Posts Tagged ‘singer songwriter’

ANAIS MITCHELL – ” Why Do We Build The Wall “

Posted: August 4, 2015 in MUSIC
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Dusty Wright presents singer/songwriter Anaïs Mitchell at her farm in Vermont performing “Why We Build The Wall.” Dusty Wright’s One-Takes are a series of live songs by artists you know, should know, or will know very soon. Billy Bragg covered the song “Why We Build the Wall” by the songwriter named Anais Mitchell. Its such an awesome piece of writing. I have since searched for it. Its  beautifully performed. This lady is a great musician. This song, to me, is a narrative about how economic privilege keeps the haves and have-nots apart. It’s brilliantly astute once you understand a thing or two about what economic privilege actually does to the economic health of a society; as expressed in the line “Poverty is the Enemy”.

SAMANTHA CRAIN – ” Under Branch & Thorn & Tree “

Posted: August 2, 2015 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
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Photo: Press

On July 17, Samantha Crain will unveil her fourth full-length record, “Under Branch & Thorn & Tree”, via Ramseur Records. The all-analog release serves as much more than just another album in our musically saturated world; it’s a significant social statement made by an artist who’s using her craft for the betterment of the world. Needless to say, we can’t wait for the LP to hit the streets, and today (May 21st), “The phrase ‘beyond the pale’ or ‘outside the pale’ has always been of interest to me,” Crain admits. “It, more or less, refers to unacceptable behavior (in its origin, assuming anyone residing outside a particular area to be uncivilized or immoral). Any part of human behavior and life that includes a grey area of distinction, such as the categories included in this medieval situational phrase, catches my attention and thought.”

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Crain doesn’t just focus on the phrase’s ancient meaning, though. “In the modern world, what is ‘acceptable behavior’ or ‘moral behavior,’” she asks. “I find it strange that a small minority of elite people are still capable of controlling the definitions of morality in our society. How do the common, so much larger in number and capable of brimming with passion, still manage to be cast out and downtrodden?”

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On Samantha Crain’s new album, she explores the concerns laid out with “Outside the Pale” as well as issues surrounding the working class and gender equality. She currently has a handful of shows scheduled through May, June and July.

 

AURORA – ” Running With The Wolves “

Posted: August 1, 2015 in MUSIC
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‘Running With The Wolves’ EP features six mesmerising tracks from Aurora, released on 10″ vinyl. Icy, electronic beats are juxtaposed with Aurora’s soaring, captivating vocal delivery which fully confirm that the hype already behind her is completely justified. The creative process has been evolving for Aurora since the tender age of thirteen; Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Tolkien, Enya and all things fantastical have and continue to shape and inform her compositions. Mix in a love of the natural world and the resulting tracks simmer with a unique rendering of dramatic imagery, mood and emotion. For fans of Kate Bush, Emiliana Torrini and Lykke Li.

MEG BAIRD – ” Counterfeiters “

Posted: August 1, 2015 in MUSIC
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A new release from airy folk bard Meg Baird (Espers), who has recorded some of the most gorgeous folk I’ve heard in the past decade. Hearkening back to talents such as the late, great Sandy Denny and her sister in song, Maddy Prior, you can’t go wrong with music of this ilk. Recorded after a geographical change in Meg’s life, moving her from the Philly area to San Francisco. Given Meg’s predilection for psychedelic musical turns, I’d say she’s in the right place. Her voice soars easily to the highest heights even while dipping into alto valleys, and her double-tracked harmonies expand her sonic palette even further. Her acoustic guitar and piano are accompanied by longtime collaborator Charlie Saufley on guitar.

