"Fever" by Kings of Convenience

Norwegian acoustic duo Kings of Convenience have released "Fever", the second single from their upcoming album Peace or Love.  The single is a warm, summery tune and a good example of the act's songwriting skills and ease in performing together. I particularly like the extended instrumental portions of the song, which add to the relaxed atmosphere in the song.

Kings of Convenience are Glambeck Boe and Erlend Oye. Peace or Love is their first album in a decade, and will be out on June 18.

Kings Of Convenience · Fever

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Various links for "Fever"

The Sunbathers - A Weekend Away With ...

Paul and Julie live in the English midlands, not particularly close to the sea.  But from the name of their band to the themes, sun-kissed vibes, and field sounds (or beach sounds?) in their songs, they seem to be living in a hut at the edge of the dunes.  So we present to you, The Sunbathers, duo who will help you hold on to a bit more of summer as the leaves start to turn.  The band previously released shorter recordings with Dufflecoat and Cloudberry, but we now have their new full length album, A Weekend Away With ... .  Characterized by gentle acoustic strumming, soothing melodies and Julie's sweet voice, and boasting a generous 15 tracks, it is the perfect accompaniment for your weekend--this weekend or any other for that matter. 

A Weekend Away With ... is out now in digital and CD formats with Jigsaw Records.  See the Bandcamp link at the bottom of this post.





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The Pygmy Tribe - Portraits

After a long holiday weekend, we are going to start off with something a bit quieter than usual.  Specifically, we present Portraits by Chicago's Pygmy Tribe.  Featuring delicate, earnest vocals and subdued but interesting arrangements, it has brought a welcome calm to our hectic Wednesday.  We also appreciate the band providing lyrics with the stream.  A few of our favorites are below.  If you like them, you can stream the entire album at the Bandcamp link.

Pygmy Tribe is Sal Plan, Daniel Lyter, and Jon Westbrook.  Portraits is available as a digital download.






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Sodastream - Little By Little

Welcome back, Sodastream!  After a decade of meditation and reflection (I made that up as I have no personal knowledge of how either of them spent that ten years), the Melbourne indie pop duo consisting of Karl Smith and Pete Cohen is back with Little By Little.  The album contains ten graceful, melodic, acoustic songs of the sort the band delivered in their previous four albums, earning them fans at home and abroad.   And don't be fooled by the "acoustic" tag; these songs have a bristling energy and drive, as if they've been straining to leave the songwriters' heads and be heard.  Moreover, Smith and Cohen have augmented the proceedings with guest musicians (including some horns) and vocalists, adding to the vibrancy and scope of the recordings.

There should always be a place in your life for albums like Little By Little.  It is available now via Sodastream Music.  See the Bandcamp link below.

And here is hoping that we don't have to wait as long for the next album.







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Faith Eliott - Insects

Insects, by musician and visual artist Faith Eliott, is a delightful collection so songs - delicate but not fragile, simply arranged but rich in content.  It is lo fi, raw, and at times experimental, but still provides pop gems such as opener "Pyrite Ammonite" or the quietly aching "Distance".  It reflects time and place (many songs were recorded in rural Nebraska), as well as the perceptive inner space of the composer.  Quite pleasing on the first listen, its power and beauty grow with each spin.  Put on headphones and sit on a park bench or your back garden, and let the magic wash over you.

Faith is from Minnesota, but has lived in Edinburgh for the last decade.  In addition to working as an artist, Faith has worked on several other musician's projects.  However, this is Faith's first recording of original compositions.

Insects is out in digital and cassette formats via Edinburgh's Song By Toad Records.





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Joey Kneiser and Kelly Smith - Live From The Standard Deluxe

Very few people reading this were at the Standard Deluxe in Waverly, Alabama on July 18 (OK, most of us have never been in Waverly at any point).  But there was some music magic in the air that night.  Joey Kneiser (mainstay of Glossary, the best heart-on-the-sleeve, booze-soaked southern rock band you may not have heard of) and Kelly Smith (also a Glossary vet and Joey's ex) decided to record a live show at The Standard Deluxe in Waverly.  While I like to choose my own words here, I'll borrow what another wrote about the event - it was capturing lightning in a bottle.  The trade off for not having a professional studio, multiple takes and computer editing is more than compensated for by the raw emotion and electric atmosphere that is evident in the record of the evening.  Two excellent performers with years of history singing together played a set of old Glossary tunes and songs from some of Joey's solo work for an appreciative audience.  Live From The Standard Deluxe is available in digital and CD formats.  See the Bandcamp or This Is American Music links below, or visit your usual digital sales outfit.  You also can stream the entire album at the Bandcamp link, which should help you decide that you need a dose of Joey, Kelly and The Standard Deluxe in your life.

