Still

anticipation

I'm still an arrow unshot, fixed to a bow, I'm still, I'm still
I'm still a fire unlit, ready to go, I'm still, I'm still

I'm still loaded and waiting, with anticipation to fly
I'm still studying the patterns in the night sky

I'm still a note that's unplayed, ink on a page, I'm still, I'm still
I'm still a cry in the night, lonesome and high, I'm still, I'm still

I'm still tuned to an insturment of greater and unknown design
I'm still looking for direction, some kind of sign

I'm still tuning myself to the great key, I'm still, I'm still


Great Lake Swimmers - Still : Lost Channels

Visit their website, their label Nettwerk Records, and become their friend on MySpace.

Dillanthology

Just three years ago last month the world quietly lost one of its greatest hip hop producers, and most people didn't know it then and still don't know it now. For those who read liner notes, you knew that behind some of the dopest beats rhymed over by folks such as Common, The Roots, De La Soul, The Pharacyde, Erykah Badu, Slum Village, etc., etc., etc.., you found the name J Dilla. Although he flew under a lot of people's radar, fact is he was responsible for some big beats that hip hop fans are familiar with. The folks over at Rapster Records have taken the task upon themselves of educating the masses, of sharing the memory of a beat-master that deserves a lot more recognition than he ever gained while alive.

Enter Dillathology, Vol. 1 (subtitled Dilla's Productions for Various Artists), a thirteen track compilation of cuts which Dilla produced over the course of his career for a variety of artists that you'll probably be suprised by if you aren't a devotee of Dilla already. Check it out for yourself:

1. The Pharcyde - Runnin'
2. Slum Village - Fall In Love
3. Common - The Light
4. Erykah Badu - Didn't Cha Know
5. De La Soul _ Stakes Is High
6. Busta Rhymes - Show Me What You Got
7. The Roots - Dynamite
8. A.G. Feat. Aloe Blacc - Hip Hop Quotable
9. The Pharcyde - Drop
10. Amp Fiddler - I Believe In You
11. Steve Spacek - Dollar
12. Chino XL - Don't Say
13. Frank N Dank - Push

As you can see, although the general listening public wasn't down with Dilla, musicians in the know sought him and his beats out. And now, thanks to Rapster, hopefully more people will know what they missed out on when they release this comp tomorrow. I'll share one of my favorites of the group, a relative oldie from Common that samples an even older oldie from 1982, Bobby Caldwell's Open Your Eyes.

And as a side note for Dilla fans (new or old), if you hadn't heard about it on February 22nd, Carlos Niño, Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, and his 40-piece orchestra brought Dilla's music to life with an incredibly moving and creative re-imagining in contemporary chamber music style, which you can check out on the recently released (last month) Suite For Ma Dukes.

Common - The Light : Dillanthology, Vol. 1

the sampled:

Bobby Caldwell - Open Your Eyes : Cat In the Hat

and a classic:

J Dilla - Wild : Ruff Draft (2007 re-issued version)

Visit J Dilla's Myspace page and the comp's label Rapster Records.

Sunday Soul - Cherish

cherish you

when i was a baby momma wrapped me
in her arms whenever i cried
she picked me up when life dropped me
she was always there by my side
she said

one,
one day they'll be a man in your life
to take the place of a mother's love
he'll,
he'll give you joy
a happy life

but treasure this advice
cherish what's dear to you while it's near to you
don't wait till it's gone

Freda Payne - Cherish What Is Dear To You (While It's Dear To You) : Cherish What Is Dear To You 7"

Freda Payne - The World Don't Owe You A Thing : Cherish What Is Dear To You 7" B-side

Find both on Unhooked Generation: The Complete Invictus Recordings.

Fever Ray Rises

Some of you might be familiar with the Swedish brother / sister duo of Olof Dreijer and Karin Dreijer-Andersson who perform(ed) under the name The Knife. Well, after releasing their last album back in 2006, Karin has decided to pursue a different musical path under the moniker Fever Ray.

