Archive for the ‘Indie Folk’ Category

{MP3} Sean Hayes – “Run Wolves Run” (March 16)

Wednesday, February 10th, 2010

I like Josh Rouse, Josh Ritter, Ron Sexsmith, Brett Dennen, Mason Jennings, Tom Brousseau, etc., etc., etc. Something about this group of guys with their unusual delivery, solid songwriting, and indie folk tendencies appeals to me. Sean Hayes deserves to be in that group, but I’m not sure if he is yet. His new record is due out March 16 and is titled Run Wolves Run. Perhaps with this release he’ll enter this upper stratosphere of singer-songwriters.

He does some unusual things with both of these songs off of Run Wolves Run. On “Garden” he uses an odd assortment of percussion, bass and guitar (including a slow searing electric lead). On “When We Fall In” the instrumentation is simple enough but this time he adds a slightly unusual call and response section. Point is Sean Hayes is willing to take risks with his music. Take a risk yourself and pre-order the new record here (there’s a cool option to get the vinyl, a download code and a free ep).

Garden

When We Fall In

Video for “Garden”

Posted in Indie Folk, Sean Hayes | Comments Off

Brown Bird – “The Devil Dancing” (Peapod Recordings, Nov. 10)

Wednesday, November 4th, 2009

The Providence based band Brown Bird has been blowing up my Twitter feed thanks to Slowcoustic (posts here and here). The band plays a gloomy blend of americana and indie folk. David Lamb’s voice is deep and resonant, his songs are suitably dark and are laden with many intense images and appropriate instrumentation. The band sits somewhere between the slow dark folk of J. Tillman and the punk spirit of O’Death.

The band’s new record The Devil Dancing is out November 10th and can be preordered now through Peapod Recordings. Here are two songs from the new record that show the depth and range of Brown Bird’s music.

Muck And Mire

Bonus:

Danger and Dread

“Bottom Of The Bottle”

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Posted in Americana, Brown Bird, Circusy, Folk, Gothic Folk, Indie Folk | Comments Off

{Exclusive MP3} Simon Felice (The Felice Brothers) new project The Duke & The King

Friday, April 17th, 2009

I suppose a drummer announcing he’s leaving a band is a common and rather mundane thing. But if at the same time that drummer announces his new project and it’s as promising as The Duke & The King it’s cause to celebrate. Simon Felice of the Felice Bothers just released this news:

Dear Friends and Family, this is just a little note to show my deepest gratitude for all the letters and concern I’ve received over my absence from The Felice Brothers stage over the past few months, and for the boundless love and belief you’ve shown for our music over the years.

This winter has been a time of tragedy, sadness, and regeneration in my life. I’d been working on a new book and recording some songs with my dear old friend Robert close to home in the Catskill Mountains and my long time love and I were expecting our first child. Then in late January out of the blue we lost our baby girl and it really broke my heart and turned my world inside out. In the process of mourning it helped a lot to turn some of the sorrow and revelation into songs and after a while I came back to Robert and I’s cabin/studio to put them down and to finish the other recordings we started…

(full letter here)

So the result of his work with long time friend Robert ‘Chicken’ Burke (George Clinton, Sweet Honey and the Rock) will come out in the summer in the UK as the lp Nothing Gold Can Stay. There’s also a 4 track 7″ being released May 9. You’ll find out all you need to know at the band’s Loose Records page here. I’m proud to present you with the song “If You Ever Get Famous” that eloquently describes the ups and mostly downs of fame. The band has three upcoming shows:

May 20 2009 7:30P UNION HALL – NEW YORK BROOKLYN
May 26 2009 8:00P THE BUSH HALL – LONDON
May 27 2009 10:00P MADRID – TBA

If You Ever Get Famous

P.S. Comments are now closed on Songs:Illinois. You can get in touch with me at cbonnell@gmail.com or twitter.

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Posted in Americana, Indie Folk, The Duke & The King | Comments Off

Pee Pee – “Castile Jackine is Vooded at Broonus Mousin: Volume 1″ (Helmet Room Recordings, Nov 11)

Wednesday, November 12th, 2008

I’ve got a love hate relationship with music blogs that simply take all the incoming mp3 links of the week and add them without comment at the end of a post. For one thing, music linked to without any context seems purposeless. Secondly, I think the role of the music blogger is to give some guidance and attempt to create a curatorial atmosphere. So I was a little bummed when I did a search and found links to a few new songs from the Colorado based experimental indie folk outfit PEE PEE already on a popular blog. However the lack of context allows me to at least add to that post.