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As with any Meg Baird record, you can expect beautifully sung, exquisitely wrought songs, tunes that show glimmers and fleeting moments of life, airy and light even while plumbing deep wells of emotion. “Past Houses” and its reprise are like pools of shade on a hot summer’s day, while the lovely, pastoral “Counterfeiters” almost reminds me of a speeded up Pink Floyd song. Her voice here is like delicate lace, lightly touching down between Charlie’s slide work and her own fingerpicking. She is both confident and reticent, putting her voice out there while she emotionally withdraws from the listener. Listen to “Stars Unwinding” as it inhabits your mind, and you may be reminded of old Pentangle tunes. The gorgeous “Mosquito Hawks” could be a great lost tune from Richard and Linda Thompson, and is possibly the best track among a string of superlative songs. Despite the solitary demeanor displayed on some of these songs, Meg sings and plays with a sureness born of great talent, perseverance, and patience. The waiting time between albums is long, and perhaps songs are slowly borne as life happens around her.

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“Back to You” has an almost Renaissance feeling to it, and Meg’s voice here is plaintive and yearning. “Leaving Song” is a madrigal, and is far too short. I am fairly sure I could listen to an entire album of such angelic beauty. A minute is definitely not long enough! “Good Directions” is more complicated, sounding as though an Appalachian folk group rose out of the earth to accompany Meg on this tune. It has a fast pace, but you can’t quite dance a reel to this song. It certainly underscores how well these two musicians play together, and is another high mark on this release.

The soft, gentle title track, “Don’t Weigh Down the Light” is an early morning song for sitting on the porch with coffee in hand, enjoying the view of mist shrouding the surrounding hills. It maintains its thoughtful, mournful air throughout, before fading out to the sad breakup song that follows, “Even the Walls Don’t Want You to Go.” Its slightly atonal melody suits the subject matter, and at times, Meg’s backing vocal sounds horn-like. “Past Houses (Reprise)” finishes out the record, and makes me think of Neil Young in his After the Gold Rush days.

This lovely album is a must for all fans of English folk, Renaissance, and Appalachian roots music, or for those who like their folk somber, mystical and beautifully rendered.

Available on CD here (UK/EU), and here (US), and on vinyl here (UK/EU),or here (US).

DAUDI MATSIKO – ” A Brief Introduction To Failure ” EP

Posted: July 30, 2015 in MUSIC
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A beautifully recorded piece of work. ‘Home’  Real music from a wonderful musician that hits you straight between the eyes. Up close and extremely personal. The subject matter might be melancholy but the recording is first rate and very soothing to listen to. A great audiophile test record. I just wish there were more than 4 tracks. Favorite track has got to be Houston In The Blind.
Not only does Daudi have an amazing voice but he’s a gifted songwriter. Really beautiful acoustic music with depth and a taste for the cinematic.

JACK GARRATT – ” Weathered “

Posted: July 14, 2015 in MUSIC
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Music video by  multi instrumentalist Jack Garratt performing “Weathered”. released through Island Records, a division of Universal Music Operations Limited,

If there’s a message to be found in Jack Garratt’s sun-lit “Weathered” video, it’s one of simple and inarguable liberation  just get out there. The latest release from the No Ceilings alum finds its adventurous protagonists, whether best friends or brethren, living life to the fullest. The trio takes to the outdoor world without hesitation. They weave through forests to uncover glow-in-the-dark marvels, practice tossing punches, climb stone peaks, and care for each other without fail.

The video, a precious and pure encapsulation of youth and exploration, could act as an outtake from Richard Linklater’s Boyhood. Watch the heartwarming “Weathered” above.

 

KIM CHURCHILL – ” Silence Win “

Posted: July 11, 2015 in CLASSIC ALBUMS
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Kim Churchill – the album “Silence / Win” out 07.08.2015 including the single „“Window To The Sky“.

Having completed international dates as the hand-picked support act on Billy Bragg’s epic Tooth and Nail tour, and headlined his own show at London’s Borderline; Australian musical nomad Kim Churchill has released his new album Silence/Win . Silence/Win Kim Churchill’s 3rd studio effort was produced by Warne Livesey.

