Archive for the 'On iTunes' Category

Mark Geary - Opium

Published
by
Olivier
on March 6, 2008
in Acoustic, Alternative, New Album Alert, On iTunes, Pop, Rock and Singer Songwriter
. 2 Comments

Mark Geary - Tuesday - Opium

I love Mark Geary’s fine, well polished pop/folk tunes for couple years now. But since his last release in 2005, his home site seemed to be deserted. And while browsing my itunes library for searching some good Irish bands/artists : Mark Geary was on top of my list. So, I’ve reconnected my browser once again to his site. And here it is : a new home page and a new song ! So, a new album will be come soon : Opium will be delivered, april 11th in Ireland !
Mark first full length , 33 1/3 Grand Street was released in 2003 : a kind of confessional according to Mark’s own words of his myspace. It contains beautiful songs and not only the famous and high rated : Gingerman. ‘Ghosts‘ album has been released in 2004/2005 and you surely have in mind its title song ! In 2005, Mark wrote the soundtrack to the film Loggerheads.

Opium will be preceded by a single, “Tuesday”, which tells the story of “the day all the shit changes! The guy in the song – maybe me? – has to change all the shit and the baggage he has been dragging around. But change brings uncertainty that can be so scary that maybe you’re better off just living a kind of quiet hell?!” - quote from Mark’s website.

 
 Gingerman - Mark Geary [3:57m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Artist : Mark Geary
Label : Independent Records
Where to buy : previous albums are available @ Itunes / Update this post as soon as we’ll have more information about Opium.

Grant Campbell - Beyond Below

Published
by
Olivier
on February 16, 2008
in Acoustic, Americana, Folk, On iTunes, Singer Songwriter and blues
. 0 Comments

Grant Campbell

Few artists have the talent to attract your attention at the first note of an album and catch it till the very end. Scotish multi-instrumentalist (piano, guitar, saxophone), Grant Campbell has achieved this songwriting prowess releasing his second album last year : Beyond Below.
Campbell’s gravely voice is openning ‘Bowery Beat’ as a first measure to an exceptional collection of 14 powerful & soulful tracks. From Townes Van Zandt to Bruce Springsteen, or from L. Cohen to B. Dylan, the Glasgow songwriter’s music navigates through differents genres (americana, folk, country and blues) and tempos (lullabies, ballads to almost steady-rock).

I’m still embarrassed to select the right track for streaming with such a good album, where each track reaches the quality of the previous… I’ve finally found the solution : Track One - Bowery Beat.

 

 Bowery Beat - Grant Campbell [3:10m]:Play Now

Grant Campbell - Beyond Below coverCouple songs are available on his myspace page and bebo.com is hosting also some tracks from his previous release : ‘Postcard From Nowhere’. I’m still awaiting for the delivery of this album… But from what I’ve already heard and read, sure this is a collector too !

Artist : Grant Campbell
Label : Crooked Mouth
Where to Buy : Artist website - cdbaby.com or itunes*

* Prefer buying your mp3s @ cdbaby.com… those are encoded at a higher rate and you won’t have to deal with this damned protection !

John Craigie - Soft Hail

Published
by
Olivier
on February 7, 2008
in Acoustic, Alternative, Folk, New Album Alert, On iTunes, Singer Songwriter and blues
. 9 Comments

John Craigie

Californian songwriter John Craigie will be live next week February the 12th @ Hotel Utah - San Francisco, for the release of his 5th full length album : Soft Hail.

5th album… I’ve just bought “Picnic on 405″ last week, his 2007 fourth release. And I’m still starving : you know Soft Hail - John Craigiethat my appetite for that kind of music is simply insatiable ! Prolific and young, and talented. I won’t tell you that his previous albums are as good as Picnic - I simply can’t afford for the moment to buy his complete discography ! But each of my 13 bucks, buying this album, were immediatly multiply to the value of millions for each of the songs it handles !

For all of you crazy readers that are already addicted to John Craigie’s delicious acoustic mixture of blues and folk, please be sure to leave us a comment about his previous releases. For the others, find below two tracks. The first one from the album I owned and a second one from his coming one. - count on me for positing here a detailed review about ‘Soft Hail’ ! In the meantime, please, send us a feedback from the show.

 
 Canyon Walls - John Craigie [3:50m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 
 Down the Tracks - John Craigie: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Artist : John Craigie
Label : none
Where to buy : Cdbaby.com

Neil McSweeney - A Rope to Hang

Published
by
Olivier
on February 2, 2008
in Acoustic, Americana, Folk, On iTunes and Singer Songwriter
. 0 Comments

Neil McSweeney

“McSweeney started writing his Americana-tinged, folksy solo material while teaching English in Italy. Upon returning to his native Sheffield, he continued to write songs inspired by the likes of Low and Papa M, and his intense, brooding live performances lead to him being voted ‘Sheffielder Most Likely To kill Himself’ on one internet forum, and described as ‘the most miserable man alive’ on another.” Quote from his myspace page.

