songs:illinois

Jason McNiff was supposed to be the centerpiece of my recent UK singer-songwriter’s week but we had many cross Atlantic software hurdles to leap over. So now a week or so late here is my profile of Jason McNiff. Jason’s a young guy but already has three solo releases under his belt. His most recent record, Another Man, was released on April 3 on the British label Wonky Atlas. Typically you’d like to hear a couple of new songs from the new record before you pony over your hard-earned cash but in this case you could really get by with just one and the two older ones below. These three songs give an excellent primer on the sound and talent of Jason McNiff.

Starting with the earliest song, “Woody’s Annie Hall” from 2000′s debut cd Off The Rails, you can hear a gently fingerpicked folk tune about what it must feel like to be loved. On “Nobody’s Son”, the title track from Americana UK’s 2003′s Album of the Year, the sound has been beefed up with drums, bass and backing vocals but the fingerpickings still there as are the affecting vocals. Buy Off the Rails here and Nobody’s Son here. Finally the title track from the new record is an epic ballad which lyrically is of Dylanesque stature and vocally is a huskier version of a combination of my favorite male vocalists (Jeff Buckely, Josh Rouse and Josh Ritter).

Another Man

Nobody’s Son
Woody’s Annie Hall

I’ve been writing about Heather Eatman for years. Her music is some strange combination or hip folk, avarte-lounge and extremely literate spoken-word-swing (I’d like to compare her to Cindy Lee Berryhill but I’m not sure if anyone would get that reference, so how `bout a female Tom Waits). While she is mainly known through her more pop orientated releases put out on John Prine’s Oh Boy label, in a recent interview she says that it was this noirish music below that originally got her signed to that label.

Now it seems she has set out to release this music herself on her own small imprint Impossible Records. With Heather playing arch-top guitar and singing vocals, a vibes player, an upright bass and restrained drums this sounds like “music from a past that never really happened. “My Ex-Wife” is as strange, dry and misogynistic as any late era Tom Waits or Johnny Cash tune. It’d make a great plot starting point for the next Elmore Leonard book or soundtrack to the next adaptation of his work. Buy it here.

Bluebird
My Ex-Wife
Surprise, Surprise

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Of late I’ve been trying to pair up like minded artists. It always seems that this second artist of the post gets short shrifted and this is indeed the case again today. Alan Singley & Pants Machine have a new record out soon called “self-titled”, his sound has been called freak folk by some but in this case it’s a misnomer. I think someone labeled him that just because he can’t hit all the right notes. But Alan doesn’t stike me as a scruffy, bearded hippie type but more of a Jonathan Richman for our modern times (contemporaries might include Mason Jennings, Sufjan Stevens and Luke Temple). Here’s the much talked about “Watersong” from the new record as well as “Eventually” from his 2005 solo debut. Buy the new record from Slow January Records here on June 20.

Watersong
Eventually

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Who do you like most from The Church? The brooding vocals of Steve Kilbey or the power pop of Marty Willson-Piper. I’m torn. The band has had quite a run (it’s been 25 years since they began) and a decade or two since “Under The Milky Way” topped everyone’s best of lists. Both band members have solo careers but Marty Willson-Pipers is about to take off with the release, Offer The Light, from his duo project Noctorum (with Dare Mason).

Here’s two jangly gems from that upcoming release. Pre-order now here.

Stop Cryin’ You Eyes Out
Hopes and Fears

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Michael Therieau (pronounced terry-o) makes the type of warm and sunny southern rock mixed with soul that made am radio such a treat 25 years ago (or so I’m told). Now that it’s full of right wing chatter and constant sports talk and fm has been sold to the highest bidder, where does a soulful artist like Michael Therieaux go to get his music heard? Obviously I’m going to suggest the blogs but for an artist like this movie and TV soundtracks along with XM radio and Starbucks samplers shoud not be such a stretch.

While Living From A Suitcase is being released through the small label Well Worn Records (Dave Gleason’s Wasted Nights), it’ll also be distributed nationally by Red Eye Distribution. So lets start the buzz abuzzing.

Fly Away

P.S. Swedesplease has the new Swedish soccer anthem “Bollen, Bollen, Bollen” by Doktor Kosmos, a bikini clad World Cup Fan and highlights from the latest match.

P.P.S. There’s a new link on the sidebar from the new Music Bloggers United association. The site is meant to be a resource for artists, labels, and particularly the press.
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This is perfect for sunday and I can’t wait `til next week because it’s hot off the presses (June 6). Thomkins Square Records has just released what they call Imaginational Anthem Vol 2. It’s a compilation comprised of acoustic guitar instrumentals. The most prominent name on the list of artists is probably Jose Gonzalez but also includes Jesse Sparhawk and James Blackshaw. In general my impression of the disc from this one song and the caliber/style of artists is that it’s freak folk without the pretentious lyrics and astrological/natural/philosophical subject matter.

