Wall Crawling Giant Insect Breaks

The Herbaliser - Wall Crawling Giant Insect Breaks (Full Version) : Wall Crawling Giant Insect Breaks single

Going Green with Crooked Still

A little while back I mentioned getting passes for the Green River Festival. At the time, the main reason I made plans to attend a show a few months in the future was the chance to see legendary soul musician Mavis Staples. After buying the tickets though, I checked out the complete line-up and recognized a few bands that I was interested in also seeing (Lucinda Williams, Eilen Jewel, and Forro in the Dark), and a few others that I was prompted to look into (Gokh-Bi System and Crooked Still).

Come to find out, Crooked Still just released a new album (their third) at the end of last month titled Still Crooked. Also interesting to note is that they're based out of Boston, so semi-local. I can't compare it to their previous work, but from what I've found out, this album features a new line-up with the departure of cellist and founding member Rushad Eggleston. They've gone from being a quartet to being a quintet with two new musicians taking his place. Although from Boston, the group plays some really traditional feeling folk / bluegrass music - some of it interpretations of iconic folk songs passed on in some cases well over four hundred years, and some original songs that miraculously keep pace with their ancestors, retaining the same texture and spirit.

There's really some quite lovely string work displayed on this album, and in fact the album really highlights strings in multiple forms (cello, banjo, guitar) from beginning to end. After listening to the album, I'm certainly planning on checking them out at the festival. A lot of the string work is rather quiet and delicate, relying on subtleties and nuances. It will be interesting to see how it comes across at a wide open venue. They're on tour for much of the summer, check out dates below to see if they'll be near you, and listen to the following tracks to experience their classic sound.

Crooked Still - Undone In Sorrow : Still Crooked

Crooked Still - Wading Deep Waters : Still Crooked

Visit their website, their label Signature Sounds, and become their friend on MySpace.

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Other Upcoming Tour Dates

July 15 : Philadelphia, PA : World Café Live
July 16 : New York, NY : The Bowery Ballroom
July 17-18 : Cambridge, MA : Club Passim
July 19 : Greenfield, MA : Green River Festival
July 20 : Brownfield, ME : Stone Mountain Arts Center
July 22 : East Burke, VT : The Tamarack
July 23 : Portsmouth, NH : Prescott Park Arts Festival
July 24 : Hillsdale, NY : Falcon Ridge Folk Festival
July 26-27 : Floyd, VA : Floyd Fest
Aug 1 : Seattle, WA : Occidental Park
Aug. 2 : Portland, OR : Pickathon
Aug. 3 : Bend, OR : Les Schwab Amphitheater
Aug. 5 : Bellingham, WA : Green Frog Cafe
Aug. 30-31 : Pagosa Springs, CO : Four Corners Folk Festival
Sep. 6-7 : Remus, MI : Wheatland Music Festival
Sep. 13-14 : Canton, MA : ICONS
Sep. 19 : Berryville, VA : Watermelon Park
Oct. 17 : Middletown, CT : Crowell Concert Hall

Sunday Soul - Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get

eye.bw.

You know some people
Are made of lies to bring you down
And shame your name
But baby, I have good intentions
Cause breaking hearts just ain't my game
All I want to do is love you
And sugar I won't pin you with regret
If what you're looking for is real loving
Then what you see is what you get

What you see is what you get

The Dramatics - Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get : Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get 7"

The Dramatics - Thank You For Your Love : Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get 7" B-side

Get both on Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get.

Not such an Exile anymore

It's been fifteen years since Liz Phair released Exile In Guyville. Since then, Liz has grown, her music has changed, but this album remains, and will always remain, a masterpiece. Most people will peg this as the album that Fuck and Run came from. A few more naughty souls will remember the ultra-dirty Flower as the choice pick. They're great songs, for sure, but the album goes a whole heck of a lot deeper than that.

