This week in music (week of 1/29/13)

The first couple weeks of the year are usually pretty slow in terms of new releases. Outside of the Wooden Wand album that I wrote about a couple weeks ago, not too much has caught my ear. That is until recently when things have really started to pick up.

Album of the week - Hummingbird by Local Natives

I mentioned this album in my last "This week in music" post. At the time, the band had just released the song "Heavy Feet." I still can't get enough of that song in particular, but the rest of the album is wonderful as well. If you're familiar with the band's excellent debut "Gorilla Manor," you're in for a bit of a sonic change. While their last album was full of catchy sing-a-long songs (like "Wide Eyes," "Sun Hands," "Camera Talk," and "Cubism Dream"), this album feels a bit more cohesive as just that, an album. It reminds me more of someone like Grizzly Bear (who I actually haven't gotten that into, but that's beside the point). "Gorilla Manor" had numerous songs that would make me perk up whenever I heard them, but as a whole, the album wasn't one that I really found myself listening to repeatedly. With "Hummingbird," Local Natives seem to have found a way to make an album greater than the sum of its parts. That's not to say there aren't standouts here too, it just takes a little while to find them. Part of it may be that "Heavy Feet" lodged itself in my ears and wouldn't allow me to move on to other songs for a while, but "You & I" and "Breakers" are other standout tracks. The album has been well received pretty universally, and it is for good reason. I've already listened to this album more than any other album this year, and I plan on listening to it quite a bit more in the coming weeks/months.

For the next week plus, you can stream the album here if you want to hear it. Since I already posted "Heavy Feet" a couple weeks ago, here's a taste of the album with the lead track "You & I".



Other albums of interest...

* Amor de Dias had two things going for them that made me check out their new album, "The House At Sea." The first is that one of the members is from the British dream pop group The Clientele. The second, more important, reason is that they released this album on Merge Records, a label that rarely lets me down. Shades of The Clientele are definitely still present (like in that unmistakeable voice), but the album spans all sorts of other genres and styles too. There are folk, . I'll have to listen to it a few more times, but initially, I'm really enjoying it. You can sample a song here, and download it if you enjoy it.



* I just stumbled upon this one today, but the debut EP by Wake Owl is on repeat for me right now. I can't quite put my finger on who it reminds me of (maybe Blind Pilot?), but the mix of country/folk/pop is carried out excellently regardless. You can stream the whole EP from Soundcloud just below.




Misc news, notes, and whatnot...

* A couple days ago, M. Ward / Zooey Deschanel project She & Him announced the release of their third (non-Christmas) album, "Volume 3" due out in May. They also announced a slew of tour dates to accompany the release. In even more exciting (albeit less official) news, the world will be getting a second Monsters of Folk album (M. Ward, Conor Oberst, Jim James, and Mike Mogis supergroup)! 2013 is shaping up to be a good one.

* Pre-release album streams seem to be the new hip thing. It's probably a way to discourage people from illegally downloading leaks. Whatever, the motivation, it's a very welcome trend. Just this past week or so Frightened Rabbit, Jim James (of My Morning Jacket and Monsters of Folk), Eels, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, and Thao & The Get Down Stay Down all made their albums available for streaming (click the band name to head to the streams).

* Joe Pug posted a live video of his slowed down version of "The Great Despiser." When I saw him perform a couple months ago he told the audience that they wrote the song this way, but when they got into the studio they thought they were Tom Petty and ended up with a more rockin' version. Joe Pug is one of my favorite artists around, so I think both versions are pretty great. Here's the new one:



* Morrissey is currently touring and had to cancel some dates due to what was deemed band member illness at the time. Minneapolis record store The Electric Fetus had the best reaction to the show cancelations on their Twitter and Facebook pages: "Heaven knows Morrissey fans are miserable now." It turns out it was actually pretty serious and Morrissey himself was hospitalized for a bleeding ulcer. Here's wishing him a speedy recovery.

My Top 50 Albums of 2012 (16-30)

Today is the second installment of my favorite albums of the year. If you missed part one, you can find it here. And I should mention that if you're looking to buy some new music, now is a great time to do it. Quite a few of these albums (and plenty of others) are currently $5.00 to download on Amazon. Back to the countdown now though.

