If Hunter Thompson were still alive, I think he’d like The Back Row Baptists. First off, you know he’d identify with the attitude of their namesakes, the heathens-in-the-house-of-god thing. More to the point about the music, though, Broken Hearts & Bad Decisions is a dark record. It’s about drinking and driving (although not necessarily together), […]
Sun Kil Moon – Admiral Fell Promises
To hell with them all. It seems that Mark Kozelek has been saying this more and more lately. He started his own record label, he’s been working with fewer and fewer people on each record and using more austere instrumentation. On “Admiral Fell Promises,†Mark takes this a step further by exclusively playing the nylon […]
Deer Tick – The Black Dirt Sessions
There’s a reason that singer/songwriter begins with “singer.†It’s the most important part of the package. Dylan, Neil Young have unique voices that can revive a song place it in their own specific style with the first vocal notes. John J. McCauley III has a particularly unique rough-edged voice that takes some time but pays […]
Listen Up: Stonehoney
“Just us doing our Stonehoney thing,†is how this Austin quartet describes their latest release. Recorded live in the studio – with no overdubs or studio magic – the album bristles with an energy and authenticity that is truly refreshing. Each of the four singer-songwriters has a distinct character yet together they create a singular […]
Regrettably Overlooked: Albums I Missed in 2009
I listened to a lot of music last year. Inevitably, a few fell through the cracks. Here’s a few of those “better late than nevers”. Enjoy. DAVE MATTHEWS BAND, Big Whiskey And The GrooGrux King [★★★★/4.230] I didn’t expect to like this album as much as I did. For me, DMB had mostly run their […]
Leeroy Stagger- Solo Acoustic Vol. 1
Leeroy Stagger Solo Acoustic Vol. 1 is exactly what it’s advertised as. It’s just Leeroy: guitar, voice, and harmonica. Of the 15 tracks all but 3 have been previously released. The songs are presented here in stark simplicity, often in great contrast to their original versions. In summation, this album all but proves what I’ve […]
The Beauties – The Beauties
Every now and then a song just seems to encapsulate a time or a place. It’s usually different for each individual, but there are a few songs that do it for a broad spectrum of people. Think American Pie or Hotel California. Well, the first song on The Beauties self-titled first album, Fashion Blues, kind […]
Twangville World Premiere! Chris Shiflett & The Dead Peasants: “Bandaged”
On this day, we dwellers of Twangville have the honor of premiering “Bandaged”, from Chris Shiflett & The Dead Peasants self titled, debut record. The album is out today, and it marks a clear, sonic departure from the sound that has made him an arena-rock fixture as the shredding lead-guitar player for the Foo Fighters. […]
The Duchess and the Duke- Sunset / Sunrise
The Duchess and the Duke are a Seattle based band signed to a Sub Pop subsidiary. Though they mine the same atmospheric Americana well as the Band of Horses, unlike their former Seattle brethren, they approach Americana from more of a Johnny and June perspective rather than the Neil Young-MMJ. But that’s not say that […]
Twistable, Turnable Man – Shel Silverstein Tribute
I must admit that I am sick of tribute albums. There is no one left it seems that hasn’t had a tribute album done in their name. In fact, I am waiting for a tribute album to tribute albums. Better yet, I would love to see a tribute album to a band that hasn’t even […]