Free (and wonderful) music alert

First up is an artist named Ed Riman, who records under the name Hilang Child. He released his debut EP First Writings (which you can stream or download in the widget below) in November. I just stumbled upon it now after a review on Everybody Taste, but since then I've been returning to it almost daily. The first track "Chaturanga" reminds me a bit of Fleet Foxes. The second track, "At Rhossili," is equally as gorgeous as the first but more sparsely textured outside his voice. As Everybody Taste mentions, its a great winter record, so start listening now while the weather remains chilly and dark. The Hilang Child Facebook page (which somehow has fewer than 100 "likes") mentions a possible second EP in the works. I can't wait to hear it because I will have almost certainly played the heck out of the first one by then. Check it out below.



If you want to check out Hilang Child...

Facebook
Twitter
Bandcamp

When I haven't been obsessively listening to Hilang Child, I've been obsessively listening to a new song by The Postelles featuring Alex Winston. This track was a discovery from the blog All Things Go. The band apparently released their first album in 2011, but this is the first I've heard them. The below track, "Pretend It's Love," is from their upcoming second album "...And It Shook Me," which will be out in April. The Postelles are a garage rock group from New York whose first album was by a member of The Strokes, but what really makes "Pretend It's Love" work  is the back and forth between lead singer Daniel Balk and guest Alex Winston. I don't know what to expect from the rest of the album when it comes out, but I'm certainly intrigued and will be checking it out as well as looking for previous music by both of these artists. At the very least, they've created an absolute gem of a song in "Pretend It's Love" that is already looking like it could be one of my favorites of 2013. You can stream the track below or download it below.



If you want to check out The Postelles...

Artist website
Facebook
Twitter
Tumbler
Soundcloud

If you want to check out Alex Winston

Artist website
Facebook
Twitter
Soundcloud

This week in music (week of 1/8/2013)

I haven't done one of these posts in a while, and this week's is a bit late, but there was a new album and several other things I wanted to mention, so better late than never.

New release of the week - Blood Oaths of the New Blues by Wooden Wand

I took a couple weeks off from listening to new music after burning myself out at the end of last year. The first album of 2013 that I listened to was "Blood Oaths of the New Blues" by Wooden Wand (aka James Jackson Toth), and it was a great way to get back into things. A ton of stuff I loved came out last year and if Wooden Wand is an omen for whats to come, 2013 should be a treat as well.

I'm not familiar with any of Wooden Wand's previous material (and apparently there is a lot of it), but this album mixes americana, folk, and country with rock and blues elements. Right away you know this isn't your typical record. The album opener, "No Bed for Beatle Wand / Days This Long" kicks off at almost 12 minutes long and plays for more than three minutes before the vocals join. In this day and age of short attention spans and instant gratification it takes a lot of confidence in what you're doing to start an album like that. Once the lyrics do come in, he sings "Nothing's for certain, but I know a girl who's perfectly worth waiting for," summing up the wait for his vocals at the same time. The second track, "Outsider Blues" chronicles a trip to a blues festival with a woman named Christie and is a true lyrical treat. "Jhonn Balance," the second to last on the album is another favorite, but the album isn't really meant to be listened to in single form. Here's a track to get a taste of the album, but I highly recommend just playing the whole thing on Spotify (or whatever your preferred method is) and then repeating that process over and over until 2013 gives us our next gem of a release.



If you want to check out Wooden Wand further, here are some links:

Band website
Facebook
Twitter
Album on Amazon

Miscellaneous Links, News, and Notes

* Local Natives released another new track, and based on that and the strength of their last album, I'm really looking forward to their next album.



* Telekinesis (aka Michael Benjamin Lerner) also released a new track this past week. Like Local Natives, I'm really excited for his album Dormarion to come out (due 4/2).

* Father John Misty, who released one of my favorite albums of last year, may have already been part of one of my favorite live performances of 2013. This (NSFW) version of R. Kelly's "I Believe I Can Fly" is just wonderful.