Self released, only to re-mastered and re-released by the venerable indie label Sub Pop, The Head & The Heart's excellent self titled album just saw its most recent video hit the tubes. The track "Down In The Valley" has long been the standout on the album for me, and was a key ingredient in my fall mix. It always makes me nostalgic for the years I spent in Jackson Hole, and this video creates the same vibe for the years of touring I never did.
2/4/12
Karen Dalton - 1966
In an age where every blogger seems to be in a race to get firsties on posting about a buzz band to be, Aquarium Drunkard places their focus on looking back at great, forgotten, and sometimes rare recordings. It is through this wonderful website that I discovered Karen Dalton.
Last weekend in an impulse buy I purchased a new Dalton compilation, and its too good not to share here. The description below comes from Othermusic.com
"The posthumous excavation of rare Karen Dalton recordings continues with this latest installment from Delmore Records. I can safely say you shouldn't be worried about diminishing returns here, as this is a supremely intimate tape that captures Dalton and then partner Richard Tucker holed up in a remote cabin in the mountains outside of Boulder, Colorado one evening in 1966. The highlights are undoubtedly her renditions of a number of Tim Hardin tunes that heretofore had been undocumented. "Green Rocky Road" in particular is just stunning, as if you're listening to a cloud slowly unfurl across a landscape, effortlessly floating into infinity. There's also a devastating version of her classic "Katie Cruel" and a practically somnambulant version of folk standard "Cotton-Eyed Joe" that's impossible to not get completely lost in. Anything that expands our understanding of this incredibly enigmatic and troubled singer is a cause for celebration, and here's hoping that the well hasn't run dry yet as all these releases thus far have all been uniformly excellent." Othermusic.com
Preview this gem using Delmore's bandcamp widget bellow.
2/3/12
The Lumieers
2/1/12
Trampled By Turtles new record on the way
Probably my favorite touring bluegrass band these days, Trampled By Turtles, will release their new record Stars & Satellites on April 10th. They played a bunch of great new songs at their sold-out Bowery Ballroom show last November. This show, more than any show I've seen since moving to NYC, was overrun by assholes. Kind of strange considering that Trampled presents heartfelt bluegrass tunes, and that the band is some of the nicest, most un-broey guys I've met. It was the audience I'd expect at a Skrillex concert where Foster the People opened, not a bluegrass show. Regardless, all signs point to Trampled moving up in the world, as their next NYC performance will find them at Webster Hall on April 17th. There'll certainly be a little more room at this venue to avoid some of the stranger characters in the diverse fanbase these guys are drawing. Check out the album preview bellow, or head over to Amazon where a few of Trampled's albums are still going for $5 downloads.
a taste from M. Wards forthcoming. . .
We'll see M. Wards new solo record A Wasteland Companion hit the shelves (or iPods, Spotify accounts, or however you take your music these days) April 10th, right in time to usher in the start of spring. Here's the first video from the album, for the track "The First Time I Ran Away".
1/31/12
Oliver Tank - Dreams
A friend at my new internship turned me on to this today. An aptly titled ambient pop EP that draws comparisons to James Blake, Boards of Canada, and Mount Kimbie. Very nice stuff, thinking this might be a new late night go-to. Listen on the link bellow, and buy it for pay-what-you-want over at his bandcamp page.
1/29/12
Lonesome Prison Blues
Happy Sunday from MySundaySweater headquarters. This week, a gift for you. When I was just a strapping young buck of about 17 my Deadhead older cousin passed me this Garcia bootleg from Oregon State Prison, 5/5/82. At the time I was completely ignorant to the Dead, too small minded to conceptualize their massive catalogue, too intimidated by the wormhole like vortex of fandom that seemed to consume the lives of those who had drank the cool-aid, so to speak. For me this bootleg was the perfect entry point - 11 tracks of americana that focus on the strength of the songwriting over improvisational prowess. To this day it remains a staple for Sunday morning chilling, and a recording I love to play for my friends who claim to hate the Dead. It always seems to turn some heads.
Enjoy. Click here for download page.
This post is dead-icated (see what i did there?) to yesterdays brunch at Pies and Thighs, where the waitstaff was blasting the Dead all early afternoon.
1/23/12
First Aid Kit
One of my highlights from CMJ 2010 was the Swedish sister duo First Aid Kit. I was floored when they told an entire bar to shut the fuck up so they could step in front of the mics and an do an unplugged version of the song Ghost Town off of their 2010 debut The Big Black and the Blue. It takes more than guts to silence an NYC crowd - you have to be able to back it up. They held the audience in rapt silence until the basement of The Delancey nearly exploded upon their finishing. For me, with chills up my spine, it was one of those musical moments that only come along so often, but that I seek in going out night after night to hear bands. I was grateful to the sisters for it.
The duo's new record, titled The Lion's Roar, finds them expanding on the harmonic folk of their debut. Their songwriting has matured, bringing with it a fuller sound that leans deeper into country and Americana territory. Like its predecessor, the record is solid through and through. Stream the whole thing over at NPR, or purchase it when it hits stores tomorrow (1/24).
track 2 (personal fav so far):
In the aeroplane over the sea
Two interesting things happened on my flight from Dublin to JFK yesterday. The first was that when I boarded the plane and began to get settled Real Estate was playing. Great choice Delta. Real Estate's understated, mellow, rootsy pop gets better and better with each listen, and their 2011 album Days, which made my top 11 of '11, continues to receive heavy rotations here at MySundaySweater headquarters.
The second was that Delta was hosting a couple episodes of TED talks on those little TVs on the back of the headrest. I caught this one in which composer Benjamin Zander discusses music and passion. I'm always interested in hearing someone's case for why they love a certain kind of music. There's nothing like going back to a piece that didn't particularly catch your ear the first time, and re-listening to it after a friend has gotten all debate club about it. Zander's TED talk transports your average uneducated listener and helps them to do more than just understand why the music is important, but to experience being moved by it. This experience of being moved, this emotional connection to music, this is the thing that keeps us coming back, and by finding an entertaining way to bring people there, Zander is bringing new fans into his world.
Home Again
After 5 weeks in Ireland, UK and France, I finally made it back to NYC yesterday. This soulful jam from rapidly rising Michael Kiwanuka is feeling especially relevant to me as I try to make sense of the last 5 weeks, and what it feels like to be back. Kiwanuka's Home Again EP is available at iTunes, and is worth every penny. Look for big things from this guy in 2012. File under: Music I love that my parents will love too.
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