our unfulfilled, unsatiable minds. What an achievement is this eleven songs collection : it’s still blowing me away… The fact that expression could merge so many facets from an artist in a perfect oeuvre  ; joining and translating all those forces : qualities and weaks. Rich once again, you are Mr Jones !

Artist : Matt Jones
Label : none
Where to buy  ? Backstage, on any digital music reseller (amazon.com / emusic.com)
More Appetizers : Metro Time Review – Previous YCD Review by Sandy – myspace
Some more words : And rich we are we’ve met you, and give handfull of thanks to Mr Jim Roll !

News, is this all about ?
If I had to mention and select a single album from the past years.. many chances my ears will request again and again the sound of Drawn to Dust from Camphor. Max Avery Lichtenstein has released in this thirteen songs collection a musical Everest. If you missed this album : you’re just 12 months late ; but no worries this is the kind of music which do not suffer the print of time. Before switching to the band website and learning the backstory of this special track,  be sure to have you daybreak experience listening to Max most recent philosophical exploration : ‘Enjoy the Struggle‘.

NB : Due to express mention, YCD won’t stream this song right from this page – even if temptation to host such a perfect track was evily burning my fingers.

Something slightly different from me this time.

For those of you who listen to my Simple folk show on radioreverb.com will over the past year or so heard us air a session by Joe Gideon & the Shark which was recorded a while back. I always meant to put them up here but somehow life got in the way at those moments but after seeing them live very recently I have put a halt to everything to make sure I write about them now.

Joe and Viva, a brother and sister duo make up the band. Joe on vocals and guitar, Viva on everything else, Drums, keys, vocal, all played from behind her drum kit and often simultaneously. It’s impossible to imagine how just two people can create a sound this brilliant, a sound that for me is impossible to describe as I hear so many influences in it. At their loudest reverberating best I hear some LCD soundsystem, The Fall and when Joe talks/sings he reminds me of Smog and on the outstanding track, Anything you love that much you will see again, well that’s just uniquely theirs. On the track Kathy Ray, a song about a woman who was a backing singer for the Eurythmics and Ray Charles, Joe’s narrative about her has you listening intently  but then has you laughing at it’s unexpected turn, or at least it did me. There’s a few tracks like this on their debut album Harum Scarum, serious overtones with a humorous undertone, these are the most original band I’ve heard in a long long time and it’s so refreshing.  Currently on a UK tour after having supported Nick Cave and the Bad seeds and more recently Seasick Steve. I think that 2009 is the year they are going to break through to a more mainstream audience but I urge you to go and see them live if you get the chance as they will blow you away.

Officially my new favourite band (until next week). Enjoy.

I’ve got few information about this french band and I’m not sure I want to spend more time seeking for. “Jil is Lucky“  just released their first full length and this video… Enjoy !

One of my favourite sites on the web is the brilliant Daytrotter. With a huge library of live sessions that they have recorded over the years you can easily spend  whole days or even weeks in there just browsing through and downloading what you like. One such band I’ve come across lately in there and I admit I’d never heard of before, is a band by the name of Cotton Jones. However, After searching the web further I discovered Cotton Jones is Michael Nau and Whitney Mcgraw from the indie pop band Page France who I also discovered split up in 2008 so he could fully concentrate on Cotton Jones. Although paranoid cocoon is Cotton Jones’ debut full length on Suicide squeeze records, they have released a couple of EP’’s when they were called The Cotton Jones Basketride before shortening it for this release. I wonder if Michael Naus favourite animal is a chameleon?

So we have ten tracks of gentle, dreamy, slightly psychedelic pop with some country licks thrown in. Whitneys slightly subdued backing vocals fitting in perfectly alongside Michaels more baritone vocal. I could list a whole load of influenecs you can hear in this record but if you like The doors with a little less trippyniess, Yo la tengo without the fuzziness then you will no doubt like this but as I say there are a whole load of influences in this record. This is no bad thing though as it’s such a beautiful, gentle album that you would be happy waking up to or accompanying your glass of wine after a hard days work. Enjoy.

Well, I think you should know some of my (current) hometown indie-folksters.  The Cape May from Calgary create the type of music that might need visuals to truly get the full experience.  The music seems to have a life of it’s own, it is a member of the band and possibly the guys themselves are simply there as the music says so.  I find the aura created by The Cape May to be something that engulfs me – great headphone music if I had to say.

Some Backstory:

The Cape May principal songwriter Clinton St John grew up in a town of 300 in Alberta and moved to St. John’s, Newfoundland in 2000. After a period of isolated song and fiction writing, Clinton moved to Calgary with a collection of songs and a clear musical direction. A band was formed with long-time friend Jeff MacLeod, and in 2005 they released their debut LP, “Central City May Rise Again”.  In support of the album the band saw plenty of time on the road, playing across Canada.

The Cape May
“Thing (Summer in 6/4 Time)” (mp3)

“Hunting Grounds” (mp3)
from “Central City May Rise Again”
(Flemish Eye Records)

More On This Album

Some More Backstory:

For the follow-up, the band enlisted acclaimed engineer Steve Albini (Nirvana, Smog, Low, The Pixies), and recorded in Calgary and Chicago over several months. Layered with strings, keys, Theremin and accordion, the album breathes with Albini’s trademark earthy approach, from Clinton’s distinctive and sometimes otherworldly voice to the dark, sweeping arrangements that comprise “Glass Mountain Roads”. Haunting and surreal, St. John’s lyrics give a cinematic quality to the songs, finding Orwellian landscapes and dream-like scenes delivered with starkness and honesty.