This album was recorded in the summer of 2013 in Ucluelet on Vancouver Island and is the first time Kim has entrusted a producer to hold the creative reigns. Says Churchill, “Paradoxically, by relinquishing control to someone else I think this record has a clarity and has really captured who I am in a way I was unable to achieve on my own.”

The month spent recording the album was also the first time in 5 years that Kim had a permanent roof over his head – the busker and surfer, who left home aged 18, preferring to travel and live in customized vans.  In 2009, Kim won the Byron Bay Bluesfest Busker Competition and has returned annually to this festival’s main stage. Kim is known for his dynamic live performances which focus on his deft guitar-work while simultaneously playing bass drum, percussion, tambourine, harmonica and vocals.

“I think I find the most solace in not knowing where I am going and not knowing how I am going to get there. That way each moment contains the seed of mystery and the excitement of receiving exactly what a person with no expectations expects; nothing. And nothing is the perfect canvas for anything.”

Kim Churchill matches his lyrical artistry with fierce vocals; he is a sonic architect, using his instruments to create landscapes to animate his lyrics. Live, he is a true virtuoso.

 

HAYDEN – ” Hey Love “

Posted: July 9, 2015 in MUSIC
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Over his 20-year career, Hayden has spent a lot of time quietly musing about yearning, heartbreak, and the like, but his eighth album, “Hey Love”, is a beautifully straightforward marvel. In both lyrics and instrumentation, songs are stripped to their elements, serving as unimpeded conduits through which Hayden conveys the raw emotions of relationships. Whether beaming with mirth or lost in melancholic pondering, Hey Love captivates by eschewing complications. “Hey Love” is the title track from Hayden’s forthcoming album on Arts & Crafts.

CHRISTOPHER PAUL STELLING – ” Tiny Desk Concert “

Posted: July 7, 2015 in MUSIC
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Christopher Paul Stelling’s third album, “Labor Against Waste”, I expected a certain intensity to his performance. But I didn’t expect him to nearly implode behind my desk, as the fierceness of his heartfelt songs was set against deft fingerpicking on his beat-to-hell ’64 Gibson gut-string classical guitar. That guitar, bought in Asheville, looks like a well-worn friend, with its dark bruised wood and his initials hand-carved into its body. Stelling marked the instrument a year after he bought it, when he made New York City his home in 2007.By the time he played “Horse,” his third song at the Tiny Desk, Stelling seemed overtaken by the song he wrote. Watch him lean in as if he’s about to lunge, his eyes bugged out, sometimes rolled back in his head revealing just the whites, skin blood-red, voice like a preacher on fire. His music feels undeniable: Best witnessed live, it’s steeped in tradition yet filled with vitality, immediacy and soul — all the reasons worth discovering someone new.

Set List
“Castle”
“Scarecrow”
“Horse”
“Warm Enemy”

TREVOR SENSOR – ” The Reaper Man “

Posted: July 5, 2015 in MUSIC
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You’re probably going to be hearing more about a young musician called Trevor Sensor soon. On Monday night BBC Radio 1 played the song “Reaper Man” by the Pella resident. Sensor’s been playing open mic nights in Pella , Sterling Illnois, and at places like the Gas Lamp.

A song played on BBC Radio 1 has the potential to reach a large percentage of the country. On Monday night Sensor’s song was mixed in with tracks by Leon Bridges, The Vaccines, Prodigy and Kendrick Lamar.

Sensor’s song “Reaper Man.” Sensor’s voice is very distinctive, somewhere between Daniel Johnston and Tom Waits with a dash of Neutral Milk Hotel’s Jeff Mangun mixed in. Host Huw Stephens doesn’t provide a lot of info on Sensor, other than saying he’s 21 and from Illinois (he’s from Sterling, Il., but is living in Pella). Sensor doesn’t have much of a web presence at the moment, though he does regularly write for the Brooklyn website Alt Citizen and you can follow him on Twitter.

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