The Wildness, Joey's next studio album, will be released by This Is American Music in late November, featuring Joey, Kelly and a full band.







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This Is American Music page for release

Poor Frisco - Ghosts EP

Five friends from East Kilbride in Scotland comprise Poor Frisco.  While they usually play crunchy power pop and guitar pop, they released the Ghosts EP on Halloween.  The EP includes acoustic version of songs included in their live, plugged-in sets.  And quite generously, they have made it available as a fee download on Bandcamp.  I think it is a very nice set of acoustic pop songs.  Stream it below and download it if you like it.



In July the band released a self-titled EP of crunchy power pop and guitar pop.  You can listen/buy it here.  And you can have a taste right now -



Poor Frisco is David Canning, Andrew Cleland, David Fleck, Callum McSorley and Scott Murray.

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"Heaven Ain't High" from Little Shoes Big Voice

In late August we introduced London duo Little Shoes Big Voice via their tracks "Blue Veins" and "Nightfall" (link).  And while we haven't done any due diligence on the size of anyone's shoes, we can endorse Jack Durtnall's production skills and the size of Emily Harvey's voice. Their latest track is the dramatic slow-burner "Heaven Ain't High".  I particularly like how they infuse the song with emotion without relying on excess production touches.  Enjoy --



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REVIEW: Tim O'Brien and Darrell Scott - Memories and Moments

Tim O'Brien and Darrell Scott are Americana royalty. Among other achievements, I have always treasured O'Brien's 1996 album of Dylan covers Red on Blonde. Their talent is also highly sought after in mainstream Nashville country, where the competition to have songs recorded is fierce. You would be hard-pressed to find another duo whose songs have been recorded by chart-toppers like The Dixie Chicks, Dierks Bentley, Nickel Creek, Kathy Mattea, Faith Hill, Guy Clark, Sam Bush, Brad Paisley, Sara Evans, Garth Brooks, Patty Loveless, Trace Adkins and Tim McGraw. This partially explains why, after their 2000 record Real Time met with such universal acclaim, it still took 13 years for them to find the time to record a followup. But man, was it worth the wait. I have rarely heard a duo with such perfect vocal harmonies and such perfectly coordinated instrumental runs. On some of the longer songs, they really stretch out and play - check out "Fiddler Jones":



Scott's from Kentucky and O'Brien from West Virginia, but even without knowing that, anyone listening can tell they come by their mountain music credentials honestly. Add to that their willingness and qualifications to address mountaintop removal and the legacy of mining in that part of the world: note their dead-on take on John Prine's "Paradise" (including a version with Prine himself), which plays off their original song "Keep Your Dirty Lights On" - odes to a back-breaking legacy and mountains removed, never to return, so a growing nation could have power and "Mr. Peabody" could keep his coal train filled.



There are common country and mountain music themes - religion ("On Life's Other Side"), family ("Memories and Moments"), love both found ("Angel's Blue Eyes") and lost (an absolutely devastating, mournful take on Hank Williams' "Alone and Forsaken").



And the album features unadorned traditional country and mountain music instrumentation - just perfect interplay among resonators, acoustic guitars, fiddles and mandolins. The album is on a newly formed label, Full Skies (a combination of Scott's Full Light and O'Brien's Howdy Skies) and distributed via Thirty Tigers. It's wonderful in every way - great singing, great playing, and you can feel their love for the music. You can buy it at their combined website (link below) - either digital or physical CD.

Tim and Darrell website
Howdy Skies (Tim O'Brien) website
Full Light (Darrell Scott) website
Thirty Tigers

NEW SONG: Jeremy Squires - "Open"

We recently featured a song from North Carolina singer/songwriter Jeremy Squires (WYMA post here), and are delighted to have another spare, beautiful folk ballad from him to share with you. Bit of a story with this one - he discovered the lyrics in the form of a poem by Anna-Lynne Williams, who publishes/records as Lotte Kestner, and thought they deserved to be in a song. So he wrote music and recorded it.



This reminds me a bit of Richard Buckner or Damien Jurado in that Squires, like Buckner and Jurado, somehow uses the space between sounds to amplify the effect of his vocals and fingerpicked guitar work. It's beautiful and you need to have this song. He's got an album coming out in October.

Jeremy Squires website
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NEW SONG: The Royal Oui - "When You Lose Your Mind" (from Forecast EP, out in Oct.)

