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"This
is the fourth record by Minnesota based Captain Yonder featuring the songs of
main man Ryan Pfeiffer. The press release tells us the band have been described
as ‘existential country’, particularly given the eccentric style of
Ryan’s vocals, much of it sounds like the Decemberists in a celebrity death
match with Jonathan Richman, with David Lynch putting in an appearance as the
ideal referee. ‘Ode To Trucker 9’ is an odd tale of ice queens and piles
of frozen bodies, it wanders into the same box as Stan Ridgeway’s Vietnam
ghost tale ‘Camouflage’. ‘The Black Dress’ is possibly the
most enjoyable song, with a female lead vocal from Esme Schwall, who plays cello
in the band, this, like several on the record, has a saw warbling away in the
background, creating an unsettling effect that alternates between whimsical and
disturbing...8 out of 10" -- Patrick Wilkins, Americana-uk.com
Never Cried Once When I Could Have There is a haunting sadness to this gentle,
thought-provoking album. The band, led by Carl Mathson, is tight, as this mostly
live-in-the studio recording shows, but the mood is relaxed, creating a soft and
warm environment for the bordering-on-depressing songs. There is a subtle, dark
beauty to these songs that require an attentive ear. It is worth the extra effort.
-- Jeff Weiss, Miles of Music (Rootsy)
Nearly
a decade of playing together, complete with false starts, personnel changes and
ill-fated record releases would dampen the spirits of most bands. Liberty Jones
have fought through it to create an impassioned collection of Southern rock, power-pop
and, oddly, but fittingly, Canadian folk. The originals are simple odes to love
and heartbreak... and kiss-offs. They complete this highly enjoyable record with
covers from George Harrison, Steve Earle, Neil Young and Gordon Lightfoot. --
Jeff Weiss, Miles of Music (Indian Proud Entertainment)
Working
with Grammy Award-winning producer/guitarist Pete Anderson (Dwight Yoakam, Roy
Orbison, k.d.lang, Sara Evans, Jackson Browne, Flaco Jimenez, Meat Puppets), Adam
has recorded an album with great soul and depth -- here's an artist who sounds
like a cross between Delbert McClinton and Al Green. On "'Different Groove,"
Adam pushes musical boundaries with a compelling work that crosses a variety of
roots music genres -- rock, blues, country, and even Zydeco - and features lyrics
that sound too insightful for someone his age. (Little Dog) 
The
title of the release says "It Can Never Happen Here".The ten tracks
-- seven penned by Koonce -- repeatedly remind that history is littered with stories
that prove it can and has happened here. The senseless brutality of racism, the
darkness that explodes from the mind of a madman, and the plight of the poor are
subjects of Koonce's barbed pen. This traditional acoustic folk is somber but
not searching for sympathy. Instead, Koonce pulls back the curtain to reveal.
The listener can decide what to do next. - Jeff Weiss, Miles of Music (Moon)
Arguably
the most gifted songwriter of his generation, Smith produced a large body of work
that includes five solo albums and a collection of songs completed before his
death in 2003. This double CD contains twenty-four songs recorded between 1994
and 1997, a prolific time in Elliott's career, when he recorded his self-titled
album and "Either/Or". Like his other work, "New Moon" reflects
the power of Smith's ability to integrate rich, melodic music with poetic, multi-layered
lyrics. Track Listing:Angel In The Snow/Talking To Mary/High Times/New Monkey/Looking
Over My Shoulder/Going Nowhere/Riot Coming/All Cleaned Out/First Timer/Go By/Miss
Misery (early version)/Thirteen/Georgia, Georgia/Whatever (folk song in C)/Big
Decision/Placeholder/New Disaster/Seen How Things Are Heard/Fear City/Either-Or/Pretty
Mary K (other version)/Almost Over/See You Later/Half Right/(Kill Rock Star) 
"At
the still rather tender age of 26, Ben Weaver makes this his fifth album just
as strong as his previous release, Stories Under Nails. With a deft delivery that
brings to mind the likes of Nick Cave and Tom Waits, Weaver shines on the gorgeous
and haunting "In November" and the slightly more up-tempo "Wings
as Knives", which sounds like a gravelly version of the Handsome Family.
The album has a very rustic feeling to it, whether it is the barren "Plastic
Bag" or the lovely "Like a Vine After the Sun", both sounding as
if they'd fit on Steve Earle's comeback album Train a Comin' or I Feel Alright.
