On their third studio full-length, New York City’s Hem offer up a thoughtful selection of secular hymns to the lost and broken-hearted. There is a fragile beauty in the delicate arrangements of Hem’s songs, and an often comfortably familiar tone, by turns evoking the melodies and moods of Bruce Springsteen (“Old Adam”), Tom Waits (“The […]
Twangville Recommends: You Am I
Long known in their native Australia, You Am I have found limited success in the United States. With a little luck that is about to change. Months after releasing their latest album, Convicts, in their native country, the band just joined the powerhouse Yep Roc line-up.* Although I don’t find Convicts, their Yep Roc debut, […]
Mayer’s Picks for 2007
As 2006 fades from memory, there’s a wealth of great music on the horizon in 2007. Here are a few eagerly awaited arrivals. Jake Brennan Its hard to believe that it has been three year’s since Love and Bombs, Jake Brennan’s last release. Brennan is expected to return later this year with a stripped down […]
Mayer’s Picks from 2006: The Songs
Love from a Scar, Will Hoge “ll stick with my description from last March: “The horns, oh the horns! Imagine a classic rock song finished off with the Muscle Shoals soul sound – this track is a lock for my list of 2006’s top songs. Even if the song weren’t a perfect blend of classic […]
Mayer’s Picks from 2006: The Albums
With the passing of one year and the start of another, we at Twangville relish the opportunity to reflect on our favorite music of the past year. Over the next week I’ll be highlighting my favorite albums and songs from 2006, culminating with a preview of some highly anticipated 2007 releases. 10. Rebels, Rogues & […]
Best Albums of 2006 (Tom’s Picks)
Here they are, my favorite albums of 2006. American Myth by Jackie Greene The back of the American Myth album cover pictures Jackie Greene sitting in a bedroom smoking a cigarette. Behind him are three concert posters. The headliners for those concerts are Rolling Stones, Hank Williams and Muddy Waters. These obvious influences are what […]
Klausner Music Newsletter, Year-End Musings by Bobby K
Someday I’ll be able to convince Bobby Klausner to become a contributor on Twangville. He’s a friend of Mayer’s which makes him a friend on mine. I’ve never met Bobby but I know him for at least 2 reasons. At the end of every year he sends out a very thoughtful newsletter covering his favorite […]
The New, Weird America: The Harry Smith Project Revisited
“My dream came true. I saw America changed through music.” As a Grammy Awards audience acknowledged his genius, a frail Harry Smith, months before his death, basked in the recognition that had eluded him for a half century. The importance of his landmark Anthology of American Folk Music cannot be overstated: it is often credited […]
Loomer – Songs of the Wild West Island
When asked about remaking his favorite songs, Scott Loomer remarked, “You don’t cover ‘Crazy’ unless you’re Patsy Cline, which we’re not.” That’s a taste of the wit and wisdom that makes Loomer (the band) so appealing. No flash, no pretense, Songs from the Wild West Island is just a solid batch of songs that pierce […]
San Saba County’s “Its Not the Fall that Hurts”, At a Glance
SXSW darlings, San Saba County, take us on an around-the-world bar hop from the saloon to the cantina then back to the saloon with their latest album, Its Not the Fall That Hurts. The beechwood-aged twangers’ second full-length album is thematically heavy on heartbreak and audibly represents a diversity of Texicano influences giving it a […]