Her new, self-titled album, which came out earlier this week, is both similar and different to her previous work with her brother. Her sound is still heavily dependent on a multi-layered electronic assemblage of sounds that present an almost sterile beauty to them. The beats are perfectly struck, layers weaving in between each other, and Karin's quite distinct voice laying down obtuse lyrics. Take, for instance, the album's second cut, When I Grow Up, which you can listen to (and watch) below:

When I grow up
I want to be a forester
Run through the moss on high heels
That's what I'll do
Throwing out a boomerang
Waiting for it to come back to me

Even with its inorganic distance though, it doesn't quite push you completely away, and if anything begs you to make sense of vocals which approach at odd angles, much like the music.

Fever Ray - When I Grow Up : Fever Ray
(watch the video)

Visit her website, her label Mute Records, and become her friend on MySpace.

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The Knife - Silent Shout : Silent Shout

Beast is a Beauty

Beast, while imposingly threatening sounding, isn't so much so when you get past the bees, unless of course you're allergic to bees, in which case you might ask someone else to open up the CD for you. The group is a duo, pictured above, which includes Jean-Phi Goncalves and Betty Bonifassi (who appeared on the soundtrack for The Triplets of Belleville), both originally from France but now living in Montreal. Both came from pevious projects, but upon meeting up, the pair churned out the album's opening track, Devil, in their very first session together. At which point, their collaboration seemed inevitable.

The album broods with a dark intensity that Betty has dubbed "trip rock," a title which makes sense after having listened to their music. You'll experience shades of Tricky here, but Beast doesn't lurk quiet as deep as he has in his music. It still throbs with dark insistance though that brims with electro, rock, jazz, and soul influences. Both members of the band provide vocals over the course of the album, with Betty sounding very much like a sharper modern day Shirley Bassey and Jean-Phil offering creepy spoken word sections (listen to Dark Eyes below to see what I mean). The two work together quite well.

Beast - Mr. Hurricane : Beast

Beast -Dark Eyes : Beast

Visit their website, their label Verve Forecast, and become their friend on MySpace.

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Shirley Bassey - Big Spender : Goldsinger: The Best Of Shirley Bassey

Free Anti- Sampler!

I just found out tonight about this insanely sweet (and free) sampler that Anti- Records is offering up on Amazon.com. And did I mention that it is FREE? It features thirteen tracks, many of them from very recent (if not not-yet released) albums from the Anti- roster. Here's the line-up:

1. People Got A Lotta Nerve - Neko Case
2. Warped Sister - Booker T.
3. Death Don't Have No Mercy - Ramblin' Jack Elliott
4. Whachadoin? (feat. Spank Rock, M.I.A., Santigold & Nick Zinner) - N.A.S.A.
5. Brand New Sun - Jason Lytle
6. I'm Sorry, Baby, But You Can't Stand In My Light Any More - Bob Mould
7. Check Your Time - Westbound Train
8. There's hope for you - William Elliott Whitmore
9. Talking Old Soldiers - Bettye Lavette
10. Hey World (Don't Give Up Version) = Michael Franti
11. It's Gonna Be O.K. = The Aggrolites
12. Freedom Highway - Mavis Staples
13. Your Big Hands - Jolie Holland

All of this, and did I already mentioned that the whole thing is free?


Booker T. - Warped Sister : Anti- 2009 Sampler

Visit the Anti- website.

Black Joe Lewis gets down and dirty

If all goes well, I'll be seeing Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears strut their stuff on April 2nd. I posted up the opening track of their debut album Tell 'Em What Your Name Is! a few Sundays ago for Sunday Soul knowing that I'd be dipping into the bucket again for the entire album, because quite honestly, it's bad-ass.

The group comes out of Austin, Texas, but after listening to the album you'll swear they've got some deep Memphis in them somewhere. Their sound is a spicy gumbo of southern soul, funk, and blues that's unabashedly gritty, with the growling vocals of Joe leading the way. His genuinely raw lyrics tell it like it is, and he needs to shout a lot of the time to be heard over his equally boisterous band, with horns blazing, guitars wah-wahing, and electric organ uhhh ... organing along!