Somber folk, dark acoustic, already compared to L. Cohen and J. Buckley, Sheffield songwriter Neil McSweeney is one of my favorite of this past year - thanks once again to Geordie for sharing this immense composer and songwriter. With his new single ‘A Rope to Hang‘ released this last December after his amazing first full length ‘Remember to Smile‘, Neil has raised the highest rank in my library and he’s definitively the guy to watch on the other side of the chanel.

 
 A Rope to Hang - Neil McSweeney [3:47m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Artist : Neil McSweeney
Label : LM Music / Kids
Where to buy : Artist website or Itunes

Deer Tick - War Elephant

Published
by
Olivier
on December 26, 2007
in Acoustic, Americana, Folk, On iTunes, Rock, Singer Songwriter and blues
. 0 Comments

John McCauley is gifted with this huge story-teller talent, that could bring you on the opposite side of the world playing the same tune. A delicious mix of blues and country highlighted with a distinct nasal accent coming out from what could be described as a long term smoky/drunken voice - John you’re too young !! Volupté, we deserve my friends - Pleasure, Deer Tick will give us !

 
 Ashamed - Deer Tick [2:15m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 
 Dirty Dishes [3:19m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Deer Tick - War ElephantEven if I have to admit that the band’s name are far to be attractive - a good friend of mine is fighting against lyme disease each day and we’re infested half the year in the pyrenees by those parasites. My curiosity finally won over my poor froggy sense of humor - it’s so good to be French sometimes - and it has been once again fully rewarded…

Artist : Deer Tick
Label : Feow Records
Where to buy : Emusic - Itunes

Craig Cardiff - Smallest Wingless

Published
by
Trini
on December 17, 2007
in Acoustic, Indie, On iTunes and Singer Songwriter
. 3 Comments

craig.jpg
Insomnia, I really do have a problem with sleeping yet I can’t manage to wake up in the mornings. Go figure.

This time last year I was in Canada experiencing a true winter with snow flakes and all. What a difference a year makes. Well before I start rambling on, I want to leave you all with this beautiful singer/songwriter Craig Cardiff. If you’ve never heard of him before, I recommend you buy his album Good Night (Go Home) this is one out of ten he has. I promise you won’t be disappointed.

A 10-year veteran of the indie music scene throughout Canada, Craig is a traveling troubadour playing shows across the country, in small towns, big cities, neighborhood pubs and even your living room. My lazy man reviewer comparison will yield Iron & Wine and Damien Rice. If one were to look up indie in the dictionary, before it was redefined into a genre or style, before it was hipster territory, you would find this humble yet outspoken man with an impressive word-of-mouth following.

- CD Baby

 
 Craig Cardiff - Smallest Wingless [3:21m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Christian Kjellvander - I saw her from here, I saw here from Her

Published
by
Olivier
on December 7, 2007
in Acoustic, Alternative, Country, Folk, On Youtube, On iTunes and Singer Songwriter
. 2 Comments

Christian Kjellvander

More reviews have to be written before “charting” this great musical vintage. Released November the 7th, the new Christian Kjellvander full length will be part of my yearly top - as each Kjellvander album.

Christian Kjellvander - I saw her from here, I saw here from Her

This new 10 tracks collection titled ‘I saw her from here, I saw here from her‘ is a great balance between his first critically acclaim solo effort ‘Songs from the Two room Chapels‘ and his more intimate ‘Faya‘ 2005 release. Oscillating between soft piano ballads and deeper alternative-country tunes with banjo and even pedal steel to some more power songs such as first single ‘Two Souls‘ with trompet and cornet, Kjellvander’s songwriting and composition are both dense and varied : seemly delectable ! Let’s also mention the appearance of Karla-Therese Kjellvander as vocals on ‘When the Mourning Come’ is simply irresistible.

 
 Poppies and Peonies - Christian Kjellvander [4:29m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 
 While the Birches Weep - Christian Kjellvander: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

With Jose Gonzales, Kristofer Astrom, Jens Lenkman, Loney Dear, and finally Christian Kjellvander, Swedish songwriters have been really prolific this year !

Artist : Christian Kjellvander
Label : Startracks
You should also enjoy : Kristofer Åström, Doug Burr, Timesbold, Anders Parker