30) Family of the Year - Loma Vista

I'm currently back in Minnesota on winter break from school. My car radio has been constantly tuned to The Current since I've been back, which has reminded me just how amazing it is to have good local radio. One of the rewards has been the discovery of California based indie folk group Family Of The Year. Their whole album is good, but the track "Hero" was the first one I heard, and it is still by far my favorite. I'm excited to spend more time listening to that song and this album now.


29) Purity Ring - Shrines

Purity Ring is an electronic dream pop duo from Canada. Megan James' vocals combine with Corin Roddick's electronic backing into something pretty fantastic. "Shrines" was the band's debut album, and they've set the bar high for themselves now. "Fineshrine" is my favorite song of the bunch, but there are a few gems in there.

28) Meursault - Something For The Weakened

Meursault is the second Scottish indie rock group to make this list (although they have a more lo-fi sound that toes the line between indie folk than Admiral Fallow). This is Meursault's third album, and in my opinion their strongest and most consistent output. They've had songs I've enjoyed in the past, but this is the first album that hooked me the whole way through. "Dull Spark" is one of only a handful of songs that I felt compelled to obsessively listen to for a period of time this year. "Flittin'" and "Lament For A Teenage Millionaire" are other highlights. The band also gets bonus points from me for naming themselves after the main character in Albert Camus' "The Stranger" and for what is one of my favorite album titles of the year.

27) Justin Townes Earle - Nothing's Gonna Change The Way You Feel About Me Now

As the son of Steve Earle, Justin Townes Earle has music in his blood (and in his middle name, which was named for Townes Van Zandt). He seems to churn out music at a pretty good rate, but the quality of it doesn't suffer from this fact. "Nothing's Gonna Change The Way You Feel About Me Now" is yet another solid Americana output from Earle in a career with several of them. Unfortunately, he lost out to Fiona Apple for the award of longest album title in 2012. The title track and "Memphis in the Rain" are two of my favorite songs. 

26) Polica - Give You The Ghost

I would love this Polica album even if the band wasn't from Minneapolis, but it makes me happy that they are. The band released their album on Valentine's Day, and they seem to have garnered a good deal of attention since then. I saw them perform on a side stage at Sasquatch this summer, and even out in Washington state they had a pretty good sized crowd. The music is electronic indie rock with R&B elements, but the highlight is definitely lead singer Channy Leaneagh's vocals. Like Purity Ring, this is a really strong debut, and I'm excited to see what Polica does in the future. The lead track "Amongster" is my favorite track.

25) The xx - Coexist

The xx already had their strong debut album back in 2009, which left them with the task of trying to follow it up this year. "Coexist" showed that the British band's debut wasn't a fluke. Rather than try to reinvent the wheel, they have just further nailed the sparse indie pop sound that we previously heard. They are evidence that a little sound can go a long way.

24) Jens Lekman - I Know What Love Isn't

"I Know What Love Isn't" is Jens Lekman's first album in five years. I had sort of lost track of him as an artist over that time, but this album put the Swedish singer-songwriter back on my radar and then some. He has always had a way with words, and this album is no different. This album contains lines like "You don't learn to get over a broken heart, you just learn to carry it gracefully" from "The World Moves On" and "Jennifer called, told me about her latest admirer / I said, Someone should make a pamphlet called / So You Think You're In Love With Jennifer?" from "Become Someone Else's". I recommend just sitting down and listening to the album repeatedly to pick it all up. Few artists can bring a smile to my face with a turn of phrase quite like him. This album has rekindle of my love of Jens Lekman's music and has me going back to old albums as well. I guess the five years was worth the wait.

23) The Lumineers - The Lumineers

The Lumineers took the music world by storm with their folk. Their debut album earned them Grammy nominations for Best New Artist and Best Americana Album. Usually I don't see eye to eye with the Grammy voters, but they nailed it with this one. What makes their success even more inspiring is that they did it on the indie record label Dualtone. Instead of a major label forcing the music down people's throats, their success was earned through good old fashioned word of mouth. Whether you know it or not, you've probably heard the song "Ho Hey" somewhere. "Flowers In Your Hair" is a great sub-2:00 song if you're just really stretched for time.

22) Joe Pug - The Great Despiser

I've written about Joe Pug multiple times before on this blog, but that's because he's one of the best folk artists around today. One day he'll get the recognition he deserves. I was fortunate to be able to see him live a few months ago, and he puts on a great live show too. He (or more accurately the venue) had been having issues with the monitors most of the night, so when he came back for an encore, he performed a really great unplugged song. He has relied on word of mouth to spread his music, originally by giving away a five song CD for free, and now by doing the same with a download. I've posted it at the bottom of this post if you're interested. If you're checking out the new album, I recommend "Deep Dark Wells" and "The Great Despiser."