The Royal Oui is a Vancouver-based duo playing a style of folk that features acoustic guitar with reverb, minimal percussion and some spectacular vocal harmonies. Ari Shine and Adrienne Pierce have recorded individually for some time, and together as the Royal Oui since a little while after they married in 2008. This is really beautiful stuff - her high, light vocal and his understated style mesh well together, and based on this song, they create a highly evocative sound behind the vocals. Here's "When You Lose Your Mind":



And here's a little video teaser for the EP:



Listen, learn more, check out tour dates at their website or the label, File Under: Music.

The Royal Oui website
File Under: Music

New Video from William Tyler - "A Portrait of Sarah"

Nashville guitarist William Tyler's Impossible Truth is one of the best records of 2013... and one of the best guitar instrumental records since John Fahey's heyday. We reviewed it here, and have shared a few videos that were released as followups. In addition to his guitar work, Tyler runs a restaurant/music venue in Nashville, The Stone Fox. And he makes engaging, interesting videos, like this one for album track "A Portrait of Sarah". Made with Nashville filmmaker Michael Carter, it's an homage to the 1971 film Two Lane Blacktop, and once again Tyler's music serves as a cinematic inspiration.



Read more about Tyler and the album, listen or just buy it at Merge Records.

New Folk Music Discovery: Jeremy Squires - "Oblivious" from upcoming album due in October

North Carolina singer/songwriter Jeremy Squires is new to me, and has a very impressive, delicate fingerpicking acoustic guitar style and a terrific voice. Here's a new song he made available last week:



This is in advance of his next album, When Will You Go, due out in October. I'm already looking forward to hearing more from him. You can learn more and listen to more of his music, including the offer of a free sampler in return for your email, at his website.

Here's another recent track he made available for download, a cover of a Damien Jurado song, "Sheets":



I hear echoes of other acoustic favorites like early Richard Buckner and, of course, Jurado's work. Squires is an impressive talent.

Jeremy Squires website
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New Folk/Roots Discovery: Betse Ellis - High Moon Order

Kansas City fiddler Betse Ellis has released her second album, High Moon Order. She founded and played for the last several years with alt-country band The Wilders, but on this album she's pulled together a group of musicians in service of her own sound. It's a striking sound - unvarnished vocals, absolutely fiery fiddling and a variation in tempos from quietly beautiful to ferocious, especially on the upbeat punk number "The Complainer".



There are also nods to influences both subtle and overt, an example of the latter being the inspired cover of the Clash's "Straight to Hell":



Here's a live radio performance of the solo instrumental "Queen of the Earth and Child of the Skies" - just beautiful:



The original songs are strong, and the musicianship is never less than stellar. This is a diverse, well-played, really terrific album - highly recommended if you like cowpunk outfits like The Old 97's and Whiskeytown, or other female country/folk artists we've featured here, like Tift Merritt and Bonnie Whitmore. High Moon Order is out now on Free Dirt Records via Trade Root Music.

NEW SONG: Eyes And No Eyes - "If No One Else Saw It" b/w "Flying Machine"

Eyes and No Eyes is a London-based folk rock band with an engaging sound - on these songs they feature an almost delicate sound, mostly acoustic at start but building with drums, guitars and strings to a bit of a crescendo, before being consumed by, in their words "an Italian tape echo unit named Melos". They apparently met at art school in Brighton, so yeah, they're creative. And talented.

Here's "If No One Else Saw It":





And here's "Flying Machine", which starts quietly, this time with electronics behind the vocal, to which they add strings and rock sounds about 1:30 in.



They've got a full album out soon, but these two tracks are available now, for "name your price" - you can click through either of the Bandcamp tracks above to get it, or order a special edition vinyl.

The group consists of Tristram Bawtree on vocals and guitar, Becca Mears on cello, Thomas Heather on drums and Marcus Hamblett on bass. They are also working on an electronic side project EP exploring the extinction of birds, fish, languages and technology. The EP is more in the conceptual tradition of Matmos and Kraftwerk, using keyboards, drum machines, found sounds and samples.

REVIEW: Matthew J. Tow - The Way of Things

Matthew J. Tow is an Australian singer/songwriter with vast experience in the psychedelic rock arena - in addition to having led The Lovetones and Drop City, he has logged time in The Brian Jonestown Massacre and released instrumental music as Coloursound. Listening to his new album, The Way of Things, I am struck by a worldly wisdom in the lyrics, and a real talent in putting hooks to service of long, satisfying songs. In places, I'm reminded of old psych/pop like The Kinks, Syd Barrett and John Lennon as well as British psych pop like Robyn Hitchcock, Oasis and Blur, and the sweet guitar rock of The Byrds and Tom Petty.

