NEW RELEASES 02.19.08 |
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It's A Cracker ! |
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IT'S
A CRACKER! IT'S
A CRACKER!
IT'S
A CRACKER!
RECENT CRACKERS!
MARKUS
RILL - Price of Sin (German Import) MARKUS
RILL - Things That Count PURITAN
RODEO - We All Share The Same Secret DELANEY
BRAMLETT - A New Kind OF Blues SCOTT
FROSETH - If You Knew Me JASON
QUICKSALL - My Wiser Side CARTRIDGE
FAMILY - Shine Like A Bottle AMERICAN
MARS - Western Sides
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It
is no surprise that Brendon Wright is a fan of Steve Earle and Chris Knight. Wright
has copped his emotional, rhythmic delivery from the early works of Earle and
Knight. That is a very good thing. Wright sings with passion while his band, The
Wrongs, provide a meld of country, bluegrass and folk. Wright, who has worked
the East Tennessee scene telling tales of folks down on their luck, the troubles
of the average Joe, and the melancholy of love. Wright and The Wrongs have delivered
an album that will find a home with fans of early Earle and Chris Knight. -- Jeff
Weiss, Miles of Music (self)
Ex-Barely
Pink, Ex-Hangtown, all power-pop! Florida's Ted Lukas expertly mixes hooks, harmonies,
and plenty of guitars. His whiskey-soaked voice resembles The Foo Fighter's Dave
Grohl or an in-tune Paul Westerberg. Lukas has the ability to take his pop gems
to the verge of chaos, keeping his guitar playing smoking but never self-indulgent.
Misled delivers 10 rocking power-pop gems! -- Jeff Weiss, Miles of Music (self)
New
England's Pondering Judd are veterans of the scene, going back to the days before
anyone had coined the word "Americana." Singer Martin England voice
and the band's sound shares the rock richness of the Gear Daddies while also completely
nailing traditional country ballad. The band takes pride in its storytelling.
Coalesce is an interesting journey as it is a pseudo concept album taking the
listener on an arc from sunlight to dark of night. The journey, though, is really
in the trip the band has taken since starting in 1993 having it coalesce in this
moment. -- Jeff Weiss, Miles of Music (self)New Releases |
AUTOGRAPH
ALERT! AUTOGRAPH
ALERT!
NICK
LOWE ALISON
MOORER
ARLEN
ROTH / LEVON HELM RAY
DAVIES RAY
DAVIES
JON
DEE GRAHAM GRAND
ARCHIVES LEVON
HELM
MOUNTAIN
GOATS AMERICAN
MUSIC CLUB DALLAS
FRAZIER MIKE
DOUGHTY MARIANNE
FAITHFULL
DON'T
PRESS YOUR LUCK: IN SOUND OF 60'S DIRTBOMBS CARLA
BRUNI REX
ALLEN JR MALVINA
REYNOLDS DANNY
SCHMIDT CONTRAST
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Through
his two-decade stint as singer, guitarist and principal songwriter of The Jayhawks
and as a member of alt-supergroup Golden Smog, Gary Louris has built a deeply
compelling body of music whose artistry and integrity has earned him a loyal audience
and the respect of critics and his peers. With his solo debut, Vagabonds, Louris
steps out to deliver some of his most evocative and personal music yet with the
aid of Black Crowes frontman and longtime fan, Chris Robinson, who produced the
album's organically soulful performances. (Ryko)
Jim
Lauderdale and the Dream Players' Honey Songs is a gathering of mythical music
proportions. For Honey Songs, Lauderdale pulled together big name friends and
session royalty for this album full of rambling, soon-to-be country classics.
Legendary Elvis Presley guitarist James Burton is featured on lead guitar along
with Springsteen's E Street Band bassist, Gary Tallent. Flying Burrito Brother
Al Perkins lays down timeless pedal and lap steel alongside the piano of superstar
sideman Glen D. Hardin (Merle Haggard, Roy Orbison, Elvis Presley, Dean Martin).
Holding down the backbeat for the Dream Players, drummer Ron Tutt has to be the
only man with the distinction of playing with both Elvises - Presley and Costello.