The album's ten tracks blaze by faster than you know it, with the band giving it their all from beginning to end. I can't wait to check them out live, laying down their hefty waves of sound. I'm not sure how Joe's voice holds up night after night in front of them, but I'm looking forward to finding out. Here's a track from the album, Get Yo Shit, a song that is unapologetically centered on Joe, and another from their recent Daytrotter session, a cover of a Junior Wells song, a seriously talented bluesman who played with many of the best.

Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears - Get Yo Shit : Tell 'Em What Your Name Is

Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears - Snatch It Back and Hold It (Junior Wells cover) : Daytrotter Sessions

Visit their website, their label Lost Highway Records, and become their friend on MySpace.

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Junior Wells - Snatch It Back and Hold It : Live at Theresa's 1975

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Upcoming Tour Dates

25 Covington, KY - Madison Theater *
27 Lancaster, PA - Chameleon Club !
28 Pittsburgh, PA - Club Cafe
29 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club !
31 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom !

April
2 Northampton, MA - Pearl Street Nightclub !
18 Nashville, TN - Vanderbilt University
23 Indianapolis, IN - The Vogue #
24 St. Louis, MO - The Pageant #
28 Wilmington, NC - Greenfield Amphitheatre #
29 Athens, GA - Georgia Theatre #
30 Mobile, AL - Saenger Theatre #

* with Heartless Bastards
! with Gomez
# with Robert Randolph

Young MC Busts it Again

From our wonderful friends over at Delicious Vinyl, the same folks who gave us the deluxe edition of Tone-Loc's masterpiece Loc'd After Dark, comes another deluxe edition, this time of the old skool classic Stone Cold Rhymin'. That's right, Marvin Young (aka Young MC pictured above on his very own Yo! MTV Raps trading card) struck gold with this, his debut album back in 1989, headed up with the smash single Bust A Move. Although he went on to release several other follow-ups, he never hit again, and was relegated to the one hit wonder bin.

Coincidentally, Young MC happened to co-write two of Tone-Loc's big hits as well: Funky Thing and Funky Cold Medina, but the pair seemed destined to be left in 1989, until now that is, with Delicious Vinyl's re-release of these classics. I'm not going to lie to you, this album feels like 1989, so if you're down with that, this'll bring back some good memories. If not, you might want to stick with just busting a move. Besides the album's original thirteen cuts, there are some extra tracks to spice it up a bit:

14. I Come Off (Southern Comfort Mix)
15. Principal's Office (Impact Remix)
16. Bust A Move (Diplo RMX)
17. Know How Theme (RMX by Aaron LaCrate & Debonair Samir)
18. I Let 'Em Know (Matt Dike Remix)
19. Pick Up The Pace 1990
20. Got More Rhymes (MEN RMX)

I'm going to cut into the album here and share a track that you may not have ever heard, Know How, a track that pulls in some funky guitar via Isaac Hayes' Shaft, and a remix of Young's signature song courtesy of Don Rimini from the Rmxxology album.

The album came out on the 17th, but to be honest, I'm not sure where you can pick it up yet. Keep your eyes open, and in the meantime, enjoy the following:

Young MC - Know How : Stone Cold Rhymin (Deluxe Edition)

Young MC - Bust A Move (Don Rimini Ravekid Remix) : Rmxxology Deluxe

Visit his label Delicious Vinyl and become his friend on MySpace.

Ashley Beedle Double Header

I've got two discs today featuring the presence of British DJ and producer Ashley Beedle. Beedle has worked his hands on all sorts of tracks and worked with all sorts of folks, and these CDs display both. The first, which came out at the beginning of the month, is the 2nd in the Inspiration Information series from Strut Records.

For those of you not familiar with the series which shares the same name as the famous Shuggie Otis album, it teams up diverse artists creating new music drawing upon both of their experience. The first volume, which came out in October of last year, featured Amp Fiddler and Sly & Robbie. This second volume teams up Beedle with roots reggae songwriter and singer Horace Andy, who has also done a fair amount of work with Massive Attack.