Even the politically motivated tracks like "The Unelected" soar with
a great sense of timing..." -- Jason MacNeil, popmatters.com (Fugawee Bird)
"The
Little Darling CD was never finished (we cut a lot of songs but never were given
the chance to correct mistakes or overdub background vocals or anything else.)
i.e. We were given one run through and that was it. They wouldn't allow any of
my originals and that result is tandem to me doing Karaoke on Little Darling songs.
A couple of the songs I begged not to have to sing as I really did not like them.
In that regard it really was Nashville 1966. KOCH is releasing it under protest
of me and Lloyd Green." -- Dale Watson. 
Produced
by LaFave and recorded in Austin, it features the immense talents of his regular
band: John Inmon on guitar and lap steel, Andrew Hardin on guitar, Radoslav Lorkavic
on keys, Wally Doggett on drums and Jeff May on bass. Looking to include some
of his favorite female singers, LaFave invited Ruthie Foster, Carrie Rodriguez
and Kacy Crowley to lend their vocals, adding their full harmonies to four tracks.
Recorded with friends and neighbors, the disc has an organic feel that grew out
of the red dirt of LaFave's childhood. Cimarron Manifesto is LaFave's personal
response to the country's changing cultural landscape, exploring themes of loss,
war and wanderlust. Amidst his brilliant originals, Jimmy reinvents classics by
Bob Dylan (Not Dark Yet), Donovan (Catch The Wind) and Joe South (Walk A Mile
In My Shoes).(Red House)
Former
frontman for Best Kissers in the World (Sub Pop, MCA Records), and former Warner
Bros. solo recording artist, Gerald Collier has left Seattle and moved to Portland,
re-grouped, formed a new backing band, and is back in full force. As All-Music
Guide puts it, "...if there's one thing to say about Gerald Collier, it's
that he has an uncanny knack for getting under the skin to tweak at the heartstrings.
With an impassioned delivery and taut sense of timing, Collier is certainly one
of the most overlooked vocalists... angst with edge and sorrow through sound...
These songs are solid and sing-a-longable too." (In Music We Trust) 
On
their third full-length, The Clientele are setting free their inner Monkees with
a lovely blend of Big Star twisted powerpop, Byrdsian country achin', and flashes
of The Beatles at their most joyful and upbeat. The ghosts, half-light, and uncertainties
remain, but included in this music is a newfound optimism. With the addition of
piano and violin, the band paints from a broader palette, adding splashes of pedal
steel and slide guitar to their already lush songs. Their most accomplished and
triumphant record. Recorded in Nashville with Mark Nevers (Lambchop, Bonnie "Prince"
Billy, Calexico, Silver Jews). (Merge Records) 
The
Great Lake Swimmers album, entitled "Ongiara," was recorded at the Aeolian
Hall, the acoustic jewel in the heart of London, Ontario, and was engineered by
Andy Magoffin. Fronted by singer-songwriter Tony Dekker, the album was made with
core members Erik Arnesen and Colin Huebert, along with several special guests
including Bob Egan (Blue Rodeo, Wilco), Serena Ryder, and Owen Pallett (Final
Fantasy). Great Lake Swimmers explores the worlds of indie folk, roots music and
alt-country pop, with a focus on lyrics and the craft of songwriting. The records
are permeated with the lush natural reverb of various acoustically unique locations,
which create the backdrop for the melancholic songs. The atmospheric sound has
been referred to as "ambient folk." (Nettwerk Records)
The
debut from this LA-based group is a tour-de-force of gorgeous folk-pop melody
and uplifting sentiment. Produced by Tom Monahan (Pernice Brothers, Devendra Banhart,
Brightblack Morning Light), and featuring the incomparable soprano voice of Becky
Stark, the album includes twelve new songs and original artwork by drummer and
noted artist/cartoonist Ron Rege. The band's slightly tongue-in-cheek demands
for world peace and harmony are subtly undercut by minor key modes and absurdist
lyrics. The result is deeply entertaining and subversive. (Matador Records)
The
tight three-part harmonies, down-home songwriting, and undeniable pedal steel
from Axton Kincaid are getting the attention of music critics and American roots-music
fans, not just in the SF Bay area, but all over the world. The result of five
friends choosing to get back to their roots after a decade of playing indie rock,
their debut full-length recording features compelling sounds and stories of everyday
people. These songs come from a group of people who spent their childhoods crawling
on barroom floors and running through wide open spaces, who learned to ride before
they could walk, and learned to drink before they could talk. "Recalling
moments of Freakwater and The Be Good Tanyas, and armed with dazzling three-layer
harmonies." - San Francisco Bay Guardian (Trade Root Music) 
With
Recado, the legendary Texas songwriter's fourth release, Vince Bell tastefully
presents his songs in acoustic arrangements that bring out the subtle magic of
his carefully crafted lyrics. He is one of those rare artists who transcend category:
it's a little folk and a bit rock, a little country, some blues and jazz. Bell's
life is also the stuff of legend: driving home after a recording session, a drunk
driver broadsided his car and he suffered broken bones, a mangled right arm and
a severe traumatic brain injury. His death notice appeared in the paper. Awaking
from a coma a month later, Bell embarked on a courageous, decade-long journey
to re-claim his identity, his music and his career. Recado is a meaningful reflection
on life from Bell's unique perspective, with hope and human dignity in its core.