The big names don't end with the instruments, backing vocalists include Emmylou
Harris ("I'm Almost Back"), Patty Loveless ("Hittin' It Hard"),
Buddy Miller and Kelly Hogan. (Yep Roc)
2008 marks the 30th anniversary of Nick Lowe`s seminal 1978 album Jesus of Cool.
The album, released in the U.S. as Pure Pop for Now People, marks the beginning
of one of the most storied and influential solo careers in pop music and marks
the true emergence of a songwriting monolith. The album is a literal compendium
of 25 years of pop music history. Here, the sweet melodies of pre-Beatles pop,
the energy of the British Invasion, the excess of glam and elements of ska and
new wave don`t blend but stand side by side on the field of battle, each one willing
to lay down his life for the other. Jesus is the crossroads where pop music and
pop culture collide, self-aware for the first time, fusing into a white hot chunk
of rock n` roll energy. Here, on this 30th anniversary edition of the album, the
original and U.S. versions of the album are combined to include all material ever
available on either release. In addition, seven bonus cuts are included making
this the definitive version of this undisputed pop masterpiece. (Yep Roc) 
"Allison Moorer's new release is a covers album that celebrates womenÆs
work. Drawing material from the distaff side of country (June Carter, Jessi Colter),
blues (Ma Rainey, Nina Simone), rock (Patti Smith), and folk (Joni Mitchell),
in almost every case Moorer manages to bring something to the song (her stunning,
soulful voice, to start with) while serving the spirit of the original."
-- Stuart Munro, Harp 
Guitar master Arlen Roth teams up with American music legend Levon Helm's drumming
and vocals on this rousing roots/rock joyride. Joining them are slide wizard Sonny
Landreth, King of Dieselbilly Bill Kirchen, Lexie Roth, and Amy Helm. Together
with an A-list backing group, they tear through a collection of classic songs
by Chuck Berry, Bob Dylan, Carl Perkins, Buck Owens, Willie Nelson and other greats
with a few originals thrown in for good measure. Sit back and enjoy the drive.
"Ray Davies returns to chart-land for the first time since he was wounded
by an attacker's bullet in America last year.And if anything, the former Muswell
hillbilly is in even better voice. His sonorous delivery, deeper and more resonant,
adds to the poignancy of songs dipped in remorse and not a little rage at the
Noughties. Change, consumerism and the insidious transformation of Blighty high
streets into mini-American malls get the elegant, eloquent Davies treatment. The
curator of all things quintessentially English, his ability to wring out heart-catching
songs continues to charm as with the title track, One More Time, and the sublime
Imaginary Man. In a recent interview with a national newspaper - not the one he
first cut a deal with to release this album - he confesses he misses the dynamics
of his band, the legendary Kinks. It's a palpable yearning that seeps through
this solo showcase." -- Tony Kelly, York Press (New West)
A powerful set of Jon Dee's best for the soon-to-be released documentary film
'Jon Dee Graham: Swept Away' by Mark Finkelpearl. The CD was recorded live with
his band at the Continental Club and Mercury Hall in Austin, TX. It includes a
Quicktime movie of Jon Dee performing an acoustic version of his song "Faithless."
Graham has released five solo albums to date, all critically acclaimed. He is
a member of the Austin Music Hall of Fame and was named 'Musician of the Year'
at the 2006 SXSW music festival. (Freedom)
While Seattle is famous for many things, sunlight isn't one of them. Yet illumination
and warmth suffuse the self-titled debut from this Emerald City quintet. Dark
times do not necessarily call for dark music. While singer/ guitarist Mat Brooke's
previous ensembles (Band Of Horses, Carissa's Wierd) often shied away from light,
he's changed direction with this band. Like the timeless classics of The Mamas
& The Papas or The Turtles, it responds to the turbulent times of its genesis
with hope, high spirits, and a sense of camaraderie. (Sub Pop)
Two landmark albums from the multi-instrumentalist, singer, and founding member
of The Band. Respected Band biographer Barney Hoskyns called American Son, "The
best of Levon's solo albums." Helm's infection white soul features appearances
by Booker T & The MGs, Dr. John and Paul Butterfield. (Raven)
The Mountain Goats have recorded four fine albums that have established them as
a genuine cult phenomenon and confirmed John Darnielle's status as one of the
finest lyricists of his generation. "Heretic Pride" is a suite of songs
about mythical creatures, imaginary cults, slasher films, and pulp fiction novelists.
