OK, look. It’s not that I’m unaccustomed to gushing over a record I really love here on Twangville, it’s just that I try and at least tell you why it is that I feel a record is so gush-worthy, when called for. In the case of Israel Nash Gripka’s latest, Barn Doors & Concrete Floors, […]
MilkDrive – Road From Home
Being able to pigeonhole a band’s sound is useful to a music reviewer. Â It lets you describe them quickly before a blog reader clic…. Â But for those of you still with me, MilkDrive, and their latest album, Road From Home, spans not just 3-4 genres of music, but 3-4 eras of music. The first cut, […]
Tara Nevins – Wood and Stone
When we last saw Tara Nevins, do her own thing, outside of the Donna the Buffalo “herd”, it was an award winning Bluegrass album, but it has been over 10 years since Mule to Ride. On her new release, Wood and Stone, she showcases a broader stroke of the Americana landscape. On the surface it invokes a similar territory travelled by Donna, […]
Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues
Let’s get this much out of the way: Everyone’s right about the new Fleet Foxes album, Helplessness Blues (Sub Pop). It’s astonishing. Sorry. It’s a safe bet that many out there were hoping the gentle, bearded, harmonizing folkies form the Northwest would fall flat on their nature loving faces. But, alas, they stand triumphantly, even […]
Old Settler’s Music Festival 2011 Review
Every year at this time, a couple of weeks after all the glitterati have left South By, one of the best music festivals in the country kicks off 20 minutes outside of Austin: the Old Settler’s Music Festival. Â It’s a great mix of old and new talent, with enough people to get a good vibe […]
Readers’ Pick: Lucinda Williams, “Blessedâ€
READERS PICK: MARCH 2011 Twangville readers recently picked Lucinda Williams Blessed as their favorite album of March 2011. It seems like each time Williams releases a new album critics call it the best since Car Wheels On A Gravel Road. I guess that’s the consequence of having a Grammy-winning album. While comparisons will forever be […]
Bobby Long – A Winter Tale
English Folkster Bobby Long, the man with a name that (to me, at least) recalls more baseball and apple pie than London Bridge and Boddington’s, is back with an album that, at first blush, seems like a relatively stright-forward folk record, A Winter Tale. Sure, the album’s title has a certain Stratford-on-Avon feel to it, […]
SXSW 2011: The Video Companion
I got a bit carried away with the videos, compiling 26 great videos captured live at SXSW. Not surprisingly, we kick things off with the performance that introduced me to Maxim Ludwig & the Santa Fe Seven. From there, a three-fer from Alejandro Escovedo’s special Sunday night gig at the legendary Continental Club. We’ve got […]
Brian Wright’s on Fire
Now, I’ll be honest: I still haven’t made my way completely through Brian Wright’s new Sugar Hill album, House on Fire. It’ll be released next week, but what I’ve heard thus far, I really like. See for yourself with these two videos. One shows the softer acoustic side, while the one below it displays a […]
Natalia Zukerman – Gas Station Roses
I really struggled to put into words why I like the latest release from Natalia Zukerman, Gas Station Roses. When I would write down notes on the songs they ended up best summarized by thoughts like “pleasant”, or “comfortable”. But when you put those in a review, it comes off as damning something with faint […]