He knows a thing or two about both.(Steadyboy Records)
Ranger
Motel, delivers the close-to-the-earth blend of acoustic and electric music that
typifies Red Dirt. It should be noted that Ranger Motel was the final disc recorded
at Tulsa's legendary Church Studio by Steve Ripley, leader of the multi-platinum
selling group The Tractors. If Ranger Motel sounds at times like the Great Lost
Sir Douglas Quintet album that's because it features keyboardist Augie Meyers,
a key architect of Sir Doug's sound. Ranger Motel isn't just the best disc the
Red Dirt Rangers have ever made, it's a living an vibrant snapshot of what Red
Dirt music is all about - its past,its present, and its future. (Lazy SOB) 
The
arrangements and productions of Keren Ann are ripe with subtle surprises, imbued
with an organic character that belies the scrutiny with which she refined the
album. "Lay Your Head Down" is propelled by handclaps, harmonica, and
a mix of legato and pizzicato strings, all rolling beneath a circling guitar riff
and blissful vocal. Gossamer choral vocals waft through lines of trumpet and glassine
piano on "Liberty," while "It Ain't No Crime" lumbers forward
in heavy boots, dirty guitars, and distorted drums churning in a dark, pensive
vortex. Cuts like "The Harder Ships of the World" and "It's All
a Lie" reveal new facets of her evolving artistry. (Blue Note) 
Sea
Wolf is the vehicle for Alex Church's songs. Born in the small gold rush town
of Columbia, CA, his musical memories were shaped by ad hoc bluegrass outfits
playing for tourists on sidewalks of his hometown, coupled with Beatles and Willie
Nelson records on his mom's turntable. The sound he sought and achieved on this
record is a combination of delicate, arching melodies and foggy, elegiac narratives.
Over the spare instrumentation, his voice can be weary or buoyant, but it's always
capable of leaving an indelible impression. "Lushly orchestrated indie rock"
- LA Times. (Dangerbird Records)
Track
Listings: It's Comin' & It Wont Be Long/Old Song/Louise/Think About It/So
Hard to Fall/Good to With You/We Were Foolish Like Flowers/Avalanche/For What
Was Gained. (DBK Works) 
Track
Listings:Don't Leave Me Here for Dead/It Wasn't a Lie/Sign of a Desperate Man/I
Will Wait/What Is It Like to Be Free/ She Touched Me/Lie With Me/I Was the Rebel
(She Was the Cause)/Secrets/Go Now, Deborah. (DBK Works) 
Much
of this recording was conceived as a 20-year update and progression from the duo's
release Chiaroscuro, released on Windham Hill Records in 1985, which sold over
65,000 copies. As Darol and Mike have both learned so much about life and music
since then, they hoped to extrapolate on what would become a lot of folks' favorite
instrumental recording. The wish to make a musical "message from the future"
that would reflect their present emotional, intellectual and spiritual selves.
