31 Songs a Day for May: Day Thirty-One: Spirit Family Reunion - "Put Your Hands Together When You Spin the Wheel"

I figured I'd end this little month long project with a blog favorite. Spirit Family Reunion is one of our favorites here, and we hope it's one of yours, too.

31 Songs a Day for May: Day Thirty: Rhett Miller and Black Prairie - "Kiss Me On the Fire Escape"

I raved about the new Rhett Miller album and how well Miller and Black Prarie collaborate together. "Kiss Me On the Fire Escape" is a great example of how well their blend works together, and is a song that's been stuck in my head for a while now.

Gill Landry featuring Laura Marling - "Take This Body"

Gill Landry of Old Crow Medicine Show has his third solo album coming out next month, and he's enlisted some friends to help him out on it. The self-titled album was recorded in “... a ramshackle, shanty-ass apartment on the south side of Nashville.” "Take This Body" features Laura Marling on vocals. The track is quiet and laid back folk, with Marling's vocals creating a haunting effect behind the song. It's beautiful and eerie at the same time. 

Gill Landry's self-titled album will be out June 22 on ATO Records. It will also feature Robert Ellis, Nick Etwell of Mumford & Sons, and Odessa Jorgensen on various tracks. You can listen to "Take This Body" below, and head on over to Gill Landry's website for pre-ordering and more information.

31 Songs a Day for May: Day Twenty-Nine - Alison Wonderland - "Cold"

Because I can never get enough dance music, I've been hooked on Alison Wonderland's debut. "Cold" in particular has an edge to it that I don't hear a lot of, and it's really made the album that much more interesting as a result.

First Listen: New Releases for May 26

A much smaller release week with the American holiday.

Zhala - Zhala: When it comes to acts I don't know that I seek out for this weekly post, I try not to look up anything about them until I'm done listening to the album. It's hard enough to listen to things when you carry a preconceived notion, never mind having undue expectations. This feels like a 90s-retro dance record, which is great, and it came as a pleasant surprise that Zhala is signed to Robyn's label, as the sound fits right in. Whether this has the staying power Robyn has shown remains to be seen, but this was definitely my favorite listen this week.

Remembering Mountains: Unheard Songs of Karen Dalton: A tribute album of sorts for folky Karen Dalton, what turned me onto this were who they got involved with the project, including Sharon van Etten, Marissa Nadler, and Lucinda Williams. It's a good little folk compilation on a whole with artists you know, and that makes it worth a listen on its own; fans of Dalton might get more out of it.

Shopping - Consumer Complaints: Ken wrote about their lead single earlier, and I can echo the basic points out their sound - it is very reminiscent of the 70s pun thing, but almost reminds me of a more raw Moving Units if people remember them. A solid debut, and I'm looking forward to what comes next.

Eilen Jewell - Sundown Over Ghost Town: I think I became a fan of Eilen Jewell following Queen of the Minor Key, a solid, often rocking album that mixed a lot of different genres with the rockabilly/country/folk thing she had going. She's always been hard for me to pin down, which is why Sundown Over Ghost Town feels strange with how straightforward it is in comparison. It's not a bad album by any measure, it's a great throwback listen on a whole. Just be wary if you're looking for something a little more upbeat - the cover really sets the mood for the music within.

The Vaccines - English Graffiti: Both Ken and I keep confusing them with seminal twee (I called them grunge and got called out on it, fairly) band The Vaselines, so once you get past those misconceptions, you get a pretty interesting, obviously-Dave Fridman-influenced indie rock record. It still doesn't reach the heights of their debut, but the changes that are made here are really solid and make this a worthwhile listen.

A$AP Rocky - AT.LONG.LAST.A$AP: While everyone who loves rap was waiting for Kendrick Lamar's album, I was really looking forward to A$AP Rocky's newest effort. This album is a very different tone than Lamar's, and feels darker than Long Live A$AP, Rocky's label debut. On first listen, there's no song on here quite like "Wild for the Night" or "Fuckin' Problems," but it doesn't take away from it being a fairly accessible album that I hope to spend more time with, and definitely liked more than Lamar's.

31 Songs a Day for May: Day Twenty-Eight: Fawn Larson - "Anything At All"

I feel like a lot of my music exploration involves finding a way to fill the Kathleen Edwards-shaped hole in my heart. Fawn Larson comes close, especially in this song, "Anything at All," that I somehow tripped up on and fell in love with. A good mix of twang, roots, and alt-country, it's probably the most rocking song on her superlative album, but still pretty great.

Newport Folk Festival Has Something Planned with '65 Revisited

For the 7th episode of the Newport Folk Festival podcast, they focused on '65 Revisited. This year marks the 50th anniversary of when Bob Dylan went electric at Newport, probably the most legendary single performance of all time. Originally the organizers of Newport weren't going to mark the anniversary, but artists in the Folk Family started contacting them looking to be a part of it. This lead to it happening organically, and not a forced "moment" just for the sake of having a moment. The Newport organizers are being extremely tight lipped about who is performing as part of this. All we know is that it will close out the festival on Sunday, it will be full of surprises, and Bob Dylan won't be there. At this point, we don't even know what it will be. A song by song reenactment from current bands? A bunch of acoustic artists plugging in (probably the least likely)? J Mascis and Jim James having a wall of noise for 45 minutes? It could be anything at this point. Somehow this unknown element has become my most looked forward to part of the entire weekend.

Edger - "Holy Armour"

Photo by Ellen Lawson

In just over 2 minutes, Minnesota's Edger may have the catchiest song of the year. It's the type of indie rock that the late 90s was built on, with shades of Superchunk and the most melodic side of Archers of Loaf. It's pure noisey indie power pop, which they do to perfection. What's interesting is the band was originally started as a two-piece post-punk/hardcore band, they naturally veered towards their current hook driven sound. I think we'll all be pretty happy they did.

Edger's debut EP, Rudiments, is due out June 10 on Land Ski Records. You can listen to "Holy Armour" below, and check out their Bandcamp.

31 Songs a Day for May: Day Twenty-Seven: Mans Zemerlow - "Heroes"

I also enjoyed the winning song for this year's Eurovision. It's perhaps too poppy for most, but I definitely liked it, and it was a worthy winner of the field.

31 Songs a Day for May: Day Twenty-Six: JD McPherson - "Head Over Heels"

This song had to grow on me a bit, but by the time it did, I had trouble deciding which parts were my favorite. The reverb guitar in the beginning? The bass line and handclaps in the middle? It's hard to say, but I've ultimately come to love this song from his most recent album. Definitely worth a listen and it might get you on board.