This former Drive-By Trucker has been steadily and quietly improving since he first went solo in 2007, and we’re now to the point where he completely overshadows his old band. This album does a great job showing why. Isbell’s lyrics are warm and incisive and empathetic — quick, economical sketches of people in go-nowhere towns who rarely get to hear themselves depicted with this level of real-talk dignity. And his music is intuitive and lived-in. Isbell’s miles-deep baritone can be conversationally pleasant on the verses, but when he hits the chorus, it always wells up into something huge.
Jason Isbell — Something More Than Free (July 10th, Southeastern Records)
Former Drive-By TruckerJason Isbell is one of alt-country’s most reliable voices, particularly in light of his modern classic Southeastern. To follow-up that 2013 LP, Isbell reunited with its producer, Dave Cobb, for a collection of songs that examine life’s small details and big questions with the same level of astounding sincerity and humble wisdom. Isbell oftentimes sounds like frequent tourmate Ryan Adams during his Cardinals era, particularly when Isbell strips down his sound and lets himself get real blue in the spirit of the Southern literary tradition (see “Speed Trap Town,” then have a good cry). But he also sounds quite different (and traditional, in a classic country sense) when backed by a full band, oftentimes topped off by a piano, a fiddle, and strings.
From the EP by Noah Gundersen, titled “Twenty-Something”. the 5 song EP we have been selling exclusively on tour from Singer-songwriter Noah Gundersen who released his excellent latest album ” Ledges”earlier this year, and while the momentum seems to continue pushing the Seattle native to city after city on a seemingly non-stop touring schedule, he has a couple more tracks up his sleeve. Gundersen has released “Twenty-Something”, a five-song EP of four originals and one cover, as a gift to his fans. The release will be for sale exclusively at his shows. Listen to the EP’s only cover, Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” in the player above, it is now available online as part of a deluxe edition of Ledges. www.noahgundersenmusic.com.
Noah Gundersen’s new album ‘Carry The Ghost’ is out 21st August 2015. Gundersen once again looked inward to find inspiration. “This album grew out of a desire to know myself, to know how I was supposed to live,” he explains. “And in that process, I realized that maybe there is no ‘supposed to be.’ The concept of Carry The Ghost is that we’re made by our experiences and to accept that instead of fighting it. The last several years have been a process of accepting things as they are and to not see them as so black and white or right or wrong, to accept that we’re not made to be a certain way, but that we are involved in an ongoing process of becoming.”
Produced by Gundersen and mixed by Phil Ek (Father John Misty, Band Of Horses), Carry The Ghost was recorded at Seattle’s Litho Studio and explores issues of self-discovery and existentialism with an erudite sophistication across 13 magnificent tracks. Collaborating more than ever before with his touring band—which includes his sister Abby and brother Jonathan—Gundersen set out to push boundaries and confound expectations, experimenting with tone and structure and creating rich sonic textures that ebb and flow beneath his stirring, solemn voice.
The album opens with “Slow Dancer,” a haunting piano meditation on the anger and frustration that can often be a part of the process of healing from a broken heart. “Light me up again if it makes you feel free,” he sings. Dramatic as it can be, this is not an album about conflict, but rather acceptance and understanding.
“There’s a social and religious tendency to see ourselves as inherently broken and in need of fixing,” he continues, “and this is me challenging that idea, saying, ‘Maybe we were made this way and maybe we are not actually broken and maybe it’s okay that we don’t have the answers.”
Sisters Elle Puckett, Vocals, Guitar and sister Shealeen Louise Puckett Vocals, Piano are Poema an American acousticsinger-songwriter duo from Albuquerque, New Mexico. The group is currently signed to Tooth & NailRecords and has released two EPs with them. According to the group’s Myspace page, sisters Elle and ShealeenPuckett were surrounded by music their entire lives, starting with their parents being in bands to playing music since pre-adolescence. The sisters never planned to be professional musicians until an extremely positive reception following a benefit show in 2008 in their hometown of Albuquerque, New Mexico. After pondering shortly after the show, the sisters formed Poema, won a “Battle of the Bands” competition and recorded two demos.
In 2009, Poema signed to Tooth & Nail Records. At the time, Elle and Shealeen Puckett were 17 and 19, respectively. The record deal came as a result of a personal call from Brandon Ebel, founder and president of Tooth & Nail Records. The call followed a demo play from a representative whose attention had been caught by one of Poema’s performances. Aaron Sprinkle worked with Poema on recent projects. In 2014, they announced their separation from Tooth & Nail Records to become an independent band.
Elle and Shealeen Puckett, sisters born and raised in the American Southwest, comprise the band Poema. The female duo has been playing music ever since they can remember. At ten and twelve, the equal and opposites would walk to the local gas station to play Elvis covers for anyone filling up that day until they made enough money to buy candy.
The sisters have history. They’ve survived a house burning to the ground, countless tours spent sleeping on floors and in parking lots, every manner of car trouble possible and even a record deal coming to an end. After years performing in their hometown of Albuquerque, New Mexico, the sisters decided to migrate to a more musical terrain. In 2013, they moved to Nashville, Tennessee.
With a new city comes a fresh sound. “Nashville is a place that sharpens your artistic senses. More than anywhere else, it makes you aware of the flaws in yourself and the areas that need improvement,” says Elle, “For this last collection of songs we gave ourselves complete freedom. No boundaries, no time limits, and nothing to distract ourselves from pulling out the best material we could.” And that’s exactly what they did. On their new five song EP, Poema has ebbed back to their pop roots, slowing it all down with lax guitars and swirly keys to invoke images of swaying palm trees and languid waves. It’s soulful. It’s groovy.