They tried to not get too hung up on perfection but to communicate a vibe; to
showcase the glorious sounds of their string instruments playing music in a space
"big enough to do it in." (Adventure Music) 
Their
fourth release is the follow-up to the critically acclaimed "Junkie Faithful"
and delivers tracks that hearken back to the roots of rock n' roll. "Modern
and ancient, punk and pub, heart-breaking and knife-wielding, Ike Reilly's new
record plays for keeps" - NY Times. (Rock Ridge Music) 
With 18 tracks, 12 of which are previously unreleased, the album has contributions
from a wide range of critically acclaimed artists, among them Alejandro Escovedo
(whom Larry performed with periodically), T-Model Ford, Vic Chesnutt, Jim Dickinson
(with Duff Dorrough), Robert Earl Keen, Cary Hudson (Blue Mountain), Brent Best
(Slobberbone, The Drams) and the North Mississippi Allstars, to name a few. Some
of these songs were written for the project, songs for Larry and about his characters,
such as Caroline Herrings Song For Fay, exploring the title character of Fay,
a novel published in 2000. The album closes with a song performed by Larry himself,
accompanied by Clyde Edgerton, a Southern novelist of great renown. Track Listings:
Blue Car (Greg Brown)/Forget You (Bo Ramsey)/Song in C (Cary Hudson)/Song for
Fay (Caroline Herring)/Babys Got New Plans (Alejandro Escovedo)/Thirsty Fingers
(Scott Miller & the Commonwealth)/Robert Cole (Brent Best)/Another Place in
Time (Pieta Brown)/Love Me (T-Model Ford)/Counting on You (Robert Earl Keen)/Heres
to My Disgrace (Ben Weaver)/Mountain in Mississippi (Tate Moore)/The Bridge (Tim
Lee & Susan Bauer Lee)/Going Down with Larry Brown (Madison Smartt Bell &
Wyn Cooper)/Fish (Vic Chesnutt)/Glory (North Mississippi Allstars w-Otha Turner
& the Rising Star Fife & Drum Band)/Ill Remember You (Jim Dickinson &
Duff Dorrough)/Dont Let the Door (Larry Brown w/Clyde Edgerton). 
The challenge is finding only one outstanding area to highlight. Rachel Harrington's
bittersweet and mournful voice, her melancholy story telling, the exemplary musicianship
courtesy of some of the finest players, and terrific song production are all competing
for top billing in the "oh, I like that part the best!" contest. This
full-length debut is a terrific, intimate folk/bluegrass record. --- Jeff Weiss,
Miles of Music (Skinny Dennis)
Ramsay Midwood's music is lo-fi, bluesy, and pure. Midwood's haunting presence
summons an in-tune Tom Waits without the clang, or a more energetic Leon Redbone.
The all-star band, including Randy Weeks, drummer Don Heffington (who also serves
as producer), Kip Boardman, Phil Parlapiano, and Greg Liesz provide an earthy
and honest foundation for Midwood's stream-of-consciousness tales. Honest, weird
and true, Midwood view of Americana sounds like no one else, but is also firmly
rooted in the history of American folk music. -- Jeff Weiss, Miles of Music (Farmwire
Music) 
A longtime member of the Los Angeles Americana community, Weeks re-emerges with
a long-overdue follow-up to his 2000 Hightone release Madeline. From the same
scene that supports the likes of Ramsey Midwood, Mike Stinson, Tony Gilkyson and
Kip Boardman (the usual suspects), he finds himself in familiar company on Sold
Out as all of these guys support him musically here too. These terrific arrangements
also gain from the assistance of communal side-men Don Heffington (drums), Josh
Grange (guitar, bass, pedal-steel), Tommy Larkins (drums) and keyboardist Danny
McGough, who co-produces here with Weeks. His songs have irresistible charm, flowing
with easygoing melodies, like the Jayhawks-esque numbers "This Is The Last
Time" and "Another Sunny Day", and are rich with harmony vocals
from nearly everybody. The chooglin', Gospel-country flavored "Big Man Make
The Little Girl Cry" feels like a revival in 3 minutes, but most songs are
well paced with touches of rural roots flavor. Mostly acoustic based, built upon
Weeks and his guitar, the heart and soul of Sold Out At The Cinema is his thoughtful
songwriting and everyman sincerity. (self-released)
LA's Randy Weeks is an amazing roots-pop artist, one who is ready and deserving
of the spoils of recognition and respect. He plays live at least every other week,
with and to the cream of Southern California's Americana community. Performing
and recording with the likes of guitarist Tony Gilkyson (X, Lone Justice) drummer/singer
Mike Stinson, keyboardist Danny McGough (Eleni Mandell, Social Distortion) and
bassist Joshua Grange (Victoria Williams, Eleni Mandell, Shannon McNally), Weeks
may also be found on discs by Ramsay Midwood, Anny Celsi, Kip Boardman and Dwight
Yoakam, among others. The frustrating thing is this: for a guy with such an appealing
voice, so many great songs, and wagonload of great musical chums, why the heck
hasn't he landed a crack recording deal? This one'll put 'em straight for sure.