This band plays a genre they’ve coined called “pure porch-core”. They have just released their debut full length titled Castile Jackine is Vooded at Broonus Mousin: Volume 1 (don’t ask!). They pall around with members of gypsy punkers DeVotChKa and 1920’s swing-folk experimentalists Paperbird (not as bad as palling around with terrorists, I guess). I’m pretty sure the song below is an epic-length orchestral folk ballad about a getting a new cat.

Buy the new record here.

I Hope My New House Feels Welcoming To You

Bonus songs from Paper Bird

Livin Lucky
Blue Sparks

Posted in Indie Folk, Pee Pee | 1 Comment »

Anna Ash & The Family Tree (Ann Arbor Feature Day 3)

Friday, November 7th, 2008

I had no idea that when I started this week it would turn into a feature on the small Michigan college town of Ann Arbor. Frontier Ruckus was the start of it all, followed by yesterdays post on Charlene Kaye. And unless something comes up at the last second Anna Ash & The Family Tree will be the last (unless you have any Ann Arbor band recommendations).

There’s a Mason Jennings album called Use Your Voice. I love the record, but I love the sentiment in the title more. If you’re a singer sing. If you’re not, then what are you doing in this racket. Anna Ashe can sing. Now, maybe her voice is slightly unusual, but she does so many interesting things with it in the course of just one song, that I for one, was entranced.

The new record is called Hello Friend (from bird above). Order it now from Cd Baby here.

Ann Marie (or a whispered lover overheard at the foot of the mountain)
The Birds Don’t Care

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Posted in Anna Ashe, Indie Folk | 1 Comment »

Rachel Harrington – “City of Refuge” (SkinnyDennis Records, Sept 30) and a couple nice demo’s from Madison based indie folkster Mike Behrends

Thursday, September 11th, 2008

Rachel Harrington released her critically acclaimed debut record in 2007 called The Bootlegger’s Daughter. She’s now ready to follow that up with her sophomore effort – City Of Refuge. It features Tim O’Brien on fiddle and Holly O’Reilly and Pieta Brown on backing vocals. The song I have for you reminds me of the melancholy female characters in the AMC series Mad Men. In fact if there was any justice in the world this would be their theme song.

City of Refuge comes out on September 30 on Rachel’s own label, but you can pre-order an autographed copy now here.

Housewife’s Lament

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I got a refreshing email from an artist today; refreshing because it didn’t ask me to write about his music. Instead it just asked if I knew of any great places an indie folkish musician might play in and around Chicago. Besides all the obvious places (Schubas, Uncommon Ground, Hideout, Old Town School) I don’t have an easy answer. But despite not being asked to, I’m still going to tell you a little about the music of Mike Behrends.

Mike is an unsigned artist from Minneapolis now living in Madison. He plays a variety of stringed instruments, but it’s his lyricism and plaintive (often to the point of breaking) vocals that steal the show.

“Sally Gal” sounds like it was written eons ago; both the lyrics and the banjo playing. While “If I Grew Out My Beard” fits nicely within the burgeoning indie folk movement with it’s undrstated delivery and nice, closely-miced hand claps. These are both demos that should appear sometime on a record titled The Bicycle Corp Of America.

Sally Gal
If I Grew Out My Beard

Posted in Alt-country, Indie Folk | Comments Off

Mean Sea Level (Cardboard Sangria, Oct. 7)

Tuesday, September 9th, 2008

Would you like a band that combines the laconic indie folk of Will Oldham and the literate English folk of Nick Drake? If the answer’s yes than you should check out Chicago’s Mean Sea Level. The band is the work of Brian Barton and a revolving cast of Chicago music luminaries and Cardboard Sangria label mates.

Bret is also in house engineer for Cardboard Sangria and you can hear that in the atmosphere he creates in the song “See What You See” from the new record. Vocals on this song are luminous and rich, the guitar sound is recorded beautifully and all the sparse elements added to the mix are just perfect. Now that I’ve listened even more I hear a little of early American Music Club and the earnest songs of Mark Eitzel.