The music here was recorded in an intense five day writing and recording session and is certainly influenced by Andy's rasta beliefs. Besides new originals, the pair also puts together a cover of Bob Marley's Hypocrites and, even more interestingly, the Rolling Stones' Angie. Here's one to try out:

Horace Andy & Ashley Beedle - Babylon You Lose : Inspiration Information, Vol. 2

Become Horace Andy's friend on MySpace.
Become Ashley Beedle's friend on MySpace.
Visit the album's label Strut Records.

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The second disc that I've dug up recently featuring Ashley Beedle is a double disc release from suSU Music from the Southport Weekender Festival. For those of you not familiar with the festival (and I was one of you before spinnin' this disc), it's been bringing musicians together for 21 years, with two events every year in Southport, England. This release has two discs, each with its own DJ mix, the first from King Britt and the second from our man Ashley. Ashley's CD starts back in the day with a Dells' song and then pulls in a filling mix of soul, funk, and disco, with only a few tracks that might be common knowledge - the previously mentioned Dells cut and one from Isaac Hayes. The King Britt mix takes on a worldly flavor, with a much more diverse mix of genres and feels to it. Both are money mixes, just with different tastes.



one from Ashley's mix:

Root Soul (Featuring Vanessa Freeman and Mike Patto) - Spirit Of Love (Phil Asher's Restless Soul Boogie MIX - Yoshi Edit) : Southport Weekender, Vol. 8

and one from King Britt's mix:

DJ Dozia - Latin High : Southport Weekender, Vol. 8

Become King Britt's friend on MySpace.
Become Ashley Beedle's friend on MySpace.
Visit the release's label suSU Music.

Sunday Soul - One Way Ticket to Love Land

One way ticket

i want a one way ticket to love land
i want a one way fare just as soon as i can

and once i get my ticket to love land
oh i ain't never comin' back, never comin' back,
never comin' back to loneliness

i can't wait till my feet touch the sand
i know she'll be waiting there
just to hold my hand
she make me know
i'm her only man
that's why i want to get to her
just as soon as i can

Leon Haywood - One Way Ticket to Love Land : One Way Ticket to Love Land 7"

Leon Haywood - There Ain't Enough Hate Around to Make Me Turn Around : One Way Ticket to Love Land 7" B-side

Get the A-side on The Best of Leon Haywood.

Visit Speck Mountain

Looking at the cover of Some Sweet Relief will reveal a lot about what's contained within it. A figured collapsed in a hole in the sand. Darkness hovering around, moving slowly in. The body curled in upon itself. It's an excellent graphic representation for the nine songs the album holds, the second album from the foursome Speck Mountain.

Its thirty eight minutes drift by in an ethereal procession of songs that carry a listener through an ambiance of uncertainty. Tempo-wise, the sounds here lazily push forward, never getting any momentum to propel you out of a shoe-gazing introspection, but varied enough not to drone on unmercifully. On top are laid the vocals of Marie-Claire Balabanian, whose voice mates up with the instruments really really, complementing their drawn out expressions.

Needless to say, this isn't an album of ecstasy, rather one of pensiveness. Experience I Feel Eternal below, a mid-album cut in which even the horn lines blend in with the flow rather than sharply punctuate. The band also recently visited the Daytrotter studios to record a session (it seems like everyone is stopping in there lately - must be a busy place). One of those recordings, another song from the album, is below along with a link to the remaining three.

Speck Mountain - I Feel Eternal : Some Sweet Relief

Speck Mountain - Backsliding : Daytrotter Session (original version appears on Some Sweet Relief)

Visit their label Carrot Top Records and become their friend on MySpace.