Here, Darnielle has also come up with some of the most anthemic, impassioned,
and downright catchy songs of his career. "It's rare to come across such
specific and purposeful prose in modern pop. But, alongside Bright Eyes' Conor
Oberst and the Decemberists' Colin Meloy, John Darnielle is helping bring fine
lyric writing back to life" - NY Daily News.
"Unhappy with bandmate Vudi's lack of input on American Music Club's 2004
album Love Songs For Patriots, the band's singer-songwriter Mark Eitzel decided
here to increase the guitarist's involvement by recording near Vudi's Los Angeles
home. The results are closer to the band's original tone of melancholy defeatism,
and just as wreathed in the stifling fog of their hometown San Francisco, with
pallid arrangements backdropping the devotional promise of "All My Love"
and the doomed relationship of "The Stars". Eitzel's pessimism colours
everything: in "The John Berchman Victory Choir", consolation is seen
as self-delusion, while inevitable failure hangs over a girl's attempt to "fill
the dark" with snatched intimacy in "Decibels and the Little Pills".
Elsewhere, "The Dance" is a modern murder ballad and "I Know That's
Not Really You" a galumphing mariachi waltz; but it's Eitzel's disengagement
from mainstream ambitions and San Francisco's indulgence of such bohemianism that
dominate; a world where "Everyone is humming a love supreme/ And watching
it pour softly down the hill". -- Andy Gill, The Independent (Merge)
New York Dolls - Dance Like A Monkey / The Red Button - Cruel Girl / Joan Jett
& The Blackhearts - Everyone Knows / Dave Davies - WhoÆs FoolinÆ
Who? / Fuzztones - SheÆs Wicked On / Cat Fight - Mamie Van Doren / The Flaming
Sideburns - Street Survivor / The Breakers - Dance the Go-Go / The Hives - Main
Offender / The Model Rockets - Dress Up Girls / The Vacancies - Save Yourself
/ Apples In Stereo - Open Eyes / Kelly Osbourne - Come Dig Me Out / Radio Birdman
- Zeno Beach / Glucifer - I Got A War / The Yardbirds - Mystery of Being (Wicked
Cool)
For the first time ever on CD Raven presents two albums of tough, gritty Rhythm
& Blues by the multi-hit song writer Dallas Frazier - Elvira (1966) and Tell
It Like It Is! (1967). Featuring a stripped down sound and stabbing horn lines
these underappreciated blue-eyed soul classics are ripe for rediscovery. With
both albums combined here on one CD they sound just as vital and exciting as when
first recorded for Capitol in the 1960s. As a master song writer, Frazier provided
hits for the Hollywood Argyles (Alley Oop), Charlie Rich (Mohair Sam) and the
Oak Ridge Boys (Elvira); George Jones recorded an entire album of his compositions
and other mainstream acts such as Elvis Presley and Engelbert Humperdinck kept
the Dallas Frazier songs spinning. (Raven)
Mike Doughty's new album, Golden Delicious, is a loose-limbed, freewheeling set
that brings all the aspects of his singular muse together in one smart, humorous
and eloquent package. Doughty's last offering, 2005's Haughty Melodic, was a sprawling,
expansive set that took years to produce. On Golden Delicious, Doughty hewed close
to his "dude theory" -- the idea of making a relaxed record that sounds
like a bunch of dudes playing music for the pure joy of playing. It was cut with
his touring band: keyboardist John Kirby, drummer Pete McNeal, and bass player
Andrew "Scrap" Livingston, who moved over to guitar for the recording
process. Semisonic's John Munson sat in on bass and Dan Wilson (Semisonic, Jewel,
Dixie Chicks) returned as producer.
