songs:illinois

Grizzly Bear, Grumpy Bear, Quiet Bears (wrote about `em here), The Bears and Gorilla Vs. Bear… how can a guy possibly keep up with all of these bear groups (GvB is an mp3 blog so that’s a start). I had planned a post on each but got waylaid. So now you get the super-duper-bear-band mega post.

The Bears are tweey-pop from Cleveland. The brand new, debut record sounds surprisingly well produced and fleshed out with organ, drums and assorted intrumentation. Vocals are sing-songy and dreamy. The record is available now here as a pre-order (comes out April 28) for only $10, plus you get a groovy Bear pin.

How to Live

Grumpy Bear is next. Their new ep Songs From the Abattoir comes out April 11 on Abandoned Love Records. It’s lofi sure but it is also genre boundary and barrier jumping like hell. Found sounds compete with tinkling keys, strummed acoustic guitars, banjo and hiss, lots of hiss. Buy it here for the ridiculously low price of $5.

Luis Bunuel
Growing Stronger Every Day

Grizzly Bear is the band I am least qualified to write about so I’ll keep it short. They are a two man band (with added members when performing live) and they have a penchant for remixes and electronic noises added to their essential indie rock. Horn Of Plenty came out in 2004 but was reissued with remixes and bonus tracks in 2005. Buy it here.

Fix It
Don’t Ask Final Fantasy Remix

Quiet Bears I have written about before and am basically just cut and pasting from that previous post. What, so sue me! Asaurus Records is home to some bigger indie bands like Red Pony Clock and Pants Yell but it is also home to Quiet Bears. Quiet Bears new record Creatures came out at the end of September. While this release is certainly lo fi and challenging on some levels it is also full of beautiful, sad little melodies and sounds. Buy it here.

Creatures
Dust Off Your Demons

Tags: MP3, Music

P.S. Swedesplease has a song from the upcoming sophomore release from The Tiny. It really deserves to be heard from more people than just fans of Swedish music.

There’s a new Hefner compilation out now titled The Best Of Hefner 1996-2002. The UK label, Fortune and Glory, responsible for it’s release in Britain has one song from it up now. It’s a sexed up example of the type of song you’d expect from Hefner and main man Darren Hayman while showing off a harder edge than most of their stuff from this period.

I like the line “I’ll ride you up to Heaven, if you’ll pull yourself together”. In my book nothing mixes better than sex and religion. Buy it here.

Pull Yourself Together

Yer Bird was the label story of the year 2005 for some of us and while I haven’t moved on I am inclined to think Three Ring Circus may have a similarly great year in 2006. Their new release, an ep by The Scattered PAGES, continues their string of eclectic but accessible music.

Man they’ve got a lot going on in 2006 with releases by D.W. Holiday, Tom Thumb and the Latter Day Saints and The Ebb and Flow. Scattered PAGES new ep is This Is Where The Stroy Ends and it’s got a decidedly moody, alt-country feel. Lap steel, acoustic guitar and brushed drums are blended for this modern take on a Neil Young Harvest era hushed sound. Here’s the title track, buy the new disc here.

This Is Where the Story Ends

Emily from 2003′s A Band Of One’s Own

Interview with Chris and Dan of Three Ring Circus:

1. When did the label start and who were the main instigators?

Dan: I began thinking about running a record label in the late 90′s.
I actually decided to do it in February of 2003 and our first release
was in October of 2003. Chris joined me in the Winter of 2004 as I
began to realize that it was impossible to do everything I envisioned
all by myself.

Chris: I started out with the mastering of the first TRR release by the
Bother. Shortly after that Dan wanted to take it a bit further and
thats when I jumped on board.

2. The label sounds like a cooperative? I imagine you working out of
your kitchen (or basement) in an old victorian house. Am I far off?

Dan: Not far off at all – just ask my wife about the amount of floor,
counter, desk, and closet space occupied by label materials.

Chris: I do most of my work from the john.. that’s really the only free
time I have at this point.

Click here to read the entire interview.

Kimja Dawson’s (here) new record of anti-folk anthems will be out in May but for Now K-rec’s Records has released a teaser mp3. The song is called “Underground” and is a stream of consciousness rant that covers a lot of thematic bases but the brunt of the song is a request by Kimya to be cremated and spread over Puget sound instead of “being put underground”.

You’ll be able to buy Remember That I Love You soon on K-rec’s website, it’s release date is May 9th.