To start out the record, Tow features the 11:00 super psych jam, “Night And Day.” As Tow explains, “I didn’t want to do another album that started with a standard track, where the listener can easily forget the singer’s name after only five minutes. I wanted to immediately put the listener in a place they weren’t expecting.” There are several songs of fairly conventional length and construction, but nothing is exactly right down the middle... yet everything on here works perfectly, including little touches like the whistling on "Seven Days".

Drawing on his time in The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Tow worked with Collin Hegna of BJM to produce, and the recording was split between Hegna’s Revolver Studios in Portland, Oregon and Tow recording material in Australia. In places the album is plenty heavy and psychedelic, but it also features some sweet, melodic country rock including some wonderful pedal steel on "Crazy Ramblin' Broken Heart" and reverb-drenched piano on "When I Get to Sydney" - a really well-done sad song.

Here's "It's Gonna Be Alright" - an easy, loping jam encompassing acoustic and electric guitars and Tow's warm vocals with well-conceived harmonies:



The Way of Things is an album that will fit comfortably next to just about anything in your collection, but it features songwriting and music that is strong enough to stand out, too. If you like West coast psychedelia, or if you like melodic guitar rock, there is plenty here to make you happy, including a slow-burning guitar jam on the 6:00-plus "I Love My Brother" to close out the album.

The album is out this week (June 11) on Xemu Records.

Matthew J. Tow Website
Xemu Records

REVIEW: Mark Lanegan & Duke Garwood - Black Pudding

Mark Lanegan has teamed up with multi-instrumentalist Duke Garwood to release Black Pudding via Ipecac Recordings on May 14. Lanegan has long been one of my favorite vocalists - his distinctive voice reached me (via a Screaming Trees video on Beavis + Butt-head back in the day) - and has kept me listening throughout his impressive solo career. I enjoyed last year's Blues Funeral, but I think this album is on another level. As strong a rock frontman as Lanegan is, stripping away the accompaniment highlights his vocal instrument even more.

Like Lanegan's voice, Garwood's guitar playing is unique, distinctive and more than a little haunting. There is other instrumentation on the album - drum machines set the pace on some cuts ("Cold Molly", "Mescalito") and there is some well-placed piano, sitar and horns on a few of the songs - but the guitars are a perfect accompaniment for an album full of dark, understated country blues.

Here's "War Memorial" - behind Lanegan's voice and Garwood's guitars on this one is a single mournful horn - perfect for a song that consists of a soldier asking for his medals and describing the horrors he has seen, concluding: "Don't tell me the ending of the play, don't make me look in the mirror":



This is an amazing record. It's sort of a folk album, but folk blues in the tradition of artists like Skip James and John Fahey. But it's also a jazz record - a very spare, evocative kind of jazz, along the lines of McCoy Tyner or some of Coltrane's work. It gives me chills, every time I listen to it. Lanegan says his favorite two songs are the instrumentals that bookend the album. Given that this is probably just modesty, still, he fails to give himself the proper amount of credit - both his voice and Garwood's guitar are indispensable instruments here. The album would be less than it is without either part.

There are places where Garwood is apparently meandering, only to snap right into something that will take your breath away - but the meandering has its own appeal, honestly. I'm reminded of Tom Waits' observation that his favorite part of the symphony is when all the musicians are warming up, before any order is imposed from outside.

Here's "Pentecostal" - just love the way it seamlessly morphs into a spiritual a la Fahey even before Lanegan's voice comes in, and then it's pure blues:



down so long now jesus
you know i been down so long
far turned out and freezing
won’t you carry my body home

this is why i came
to live a life in a day
with a fire in my head

who’s got the keys to the workhouse?
satan has locked the door
got no wings to take us
up off of that killing floor






Most of the album is obsessed with death, and of course that's heavy theme that, in the wrong hands, can become pretty hackneyed. Sure, there are a lot of timeworn lyrical snippets from the blues canon, history and literature (including the Bible: "If death rides a white horse/Then I ain't seen him yet" from "Death Ride"). But putting those musical ideas together, like arranging notes and instruments into an inspired form, is a real skill. Otherwise, all bluesmen would be Howlin' Wolf. The skillful interplay and, most of all, the execution make this a very special record.

Here's a great interview with the two of them from Uprooted Music Revue - it gives you some insight into the  mutual respect and dedication to craft that allowed these two to reach across the Atlantic to make such an intimate, nearly perfect album.


Mark Lanegan Website

Duke Garwood Facebook

Ipecac Records

Kenny Feinstein - Loveless: Hurts To Love, a classic re-interpreted

Kenny Feinstein is the front man for Portland, OR band Water Tower - described as bluegrass punk. That's intriguing enough on its own but check out his current solo project, a full album cover of the My Bloody Valentine classic Loveless, titled Loveless: Hurts To Love, on Portland-based Fluff & Gravy Records later this year. He and his producer recruited Richard Buckner to help with the project, and that was plenty enough to get my attention. For now, here are a couple of samples of the music.