Listeners might pigeon hole Exile in Guyville as the prototypical angry feminist with a gutter mouth album. While there surely are sparks of anger there, it's only a small slice of the pie. The album has always been celebrated for its rawness, its lack of studio gloss, its realness. For me, the album has always held its charm in that last point: the realness. It was Liz's first big label production, early in her life, when she was still piecing together who she was and where she fit in. That really comes across in the album. Sure she sings "I'll fuck you till your dick is blue," but she also yearns for real love, a solid relationship, someone to complete.

I don't know if I could fly a plane
Well enough to tail spin out your name
Or high enough to lose control completely
Honey, I'm thinking maybe
You know just maybe, maybe

These come from Shatter, which you can check out below. Yea, there are actually some love songs on here, too, which for me makes it a complete package. There's not just the hate, there's not just the dirty sex, there's a snap-shot of all the jumbled emotions that make up life.

Well, fifteen years later, the album has been re-released, this time remastered with three additional previously unreleased tracks from the Guyville sessions and an additional DVD disc with an hour an a half of video about the making of the album and the Chicago scene at the time. I've included the remastered version of Shatter below so you can compare what they're done on this new edition. If you're a Phair fan, there's a lot of interesting footage and interviews here that serve as liner notes, although incredibly more comprehensive. Rumors are that she's got a new album in the works, which should be interesting now that she's away from Capitol Records and on ATO. In the meantime, enjoy the following.


Liz Phair - Shatter : Exile In Guyville (original)

Liz Phair - Shatter (remastered) : Exile In Guyville (remastered)

Liz Phair - Ant In Alaska (Unreleased B-Side) : Exile In Guyville (remastered)

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

Ella Chi

Here's a rough demo from a UK singer named Ella Chi that ended up in my inbox that I've been enjoying enough to want to pass on to you. It's got a 60's soul ballad feel to it that will probably make you picture Ella in a slinky black number with a horn section in back of her on one side and a trio of back-up singers swaying side to side on the other.

She's recently signed to Blue Chip Records so if you enjoy the track, keep your eyes open for a full length release from her in the near future. Check out the track and enjoy your weekend.

Ella Chi - Me Minus U : Demo

Visit her label Blue Chip Records and become her friend on MySpace.

Ave.To some phat beats

An album full of instrumentals is tough to pull off. It's rare to find one that keeps you hooked from beginning to end without your attention drifting off to la-la land. While Three Way Intersection isn't strictly speaking an instrumental album (there are some vocal samples conservatively dabbed here and there), it's got a big sharp hook that will keep your ears glued to its fifteen tracks - all hour and fifteen minutes of them. As the album title suggests, it's a collaboration between three artists: producers Oddisee and Unknown and reed specialist Kolai. The trio came together in Washington D.C. under the name Ave.To (yea, that's them up at the top - want to guess who the picture is of that they're posing in front of?), where they drew upon local talent to add some flavor.

The album is all about putting together some phat beats. They build them, they tear them apart, and then they piece them back together. Along the way, be prepared for a ride through some wide open vistas of jazz, hip-hop, and soul. There's some really thick grooves here that they assemble using a blend of electronics and traditional instruments. One track you'll be hearing an electric guitar, the next some sassy horns. It shifts from afrobeat (Future Funk) to spicy Latin jams (Cuba Libre) to 70's funk (Stank), with some slow grooves in the mix as well to throw on after you've moved into the bedroom (Xess), all with a hip-hop moveability to it. Every track is like one long break, ready to lead you into something new.

Honestly, don't let the instrumental label keep you away from this album. There's plenty of character here without lyrics to sing along with. And if you are down with folks like The Budos Band and Antibalas, this album will give you a fresh subtle cosmopolitan sound to sink your teeth into. Check out the following tracks (one not included on the U.S. release which comes out on the 15th) to experience the beat-making ability of Ave.To.

Ave.To - Mama's Koolaid : Three Way Intersection

Ave.To - Bahia : Three Way Intersection (Japanese Release)

Visit their website, their label Asahra Music, and become their friend on MySpace.

