Western music with a dark tone. Uncle Tupelo. Named after a janitor from Wyoming who spent his life savings on coke and prostitutes.
Richmond Fontaine - "Allison Johnson". I couldn't decide whether to post this or "The Janitor," also from Post To Wire, but ultimately decided "Allison Johnson" was a better match with Oh Susanna. This song staggers from bass-thump to bass-thump, a moribund waltz on a deserted street. Though Will Vlautin keeps singing of some domestic peace (hear the piano buried deep in the back), the song seems to trend inevitably downwards; it's like we're staring into a grave, moving toward an inevitable collapse. "Don't fade on me!" he sings. "Don't fade." But there seems little hope that Allison will return: those strokes of cello and electric guitar are too heavy, far too heavy. Uncle Tupelo, paralyzed with nostalgia; Clem Snide after too much heavy drinking. Thanks so much, David. [buy]
Oh Susanna - "All Eyes On Baby". From Oh Susanna's first EP (a short, rich thing from 1997). Suzie's finally getting some wider attention, with actual music videos and things like that, but I'm still very partial to this early, bare-bones work; I like the full, nimble vocals, the halting finger-picked acoustic guitar. Like Neko Case - who wasn't born in British Columbia, but who we pretend was, - Oh Susanna has a clear, powerful river of a voice, but it's pulled in, sent lilting over this rocky hillside. The bitterness is never too thick, simply sad; there's some Gillian Welch here, too. [buy]
Hard 'n Phirm - "Rodeohead". And just because I feel like it's going to be a silly weekend, here's a country/bluegrass/hillbilly medley of Radiohead songs, found here. They run the gamut from Pablo Honey to Hail to the Thief (I think), dashing madly from a banjo-led "Everything in Its Right Place" to a whistle-toothed bit of "Karma Police" and on and on. Even if the kitsch factor depresses you, be at least a little uplifted by the madcap energy and ambition of the thing. [via stx]
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Sidewalker is a band that writes, records and releases a new song online every Monday. They show talent - golden notes, squiggly electronic bits, a warm and slippery voice. Radioheady, sure, but in the experimental-angst-pop kind of way, not the whiney artrockers sense. I like the long thrum of "Tiny Digits Missing Bones," as well as the liquid atmospherics of "Boxcar, Boxcar, Hopper, Flatcar."
An mp3blog that somehow dodged my attention, curated by Freaky Trigger's Tom Ewing, among others: A Million Love Songs.
Rob Grayson - "The Beatles, A to Z". Following the tragic assassination of John Lennon ... my station ... aired a memorial tribute. It aired on the weekend after the tragedy, and included a ten minute period of silence, followed by this piece. ... It is a montage of all The Beatles songs, edited from A to Z. The version here has been updated to include material from the Anthology series. It's certainly a collage (and not, say, a mash-up), but for we Beatles fans, any excuse to listen to these songs is a good one.
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Albums I am listening to a lot right now:
Sia - Color the Small One - it's new to me, and lovely.
The Killers - Hot Fuss - see.
The Streets - A Grand Don't Come For Free - i like the sparer production, but not the handful of dud-after-five-listens story tracks. All the sweeter stuff, though ("Blinded by the Lights," "Could Well Be In," "Dry Your Eyes," second half of "Empty Cans" etc) - wow wow wow!
Avril Lavigne - Under My Skin - so much better than Let Go because she doesn't let go of that electric guitar. Swooning pop punk. "My Happy Ending" = ace.
Magnetic Fields - i - good.
Bishop Allen - Charm School - I will write about this soon because it is absolutely fantastic.