Here is the video for "What You Want":



And you can listen to "Loomer" at this link, courtesy of AV Club.

Feinstein has been talking about the record, and his process: "The goal was to play along on acoustic guitar with the record and have whatever part I created work perfectly with the original album.  I then realized I needed to share this with the world to help everyone understand this album," he says of his motivation behind the project.

"I forced myself to listen to Loveless over and over because I did not understand it.  I was confused by the sounds coming from it," says Feinstein of his initial reaction to the album.  "Finally, when listening to 'Loomer' while driving around a mall in Fort Lauderdale I had an epiphany during the chorus.  I could not tell if the sound was being made by a human, a synth, a guitar, a bass or anything, but I did not care, all I could gather was that it was the most blissful sound I had ever heard."

This is a pretty amazing piece of music - it's one of those acoustic albums that manages to really embody a rock & roll spirit - think of Neil Young's early acoustic stuff, Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, and a lot of Buckner's work. I'm impressed and looking forward to listening to this in the days ahead. Stay tuned.

Kenny Feinstein website

Night Beds - "Ramona" from Country Sleep - and Summer US Tour Information

Night Beds is Nashville resident Winston Yellen, and he's just released his debut album Country Sleep. He's got a terrific voice, and is making gentle country rock that really showcases his singing. It's a bit reminiscent of solo Jim James, a gentler version of My Morning Jacket. I would say anybody who enjoys The Shins and Fleet Foxes ought to check this out.

Here's "Ramona" - it just sounds like a hit to me, with the upbeat intro, the gently layered vocals in the quiet chorus, and the way it builds back up to a full country-rock sound. Just beautiful:





Here's an amazing vocal by Yellen - "Even If We Try":



And a download of "22" is available via the label, Dead Oceans - click here.

Night Beds will be making their way around the country, starting with a show in Nashville at the Mercy Lounge May 24 - full tour information here.

Night Beds at Dead Oceans

Night Beds Facebook

REVIEW: Vandaveer - Oh, Willie, Please

Vandaveer's new album Oh, Willie, Please requires a strong constitution. Not the music, the music is terrific. Vandaveer's core is a duo - Mark Charles Heidinger and Rose Guerin - and they are both terrific vocalists, with a real knack for the type of clear, evocative singing that folk ballads require. But the subject matter... well, it was only a matter of time, I suppose, before someone came up with an all-murder-ballad album. Inspired by their participation in The 78 Project (which featured other WYMA favorites and may inspire a post of its own on WYMA at some point), Heidinger and Guerin moved forward with just that in mind.

In addition to Heidinger and Guerin, the band on this album also features J. Tom Hnatow (These United States, The Mynabirds) and Phillips Saylor (Stripmall Ballads, The Shiftless Rounders) with steel string, resonator and pedal steel guitars, banjos and pianos. And these tragic, timeless ballads are played and sung impeccably, with intricate harmonies between Heidinger and Guerin, and lots of beautiful interplay between the string instruments. The pedal steel on "The Knoxville Girl" and the resonator on "Banks of The Ohio" and "Mary of the Wild Moor" are particular highlights, but it's all at a very high level.

Heidinger takes the lead on the first few songs, and he's got a great voice for this material. Not an otherworldly tenor like Ralph Stanley (whose "Pretty Polly" duet with Patty Loveless may be familiar to some readers), Heidinger's mid-range vocal supplies a sense of gravity that makes this collection of songs very "earth-bound", for want of a better description. It's an approach that a whole album of material like this calls out for. Guerin takes the lead on "The Railroad Boy" and she's got a clear, ringing voice that can occupy the lower register as it does on this song, but the higher one on some of the duets. She does a wonderful job with this song and her other lead "The Drunkard's Doom", which are really beautifully sung. Heidinger's vocal highlight, in my opinion, is "Poor Edward" which, having more spare instrumentation, relies more on the singing, and to great effect.

Here's the video for "Pretty Polly":



And you can listen, and download it here:



The album is rich, full and as well-played as any folk album I've heard in years. The inspiration of America's historical folk recordings that drove Vandaveer to make this record is obvious in the theme, the truly amazing vocals and the depth of emotion that is evoked. In listening, you are left with the sense that this band will be a tremendous live presence... and they are heading out on tour to support the album next week - more info here. The record is out Tuesday (Apr. 30) and you can learn more, or order the record from their website.

Vandaveer Website