Pure country album from the legendary Marianne Faithfull, "No Regrets"
contains bonus tracks never before released in North America. First released in
1977, these Nashville sessions predate Marianne Faithfull's triumphant "Broken
English" comeback of 1979 and present an amazing country-tinged turn from
this classic artist. (Great American)
The Dirtbombs' fourth full-length is jam-packed with more of their soulful, Detroit-style,
fuzztone-fueled garage-punk-pop-rock 'n' roll that has made them a popular favorite
with club-goers around the globe. Mick Collins and his merry band of miscreants'
twelve slices of sonic thud kick the party into high gear and show off a vast
array of unexpected influences. In fact, the opening track has been acknowledged
by Collins as his tribute to Mark E. Smith and The Fall. The Dirtbombs are as
known for their tasteful selection of cover tunes as much their stunning originals,
and this record carries on the tradition with fantastic takes on songs by comic
artist Alan Moore, Portland, Oregon stalwarts Dead Moon, and labelmates Sparks.
That said, the originals here are what you really want to write home about. From
the Stooge-oid "Ever Lovin' Man" to the finger-poppin' "Indivisible"
to the extendo free-form psych jam of "Race To The Bottom" to the Euro-pop
of "La Fin Du Monde," The Dirtbombs prove once again they are a rock
'n' roll force to be reckoned with who will have no problem outliving the NME-sponsored
hype of their hometown way after ten more trends and haircuts have been built
up and torn down. (In The Red)
"A collection of 19th- and 20th-century lyric poetry recorded by a slinky
French/Italian ex-supermodel doesn't exactly inspire hope. But Carla Bruni has
form... No Promises, consists of 11 adaptations of poems by WB Yeats, Emily Dickinson,
Dorothy Parker, Christina Rossetti, WH Auden and Walter de la Mare, with folk,
blues and French chanson-style arrangements. Poetry set to music can sound hopelessly
mannered, but Bruni's songs combine just the right mix of reverence and anarchy."
-- The Observer (Domino)
Certainly there is nothing else in the Country Music canon quite like Rex Allen
Jr's "Today's Generation". Promoted upon its release in 1970 as "Underground
Country", it is an album both ornate and listenable. But no amount of adornment
with electric sitars, mellotrons and harpsichords can disguise the fact that this
is also a howl of pure, neglected, post-adolescent angst. Obsessed with mortality,
guilt, conformity, the Vietnam war and drug experimentation, Rex was clearly at
a "troubled" juncture in his life. Imagine the Tibetan Book Of The Dead
as voiced with all the gothic undertones and crooner inflections of a southern
Scott Walker and then interpreted by A-list Nashville session players...well here
it is! Remastered. 
A special treat for Malvina Reynolds fans this disc contains a wealth of rare
and previously unreleased material including a staggering 10 track live concert
recorded at the height of her acidic/satirical powers in the mid-1960s! Includes
Malvina's greatest chart and classroom hit "Little Boxes" (in fact three
versions!) as featured in the hit TV show "Weeds"! 29 tracks avaialable
on CD (remastered) for the first time. (Omni)
A sixteen song collection of the finest cuts from the band's first four albums.
This is the only collection available. Includes two NEW songs, and two previously
unreleased acoustic versions of Contrast favorites - "Mystery #1" and
"Perfect Disguise"! Packaged in a beautiful tri-fold digi-pak. "One
of the best bands on the planet - and England too." - Little Steven Van Zandt
Tracks: Mystery #1 / Mask / Unfair Game / World's So Different / Can't Stand The
Light / Caught In A Trap / George Zipp / Perfect Disguise / Perfect Disguise (Acoustic)
/ Believe / How To Tell / Ansaphone / 57 / Big Dark Nowhere / Disconnected / Mystery
#1 (Acoustic) (Wicked Cool)Back In Stock |
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New LPs |
RAY
DAVIES DRUIDS
OF STONEHENGE NICK
LOWE BOB
MOULD MOUNTAIN
GOATS VAMPIRE
WEEKEND WEAKERTHANS
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How do you build on a quarter-century legacy and catalog as a living legend and
trailblazer of alternative rock? When you`re 47-year-old vet Bob Mould, you ignore
such accolades, and go straight to making hair-raisingly emotional, undeniably
catchy, loud, mature guitar rock albums. Yes, he was an `80s punk pioneer with
Husker Du, and indie rock god with `90s juggernaut, Sugar. But in between and
since, Mould has unleashed a half-dozen uncompromising solo LPs, unafraid to follow
inspirations where they`ve led - from 1989`s Richard Thompson-influenced Workbook
to 2002`s dancefloor-minded Modulate. Now, following 2005`s acclaimed, return-to-bracing
Body of Song, Mould is poised to rip the roof off further with the hard-hitting,
elastic District Line - his first for Anti Records. Ace Fugazi drummer Brendan
Canty returns from Body of Song, as the perfect backbone to Mould`s determined
guitar riffs, insistent basslines, and passionate, vulnerable singing. (Amy Domingues
also again adds beautifully bittersweet cello.) Recorded in a Washington D.C.