See What You See

P.S. I went a little overboard yesterday on Swedesplease and proclaimed the new song from Erik Hallden as the Swedish song of the year. Click here to hear this indie pop gem.

Posted in Indie Folk | Comments Off

Gregory And The Hawk’s “Grey Weather” (Fat Cat, Oct. 13)

Wednesday, August 27th, 2008

In the entire 4 year run of Songs:Illinois I can count on one hand the number of times I found a song on another blog (here or here) and re-posted it here. But with the new song from Gregory And The Hawk I couldn’t resist. Musically “Grey Weather” sounds a bit like the song title. All minor keys and somber swaths of sound, but it’s Meredith Godreau’s childlike voice that lifts this song from a angst fueled downer into a light and airy tale of lost love.

Pre-order this Sept. release here now.

Grey Weather

Posted in Indie Folk | 2 Comments »

McCarthy Trenching – “Calamity Drenching” (Team Love, Sept. 23)

Monday, August 25th, 2008

A music blogger needs a couple of go to labels for when the well runs dry. These labels need to have obsessively good taste, need to be free and easy with mp3’s, and for me they need to release music that speaks to the heart. Team Love is one such go to label for me. Amazingly I could probably live happily ever after with just the records they’ve released over the past few years.

The guy from McCarthy Trenching (Dan McCarthy) has been opening for and playing with many of the successful projects on Team Love including playing with Cursive, Tilly, Bright Eyes etc etc. The label has extremely high hopes for hi sophomre solo outing Calamity Drenching. The songs offered up are a combination of Bright Eyes earnestness and Felice Brother rootsyness. I know I’ve compared a number of artists to him of late but on “Roasting Song” there is a serious nod to John Prine. These songs were recorded in Dan’s living room on an 8-track which adds to their warmth and sincerity.

McCarthy Trenching is a band on Team Love. In some ways that’s enough said. Pre-order Calamity Drenching here.

Roasting Song
Mormon Girl Blues

Posted in Indie Folk | Comments Off

New songs/demo’s from Ed Laurie’s “Meanwhile In The Park (Dangerbird Records, Oct. 2)

Wednesday, August 6th, 2008

The blogosphere was in a bit of a tizzy a month back with the announcement of the debut record from UK “folk singer” Ed Laurie. The track “Albert” was such a nice approximation of Leonard Cohen meets Gilberto Gil that it rightfully stoked a few fires in bloggers searching for tangible, authentic music. For now things have calmed down but expect to hear more from this artist as release date approaches.

In the meantime here are a couple demo’s. One from the new record and a bonus one that didn’t make the cut. As I’ve said before sometimes a demo is the best way to judge an artist. Stripped of any studio wizardry these songs are usually a good indication of whether the artist has the songs and the chops to succeed.

The new record, Meanwhile In The Park, comes out October 2 on Dangerbird. It was originally released in the UK in 2006.

Andalucia

Bonus demo

Midsummer’s Night Dream

And the title track from the new record

Meanwhile In The Park

Posted in British Folk, Indie Folk | 1 Comment »

New video from Chris Bathgate

Monday, June 2nd, 2008

Enough said! Well no not really. I’ll add that I find Chris’ work to be as good if not better than contemporaries like Chris Garneau, Sufjan Stevens, Jose Gonzalez, Bon Iver, etc. etc.

“Serpentine” by Chris Bathgate

Posted in Indie Folk | Comments Off

Dao Strom – “Everything That Blooms Wrecks Me” (Self-released, April 30)

Wednesday, May 14th, 2008

Not to toot my own horn, but what the heck, I was one of the few bloggers that picked up on the atmospheric roots music of Dao Strom a few years back. Now that she’s back with a new record I’ll be glad to get out in front again. Everything That Blooms Wrecks Me is out now after a recent cd release party in Alaska. It’s a more accomplished record than her first, or at least it seems that way, since it’s a little more fleshed out with a variety of instruments and a slightly more full sound.

Dao is more well known for her critically acclaimed fiction than for her earthy, unusual, and heady music. Her first two books were well received, as was her 2005 debut record Send Me Home. Musically Dao is firmly planted in the indie folk/out-there alt-country genres. It’s clear that her music is informed by her life experiences and her diverse cultural and ethnic background (Dao is Vietnamese but grew up in the mountains of Northern California and now lives in Juneau, Alaska).

