songs:illinois

Go and visit Kofi’s Hat instead. There you’ll find an amazing Big Star history with downloads. Including a new song off a forthcoming Big Star release

Also go visit the Oak Room who’s got a new song up by the DB’s.

Don’t forget The Big Ticket, he’s posting irregularly but when one shows up like this past Friday it’s a beut. This time music from the gypsy circus act Gogol Bordello and current blogger favs Clap Your Hands And Say Yeah pls a ton of pop culture hyperlinks.

The always excellent and guilt free (i.e. legal) mp3 blog 3Hive has some songs from Stereo Total a belgium band singing in French that I was going to write about soon (Damn you 3hive)

Swedesplease has some cool Swedish punk

Chip Taylor and Carrie Rodriguez are an interesting combination and by that I mean it’s a little stange to have an older man paired with such a young woman (at least when it comes to music). Their vocals intertwine young with the old, low with the high, grizzled with the fresh. Througout they are accompanied by Bill Frissell on electric guitar. Carrie plays the fiddle and sings while Chip is on guitar and vocals.

I like it though, as do many others, as Red Dog Tracks (their first on a major label Back Porch/Virgin) is at the top of the Americana charts. Here’s a couple old timey/folk songs from Chip and Carrie and if you’ve got the scoop on this couple leave it in the comments section. Buy it now through the bands site.

Must Be The Whiskey
My Buckets Got A Hole In It

Well I had a post all lined up for today until Sean from Said The Gramaphone emailed with his special news about his inaugaural guest blog post. His plan is for biweekly guest posts from the finest performers in arts, music and culture. The first guest post is from Anika of Hello Saferide and that’s why I’m all a twitter.
Hello Saferide was a blogging sensation (with her song “High School Stalker”) a few months ago and is now recording songs in Stockholm with the leader of Niccokick to put on her debut. Her label in Sweden, Razzia Records, has finely put up an honest to goodness website with sound samples and all. They have a preview of her present single “My Best Friend”; this is the first non full-length mp3 I’ve posted but it’s a special occasion so sue me.

My Best Friend

Here’s her two other songs that she has up on her site. They’ve been kicking around for awhile but just in case you missed it, here they are.

High School Stalker
Valentine’s Day

Visit Said The Gramaphone to hear her take on the band The Galactic Heroes.

The song “Monster” by The Boy Least Likely To popped into rotation on the ipod today sparking my sudden interest in songs about monsters, real or imagined; metaphorical or made of flesh and bone.

I’m sure there are lots of novelty songs from the 50′s that would fit the bill and I welcome those but I’m primarily interested in something with a real emotional core. Antony and the Johnstons’ “Frankenstein” and particularly Vince Bell’s version of a different song titled “Frankenstein” come to mind.

So email me your contributions and I’ll add them to the list. I need the mp3 file or a link to it. If you are sending me the file send it to cbonnell@gmail.com.

Martin Sexton – The Beast In Me
Antony and the Johnstons – Frankenstein
Monster – Charlatan
The Boy Least Likely To – Monsters
Vince Bell – Frankenstein
Impossible Shapes – The Beast
Superwolf – The Beast For Thee
Spoon – The Beast and The Dragon, Adored
The King of France – The Beast

Hallie lightened and sped things up considerably with these stellar “monster” tracks

They Might Be Giants – Monsters of Mud
The Misfits – Astro Zombies
Aquabats – Cat With Two Heads
Cookie Monster - Lost Me Cookie at the Disco
Shark Quest – Monsters

Marty Stuart’s new record is a homage to the sounds of his youth and those sounds were gospel. Gordan Gano, Iris Dement and others have turned to Gospel music as a way to answer the deepest questions and greatest mysteries. Now Marty Stuart has done the same with Soul’s Chapel.

He is joined by ace session guitarist Kenny Vaughan and Harry Stinson (yes the actor). The most prominent guest is the current reigning queen of gospel inflected blues Mavis Staples who joins Marty on the Staples song “Move Along Train”. Here’s that one and another tradional gospel tune. Preorder this August release now with Amazon.

Lord, Give Me Just A Little More Time Right click/save as and replace what pops up with song title and .mp3
Move Along Train (W/Mavis Staples)

I’m a late comer to Erin Mckeown. As such I have no past history with her or expectations of what her new disc “should” sound like. From her one song available online I like what I hear. The song is “To The Stars” from her new disc We Will Become Like Birds June 28 (Nettwerk).