The Submarines re-surface again

Submarines fans rejoice - while the band hasn't released an album of new material yet, they have made available a pair of EPs of remixes, appropriately titled Honeysuckle Remixes and EP1 and EP2. As you might guess, they include some mix-mastery of cuts from their sophomore release, Honeysuckle Weeks, and are digital only releases. Here's what they include:

EP1
1. You, Me and the Bourgeoisie (Tonetiger Remix)
2. 1940 (AmpLive Remix)
3. You, Me and the Bourgeoisie (Alaska In Winter Remix)
4. Brightest Hour (Morgan Page Remix)

EP2
1. Submarine Symphonika (Ra Ra Riot Remix)
2. Submarine Symphonika (Wallpaper Remix)
3. Brightest Hour (Free the Robots Remix)
4. Xavia (Styrofoam Remix)
5. 1940 (Section Quartet Mix)

As with any of your favorite tracks that have been fiddled with, some might spin your top and some might get you hot. Pick and choose your favorites. Here's one from the first EP that works for me:

The Submarines - You Me & The Bourgeoisie (Tonetiger Remix) : Honeysuckle Remixes EP 1

Visit their website, their label Nettwerk Records, and become their friend on MySpace.

Sara Lov's longing for love

I absolutely love the cover art for Sara Lov's debut solo album Seasoned Eyes Were Beaming (she formerly fronted the UK act the Devics), and especially appreciated it when I discovered that Sara drew it herself. It holds under its strange artistic mix of Alice In Wonderland and The Nightmare Before Christmas ten tracks that are reassuringly morose food for the melancholy. Presented by Sara's enchanting voice, these songs make you just want to cry if they hold even a fraction of autobiographical import and question how so much could happen to one woman. In fact, the most upbeat song here is her cover of Simon & Garfunkel's Old Friends, in itself not overly sunny, but at least promises togetherness at age 70, a wish not granted in many of the other songs here about love lost or unrequited.

Listening to her very much reminded me of one of my favorites discoveries of last year, Kate Walsh, another woman with a beautiful voice whose musical expression touchs on love, and who coincidentally just recorded a session for Daytrotter. What is especially exciting about that for fans is that three of the fours tracks there for listening are brand new ones, with only one, Tonight, from her debut Tim's House. With such a finely deft musical touch, Kate's sound isn't all that different in an acoustic setting, which makes getting three unreleased cuts well worth the visit. I've shared one of the newbies below (As He Pleases), but please follow the link to get the other three.

Sara Lov - Frankie : Seasoned Eyes Were Beaming

Visit her website, her label Nettwerk Records, and become her friend on MySpace.

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Kate Walsh - As He Pleases : Daytrotter Session

Sunday Soul - Soul Sister, Brown Sugar

Skin

You're sweeter than the honey that the bees make
Soul sister, you're brown sugar
Sweeter than the icing on the best cake
Soul sister, you're brown sugar

I was in the dark, but now I see
All the doorways in front of me
I was always proud, but now I'm sayin' loud
Keep on givin' it to me

Love and affection to the bone, to the bone
Soul sister, you're brown sugar
Keep on sockin' it to me all night long
Soul sister, you're brown sugar

Sam & Dave - Soul Sister, Brown Sugar : Soul Sister, Brown Sugar 7"

Sam & Dave - Come On In : Soul Sister, Brown Sugar 7" B-side

Get them both on The Best of Sam & Dave.

Knuckleheads Unite

Here's a short but heavy dose of some serious get you off your ass and jump around music a la the Grates or the late Be Your Own Pet. It's got some snappy lyrics, a burning building melody, and a little spelling lesson thrown in for kicks. And with a title like You Filled His Head With Fluffy Clouds And Jolly Ranchers. What Did You Think Was Going To Happen?, how can you really resist this EP from Fight Like Apes? It features a few tracks from their first full length album Fight Like Apes & the Mystery of the Golden Medallion, which came out in January, and a few other non-album tracks, like Knucklehead, below.

Fight Like Apes - Knucklehead : You Filled His Head With Fluffy Clouds And Jolly Ranchers. What Did You Think Was Going To Happen?

Visit their website, their label Model Citizen Records, and become their friend on MySpace.

