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Showing posts from February, 2015

First Listen: New Releases for February 24

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Another solid week. 2015 is looking really good so far musically. Public Service Broadcasting - The Race for Space : So I had listened really quick to Public Service Announcement's previous stuff before this, so it didn't come as a complete surprise, but this is a really fun electronica album using audio from the early space program to really provide a pretty unique look both at the history of the program and as a unique musical entity. It's not going to be for everyone, I realize this, but if there's another group doing anything like this as a full project (as opposed to one-off individual songs), I'd love to hear it. Maybe not the best release of the week, but easily the most interesting. The Airborne Toxic Event - Dope Machines : I don't know what it is that keeps me going back to The Airborne Toxic Event. Their style typically isn't mine, and I'm continually surprised they're still an indie act every time. The new album is still some rea...

Hurray for the Riff Raff - The Body Electric EP

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If you've been reading this blog with any regularity, you'll know we love free music and Hurray for the Riff Raff. Now that Hurray for the Riff Raff have free music coming out, we're kind of obligated to tell you about it. To celebrate their upcoming headlining tour, they've released The Body Electric EP  which features 2 tracks from Small Town Heroes  (including the amazing title track), a Billie Holiday cover, and "Everyone Knows (For Trayvon Martin)." It's a great way to check them out if we haven't convinced you to yet. You're not going to find better country tinged folk for a better price than this. To download The Body Electric EP , check over to Noisetrade . For more information on Hurray for the Riff Raff including tour dates (I highly recommend their live show if you get a chance), go to their website .

Narco States - Wicked Sun

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There's nothing revolutionary about Minneapolis's Narco States. They're doing the exact same type of garage/psych rock that has been around for at least 50 years. That might be what is so fantastic about them. There aren't many bands that tap into the exact vibe of the 60s garage movement. They capture the perfect, timeless sound for anyone who's a fan of The 13th Floor Elevators, Lyres, and every band that has ever played "Louie Louie." I think that's what is what is so great about garage rock. As soon as you hear it, it screams "1960s," but it doesn't sound dated at all. Narco States released Wicked Sun  back in December. It's an instant classic with only 8 songs. "The Architect" is a stand out track, and it crams all of the epic-ness of "Teenage Riot" into under 4 minutes. The actual epic of the album, "Invasion," is the shortest near 7 minute song in existence. You know how The Stooges always had ...

Download Tugboat Annie's Discography for Free!

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Tugboat Annie are one of those bands I hadn't thought of in years. The band formed in Buffalo back in 1990 before moving to Boston in 1996 and becoming a staple of that scene until around 2000. They always had a sound that screamed "Boston in the mid-90s," and I don't mean that in anything resembling a negative. It's poppy, aggressive alt-rock, with fuzzy guitars and catchy choruses. They played with bands like Weezer, Sunny Day Real Estate, and The Promise Ring, winning awards from Boston Magazine and the Boston Phoenix.  Seemingly out of nowhere the band is now offering their entire discography for free on their Bandcamp page . And this isn't a "Pay What You Want" offer. It's all completely free! All 4 of their full lengths are offered, as well as 2 collections of demos. There's no other information on the page, so hurry up and download now in case they change their mind. We can only hope this is a way to remind us all of Tugboat Anni...

Newport Folk Festival 2014 Photo Diary

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As the Newport Folk Festival slowly starts rolling out there 2015 line up, and we sit under 4 feet of snow in the Northeast, it's a great time to look back at last summer's Newport Folk Festival. Suddenly, the absurd amounts of rain on Sunday start to seem quaint, and we start looking forward to this summer and this year's Newport Folk Festival. You can check out our Newport Folk Festival 2014 photo diary over at our Facebook page . Here's hoping to see you all at the Fort this year! For more information on this year's Fest (Friday tickets still remain), head on over to the Newport Folk Festival website . If you can't make it, there are some great Newport Folk Festival Presents shows coming up, mostly in Boston but also in Chicago, Nashville, Napa, and New York City. Check out these here .

