I created this playlist a few years back when it was the middle of winter and I was sick with a case of cabin fever. Now, as February comes to an end, its time again to escape to happy thoughts of sand beneath my toes, a warm breeze blowing by and a fragrant hint of […]
Jesse Sykes & The Sweet Hereafter, Album Due
Coming soon to record stores (Feb 6.) and SXSW (March 14-18), check out Seattle-based Jesse Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter. The album will be called Like, Love, Lust & The Open Halls of the Soul and out on Barsuk Records. Fans of Kristen Hersh and Neko Case will likely enjoy album track “LLL” (MP3), available […]
Sarah’s Best Tracks of 2006
I purposely titled this one ‘best tracks’ because some of these songs have been floating around for a couple of years or longer, but have been released in the past year as live tracks or, in one case, a compilation release. While some people might argue that they should therefore be out of the running […]
Best of ’06: Chilled, a Playlist
This is the first of three playlists featuring some of my favorite songs of the year. I’m calling this one Chilled. It features songs that have a Folk orientation or are otherwise mellow. They are ordered to flow (not by rank) and limited to 20 in order to fit on a single CD. For song […]
Mayer’s Playlist for Fall 2006, part 1
Although I’ve been rather quiet on the posting front, I haven’t stopped listening to music. Here are some selections from the Fall for your consideration. Stuck Between Stations, The Hold Steady (from the album Boys and Girls in America this song combines all that is great about the Hold Steady: Tad Kubler’s in-your-face guitar, Franz […]
The Be Good Tanyas’ “Human Thing”, a Download
From the Vancouver trio, The Be Good Tanyas, featuring Frazey Ford (guitar, vocals), Samantha Parton (guitar, mandolin, banjo, vocals) and Trish Klein (electric guitar, banjo, harmony vocals), check out “Human Thing” from their third full-length release Hello Love. Human Thing (MP3) [audio:http://www.fileden.com/files/2006/11/2/343660/Human_Thing.mp3] LYRICS Human Thing (Frazey Ford) Yer a human thing Who yah think that […]
Tom Waits & More, Album Previews
THIS WEEK’S ELITE: Tom Waits, Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers and Bastards (Disc 1) (Anti) If the name of the album alone doesn’t sell you, how about 3 discs, 54 songs including 30 new songs and 24 “lost” tracks. Personally, I find it difficult to digest Waits’ songs in large quantities but isolated they expose their brillance. […]
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 […]
Brett Dennen, Video and Download
From the forthcoming release So Much More, check out Brett Dennen: MP3: “Ain’t No Reason” [audio:http://www.ezarchive.com/situationrocks/AlbumSpace/8ZG8ISXNIS/aintnoreason.mp3] Every now and then an artist emerges on the scene as if fully formed. The voice is distinct, immediate in its character. The songs feel like they truly belong to the singer. A level of self-possession animates the performances, […]
Neil Young & More, Album Previews
THIS WEEK’S ELITE: Neil Young and Crazy Horse, Live at the Fillmore East 1970 (Reprise) How great to hear this concert footage come back to life after 36 years. I wasn’t even an embryo yet. You gotta love the marquis Neil Young and Crazy Horse, Miles Davis, John Mayall, Moody Blues, Joe Cocker and Brian […]