I’d like to second the opinion of my friends over at Captain’s Dead, The Late Greats and Hero Hill and point you to the excellent Canadian americana band The Western States.
I don’t have anything special to add to the discussion, but if there can be hundreds of posts about Passion Pit than there can at least be a handful about The Western States. I really loved the band’s last record and when the song “Diane” pops up on shuffle I’m still amazed a song of such high caliber came from a band so relatively unknown. The band’s new record was recorded in Austin Tx and has a very strong alt-country feel with plenty of pedal steel and a loose, under-produced demeanor. It was recorded straight to analog tape and has a warm vibe. It’s called Bye and Bye and is available here.
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P.S. I got an email yesterday from the band Hiss Golden Messenger with a song from their upcoming record Country Hai East Cotton. It’s all I’ve ever heard from the band but we share a set of common influences and musical preferences. “Isobel” begins as simply another song about a girl performed by a guy with a guitar (not that I don’t love songs like that) but it doesn’t stay like that for long as it builds into a rollicking soulful number with organ, drums, and strings.
Tags: Bye and Bye, Mp3, The Western States