Friday Freebies: Lindsay Lou & the Flatbellys - Ionia

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Michigan doesn't conjure thoughts of roots/Americana music, but Lindsay Lou & the Flatbellys might change that. They recorded their new album, Ionia , over the course of four days last fall at home. The album is this purely chill collection of bluegrass tinged folk. It reminds me of Lake Street Dive with more folksy influences than jazz. There are still touches of jazz in the album, most particularly in Lindsay Lou's smoldering torch singer voice. Maybe a better comparison would be if The Punch Brothers and Lake Street Dive formed a super group. One of the best features of the new album is that it's free! For the mere price of joining their email list, you can download Ionia  for free! Not too shabby for a brand new album. Head on over to their website  to get your copy. You can also watch a video they did for "House Together" with The Bluegrass Situation below.

The New Sleater-Kinney Video Features "Bob's Burgers"

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Two of my favorite things collide in this new video for Sleater-Kinney's "A New Wave," which features the kids from Bob's Burgers  furiously bopping away as they discover the band in oldest sister Tina's bedroom. Bob's Burgers  is one of the few tv shows I watch religiously, and Sleater-Kinney's new album is my favorite of the year so far, which makes this video spectacular. It also perfectly captures the excitement and sheer joy of discovering that very first band that speaks to just you in a way that no other band ever has you can only get in your teen years, all in cartoon form. You can watch the video for "A New Wave" below. Check out Sleater-Kinney's website where you can order their new album (which, if you haven't yet, shame on you) and see tour dates for their virtually sold out reunion tour with sadness because you waited 8 hours to buy tickets and it sold out. Or maybe that's just me.

HOLY CRAP NEW BLUR SONG

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Earlier today Blur surprised us with the announcement of a new album due out on April 28 to be titled The Magic Whip.  And now there's a "lyric video" for a new song, "Go Out." It's a natural progression from 2003's Think Tank , but better. Not that Think Tank was a bad album... I mean, I liked it, but it just wasn't very Blur. "Go Out" sounds like if Think Tank  was more of a Blur sounding album.  This whole thing is great news since Damon Albarn, and really everyone in Blur, has been denying any new album news. As much as I like Gorillaz, I'm beyond thrilled for new Blur.

Buxton - An Unfamiliar History EP

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Buxton truly has this bizarre, unique sound that took me a little while to place. They take the arena ready Americana of today (Houndmouth, The Avett Brothers, etc) and mix it with a tiny bit of 90s quirky indie rock (Pavement, The Archers of Loaf). It takes what is quickly becoming a crowded field that's frankly becoming tired, and brings this whole new level to it.  Right now, in advance of their full length Half a Native, which is due out on March 3, Buxton is offering their An Unfamiliar History EP  for free on Noisetrade. The first song, "Miss Catalina" (which you can listen to here ), is this bizarre power-folk/Sonic Youth hybrid that is just epic. It comes in at a little over 4 minutes, but feels like a "Teenage Riot" style jam that is somehow poppy as hell. "Icebreaker" is this bizarre honky tonk swing that just degenerates into digital noise at one point, like Pokey LaFarge got into some psychedelics.  Check out Buxton's website for...

First Listen: New Releases for February 17

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It's rare to have a week without any real clunkers, so enjoy! Suz Slezak - When the Nighttime Comes : We've covered this album in more depth than anything else at this blog , so I don't think there's a lot new to say per se, but given that this was my first time listening to it, I was surprised at how much more I liked it than I thought I would have. For an album that's designed, at least in part, to be lullabies for little ones, it's actually a really pretty folk album that reminds me of the earlier Hem albums from long ago. Definitely the release of the week. Damon & Naomi - Fortunes : In a different week without the Slezak album, this would have really blown me away. Instead, we get a really solid folk-style quiet album meant to be a companion to a short film by Naomi , so listening to it independently might miss the point. Overall, though, a really good listen. Elle King - Love Stuff : I won't lie - everything I read about this had me hopi...

Madisen Ward and the Mama Bear - "Silent Movies"

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The Newport Folk Festival often refers to their fans, crew, and bands as the "Folk Family." Quite often, the Fest features bands with family ties, from husbands and wives (Shovels & Rope), sisters (The Haden Triplets, First Aid Kit), brothers (The Avett Brothers), and even fathers and sons (Tweedy). This year, they'll bring a mother/son duo to their stage with Madisen Ward and the Mama Bear. Hailing from Kansas City, the pair just released their first single "Silent Movies." It's this great pairing of the son's gruff, almost barking voice with his mother's much more aged and sweeter voice, all put together in a down home ditty. It could have been a novelty act, but once you hear them together you realize that of course they decided to make music together. You can get "Silent Movies" right now on iTunes . You can follow them on Facebook , and watch their performance of "Silent Movies" from The Late Show With David Letterman...