The ten tracks on Sugarfinger breeze through on a subtle wind, his bittersweet
yet hopeful material - sung with an amiable tone that stretches irony with catchy
like saltwater taffy - grazes your sympathetic heartstrings every note down the
line. -- Robinson, Miles Of Music (self-released) 
Country-rock
singer Rhett Miller takes a break from his day job fronting the Old 97's and goes
it alone for this solo performance. Among the songs performed are "Four-Eyed
Girl," "Stoned," and "Our Love." (Decca)
Singer-songwriter
David Poe straps on an acoustic guitar and takes to the stage to perform at the
World Cafe on this release. Poe performs 10 songs, including "Blue Glass
Fall" and "Apartment." (Decca)
Almost three years after the Arcade Fire's 2004 full-length debut, Funeral, stunned
indie-rock fans with its majestic scope and romantic ferocity, the Montreal-based
ensemble returned with Neon Bible. Although the album lacks the from-out-of-nowhere
punch of the former record, it serves as a fitting successor, with the group's
sweeping sound enhanced by even more prominent layers of piano, organ, strings,
and percussion. As on FUNERAL, married multi-instrumentalists Win Butler and Regine
Chassagne share vocal duties, and their distinctive singing adds to the emotional
weight of each song, from the urgent, bass-heavy "Keep the Car Running"
to the brooding, cinematic "Black Waves/Bad Vibrations." And while the
Arcade Fire's post-punk influences are still on display, they are more fully integrated
into the band's ambitious aesthetic, as best evidenced on the lush, nearly operatic
update of "No Cars Go," which originally appeared on its '03 EP. With
its cathedral-like grandeur kept in check by the group's restless energy, Neon
Bible features both slowly revealed charms and immediate thrills, easily making
it one of the most impressive albums of early '07.(Merge) 
" As a songwriter and guitarist, Built to Spill's Doug Martsch has "a
firm background in remembering," as he sings in "Bad Light," on
the band's beguiling new album, Keep It Like a Secret. Martsch's zigging, zagging
vocal melodies and explosive, loud-soft-loud hook dynamics are right out of the
Pixies and Husker Du song manuals. There are traces of Lou Reed and the hyperwriting
of '66 Bob Dylan in Secret's lyric mix of run-on, conversational syntax and curveball
wordplay ...And if you break down the interlocking shimmer and sting of Martsch's
overdubbed guitars, you find an odd blend of precedents: the spiky, backwoods-existentialist
phrasing of Robbie Robertson; Tom Verlaine's silvery, spit-curl flourishes; the
glassy strum of the Smiths' Johnny Marr. But Martsch's particular genius -- which
has slowly, assuredly unfolded in the course of Built to Spill's four studio albums
since 1993 -- is the vivid tension he generates between earnest romanticism and
howling dischord..." David Fricke, Rollungstone.com (WEA)
"Built to Spill are less a formal band than a shifting cast of musicians
directed by songwriter, singer and multi-instrumentalist Doug Martsch of Boise,
Idaho. Perfect From Now On, the outfit's third album, is eight tracks that check
in at a total of more than 54 minutes, allowing Martsch room for his expansive
melodies to shift course, fade and reappear, or to transform themselves into new
tunes at different tempos. He layers on keyboards, percussion and cello - but
not at the expense of the guitar-bass-drums foundation - and maintains an emphasis
on instrumental passages that are short on flash but long on atmospheric swirl."
-- Greg Kot, Rollingstone.com (WEA)
"Built to Spill haven`t released an album for five years, and the time off
seems to have rejuvenated the band -- You in Reverse is full of fire and energy.
The bandmembers play with a thrilling blend of abandon and sensitivity on this
mix of accessible guitar rockers, twisting and turning guitar workouts, and somber
balladry with enough intelligence and emotion to put groups half their age to
shame..." --Tim Sendra, All Music Guide (WEA) 
The
debut from this LA-based group is a tour-de-force of gorgeous folk-pop melody
and uplifting sentiment. Produced by Tom Monahan (Pernice Brothers, Devendra Banhart,
Brightblack Morning Light), and featuring the incomparable soprano voice of Becky
Stark, the album includes twelve new songs and original artwork by drummer and
noted artist/cartoonist Ron Rege. The band's slightly tongue-in-cheek demands
for world peace and harmony are subtly undercut by minor key modes and absurdist
lyrics. The result is deeply entertaining and subversive. (Matador Records)
"The
Pretty Things packs the band's lock-up-your-daughters-and-liquor-cabinets stage
charm into tightly wound Bo Diddley covers...and white R&B bullets..."
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