The song below by Sean Smith is at times like a bubbling brook meandering down a mountain. In the beginning you can really sense the new life that the title suggests but by the end the pall of death is hovering over the song. Amazing what you can do with 6 unampliified strings and a thematic direction. Buy this compilation here now.

What Blooms In Summer Dies In Winter

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In the “if-you’re-not-happy-unless-it-has-vocals” department here’s some music by a friend and musical acquaintence of Sean’s. The band’s name is Bird by Snow but really it’s all the work of Fletcher Tucker (including the hand carved wood stamp album covers).

Fat Newborn Baby
Antlers and the Sun

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Mp3Blogs are great. Writing one, while a challenge, is still a lot of fun. But there’s a catch. Guilt! I’m not even Catholic and I feel it all the time. Whether its from unanswered emails, promo packs gone missing, records I won’t review or music that I request and then somehow seem not to get to.

That brings us to today’s guilt-ridden post. A few weeks back (oh alright 2 months ago) I requested and was sent the new record from Ben Vaughn. Ben’s I guy I’ve had a “man crush” on since 1987 when I first heard his music. His songs “Growin’ A Beard” and “Big In France” were constant companions for a decade or so. He also recorded and released an entire record that was recorded inside his Dodge Rambler. Well Ben grew up (and quite nicely thankyou) becoming a big wig in film soundtracks (actually the scores not the pop songs). His new record relates in that it’s instrumental music that would only be great for a John Waters film and not much else.

The record is called Ben Vaughn Presents: Designs In Music and was released on May 2. It’s got everything from loungy instrumentals to bizarre spaghetti western funk

Avanti
Frequent Flyer

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Well it took about a hundred years (no kidding!) but at last Del McCoury has released his first gospel-bluegrass record. Gospel and bluegrass are somehow intertwined and connected. I’d like to learn the whole sordid history of these two genres and how they overlap but first I have about 15 other releases to write about. If you know please leave some wise remarks in the comments section.

The Promised Land is due out on June 13 on Del’s own label, McCoury Musc, in conjunction with Sugar Hill Records. Preorder it here.

Five Flat Rocks
We Know Where He Is

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Sometimes I think I’ve been dong this far too long. I’m afraid I’m already starting to repeat myself. See I was about to start this post about a band from Chicago called the Outlaw Family Band. But a quick gogle search led me to my previous post about them over a year ago. At that time they were preparing their Jay Bennet produced debut. Well now it’s out so instead of an introduction to this fine Chicago band here is an update.

The self titled release is out now on Slackjaw Records, the band also has a song on a new Fred Eaglesmith tribute record. Here’s a bluegrass inspired instrumental called “Ravenswood Getaway (pt. 1)” inspired by a meeting on a metra train stop. Also a song from their new acoustic record Lyceum. Buy it here.

Gospel Plow
Ravenswood Getaway (pt.1)

I’m Just Dreaming from The Songs Of Fred Eaglesmith: A Tribute

Melvern Taylor and his Fabuluos Meltones new record isn’t vene out yet and it’s already 5 weeks too late as I’m sure there’s not much room at the top of the pops for two ukele playing popsters. Now that Beirut has that whole genre locked up this band from Maine will have to just continue to play the backrooms and union halls.

I like this guy but I went online and found a bunch of rancidly bad reviews of his previous record. I think from what I’ve heard of the new one it might be a little too precioous and certainly it is syrupy sweet. The record Good Time Flavor was recorded live and in the round, it’ll be out soon. In the meantime you can also hear one of Melvern Taylor’s songs on Slaid Cleaves new record Unsung.

Angel On My Shoulder
Nothing Good

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Another boy and his ukele. This is the lofi side of the coin. Tiny Folk are from somewhere in Indiana but they might as well be from Mars. “Owls” is from a split 7″ with The Encyclopdias on Ought Implies Can Records.

Owls

P.S. Swedesplease has a sneak peak at the fall release from Cheap Lullabye Records. It’s from the critically acclaimed songwriter Tobias Frorberg. Check out “Thank You” here now. Or if you’re really lazy download it below.