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Budos Band - Adeniji : The Budos Band II

Antibalas - Che Che Cole : Daptone 7 Inch Singles Collection Vol. 2

Little Jackie

Men are from another planet, how can we possibly coexist

They came from Mars, women came from Venus
We think with our brains, men think with their penis

-from Guys Like When Girls Kiss

Out today is The Stoop, the debut album dropped by musical duo Little Jackie. Contrary to the pair's name, there's no Jackie involved. You've got Imani Coppola, the writer and voice behind the songs, and Adam Pallin, who programmed the tracks behind her. I'll get it out of the way right now before going on; there is a very strong Amy Winehouse vibe being put out on the album. I know, everyone's being compared to Winehouse lately, but in this case, it's really quite appropriate.

Although Little Jackie as a unit has only just recently formed, Coppola has been making music for over ten years. Her experience shows in the way she manages to convey a lot of swagger with her lyrics as well as in the way she delivers them. Check out the lyrics at the top of the post from Guys Like When Girls Kiss for an example. I don't want to write her off as a Winehouse clone though. Give her a try and try to put aside comparisons, and you'll probably enjoy what you hear.

Little Jackie - Crying for the Queen : The Stoop


Watch the video for The World Should Revolve Around Me

Visit their label S-Curve Records and become their friend on MySpace.

Cory Woodward

Princess of the Skies is the six track debut from Canadian Cory Woodward. It's a straight ahead rocker, driven by a drum beat and guitar riffs, and it opens with Revolve, a song with vocals that will remind you of Bruce Springsteen. From there Cory gets a little rockabilly with Remedy Girl, and then a little quirky with Slipping Away (I swear this track reminds me of something or someone, I just can't figure it out - listen to it below and help me out). The second half of the line-up begins with Turn To You, an acoustic track with that recorded in the garage feel to it, but things turn a little creepy with Down, Down Down. Cory wraps it up with the slow tear-jerker Last Breath.

It's always tough in an EP to really piece together an artist's sound, so I won't even try with Cory. There are some flavors here that could be wonderful if indulged in for a full length album. Try the track below and then head to his MySpace page to hear a couple more.

Cory Woodward - Slipping Away : Princess Of The Skies

Become his friend on MySpace.

Sunday Soul - Band of Gold

Good Bye

Since you've been gone,
All that's left is a band of gold
All that's left of the dreams I hold
Is a band of gold
And the dream of what love could be
If you were still here with me

Freda Payne - Band of Gold : Band of Gold 7"

Freda Payne - The Easiest Way to Fall : Band of Gold 7" B-side

Get both on Unhooked Generation: The Complete Invictus Recordings.

The (not so) Old Believers

I first heard This Mortal Coil's third album Blood about twelve years ago. Even now I would say that it is the most beautiful album I've ever heard. It's twenty-one tracks, spanning over an hour, are simply the most lush, dreamful, atmospheric loveliness that's been put together on one album. Why do I mention this? I'll get there in a minute

The Old Believers are made up of Alaska natives Nelson Kempf and Keeley Boyle, and quite contrary to their group's name, they are quite young. The pair are getting set to release their latest album, Eight Golden Greats (which coincidentally has eight tracks!), in a few days on the 10th. The tracks alternate back and forth with lead vocal duties, although on many the partner offers some backing support. As a result of this alternation, in some ways the album feels like two albums interlocked with one another.

The first track, There It Is, leads off with Nelson's voice front and center and has an old time frumpy feeling to it (in the kindest sense of the word!). Keeley makes her presence felt on the second track, No More (listen to it below), and here is where the This Mortal Coil connection comes into play. This is easily my favorite track from the album in that it instantly reminded me of their album Blood, which quite obviously is a most positive connection for me.