Desdemona

Desdemona

Desdemona
help yourself i hear you mourning at the dawn.
Desdemona
ask which side of all this lying are you on.
Did you build yourself a runway? Did you tell yourself tomorrow? Did you cry?
And are you dressed in hesitation
when you tell yourself that everything’s alright?
'Cuz I see a distance in your smile.
And what your Mondays have become could be the rest of your life.
Desdemona you're not dead yet and it’s not wrong.
If you want everything in life under the sun.
under the sun
under the sun

The Alternate Routes - Desdemona (Feat. Patty Griffin) : A Sucker's Dream

Visit their label Vanguard Records and become their friend on MySpace.

Visit Planet Pimp

I know, I know, the band name Soil & "Pimp" Sessions might be a little off putting. When I first read it, it threw me back a step or two. Then you get to the album's title, Planet Pimp, and you have to ask, what are these guys on? Well, thanks to famed UK DJ and musical prophet Gilles Peterson, who've helped bring their music to both the UK and the US, you have the chance to listen to them yourself and experience a genre of music which they've dubbed "Death Jazz."

So what is Death Jazz you might ask. I'd sum it up as brash electronic-jazz-funk-fusion madness with horns that go big and bold. Forget your grandfather's jazz, or even your father's jazz. Louis Armstrong is probably rolling over in his grave listening to these six guys from Japan take his beloved jazz and turn it up way past 10. For those people who think jazz is dead, this sextet will try to prove you wrong.

Soil & "Pimp" Sessions - Fantastic Planet : Planet Pimp

and an older one:

Soil & "Pimp" Sessions - Waltz For Goddess : Freshly Composted, Vol. 2

Visit their website, their label Brownswood Recordings, and become their friend on MySpace.

Sunday Soul - Gunpowder

explosive

i said gunpowder baby
yeah you know i like it
i said gunpowder baby
eat it on my greens
night and day

gunpowder baby
would you still like me
i said gunpowder baby
yea gonna watch you cover me
gotta smell it in my innards
baby hold on
i gotta to give you more
yea i'm talking about my gunpowder

Tell me these tight horn blasts aren't straight out of the Bar-Kays playbook.

Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears - Gunpowder : Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears vinyl EP

Visit their website, their label Lost Highway Records, and become their friend on MySpace.

Heartless Bastards's Mountain

Although The Mountain is the third album from Ohioans Heartless Bastards, this was the first I had heard of them, and I'm glad I did. Come to find out, I'm not so far behind on the trio, as they went through a line-up change, reforming around an original Bastard, vocalist Erika Wennerstrom (no offense Erika), in 2007. I can't compare their new sound with their old, but I like what I'm hearing on this album.

The group's sound has some serious roots in good old rock & roll. It's got a really solid and full feel to it that isn't overwhelming, just powerfully rocking, and I don't mean busy as all get out try to hit you with too much at once rock, I mean slow, churning, momentum building old fashioned rock tinged with a hint of bluesy southern bite. And on top of all that, the group exudes confidence with they're playing as well, knowing when to back off and give the listener some air and a break from the air guitar. Take Nothing Seems the Same for a prime example of this sonic restraint (listen at roughly the 1:20 mark). Leading the charge is Erika on vocals, with a serious take charge kind of womanly voice that doesn't try enticing you with its tenderness, but goes for the throat and tells it like it is.

The group also just recorded a session for Daytrotter last month. Check it out HERE, and are on tour as well, dates below.

Heartless Bastards - The Mountain : The Mountain

Heartless Bastards - Nothing Seems The Same : The Mountain

Visit their website, their label Fat Possum Records, and become their friend on MySpace.