Thank You

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Sometimes it’s just too tempting to be the first one to post something and it’s hard to argue with those who say it’s just one-up-manship or others who say it screams “hey look at me!”. (Editors note: so I had this written for a day or so but didn’t post it right away, in the ensuing day or so SVC beat me to the punch on Si Schroeder. So just apply all that I’ve said about being first to the two previous posts which were both firsts on the web). I’m a proponent of mostly legal blogs (this one you’re reading is 97% legal) so I don’t get the chance to boast that I’m first very often (plus the music has to resonate with me).

So I guess I’m just plain lucky to write about the music of Irish rebel and musical tour de force Si Schroeder. I could tell you the bands he’s been in or the influences that have shaped his music (and soul) but why bother (ah but I will say this, he’s a fan of old archived folk, trad, jazz and ethnic music and alternately of sixties pop music and instrumental hip hop). Listen to the epic track “Lavendermist” below to get a feel for this dicotomy. You can still order an autographed copy of his brand new record, Coping Mechanisms, from his the excellent Irish indie label Trust Me I’m A Thief here now.

Lavender Mist

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Twenty Seven Records is bring the Swedish band Acid House Kings to the US for the first time in July. I’ve written about their music on both Songs:Illinois and Swedesplease, they’re that good. Reminds me of the Beautiful South, Belle and Sebastian and Kings Of Convenience. Here are the live dates and a song or two. They’ll be on tour with Labrador’s band The Legends. Buy the ep and the new lp here.

July 8, 2006 @ The Cake Shop in New York
July 9, 2006 @ North 6 in Brooklyn
July 10, 2006 @ TT The Bear’s in Cambridge
July 11, 2006 @ DC Nine in Washington DC
July 12, 2006 @ Kensington South Forum in Philadelphia

7 Days
Do What You Want To Do

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Dawn Landes recently turned up on a French compilation of child like lullabyes released by Blog Up. I’d previousely written about her release Dawn’s Music. And the lullabye project here. I’m glad I checked up on Dawn as she has very quietly released her followup called Fireproof. The disc was recorded in a week in an old fire station in Red Hook, NY. Band members from Hem came in and helped out. I like the ballads, you may like the electronic flavored rock songs.

Buy it here and get the ten tracks you’re missing out on.

Tired Of This Life
Twilight

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I’ve been on a major musical anti-war kick for the last few weeks. I’m not a very political person and I don’t march in the streets but I do write this blog and I always hope that at times some of the music found here could inspire people to get more involved politically or at least reconsidor some of their positions.

Peter Case has given Songs:Illinois permission to post his new song “Let’s Turn This Thing Around”. Since this is brand new and is not on any album of any kind I expected an extremely lo-fi stripped down acoustic guitar and voice thing. Instead I got a song filled with distorted sitar samples, wild soccer cheers, odd percussion and the most topically powerful anti-war anthem you’ll hear this side of Neil Young.

This is important. This is political. This is music!

Let’s Turn This Thing Around

Please help spread this song.

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Malcom Holcombe is someone I’ve been meaning to write about for a long time. With his new 2006 release and an mp3 courtesy of the artist now I can. His music is somewhere between hard country and soft folk. His guitar resonates like few others (Bo Ramsey perhaps), his voice is as weathered as his face in the photo above.

In his 25 years of playing, recording and touring he’s done it all/seen it all. He’s opened for Wilco, earned praise from Lucinda Williams and had his songs recorded by other artists (including two by Maura Oconnell). The new record is called Not Forgotten and was self-released in April.

Not Fogotten

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I love getting music in the mail that’s a perfect fit. Brent Gorton’s new record is just that. It’s ragged and right indie hard-twee combined with a little orchestral pop. On many of the songs the fuzzy wash of instruments attempt to overpower Brent’s vocals but they never prevail. It’s quite a tightwire act though and one of the aspects of the record that I like.

If you read this blog regularly you know that I’m a sucker for sing-songy melodies and tuneful pop. So as a result the song I select as the winner off of Brent Gorton’s self-titled sophomore release is “Anna Berlin”. Buy the record here now.

Anna Berlin

Bonus songs:
That Photograph
Cuddlecore

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I saw that there was a new Jesse Denatale record coming out in July and as I was trying to fandangle myself a review copy from Jackpine, the most trustworthy pr person in the game sent me an email announcing the new records release date. So thanks to Angie I now have one song from this July release. And thanks to his booking company I now have two. The first is the soulful John Prine folk of “Children of the Sun”. The second is the almost Bozz Skaggs lounge pop of “Dreamers Holiday”.

Somewhere in Jesse’s bio or press material it stated that this new disc was recorded to showcase Jesse’s voice and his lyrics and the stories they both tell. It’s strange and kind of sad that this emphasis on the most important parts of the songs warrents a special mention as if every band/musician/artist isn’t stiving for that very same goal.