warehouse space with a mobile studio, District Line is a dozen flavors of Mould`s
inspired, instantly memorable, melodic songwriting and playing. (Anti) 
Reunion Tour is another superb tome from indie rocks most singular narrators,
The Weakerthans. The new album was recorded after-hours above a closed factory
in the cold Canadian spring, weaving the frontier loneliness of the environment
into rich lyrical yarns four years in the making. Songs such as `Sun in an Empty
Room`and `Civil Twilight` tell of individual journeys with a melancholic empathy
that Paste magazine has described as `songs of brutal beauty, little rock n roll
vignettes that perfectly capture the malaise of the peculiar, disorienting times
in which we live.` (Anti)DVDs |
FAIRPORT
CONVENTION
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Benjamin
Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie brought together 14 of his favorite bands on one
day in January 2007 to create a portrait of one of the world's most thriving music
scenes. Each band plays one song each in a jam-packed 55 minutes. The tension
rises throughout the day as we watch the sun set on a fabulous day and on a beautiful,
unwanted house. Artists include Spook the horse, Harvey Danger, Tiny Vipers, Blue
Scholards, Dave Bazen, Benjamin Gibbard, Eddie Vedder, Minus the Bear, The Cave
Singers, The Long Winters, Kinski, The Can't See, Triumph of Lethargy Skinned
Alive To Death, and Jesse Sykes & the Sweet Hereafter. The house at the center
of this edition was saved and recycled, rolled down the hill. Track Listing/Features:
Another New Year (Spook the horse), Little Round Mirrors (Harvey Danger), On This
Side (Tiny Vipers), Morning of America (Blue Scholars), Cold Beer and Cigarettes
(Bazen), Broken Yolk In Western Sky (Gibbard), Can't Keep (Vedder), Arctic Knights
(Minus the Bear), Called (Cave Singers), Departure (Long Winters), Crybaby Blowout
(Kinski), Barfight (Can't See), Big Bed (Triumph of Lethargy), The Air Is Thin
(Sykes & Sweet Hereafter). 
This film, directed and restored by renowned British film director Tony Palmer,
captures the band at the Maidstone Fiesta during the summer of 1970 as they run
through their set of the time which included various jigs and reels and the songs
"Sir Patrick Spens" and "Now Be Thankful". This line up was,
and still is, considered one of the key line ups of Fairport Convention: Richard
Thompson (Vocals, Guitar), Dave Swarbrick (Vocals,Fiddle, Mandolin), Dave Pegg
(Vocals, Bass Guitar, Mandolin), Dave Mattacks (Drums, Percussion), and Simon
Nicol (Vocals,Guitar,Electric Dulcimer). Apart from the footage contained on this
DVD, the Full House line up were never filmed commercially until reunions at the
bands regular Cropredy Festival years later. This film also features two songs
from Matthews Southern Comfort, the band led by former Fairport Convention member
Ian Matthews. Matthews Southern Comfort would also go on to have a massive hit
single with a cover of the Joni Mitchell song Woodstock in late 1970. The DVD
also includes bonus footage of an exclusive interview filmed in spring 2007 with
director Tony Palmer where he explains how he first met Fairport Convention and
his thoughts on the band and the film over thirty five years later. This interview
is a rare insight into the workings of one of the most unique and treasured of
Britain's bands. Track Listing/Features: Fairport Convention 'Various Jigs &
Reels' / Fairport Convention 'Sir Patrick Spens' / Fairport Convention 'Now Be
Thankful' / Matthews Southern Comfort 'My Front Pages' / Matthews Southern Comfort
'Southern Comfort' / Fairport Convention 'Flatback Caper' / Fairport Convention
'Jenny's Chickens & The Mason's Apron' / Bonus Materials: Exclusive interview
filmed in spring 2007 with director Tony PalmerFeb2008 Releases |
Upcoming Releases |
CHATHAM
COUNTY LINE COWBOY
JUNKIES
KATHLEEN
EDWARDS
FELICE
BROTHERS GUTTER
TWINS
TIFT
MERRITT
DOLLY
PARTON
WHISKEYTOWN Disc
One
Disc Two JIM
WHITE
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Inspired
by her life experiences, Stronger is a raw but touching recollection of her life
of the past few years. Years that included the wrenching sorrow of the sudden