Keeley provides lead vocals for three of the tracks on the album, and although I enjoy Nelson's, these are the stand-outs for yours truly. They're lusciously divine ear candy with a feather-lite touch. After going back and listening to Blood, the tracks here have more layers of instrumentation, but I'd still suggest they're an extension of that same vibe. Keeley, any chance of a full album of your lovely voice?

After trading leads back and forth over the course of the album, track six Waltz #3 offers a duet experience with the pair of voices hazily melded together over, yes, you guessed it, a waltzy song. The album ends with another song featuring Nelson, who just to prove I don't dislike, I'll offer up a track from earlier in the album: Granny's Song.

As mentioned before, the album comes out for purchase on the 10th, but if you head over to the pair's website, you can actually get the entire album for free. I'm not sure how long it will be there, and I'd certainly suggest financially supporting the pair regardless. If you're on the west coast, hit up one of their shows and show some love.

The Old Believers - No More : Eight Golden Greats

The Old Believers - Granny's Song : Eight Golden Greats

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

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This Mortal Coil - You and Your Sister : Blood

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West Coast Tour Dates

7/11/2008 The Finger Complex Olympia, WA
7/14/2008 Cosmic Pizza Eugene, OR
7/15/2008 Gypsy Town Hall Nevada City, CA
7/16/2008 The True Love Café Sacramento, CA
7/18/2008 Live on ‘Cool as Folk’ on KDVS Davis, CA
7/18/2008 Sophia’s Thai Kitchen Davis, CA
7/19/2008 The House of Shields San Francisco, CA
7/20/2008 The Queen Bean Modesto, CA
7/21/2008 Live on Hunny Pot Radio Los Angeles, CA
7/23/2008 Silverlake Lounge Los Angeles, CA
7/26/2008 Raven Café Prescott, AZ
7/30/2008 Neurolux Boise, ID
8/1/2008 Pickathon Festival Portland, OR

Sir Hecuba

I get some really strong Fiery Furnaces' vibes emanating from Hecuba's debut EP SIR and its six tracks. It's got a lot of creative juice flowing through it, and just like a Furnaces' album, you never know which direction it's going to take until it zings you with a sharp right turn.

The EP opens with the title track (hear it below) which is a darkly dub induced chant that attempts to mesmerize you with its hazy ceremonial current. Just to throw you off kilter, the very next track is a semi-reprise of the lead off song titled Hey Sir, this time punctuated with a train whistle. Weird stuff. Track three, Tom & Jerry, picks back up the dark dub groove and speeds it up a bit, giving it a techno/electro feel that you could dance to. YES goes even deeper into the electronic inorganic range which slowly transforms itself into an electro/hip-hop beat which then fades into solitary notes. Track five, Ch-Changes (not to be confused with the David Bowie song) is slow, almost spoken word, over a quite 50's piano doo-wop melody. It's really a trip hearing an oldies style song made quite contemporary. The EP wraps up with a remix of the title track, this time spun with a dance floor spin to it.

All in all, there is a lot going on here that's really interesting. As alluded to before, Hecuba really likes to push the envelope here. It's already looking forward to hearing their first full length album. In the meantime, enjoy Sir below.

Hecuba - Sir : Sir

Visit their website, their label Manimal Vinyl, and become their friend on MySpace.

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The Fiery Furnaces - Here Comes the Summer : EP

The Fight At the End of The Tunnel

You might remember me posting about Shawn Fogel last year back here. Regardless, he's in the studio working on his next album, not yet named and not due out until next year. It's got a political edge to it and isn't as light and poppy as the last EP One Day In the Desert. Shawn was kind enough to grant a sneak peak at one of the first tracks to be written for the album, The Fight At the End of The Tunnel, which according to Shawn is an ode to Obama. With lyrics like "Standing tall / gonna get ready for the new day," I'm guessing Shawn's looking forward to the next president.

Shawn Fogel - The Fight At the End of The Tunnel : from upcoming 2009 album

Visit his website and become his friend on MySpace.