Pre-order Soul Parade here now.

Children of the Sun
Dreamers Holiday

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On my quest to find interesting music to post on my British music week I came upon the Canadian band The Smokes (temporary website). There’s something about their sound that I found instantly appealing. I liked all the old-time folk lyrical references like working in the mine, breaking rocks in the hot sun and the chugga-chugga train sound of the drums in “Microphone”.

Musically however the band is a mixed bag. Some songs from their debut Fields and Factory Floors come across as easy folk tunes (“Red River”) while others have a heavy, garage-blues edge to them (“Minto Chipman”). I like both. Nerve Magazine recently called The Smokes one of Vancouver’s best new bands. You can buy this disc now here.

Minto Chipman
Microphone
Put Your Hands On The Wheel

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Here’s our list to counter the top 50 Conservative songs by The National Review. It’s been put together by a couple of commies (i.e. Democrats) and a libertarian or two (thanks Bill). Why 25? Because each of our songs are twice as good as theirs. These songs represent the battle for the country. They’re the equivalent of the right vs. the left, North vs. South, the downtrodden vs the oppressors, the blue states vs. the red states, the Christian Right vs. the secular humanists, peace vs. war and Al Franken vs. Rush Limbaugh. In a word we’re right and they’re wrong. And if not Hilary than Obama.

1. Woody Guthrie – This Land Is Our Land
2. Bob Dylan – Masters Of War
3. CSNY – Ohio
4. John Lennon – Give Peace A Chance
5. Steve Earl – Christmas In Washington (Tie with John Walker’s Blues, Jerusalem, Rich Man’s War and The Revolution Starts Now)
6. Gil Scott Heron – The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
7. Country Joe And The Fish – I Feel Like I’m Fixin To Die Rag
8. Billie Holiday – Strange Fruit
9. Bruce Cockburn – If I Had a Rocket Launcher (or Nicaragua, Call It Democracy)
10. The Beatles – Let It Be
11. Billy Bragg – A New England
12. The Smiths – Meat Is Murder
13. Bruce Springsteen – Born In The USA
14. Jerry Jeff Walker – Up Against the Wall Redneck Mutherf**ker
15. John Coltrane – A Love Supreme
16. Iris Dement – There’s A Wall In Washington
17. Tracy Chapman – Talking about A Revolution
18. Dead Kennedy’s – Holiday In Cambodia
19. Peter Gabriel – Biko
20. Public Enemy – Fight The Power
21. Todd Snider-Talking Seattle Grunge Blues
22. U2 – One
23. Patti Smith – People Have The Power
24. Sex Pistols – God Save The Queen
25. Village People – YMCA

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David Ferrard was found though multiple links on other artists’ pages. That’s always a good sign. His song “Hell Of A Ride” is an audience favorite and as David tells it on his site it must be a good folk song since it’s got both a train and a murder.

David was born in Edinburgh but spent time in the states, Morocco and France. He’s worked for peace in a number of organizations and it’s this taste for social justice that informs his anti-war song “Hills Of Virginia”.

Hell of a Ride
Hills Of Virginia

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If you trust The Epstein website, which hasn’t been updated since January, the band is working in the studio on new material and a debut album. I hope it’s true. “Charanga” has been worked and reworked and there are multiple versions of the song on their website, so I’m guessing it’s their show stopper and anthem. “Frauline” was performed and recorded live with the Canadian band Ox in Bisney, England. Compare to the alt-country of Old 97′s and Ryan Adams.

Charanga
Frauline (live with my favorite band OX)

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Southern Tenant Folk Union share a lot of traits with Indigo Moss. The band is large nearly unwieldy, they use traditional instruments and melodies, they pattern their sound on the gospel bluegrass of the Southern states and I bet they’re bot a lot of fun live.

I’ve got two songs from an upcoming debut record. Contact the band here through their My Space if you’re interested in hearing more of their music.

A Little Deeper (Demo)
Sweeter Times (Demo)

P.S. I need help with a new header/logo for a seperate site, budget is a great big thanks and a shout out. But if you’re graphically inclined and interested please email me at cbonnell@gmail.com. Thanks.

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Smoke Fairies are two goth-blues london girls who also have spent time in New Orleans and NYC. They’re back in London causing problems and recording music. While they have the look and marketing sense of a band on the move (think Tatu), they play music that is decidly non-commercial. The songs below are from the demo session they call The Tobias Sessions. The general feel of the music is a bluesy despair compounded by desperately down lyrics.

New songs are up now on their My Space page.

I Get Lonely
Troubles

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