Kendra McKinley lays it down soft and sweet, and with her jazzy-ish folk pop sound your ears will be in pure ecstasy with her light and easy playfulness. Check out her Chestnut Street LP out now. The songs remind me of a steamy rainy indelible night I once met. Peace. Continue reading “kendra mckinley // chestnut street”
hozier // take me to church ep
Andrew Hozier-Byrne has a voice that’ll leave a bruises upon your tender earlobes. His is a voice in possession of deathly heat and sweet honey. This Irishman has the talent and ability to deliver, listen to his debut the Take Me To Church EP. Like many others singing his praises this is only the beginning of a long and lauded career. Peace. Continue reading “hozier // take me to church ep”
the family crest // love don’t go
Liam McCormick (lead vocals, guitar) and his friend, John Seeterlin (bass) have a good thing going. And when the first bars of the song Love Don’t Go, comes stomping through your head and heart you’ll likely want to hear more from the San Francisco band The Family Crest. This is good music without a doubt, the kind that’ll get stuck under your nail beds and sleep beneath your skin. This wonderful and powerful song is taken from the band’s The Headwinds EP out now via Tender Loving Empire. Peace.
So you lost your head inside your heart, and the waity world that tore you apart. And you’ve all but given up on the stone you call a heart.
You sing it out woah woah, oh oh. Sing it out, woah woah oh oh.
Oh, the love you’ve placed inside my hands. Oh, the fervor that your heart demands. Well, we went off with this spark, but you were left out in the dark.
You sing it out, woah woah, oh oh. Oh, you sing it out, woah woah oh oh.
Well, old love, you wanna step outside, find a place to run and hide? It isn’t that it’s dark. Oh, I don’t say I love you enough. Take your shaky bones and step out on your own. Oh, the winter never stops.
Oh, old love, you wanna step outside, find a place to run and hide? Oh, it isn’t that it’s love. Oh, baby, I still don’t say I love you enough. Take your shaky bones and go.
And there’s nothing left inside my heart. No, there’s nothing left for you. Oh, there’s nothing left inside my broken heart.
You say, “yes,” and I say, “no.” Love don’t stop, and love don’t go. Love don’t go, love don’t go. (x2)
the senators // this old war
If you haven’t got The Senators on your bucolic folk music radar then I implore you to check out their debut album Harsher than Whiskey/Sweeter than Wine. The Senators are definitely in league with several of my favorites bands occupying the folk genre, i.e. Blind Pilot, Fleet Foxes, Mumford & Sons, The Lumineers and Horsefeathers (just to name a few). The song This Old War is taken from the three-song Cross of Gold EP in anticipation of The Senators’ (yet untitled) forthcoming sophomore release. So, draw nigh to their brand of luminescent rusticity. It’ll spill into your bloodstream like moonshine, and rise like sweet woodsmoke into the swaying boughs of your affection. Peace. Continue reading “the senators // this old war”
she & him // volume 3
The duo She & Him = M. Ward and Zooey Deschanel. And their soon to be released Volume 3 (May 7th) will be landing happily upon eardrums as far as the eye can … hear. But why wait when you can check it put muy pronto, NPR is streaming it here, right now. If you’re among the first 500 to pre-order the cd, cassette or digital download via Merge Records you will receive a free Robin blue copy on vinyl. How cool is that? Peace. Continue reading “she & him // volume 3”
junip // your life, your call + line of fire video, part 1 (our sunday best)
The second release Your Life, Your Call from upcoming self-titled Junip album, out this Spring via City Slang in Europe and courtesy of Mute Records in North America (April 22, 2013). Also, check back for an accompanying video–and Part II to their video for Line of Fire –it will premiere in the coming week, so naturally you’ll want to come back for a visit or visit José González and company at www.junip.net. Peace. Continue reading “junip // your life, your call + line of fire video, part 1 (our sunday best)”
the milk carton kids // snake eyes
It is nigh impossible not to fall for The Milk Carton Kids. In terms of harmony, delivery, and overall songcraft the Joey Ryan and Kenneth Pattengale duo are unsurpassed. I am inspired by artists who possess the ability to elevate a genre or in the case of TMCK, bust it to pieces. And although it is natural to try to place TMCK into a box and label it Folk, Bluegrass or Southern Rock Pop, etc. But The Milk Carton Kids won’t stay contained, not even close. Listen to their new track “Snake Eyes,” which premiered on Rolling Stone (1/08/13) and it is more than evident these guys far exceed the usefulness of their current band name. Or perhaps it is part of their wonderful duplicity, to put forth an almost juvenile designate, which at first glance conjures immaturity, but in the end offer listeners a thing wholly divergent reality. When you click play, what you get is a slow motion gut-check, a stave through your heart but without all the blood, yet still passion aplenty. These aren’t mere songs, they’re reservoirs of a revelatory depth of character, emotion and beauty. The track is taken from the band’s upcoming debut LP, ‘The Ash and Clay’, and it also serves double-duty as the soundtrack to Gus Van Sant’s latest film, Promised Land. The Milk Carton Kids are a namesake defied kind of deal, and an admonishment to not judge a band by its Saturday morning kids show name. Peace. Continue reading “the milk carton kids // snake eyes”
jade hopcraft // saint
At times I stumble across amazing and wonderful songs which leave me breathless and I am immediately taken under their wing. There is much comfort in one’s ability to get lost, and found, in the simple uncomplicated beauty of song. These occurrences remind me that life and living is still full of pleasant surprises aplenty. Jade Hopecraft is one such surprise, this young Cornwall, U.K. transplant sings carefully penned odes with a kind of spiritual serenity which enable the listener to suspend all earthly worries. Listen, as her song “Saint,” washes over you. Afterwards, one feels, if not totally redeemed, then at least buoyed. Also, check out the B-Side which offers up the hauntingly beautiful, “Habit,” the Saint single release is available via iTunes and Amazon. Peace. Continue reading “jade hopcraft // saint”
malcanisten // clive wearing (our sunday best)
Nostalgic and heartfelt magic shrouded in the warm minimalism of tender musical expression – like soft falling rain silhouetted by distant thrumming thunder.
Amsterdam-based acoustic folk band Malcaninsten represents the very best in terms of songcraft and musical arrangement. On their debut song release “Clive Wearing,” the listener falls immediately under a spell cast by tender picked strings and the earnest homespun vocals of Sjaak Kassies. What better way to spend a lazy Sunday enwrapped in such a pristine and soulful endeavor. Peace. Continue reading “malcanisten // clive wearing (our sunday best)”
villagers // waves
i have been a fan of the amazing band villagers helmed by the very talented (understatement) conner j. o’brien and although the band’s sophomore album ‘awayland’ is due to drop january 3rd i highly recommend checking out the band’s debut release ‘becoming a jackal‘ to get a feel for this band’s complete mastery of intelligent and thematic indie-pop. in my humble estimation this is a band more people should become familiar with, you’ll thank yourself later. after the jump check out the video for the song, “waves” and enjoy. peace. Continue reading “villagers // waves”