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Upcoming Tour Dates

03.15.09 - The Pageant - St. Louis, MO
03.16.09 - Liberty Hall - Lawrence, KS
03.17.09 - Cain’s Ballroom - Tulsa, OK
03.18.09 - SXSW - Austin, TX
03.19.09 - SXSW - Austin, TX
03.20.09 - SXSW - Austin, TX
03.21.09 - House of Blues - Houston, TX
03.23.09 - Lyric Oxford - Oxford, MS
03.29.09 - Mr. Smalls - Pittsburgh, PA #
04.02.09 - Turner Hall - Milwaukee, WI #
04.03.09 - The Bottom Lounge - Chicago, IL #
04.04.09 - Varsity Theater - Minneapolis, MN #
04.07.09 - The Warehouse - Calgary, AB #
04.08.09 - The Starlight Room - Edmonton, AB #
04.10.09 - The Plaza Nightclub - Vancouver, BC #
04.15.09 - The Boardwalk - Sacramento, CA #
04.16.09 - Slim’s - San Francisco, CA #
04.21.09 - The Clubhouse - Tempe, AZ #
04.24.09 - Gothic Theater - Denver, CO #

# Show with Gaslight Anthem

alone

Alone

could you love someone enough
after all you've had and you've lost?
it's a simple question
I'm only asking 'cause I don't want to die
alone

could you love someone completely?
and yes, by "someone" I mean me
spoiled sick like milk you let sit too long
it's a simple question
as I lie awake waiting for you to lay beside me
I can almost hear the sad waltzes of Pietro Crespi

could you love someone who does
whatever he wants to do
whenever I want to?
it's a simple question
I'm only asking 'cause I don't want to die

alone

Owen - The Sad Waltzes of Pietro Crespi : At Home With Owen

Visit his website, his label Polyvinyl Records, and become his friend on MySpace.

Aidan Moffat straps it on again

I have to say that it came as big shock when Arab Strap hung up their straps back in 2006. Luckily for us though, its two members are just too musically inclined to stay out of our ears forever. Last month, Aidan Moffat (one half of the Arab duo), along with a new backing band named the Best-Ofs, released his latest project, the instructionally titled How To Get To Heaven From Scotland. And while I'm not in Scotland currently or planning on going to Scotland in the near future, nor am I planning on heading to Heaven any time soon, I've warmly received the album into my ears.

The album opens with Lover's Song, a brooding dirge with backing whistles and what sounds like someone beat-boxing. It picks up with the second cut, Big Blonde (which you can check out below), but retains Aidan's distinctively level vocals that sound depressed regardless of what he's singing. Needless to say, he's still got a sense of humor that sneaks across if you're paying attention. Here's Aidan explaining the males' fascination with the fairer sex on Oh Men!:

now i don't think we're all the same
but i think there's few exceptions
yes we all love to lech
we're all slave to the erections

and they say we don't grow up
though we all just need our mothers
and they've maybe got a point
but listen to me brothers

we can all claim it's just our nature
we can swear it's just our way

For those fellow listeners who miss the Strap, this album will certainly help fill that void as it carries the off-kilter Scottish folk torch temporarily dropped a few years ago.

Aidan Moffat & the Best-Ofs - Big Blonde : How To Get To Heaven From Scotland
(watch the video)

Aidan Moffat & the Best-Ofs - Oh Men! : How To Get To Heaven From Scotland

Visit his website and his label Chemikal Underground Records.

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Arab Strap - Why Can't This Be Love (Van Halen cover) : The Shy Retirer EP

Exponentially Texas

A little while back I enthusiastically endorsed the debut release by San Antonio artist Diego Bernal (back here). Well Exponential Records, the label that his album came out on is sharing a completely free SXSW sampler of Texas based producers for your listening pleasure. It's simply and appropriately titled Texas, and its seventeen tracks offer a window into the Texas electronic scene (not the place you'd normally associate with the genre, but this comp might prove otherwise). Diego shows up here along with an entire roster of diverse artists representing.

With a price tag of zero dollars and zero cents, this is an even better deal than the Prodigy album I told you about. Here are a couple of my favorite cuts, but most certainly head over and pull down the entire compilation. The first, from Rae Davis, is titled Denali and its got some smooth acid-jazz currents and features Ma Bell. Next up is DCMT from Stephen Orsak, which pushes out an ambient aura.


Rae Davis ft. Ma Bell - Denali : Texas

Stephen Orsak - DCMT : Texas

Visit the Exponential Records website.

New music from Metric

The Best (two) BPA contests yet!