21) Good Old War - Come Back As Rain

This album came out in March and was one of my most played albums this Spring. Maybe it's because of this, but it feels like a perfect Spring album to me. The songs are so full of energy and what feels like optimism (without listening to the lyrics too much). The band derived their name from the last name's of the three members GOODwin, arnOLD, and schWARtz. I love the creative naming. While I haven't listened to this album as much lately, maybe I will more once the sun comes out a bit. "Calling Me Names" and "Better Weather" are both great songs.

20) Hospitality - Hospitality

This is the debut album for Hospitality, a New York band signed to Merge Records. The only reason I initially listened to the album was that Merge has such a fantastic track record of putting out great music. You can get the label's Spring sampler here, which includes a track by Hospitality. If you're curious to learn more about the best (in my opinion) label in the country, this book by John Cook was a really good read. I'm starting to realize that there are quite a few debut albums in this group. There's lots to look forward to in the future from these bands. "Betty Wang" and "Friends of Friends" (which features a music video with Alia Shawkat of Arrested Development) are my two favorite tracks from the album.

19) Stars - The North

Stars is an indie pop group from Canada who has been making music for almost a dozen years. I listened to this band A TON back when I was in undergrad (along with Death Cab For Cutie). I haven't listened to them much in the last few years, but "The North" may bring me back to their music. "Set Yourself On Fire" remains one of my favorite albums of all-time, so it's hard to imagine anything matching that, but this album is plenty good on its own. Few bands can work with two lead singers as well as Stars does with Torquil Campbell and Amy Millan. Check out the track "Hold On When You Get Love And Let Go When You Give It."

18) Lord Huron - Lonesome Dreams

We're really getting into the excellent albums at this point. "Lonesome Dreams" is an album I find myself returning to pretty often. The California band plays indie folk music but with some more atmospheric and dreamlike qualities. There are a lot of layered elements that all come together to make something that just sticks itself in my mind long after I'm done listening. If you're looking for a couple tracks to check out, "Time To Run" and "She Lit A Fire" are a good place to start. Lord Huron seems to be still relatively unknown, but I hoping that changes once enough people hear this album.

17) The Tallest Man On Earth - There's No Leaving Now

The last two Tallest Man On Earth albums finished third and first on my end of year lists. That is mostly an indication of just how high the Swedish folk singer-songwriter, Kristian Matsson set the bar. This album wasn't quite up to that standard for me, but it is still excellent. I've come to the conclusion over the years that The Tallest Man On Earth is the only artist I know who is incapable of writing a bad song. Some songs are better than others, but I'm not sure he's released a single song that just makes me shrug and I don't enjoy. That is quite a feat to span over three full length albums and two EPs. I mentioned that Joe Pug is one of the best folk artists around, and I think that he and The Tallest Man On Earth (and M. Ward) headline that group. "Little Brother" with its heartbreaking lyrics and "1904" are my favorite tracks from the album.

16) Kathleen Edwards - Voyageur

Kathleen Edwards released her first album in 2003. Unfortunately, I didn't get around to checking her music out until this year when I heard she had been dating Justin Vernon of Bon Iver who helped produce this record. I suppose it's better to stumble upon her music now than never. This album is fantastic. The Canadian singer-songwriter has a great voice, excellent lyrics, and songs that match that quality. The lyrics focus a lot on her divorce and are immensely personal because of that. On the opening track she sings "I'm moving to America... it's an empty threat" and on "Change The Sheets" she announces "I want to lie in the cracks of this lonely road / I can fill in the blanks every time you don't phone / here is the truth, I swear it used to be fun / go ahead run, run, run, run, run, run." I imagine I'll return to this album quite a bit in the future, and I'm already having second thoughts about not ranking it higher.


Like yesterday, here's a sampling of some of my favorite songs from these albums followed by the free Joe Pug download I promised above.

 

This week in music (Week of 4/24/2012)

New release of the week – The Great Despiser by Joe Pug

Sometime last year, I fell in love with Joe Pug's 2010 album "Messenger," so this is one of the albums I was anticipating the most in 2012. Fortunately, it seems that anticipation was well placed because the more I listen to "The Great Despiser, the more it goes from an album I like to an album I love.