This new record has a very rural feel to it. It oozes modern hippie. Not in a bad way of course, but more along the lines of the freak folkers like Devandra, Alela Diane and Marie Sioux. The title track is a beautiful cello and piano based number with Dao’s vocals front and center.

You can buy Everything That Blooms Wrecks Me or Send Me Home or her novels for that matter all here.

Buy the new record here.


Everything That Blooms Wrecks Me

Bonus track:

Send Me Home

Posted in Alt-country, Indie Folk, Singer-Songwriter | Comments Off

Misc. Thursday – New records from Joshua James, Annie Keating, and Matt Bauer)

Thursday, May 8th, 2008

These are a couple half-written posts from the last month. I never had the gumption or the wherewithal to fine tune them individually. So I added them altogether for a nice little group post. Enjoy.

This record, The Sun Is always Brighter, by Joshua James has been kicking around for a year or so. Due to his popularity, tour dates opening for some pretty fine artists (Justin Townes Earle, Lex Land and The Swell Season) and great press it will be be remixed and reissued on CD and vinyl in June.

FM Radio

Bonus

http://homepage.mac.com/cbonnell/Sites/.Public/custom-concern.mp3“>Custom Concern
Soul and The Sea

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Annie Keating is a NYC based Americana artist who has been compared to Lucinda Williams and Gillian Welch. But her slow tempo, often langorious alt-country is more in the realm of Mary Gauthier. Her vocal delivery always traverses the same range as well…it’s like a low growl. Her new record is called Belmont and is available here.

The title track shows why this genre is perfectly suited to nostalgic songs about growing up, growing old and remembering it all like it was just yesterday.

Belmont

For The Taking

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Matt Bauer is prepping a new record for Crossbill Records. It’s called The Island Moved In The Storm and is a co-production with the label La Societe Expeditionnaire. I’ve written about Matt’s introspective indie folk before here and here.

Matt’s recently moved from the West coast to NYC and I wonder if that move has influenced this new batch of songs. On “Don’t Let Me Out” there’s a bit more to the production (including a dissonant accordion) than just the acoustic guitar of the past. I’m really looking forward to this new record from Matt Bauer.

Don’t Let Me Out

From the stripped down Hinah session recorded on April 10 in France

Sea Lion Woman

Carve It Out

Posted in Alt-country, Americana, Folk, Indie Folk | Comments Off

New EP from Tall Tales entitled “Earthling”

Friday, April 4th, 2008

This is not your fathers James Taylor (nor Paul Simon). Thanks to some kind (commenting) soul out there I have news of a new EP from Tall Tales. The song “Winged Spirit” has some of that sensitive, West-coast-nature-loving, Sierra Club thing going on and the emotions in the song are there for everyone to see/hear. It’s just that this “Spirit” turns a little unruly about 2/3 of the way through as distortion laced guitar overcomes what had been beautiful harmonies adding a bit of the masculine element to this otherwise very vulnerable sounding song.

Tall Tales is Trevor Beld from Ventura, California. I wrote about his first record here. You can buy both here through Beehouse Records.

Winged Spirit

Bonus track from earlier EP

The Glow

Posted in Indie Folk, Uncategorized | Comments Off

A song off of Shelley Short’s upcoming record “Water For The Day” (Hush Records, April 22)

Wednesday, March 12th, 2008

I find that Shelly Short’s near inaccessibility is one of the things that draws me to her music. She has a wonderful voice and very good ear for creating both the lyrics and the music to compliment it. But she’s not content to create something that is easily digestible. On the surface her music is very listenable but just under the surface there are subversions and distractions that lend it an air of mystery or an ethereal quality.

On her forthcoming record Water For The Day the pedal steel languishes just a little bit longer than usual, her voice flutters and swoons in unusual manner and her repeated use of phrases or portions of phrases toys with the traditional notion of verse, chorus, verse.

The song “Swimming” below is one of the most straightforward and most beautiful songs on the record (but still listen for the odd guitar plucking). The new record is due out April 22 on the always excellent Portland based label Hush Records.