First Listen: New Releases for February 10

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A fairly busy week with some interesting releases within: The Vespers - Sisters and Brothers : The Vespers had a truly great album a few years back that stayed in fairly heavy rotation for me, and hearing that this new album was on the docket got me excited. The group has certainly expanded out their sound, and that's often a mixed bag, but, for the most part, the band seems a lot more polished and mature than in past efforts. The downside to such maturity and polish is that the songs don't quite have the same oomph on first listen. I definitely reserve the right to change my mind on this, but, on first listen, this is a good album with a lot of potential to be truly great. The Dreaming - Rise Again : I was not aware Stabbing Westward had more or less reformed as a new band, but this is their third album and it basically takes what was interesting about Stabbing Westward, removes it, and leaves the rest. Not really worth your time unless you're super nostalgic for S...

Dorthia Cottrell - "Kneeler"

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Photo by Jordan Vance On first listen, "Kneeler" by Dorthia Cottrell is a beautiful, acoustic song. It's pretty typical female singer/songwriter fare, except there is this intense sense of foreboding throughout that isn't typical with the genre. Turns out Dorthia Cottrell is the singer of doom metal band Windhand , which helps account for the somber vibe. Acoustic solo projects of metal bands usually are just terrible, but "Kneeler" shows a completely different side of dark music. Since neither of us are metal people, it would have been easy for us to miss this track. Instead, I'm looking forward to the full length. Dorthia Cottrell's self-titled debut is out on March 3 on Forcefield Records. You can listen to "Kneeler" below, and check out her website here .

Newport Folk Festival Has a Podcast and a Spotify Playlist

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For the past few years, the Newport Folk Festival has had a Spotify playlist updated by festival producer Jay Sweet. As acts get announced during their rolling line up announcement, songs will be added by each festival performer. I've been following each year's list for the past few, and it's a great way to keep up with bands that are playing, and to hear the lesser known bands before getting to the Fort. So far there are only 3 acts on the playlist (Courtney Barnett, Sturgill Simpson, and Haunt the House), but those are the only 3 bands announced for this year so far. You can find the Newport Folk 2015 Spotify playlist here . An added way to prepare for the festival this year is a new podcast. The Newport Folk Festival podcast debuted last Friday. Based on the description, it will be an ever changing format, helping to introduce new bands (the 1st episode profiles Rhode Island natives Haunt the House), give a behind the scenes look at the festival, and showcase memorie...

First Listen: New Releases for February 3

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This is Ken filling in for Jeff this week. I'll try not to let my crankiness from New England snow fatigue seep into my reviews, but no promises. It's an interesting and varied week, so let's get started! Chadwick Stokes - The Horse Comanche : Chadwick Stokes is best known as a member of Dispatch and State Radio. I never really got into Dispatch, and I had dismissed State Radio as more of the same until I saw them at this insane Tom Morello/Nightwatchman show 7 years ago. Since then I've been converted. His solo album starts off a little slow and Jack Johnson-ish, but really picks up by the 4th song, "I Want You Like a Seatbelt." It's an upbeat singalong that sounds like it was perfected on one of his house show tours. "New Haven" features blog favorite Lucius, who are a welcome addition to any song. My personal favorite is "Walter (First Hello)," which closes out the album. Murder By Death - Big Dark Love : I first became awa...

Mary Lou Lord - "My Buddy Valentine"

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It's been far too long since there's been any new music from Mary Lou Lord. Her last album, Baby Blue , was released way back in 2004, so by my calculations it's been 11 years. That changed yesterday when Mary Lou posted "My Buddy Valentine" on Soundcloud. "My Buddy Valentine" was recorded in honor of Buddy Holly, making the anniversary of his death a fitting day to release it. The song was recorded with Dave Mattacks on drums and Maryanne Window, ans was co-written by Nick Saloman (The Bevis Frond). Funded by a Kickstarter campaign , Backstreet Angels  should finally see release this year! The song is typically upbeat for Mary Lou, and she hasn't lost a thing in the past decade. It's so thrilling to have her truly back. For more information on what Mary Lou Lord has been up to, and to keep track of developments on the new album's release, you can like her on Facebook . She also has an official website , but I'm not sure how often tha...