If you're not familiar with Joe Pug, you can check out my previous post on him, but basically if you are at all inclined to enjoy folk-type music you should check him out. My favorite song on the new album is actually a cover by an artist named Tex Thomas. When I saw Joe Pug live he said the song was originally a postcard that Tex Thomas was writing to his brother in jail. However, before he mailed it his manager saw it and told him he should turn it into a song. Fortunately he listened (and later Joe Pug introduced more people to the song) because I cannot get enough of it, and I have a feeling it will be one of my favorite songs of the year.

Unfortunately, I can't find a studio version to share, but here is a pretty good live version. Plus once you go purchase his new album, you can just listen to it on there!




Other notable releases

The more widely publicized release is Jack White's solo album "Blunderbuss." I've never really gotten very into Jack White or his various projects (The White Stripes, The Raconteurs, The Dead Weather), but that may be partially because I haven't spent a ton of time listening to him. I enjoyed my first couple listens to "Blunderbuss," so maybe it'll grow on me even more and cause me to dive into his catalog more.

Also released this week was the self-titled album by Diamond Rugs. This is another super group of sorts featuring the lead-singer of Deer Tick. The last such project was Middle Brother, which produced my favorite album of 2011. After a couple listens to Diamond Rugs, I haven't quite jumped fully on the bandwagon (possibly because of sky high expectations), but if you enjoy raucous alt-country/indie rock songs about getting drunk and other debauchery you could do worse than this album. Here is one of their songs that actually reminds me of The Velvet Underground quite a bit:




Miscellaneous News and Notes

Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients were announced yesterday, and Bob Dylan was one of the recipients. From the press release:

One of the most influential American musicians of the 20th century, Dylan released his first album in 1962. Known for his rich and poetic lyrics, his work had considerable influence on the civil rights movement of the 1960s and has had significant impact on American culture over the past five decades. He has won 11 Grammys, including a lifetime achievement award. He was named a Commandeur dans l'Ordre des Art et des Lettres and has received a Pulitzer Prize Special Citation. Dylan was awarded the 2009 National Medal of Arts. He has written more than 600 songs, and his songs have been recorded more than 3,000 times by other artists. He continues recording and touring around the world today.

I may be a bit biased because I love Dylan, but it seems like a good choice to me. "Blowing in the Wind" is one of his contributions to the civil rights movement. It's hard to find actual Dylan recordings to post. Fortunately, Sam Cooke did an amazing cover of it:

Joe Pug

Joe Pug is an artist that I've been aware of for a long time (since he toured with favorites of mine like M. Ward and Josh Ritter), but for one reason or another, I hadn't spent much time listening to his music. A few weeks ago, one of his songs (I can't remember which anymore) came onto my iTunes shuffle and sent me out looking for more of his music. He had an EP available for download on his website, and Amazon is still selling his only full length album, Messenger, for $5. Since picking those up, he has been one of my most listened to artists. His music isn't anything fancy (just his guitar, voice, and harmonica), but he just makes really good folk music. While my favorite song of his keeps changing, right now it is a song called "Not So Sure" from his album Messenger.



There are some artists that seem really cool, but I just can't quite get into their music. Beck is one example, where I like him as an individual, but I can never get that into his music. Fortunately, in Joe Pug's case, I like him and his music. He has worked hard to build a following by touring relentlessly, but the coolest part is an offer he put on his website. He will send fans two song CDs, at his expense, so that they can pass them on to others and spread the word of his music. Not many artists would be willing to take that kind of hit from their pockets on good faith that those people will enjoy the music and buy more or attend shows. He claims that he just trusts his fans and the good nature of people in general. According to him, this gamble has payed off and been one of the main driving forces behind his growing popularity. I love trying to support artists who are willing to give away some of their music for fans to sample, and in his case, it has been no problem supporting him after this. Whenever his next album is released, I'll purchase it that day without hesitation.

If you're interested in picking up some of his music, you can go to his website and there is a link you can click to get one of his EPs for free if you sign up for his mailing list. He doesn't send things out very often, so it shouldn't hit your inbox too hard, but I'm sure you could just unsubscribe if you want also.

Joe has also recorded two sessions for Daytrotter, which you can download for free here and here, the latter one containing a version of the "Not So Sure".

Hope you like it!