Swimming

Posted in Folk, Indie Folk, Singer-Songwriter | 2 Comments »

SXSW Preview Pt. 4 – Exclusive song from Chris Bathgate’s new EP “Wait, Skeleton” (Quite Scientific, Feb. 26)

Tuesday, February 26th, 2008

My expectations for an EP released after an acclaimed full length are usually that the songs on the EP are leftovers from the previous recording session and somehow not ready for prime time or that the songs were recorded on the cheap and are under-produced compared to the ones from the LP. But this is not the case with the new EP Wait, Skeleton from Chris Bathgate.

The electric guitar on this new EP is at times brash and ringing and at other times it reclines in the background. On “Yes I’m Cold”, a new studio version of an older song from Throatsleep, Chris uses mandolin combined with that ringing guitar to add real emotion to the music. For the vocals he layers his own vocals with overdubs in the studio. Live this song would probably falter a bit because so many elements are a studio concoction, but with Chris’ innovative looping technique this song will be as powerful live as it is on tape. Buy it here (it ships today!).

Catch Chris Bathgate at SXSW first at Emo’s Annex in the afternoon and then at night at Soho Lounge on March 12.

Yes I’m Cold

Bonus song, “Serpentine”, from A Cork Tale Wake:

Serpentine

Posted in Americana, Indie Folk | 2 Comments »

President’s Day Twofer – “Andrew Jackson” by 43 Presidents w/Califone and “William Howard Taft” by The Two Man Gentlemen Band

Monday, February 18th, 2008

I was going to take the day off from posting but then the universe conspired to place these songs in my proverbial virtual lap. “Andrew Jackson” is a song off the forthcoming disc called Of Great And mortal Men: 43 Songs About 43 U.S. Presidencies (lots more info about the project here via Pitchfork).

In a nutshell these 43 songs were written as part of a song writing exercise undertaken by Christian Kiefer, Jefferson Pritcher and Mathew Gerken. The song below has studio contributions from Califone. The songs on the 3 disc set should follow these individuals earlier works, much like “Andrew Jackson” does, that means experimental folk that doesn’t ramble but now is reigned in somewhat with a structure provided by the 43 President’s project.

Andrew Jackson

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The Two Man Gentlemen Band play an antiquated but very lively form of 20’s kazoo and banjo powered speakeasy folk-jazz. This song is the single off their recently released cd Heavy Petting.

William Howard Taft

“William Howard Taft”

Posted in Folk, Indie Folk, Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

“I Am Not Prepared” by Maddy Wyatt (plus and omg! the video for “Wonder” by Giant Sand feat. Victoria Williams)

Thursday, December 20th, 2007

Maddy Wyatt has just released her unheralded debut record on Ten Good Records. The song “I am Not Prepared” from Backdive starts out like it’s going to be a jazzy two-step but then morphs into an electronic flavored, indie-folk song. This is more like something you might hear on Womenfolk or on one of the more AAA flavored blogs and certainly on radio stations like WXRT, KBCO and WXPN. But the more I listen the more I like. If you missed this release like I did from earlier in the year it’s not too late to get it here.

I Am Not Prepared

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Completely unrelated but amazing nonetheless – Giant Sand’s “Wonder” from 1992

Plus “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” by Victoria Williams from 1995


“Wonder”

Posted in Indie Folk | Comments Off

Tyler Ramsey – A Long Dream About Swimming Across The Sea (Band of horses’ new guitarist and opening band) (Jan. 18)

Tuesday, October 9th, 2007

Tyler Ramsay may have the first great release of 2008 under his belt with A Long Dream About Swimming Across The Sea (Echo Mountain). If that wasn’t enough this young singer-songwriter and guitarist has just signed up as new guitarist for and opening band of Band Of Horses. It’s too early to proclaim him the second coming (although the long hair and beard make it tempting) on the basis of one song but the boozy delivery on “No One Goes Out Anymore” combined with the slight guazey film on top of the fuzzy guitar makes it one to beat in 2008.

Band Of Horses’ Chicago play is Nov. 12 at Metro, if Tyler’s in tow get there early to catch his opening set. Three more tracks are streaming at HisSpace. Plus here’s YouTube videos of two more songs from the forthcoming record.

No One Goes Out Anymore

Title track, “Long Dream…” on YouTube

“Ships” (recorded at Echo Mountain Studios)

Posted in Americana, Indie Folk | 1 Comment »