“The last two years in Nashville have had their highs and lows. Days of discouragement, inspiration, excitement and frustration. These songs feel like a culmination of all those days,” says Shealeen. The new songs are mature shift, a changing of the guard, it’s a new horizon. It’s the new Poema.
The 5 song EP will release this summer.
Father John Misty cover’s Arcade Fire’s “The Suburbs” in honour of them being named CBC Music’s Best Canadian Band of all Time: Indie star Father John Misty stopped by the b.b. gun’s The Shed while in Vancouver during his current tour. Misty immediately picked up on the vibe of the little room and played an exclusive set to an audience of about 25 people. This is the b.b. gun session.
Tobias Jesso Jr. told us how he’d made a conscious decision to tour his music alone, so his audience could decide whether they liked the tracks for what they were or not, and not be distracted by the cool guitarist, or whatever. He wanted to present his debut album, ‘Goon’, in its raw state. A lot have people have taken it, and so now the Canadian pianist has booked his first tour with a full band in November in the UK.
Tue. 11/24 – Brighton, UK – Concorde 2
Wed. 11/25 – London, UK – Shepherds Bush Empire
Fri. 11/27 – Bristol, UK – Thekla
Sat. 11/28 – Nottingham, UK – Rescue Rooms
Sun. 11/29 – Manchester, UK – The Ritz
Wed. 12/2 – Leeds, UK – Burdenell Social Club
Fri. 12/4 – Dublin, Ireland – Button Factory
Preceding that is this fleshed out version of ‘Without You’, which now includes a string section, inspired by Tobias’ performance on the Conan O’Brien show. The track is being release on a limited 7″ by True PantherSound, backed by non-album track ‘True Love’. From the new double-A side single “True Love”/”Without You (Alternate Version)”
Of the new alternative version of ‘Without You’, he says:
“The first time I heard a string section on “Without You” was when I played the song on Conan. Me and Ariel [Rechtshaid], who produced the song, both had strings in mind when we originally recorded, but weren’t able to put them on the album due to time and budget constraints. I’ve never been a big fan of alternate versions, but I’ve made an exception this time, simply because it’s hard for me to hear the song any differently since that performance.”
Julie Ann Bee – aka Sacramento folkie Sea Of Bees – brought a break up to life with warmth and honesty on her last album, 2012’s ‘Orangefarben’. On its successor, those qualities are still richly evident. The emotions might not be quite as strong on this record but Sea Of Bees still manages to wrap you up in her words.
Sea Of Bees“Build A Boat To The Sun” – Signed Box Set Discs: 2
Boxset £60.00
Release Date: 29/06/2015
pre order Sea of Bees is the musical project of Julie Ann Bee, or Jules as everyone calls her. She sings, writes the songs, and plays lots of musical instruments.
Build A Boat To The Sun is the third album, following 2012’s “Orangefarben” and the acclaimed debut ‘Songs For The Ravens’.
This exclusive boxset includes:
– Build A Boat To The Sun CD
– Build A Boat To The Sun LP
– Build A Boat To The Sun MP3 album
– signed and hand numbered art print
– a special handmade, illustrated lyric book with hand stitched binding
– a one-off photograph taken by Jules during the making of the album, annotated and signed by Jules. Every one is unique!
– an exclusive digital EP of unreleased tracks http://
Jules says “Keep going, don’t stop and be yourself. Never settle for less. I never knew things could be so chaotic growing up when I was a child, but they are and it has taken me years to come to pass through the difficult times. I have finished the record I have been meaning to make. Things are changing for the good and I am happy.”
1. Test Yourself
2. Karma Kard
3. Old Bridge
4. Ease
5. Don’t Follow Me
6. Little Sea
7. Dan
8. Moline
9. Dad
10. Monk
From The Guardian’s How I wrote…sessions in association with HP. An exclusive interview with Father John Misty and performance of ‘I’m Writing a Novel’ from his début solo album ‘Fear Fun’.
For those of you who are overanalyzing what he says….that’s his gig…..he’s f$#$ing with us, but in a fun way.He doesn’t take himself too seriously, and he has a killer sense of bizarre humor in his music and the interviews he gives. If you don’t own this record, it’s a shame. It’s probably one of the best records to come out in the last 30 years. This is the the musical equivalent to the honesty of Louis CK’s comedy. He pokes fun at his own ego and the ridiculousness of the entertainment industry in general. The songs speak for themselves. When a songwriter can craft something that’s honest and touching with humor mixed in, it’s not a stretch to call that person a genius. One poster said this is “inside music.” That person must not have listened to the record,
Samantha Crain and John Calvin Abney performed a live version of “When You Come Back” from Crain’s 2015 release “Under Branch & Thorn & Tree.” a hugely distinctive talent. With her lilting voice and mature arrangements, the songwriter is capable of constructing entire worlds with just a few plucked notes.
Samantha Crain’s New album ‘Under Branch & Thorn & Tree’ will be released via Full Time Hobby on July 17th. A gripping selection of songs, the album contains the germs of an odd sort of protest.
Samantha Crain: “I don’t write protest songs in the traditional sense, but I’m always listening to the voices of people around me. These stories are told from the perspective of the underdog, the 99% of us that are working people. They might not be literal protest songs, but the lives of the people within these songs speak at the same volume if you listen.” this live shot version ahead of the album’s release, of ‘When You Come Back’. Sparse, fragile and wholly affecting
Sung some stripped back songs from “Tomorrow Will Be Beautiful” recorded in France a few months ago for some special friends at Deezer Sessions
Songs
If you can’t love this all goes away
Pages of gold
Why
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The Fat Angel Sings 