Underground

Bonus song:

12/26

Tags: MP3, Music, Anti-folk

Everything I heard about Megan Reilly made me think she was perfect for Songs:Illinois. Aside from being a great young new singer, and an artist who travels in all the “right” circles she and her label have ties to Chicago. This is not a Chicago band though as her music and the label, Carrot Top Records, have grander plans.

Let Your Ghost Go is a work of epic proportions. Megan has created a southern-flavored gothic alt-country masterpiece. Her band includes members of The Mekons, Pere Ubu and Two Dollar Guitar. This latest record, her sophomore release, was produced by Sue Garnera and was recorded in some of the best New York studios giving it a gigantic yet moody sound. I’m afraid I’ve run out of adjectives for Megan Reilly, please add some of your own in the comments if so inclined. Read a lot more about this artist and buy this record now from Carrot Top here.

Night Time
Boy As A Bird

This is instrumental music from France. I normally wouldn’t write about something like this but frankly I know no one else will. This is like music from a film soundtrack without a film or maybe like words without a story.

There’s something lonely (lovely) and sad about the music of Some Tweetlove (MySpace) and their 2006 release on Matamore called Cafard Mondial.

Buy it now here.

Marchin
Jean-Paul III

Tags: MP3, Music, Instrumental

Elijah Wyman (My Space) has a new record on Blue Duck Records and surprise surprise I like it. There’s been a debate over on the Elbo.ws blogger forum of late about negative reviews on mp3 blogs. And while it seems like I’m always very positive all the time, the fact is behind the scenes I’m shaking my head and wondering what a lot of bands are thinking with some of the releases I get sent.

So again I like Why We Never Go Swimming And Other Stories but I’m having writers block on exactly why. While I am not a fan of emo per se there’s just enough that genre’s heart-on-a-sleeve ethos here to probably qualify but it’s the odd bits and pieces that make this music stand out and apart from the field. Instruments like clarinet, flute, hammered dulcimer and banjo are combined with the standard drums, guitar and bass. On top of that, some songs Elijah and band even employ a seven piece choir (in this instance it reminds me of last year’s awesome record from Chris Mills).

These two songs are a wrenching emotional tour de force. I dare you to listen and not be moved. Make someone’s day and buy this brand new release from Blue Duck Records here.

Why We Never Go Swimming
My Blood Will Cry Out To You

I asked Elijah Wyman to make a couple additional comments about his music figuring that hearing from the source would be more valuable than my in coherent ramblings. So here’s Elijah’s comments on the record in general and these two songs in particular:

“This Album, as the title indidcates, is a collection of short stories. Most of them are morose. These two songs in particular are some of the most morbid on the record. They are also some of my favorite.

Why We Never Go Swimming was written out of the idea of someone being hanged from a rope swing. I’m not sure why, but I had been excited by this idea for a while. I’m obsessed with the concept of dying from something you love or perhaps misery from something that brings joy.

My Blood Will Cry Out to You is a retelling of the story of Cain and Abel. I don’t like to say much more about it than that. We’ve been playing it live with trumpet, clarinet, flute, and banjo. It sounds lovely. Samantha Hale, who’s been playing with me for years, arranged some fantastic horn lines. “

This is truly random bluesy stuff from Jeremiah Lockwood. I’ve been asked where I find all this great music and this time I’m at a loss for where I found Jeremiah myself. He records for a Vee-Ron Records. Besides being a street musician in NYC Jeremiah has also led the critically acclaimed group The Sway Machinery.

When I first wrote this post this was a micro-indie type release but now when I returned to the new and improved website I see that this will be distributed nationally on April 4. Guests include Elizabeth Harper, Collin Stetson (Tom Waits band) and Kieran Mcgee. Both these songs can be found on the new record American Primitive for sale now here. These are just odd enough to get some heavy spins on WFMU, which is high praise.

Baby What You Want Me To Do
Addicted To Pain

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Bonus: new song from Elizabeth Harper of “Trouble In the Palace” fame, which in case you missed it was one of the best songs of 2005 by one of the true “breakout” artists.

Let Me Take You Out
Trouble In the Palace

Niamh Parsons (she has a blog) released one of my favorite celtic releases about a decade or so ago (Blackbirds and Thrushes). Her voice is a beautiful force to be reckoned with and the traditional Irish instrumentation is always a subtle and perfect compliment to the main attraction (the songs and her voice).

You can buy her 2006 release The Old Simplicity, here through Green Linnet. I should have had this up for St. Paddy’s day but better late than never.

Poor Irish Stranger