The Cape May
“Spring Fight To the Land of Fire” (mp3)

“Catch Your Words” (mp3)

“Desert House” (mp3)
from “Glass Mountain Roads”

(Flemish Eye Records)

More On This Album

The Cape May capture the singer songwriter mentality and mesh it with what could be almost orchestral elements.  It is quite unique and very enjoyable, even if I am a bit biased as they are my Calgarian brethren.  They are signed to Flemish Eye Records, that enjoys other essential Calgary talent in Chad VanGaalen and Women.

Visit The Cape May on Flemish Eye and at on MySpace.

~Smansmith

Jennifer Castle, or Castlemusic as she is known, is a Torontonian songstress with what can be called a mix of traditional singer-songwriter infused with a bit of fringe folk.  However you describe it, I think you are going to like this one.

Castlemusic has a new release entitled “You Can’t Take Anyone” which from what I can take is a beautiful collection of down-tempo folk, and slightly toned down version of her live performance persona (but I need to see her to believe it).  The album is rich, textured and even a bit frayed at the edges at times, but it works for Jennifer.  The songwriting excels here with what seems is an undertone of stray bitterness – just enough to carry off a great song, but leave you wondering if she was pained in creating it.

Castlemusic gets assistance in delivering her creation to recording from Ryan Driver and Doug Tielli who both contribute vocals along with an assortment of backing instruments.  Don’t get me wrong here though, the album is heavily influenced by Jennifer, her guitar and her songwriting – described as below:

“…to lyrically write in the often sad voice of a person who feels alone, while playing and singing like a person who reaps the uninhibited and beautiful benefits of this state.”

One of my favourite tracks is the title track with it’s “worbly” vocals and accompanying electric guitar to mirror that very style – awesome.  To witness this, take a listen:

~Smansmith

Time for psychedelic music. After the superb Trappers Cabin, another amazing psychedelic band, I’ve just discovered is The Venus Illuminato. Nothing much to say about those Californian Rob Franco and Brandon Kennedy (I even won’t be able to tell you which one of these is singing…) as these guys are not really prolix on their myspace page. So find below a copy paste their cdbaby information…

Picture yourself being knifed by a gypsy on board a high-jacked merchant ship off the coast of Morocco while an 1860’s civil war band drops some acid and does their best interpretation of 70’s English psychedelia.

Helpful ? Indeed, truly.  Once again, music speaks for itself better than any other words…

I’ve been more than seduced by this superb ballad on the Mount Olympus, and from what I’ve listened so far the others tracks are also really gorgeous ! With violins, tubas, glockenspiels and cellos, it’s quite impossible to find a genre to label this rich music ; according to Rob Franco, it could be described as psychedelic gypsy wizard chamber folk. And that’s for sure chamber-folk really match my feelings !

Band : The Venus Illuminato
Label : None
Where to buy : cdbaby.com
If you love : Devandra Banhart, Mike Scott and/or The Waterboys, Nick Cave, Calexico, those illuminates from Los Angeles will soon become a favorite !
You should also enjoy : Trappers Cabin, Elvis Perkins, Orpheum Bell (an interview will be shortly posted here…)
More Appetizers : @myspace

While copypasting Susana’s interview with Ben Sollee, I was checking that NPR List of Best Unknown 2007 Artists. One of them retained all my attention : Trappers Cabin. Best Unknown Artists : Isn’t it crazy to deserve such a prize for a guy who had released 7 full lengths ! Two solutions :

• Joel Nettesheim (the famous unknown Trappers Cabin) is making noise for his own pleasure… and his streaming his own songs on his myspace for his self-masturbation…
• NPR staff are smoking mushrooms….

Well, according to his myspace page views, I guess that this guy is doing music for more than a couple fans!

He’s the crazy old man in the mountains. I’ve heard the stories – he’s alive up there still. One man alone in the mountains of North Georgia, his multiple personalities and voices take over to create beautiful rivers of sound which flow through one ear and proceed to the deep deep valleys of your mind – continuing out your other ear and on to the next lucky contestant!

Influences : The woods – the bear – the trees – the smells – the stars – stuff that matters.

This description is quoted from his myspace page. If anyone could give me more information about Trappers Cabin, it will be more than welcome ! Joel described his music as Psychedelic / Experimental / Regional Mexican…
Well, I’m not sure about the Regional Mexican, but anyway… the first adjective is perfectly matching the NPR staff judgment (be sure they have their daily dose..). Experimental is also meeting my own opinion… and my single wish is that Trappers Cabin will keep experimenting his art, voice and all these arrangements that create such an beautiful and unique ambiance for the 7 forthcoming albums.

Artist : Trappers Cabin
Label : none
Where to buy : CdBaby.com
More Appetizers : @myspace - Download a whole truck full of Trappers Cabin songs for free – offered by the man himself.
Who else could you enjoy : Me ?