CONTEST #1=

Alright folks, here's your chance to break into the big leagues. Straight from the Slim man's mouth:

"COME ONE COME ALL! The infamous BPA lost tapes that were recently found in a warehouse near Brighton have once again thrown up another classic record... well at least half of one! While running through the tapes during a recent remastering session in London, a forgotten tune was discovered. It's blurry, but there are some memories of this track once having a vocal and sounding brilliant... problem being no one associated with the BPA can remember who it was singing or how it went!

This is where you come in. Join the ranks of David Byrne, Iggy Pop, Martha Wainwright, Jamie T and Dizzee Rascal. Write and record lyrics to the uncovered backing track yourself. Who knows, maybe the spirit of the original song will channel through you, maybe you'll write a better song, whatever way it turns out, enjoy yourself...The BPA always did!"

That's right. They provide the instrumental cut, and you give it a title, lyrics, and sing your little heart out and you could be in the money. Get your magic together and your submission in by March 31st. Head here to read the fine print at the official contest site.

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CONTEST #2=

The first five readers to leave a comment with their name and e-mail (or e-mail me directly) will get a free copy of I Think We're Gonna Need A Bigger Boat sent their way. Talk about immediate gratification...get those fingers of yours typing!

UPDATE - All the CD's are gone, congrats to the quick typers!

And if those weren't enough to butter your bread, HEAD HERE for a new BPA mixtape expertly crafted by DJ Charlie Stains.

And to add some sprinkles on top, a song to listen to while you're processing all this goodness.

The BPA - Should I Stay Or Should I Blow (Featuring Ashley Beedle) : Promo EP

Visit their website and become the BPA's friend on MySpace.

can i have you?

i wish i had a mango tree
in my backyard
with you standing next to me
take the picture

it's from your lips I heard ya say
"can I have you?"
caught up in what ya said
i said "you do"
i said "you do"
i said "you do"

This is really an incredibly beautifully sweet tender song. Listen to it. Many times in a row. And then be happy if you have someone you can say "you do" to.


Angus & Julia Stone - Mango Tree : A Book Like This

Visit their website, their label Nettwerk Records, and become their friend on MySpace.

Boozoo Bajou goes to California

The dynamic duo of Florian Seyberth and Peter Heider, otherwise known as Boozoo Bajou, are back, but with their latest production, Grains, the pair have taken their music in a new direction. The two, hailing from Germany, first started producing music over a decade ago, and over the course of their first few albums explored a downbeat approach that mixed in some diverse world elements to make a global, electronic, dub, trip-hop sound. With their latest, which comes out today, the pair have turned their sites to a more organic Californian sound, naming such musicians as Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, and Jackson Browne as influences.

If I would use one word to describe the album as a whole, it would have to be gentle. The entire affair just kicks back and slowly grooves through, soothing your ears and soul. It pleases few demands on the listener other than to take a slow ride into relaxation. Woven into the album are instrumental tracks that meander and develop (Kinder Ohne Strom for example) as well as vocal numbers that add another level (the second track Sign, probably my favorite cut, pushing out an Isaac Hayes flavored soul).

If you're looking for something on the mellow side, this should be your go-to album. Here are a few samples.

Boozoo Bajou - Grains : Grains

and an older one:

Boozoo Bajou - Yoruba Road : Satta!

Visit their website, their label !K7, and become their friend on MySpace.

Today's steal - The Prodigy

If you're a Prodigy fan and you haven't gotten your mitts on the new album Invaders Must Die, here's your chance to pick it up digitally for the insane price of $1.99. That's right, head over to Amazon.com and you can download it on the cheap. Old fans of the album will love it as it's definitely a return to their core sound. As of now, they also have three North American Dates booked:

March 25 - Kool Haus - Toronto, Canada
March 26 - Roseland - New York, NY
March 28 - Headlining Ultra Festival WMC - Miami, Florida


The Prodigy - Jericho (Genaside II Remix) : Fire / Jericho EP

Visit their website and become their friend on MySpace.