For this record the 27 year old Mckeown enlisted the help of Tucker Martine as producer. He’s worked with Jim White, Laura Veirs and Bill Frissell. She also signed up two guests in Peter Mulvy and Argentine Elctronic artist Juana Molina.

Here’s the track “To The Stars”. This is poppier and a little mainstream for Songs:Illinois but the song is incredibly catchy and beautiful. You can buy the disc here.

To The Stars

Of course with a name like Hackensaw Boys you probably already have a grasp on their style of music…that’s right bastard bluegrass or newgrass or punkgrass. They could play it straight but these guys (12 originally now a sixpiece) clearly prefer to filter old timey music through a punk rock asthetic.

Nettwerk (one of the most inconsistent of labels labels) has signed these guys and set a fall 2005 release date for their “major label” debut Love What You Do. So check `em out and see if you too “Love What They Do” and if you’re in the market for one very well used touring bus then visit their website they’ve got one for sale, really!

Kiss You Down There
Fiddle My Blues Away

****We created a little bit of a commotion or an outcry over at YerBird Records and with the band Sounds Like Fall. Lots of downloads (3gigs) and interest in the bands 3 posted songs from their debut The Wolf Is A The Door. Label owner Morgan King has entered the fray and states in the comment section of the original post that he is now offerring a free cd compilation from the label with every purchase through Songs:Illinois. From the three songs offered the record is a no brainer. Getting a cd compilation of upcoming releases from the label and b-sides from SLF is a huge bonus and you know poor Morgan is going to be burning and labeling and doing the artwork on these puppies. So here’s the deal: order the disc through his label site and then email him (yerbird@yerbird.com) after you’ve ordered and say you ordered because of Songs:Illinois and he’ll get one out to you. Btw tell him to send me one too, thanks!

Here’s a demo of Will The Circle Be Unbroken

****The Sweden label Groover Records is responsible for a lot of great music being on the planet. Aside from their releases by individual artists they also have a cover compilation project ongoing. The first was Jeans & Covers, then came Jeans & Summer 1 and 2. Now they’re working on Gene & Cover – A Tribute to Gene Clark. They’re actively looking for bands and requested that I get the word out. So email Christian here if you are interested – christian@grooverrecordings.com

Gene Clark – Ain’t Living Long Like This

Don Nino is a frenchman performing music in English along the lines of Palace, Devendra, Sufjan et al. His new album On The Bright Scale came out in Europe on Prohibited Records in March of `05. Not sure when it’ll be picked up and released in the states. The song availible online is “A Thousand Lights”. Here’s that one new song and some rarities and demos.

A Thousand Lights

Out Of My Mind (Demo/Outake)
Xmas

Laura Veirs is someone I stumbled upon a few years ago and haven’t yet decided how to think of her or her music. She’s signed to the prestigious label Electra Nonesuch and that means a lot in my book. This is the label that scooped up Wilco after they were dropped by their label and home to Bill Frisell, Brian Wilson, The Magnetic Fields and The Kronos Quartet. In fact it’s the only major label that I give any credence at all to.

Her next record for Electra Nonesuch is called Year of Meteors and is due out on August 23. It fits in nicely with the current trend in female singer songwriters like Polly Paulusma, Emiliana Torrinini and Audra Kubat. She’s added electronic and elctropop sounds to her poems as songs sound. I still need to listen more to fully grasp this record and that’s really the best compliment an artist can receive. Here’s three of the diverse songs you’ll find on Year Of The Meteors. Preorder now from Amazon.

Fire Snakes
Spelunking
Black Gold Blues

Chris from New West emailed me tonight with news that he got the powers that be to release exclusive mp3 for bloggers from the new releases by Dwight Yoakum and John Hiatt. I have already written pretty extensively about Dwight (here) and linked to two other songs from Blame The Vain but one more song can’t hurt.

John Hiatt is someone who hasn’t graced these virtual pages yet and it’s a darn shame. He’ll go down as one of the legendary music makers of the 20th century and he just keeps crankin’ em out. This time with pruducer Jim Dickinson and 2/3 of the band The North Mississippi Allstars (Jim’s sons Cody and Luther). The album is called Master of Disaster and the recent press is proclaiming it one of John’s best (love the cover art).

Thank New West by buying these here and here from amazon.

Just Passin Time by Dwight Yoakum
Love’s Not Where we Left It by John Hiatt