death of her stepfather, mother, sister and ex-lover. Also in that same year she
experienced the euphoria of meeting and falling in love with the cowboy of her
dreams. On her latest work Stronger, her family musical legacy continues. Carlene
started the pre-production with her brother John Carter Cash in 2006 in anticipation
of an upcoming European tour. After performing the songs live, Carlene decided
she wanted to step up the songs' production and turned to her old friend and former
bandmember, John McFee of Doobie Brothers and Southern Pacific fame. Her recent
emotional peaks and valleys have also inspired Carlene to write the bulk of the
material on Stronger, making for her most honest, real and moving work to date.
New
traditionalists Chatham County Line are back with their most ambitious album to
date. The North Carolina quartet's fourth album IV, is a boozy blend of Americana
and loose acoustic rockers that exhibits the band's ever-evolving style. CCL continues
their dedication to traditional instruments by using their love for bluegrass
as a base on which to layer an eclectic blend of roots music. Bluegrass workouts
like "The Carolinian" stand beside pop geared numbers such as "Chip
of a Star" and the hard soul of "Birmingham Jail." The progression
seen on IV is helped along by indie pop musician and producer Chris Stamey (Yo
La Tengo, Alex Chilton, Alejandro Escovedo), making for a starkly heartfelt testament
to making the past new again.
On
November 27, 1987 the Cowboy Junkies set up a single microphone inside The Church
of the Holy Trinity in Toronto, Ontario and in one day recorded what would become
The Trinity Session, a landmark album of originals and covers grounded in traditional
country, blues, and folk, with a clear nod to The Velvet Underground. The album
would go on to sell millions of copies worldwide and establish the Cowboy Junkies
as one of the most influential bands of the alternative era. Now, 20 years later,
the Cowboy Junkies have returned to The Church of the Holy Trinity to celebrate
their most famous work with the help of special guests Ryan Adams, Natalie Merchant,
Vic Chesnutt, and Jeff Bird. This time around, the band brought some extra mics
and a camera crew along, and the result is a very special 2-disc set (1 CD &
1 DVD), filmed in high-definition video and mixed in stereo and 5.1 Surround Sound
which captures the essence of the Cowboy Junkies and their landmark album as never
before. A bonus documentary about the making of the album is also included. (Rounder)
Kathleen
Edwards' Asking for Flowers is her first new album in three years, and the acclaimed
artist's most penetrating collection to date. The album features eleven new songs,
all written by Edwards, and finds her performing at the peak of her creative powers,
supported by a group of master backing musicians. Flowers tells indelible, clear-eyed
stories of hope and resignation, humor and death, unconditional love and brazen
inequality. Co-produced by Edwards and Jim Scott (Tom Petty, Whiskeytown), the
album features, among others, keyboardist Benmont Tench from The Heartbreakers,
drummer Don Heffington (Bob Dylan, The Wallflowers), bassist Bob Glaub (Jackson
Browne, Warren Zevon, Leonard Cohen), guitarist Colin Cripps (Sarah McLachlan,
Bryan Adams), and pedal steel ace Greg Leisz (Sheryl Crow, Wilco, Robert Plant
& Alison Krauss). (Rounder)
The
Felice Brothers' self-titled American debut is a collection of songs originally
recorded to sell to make ends meet on the streets of New York. The band made these
"field recordings" wherever they could: an abandoned cafeteria, a broken
down school bus, a chicken coop, a derailed train, and under a bridge. In these
tales of murder, pathos, lust, and love, you'll find an honest new brand of American
storytelling and song. "Scruffy and scratched Americana that recalls Townes
Van Zandt, Guy Clark, and early Springsteen" - Time Out London. "The
Felice Brothers' Catskills folk is rough around the edges and intoxicating. Ryan
Adams, eat your heart out" - Metroland / Best Of 2007. "Backwoods Americana
is all the rage, but this band of brothers is a cut above the rest" - The
Sun UK (4 stars).
The
first album from the collaboration forged in late 2003 by Mark Lanegan and fellow
maverick singer-songwriter Greg Dulli. "Saturnalia" finds the Dulli
nicknamed "Satanic Everly Brothers" going even deeper into the shadows
than ever before. It proves rootsy but baroque, handmade yet modernist, teeming
with siren melodies that don't resolve. The cumulative effect proves internal
yet epic: the netherworld symphonics of Mogwai, Sigur Ros, and Bohren und der
Club of Gore are touchstones, alongside the sprawling emotions of Pink Floyd,
the melodically catchy paranoia of the Beach Boys, the primal confessionals of
John Lennon. Still, what Dulli and Lanegan achieve ultimately feels like the determinedly
individual product of two auteurs coming together. (Sub Pop)
On
this, her debut album for Fantasy, Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Tift lets
fly with 11 new original tunes crafted into her most cohesive and personal album
to date. The album is beautifully and elegantly produced by George Drakoulias
and recorded by David Bianco. The players include guitarists Charlie Sexton and
Doug Pettibone and Tift's longtime band, Zeke Hutchins (drums), Jay Brown (bass)
and Danny Eisenberg (keyboards). Inspiration for the songs on the album came when,
after intensive touring, Merritt erased her grueling schedule and rented a flat
with a piano in Paris's 10th arrondisment planning to take time off. Merritt describes
the writing as a plainspoken look at the distance we all attempt to cross: between
two people, between one heart and the rest of the world. (Concord Music Group)
Produced
by: Kent Wells & Dolly Parton. Track Listing: Better Get To Livin'/Made Of
Stone/Drives Me Crazy/Backwoods Barbie/Jesus & Gravity/Only Dreamin'/Tracks
Of My Tears/The Lonesomes/Cologne/Shinola/I Will Forever Hate Roses/Somebody's
Everything. (Dolly Records)
"Whiskeytown's first major-label release, 1997's Stranger's Almanac, brought
a lot of critical attention, particularly to the band's young singer and songwriter
Ryan Adams. His world-weary drawl is pervasive throughout the album, with an honesty
that belies his age (Adams was 22 at the time of recording, but many of the songs
were written well before then). Credit must also be given to violinist and vocalist
Caitlin Cary, whose good old-time fiddle sings above the rest of the band's crash
and swagger, and whose vocal harmonies help to soothe Adams' gritty yowls and
croons. The radio single "16 Days" is one of the stronger tracks, starting
forlorn but quickly accelerating through the chorus, and "Everything I Do"
pulls in some understated Hammond B-3 organ and a Memphis-style horn section.
...Overall, Stranger's Almanac is a good listen and a fine introduction to both
the band's brash muscle and Adams' bitterly tender songcraft." - Zac Johnson,
All Music Guide. (Geffen)
Jim
White traveled many a junkyard road to get to "Transnormal Skiperoo".
Now living in an old farmhouse in the backwoods of Georgia, Jim White may have
finally reached a place called home, but his other search, for what he calls 'the
gold tooth in God's crooked smile' continues in this new set of backyard tales.
"Transnormal Skiperoo" was produced by Joe Pernice and Michael Deming,
recorded with the band Ollabelle, and also features tracks with Tucker Martine
and Laura Veirs, local Georgia legend Don Chambers & Goat, bluegrass duo Jeff
& Vida and percussionist Mauro Refosco. (Luaka Bop)Payment Options |
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