Three To Consider: Daytrotter Sessions

If you don't know about Daytrotter (or haven't visited in a while) you should get yourself over to the Horseshack and check it out. What happens there is that bands and performers of all stripes stop in, drop a few live tracks down on Sean and the gang that they then roll those original performances back out one a day. And the lists of bands who have stopped in to do sessions over the last few years is simply damn impressive.

Still, I am not sure that justifies the level of self-righteousness in their "About statement." I mean really, we don't all have studios and a crew to produce music with and many of us are trying to ethically promote music and artists. But I digress.

The point is that Daytrotter provides a way to hear new music and original recordings of bands you already love. Here are three from the last week that are all on my "to get" list. Click on Daytrotter's embed player to listen, but also you really should follow the links in each description to read the session notes as well.

First up is Rural Alberta Advantage who recently released their debut album, Hometowns. Not shockingly this indie rock band hails from Alberta, Canada and writes and sings about just that. They sound great here in this session and appear to be on the way to a successful start. Hell, even Pitchforklikes them! Check out the full Daytrotter session and their album can be picked up atSaddle Creek Records.

Next up is Nomo, the Ann Arbor, MI "post-Afro-beat dance explosion" jazz band that plays, as Sean describes in the full session notes, "street jazz or the kind of jazz that academics do when they're slumming it and actually enjoying themselves a little more than they thought was possible." Bottom line--whole bunch of folks, making a whole bunch of sound. You can pick up Invisible Cities and other efforts at Ubiquity Records.

Last up is the one I am most excited about from listening to the Daytrotter sessions and that Daytrotter seems most responsible for pushing out there into the noise of all the music floating around the nets: Union Suit Characters. This Joliet, IL duo earns the title of Daytrotter's "Favorite Lo-Fi Wonders" in the full session notes (which you must read). And, really, you have to give Sean and crew props here since once you go looking for the album you will find it is only available from the band directly and in mp3--all of those options are available over at their MySpacey place.

So if you haven't already, get on over to Daytrotter and check out the wonderful stuff they are doing. You can also follow their daily tweets so you know when each new session is up.

Three to Consider: Blues, Pop and Disco Be-bop

Here are three to consider from the recent Relix sampler. A bunch of dudes, but all with a very different orientation.

First up is the Jaik Miller Band featuring NYC frontman, you guessed it, Jaik Miller. I won't try to give you the whole history as I know little to nothing of ancestral efforts including Xanax 25. The new band includes Ryan Adams and the Cardinals guitarist JP Bowerstock (who also produced the album) and got quite a good deal of positive feedback for this self-titled album. Not sure what I think about the whole enterprise overall, but this slow blues tune has a nice feel. If you like it, visit their site to learn more.

Orange Sunshine

Next up is "him" otherwise known as M. Ward who most recently became famous as part of this duo. Of course it will be interesting to see how things change for, er, "him" on his seventh solo effort after that popular album. If this cut is any indication, I imagine he is going to find a larger following since it has much of the great pop feel of the duo album--in fact, I think you might hear a familiar voice in the background. For more on M Ward and the new album Hold Time, check out the release site.

Never Had Nobody Like You

And lastly we send a shout out ot anyone from Ann Arbor, MI to tell us about Macpodz who have coined the term "Disco-Be-bop" to describe their music. You have to be thinking Medeski, Martin and Wood here, but I don't have lots of info. This is their third studio album and they appear to have developed a following, but let's hear what others have to say. And like any good funky fun band, you can hear lots more just by heading to their website here.

Followaduby

Three to Consider: Video Edition

I am swimming in tunes but am too lazy today to try to write about any of them right now. So why not distract myself with three albums from last year that I have a suspicious feeling will be winding their way to the Room. And let me give them to you in video version which (unusually for me) makes them all the more interesting given the energy all three bands exude.

First up is The Dodo's with "Fools" from their new album Visiter.



Next is Elbow with "Grounds for Divorce" from Seldom Seen Kid but you have to go over to the Tubes proper to see this one which will give you the advantage of checking out others as well. And last, via Song, By Toad is Meursault with "Pissing on Bonfires" from Pissing on Bonfires/Kissing with Tongues.

Three to Consider: Maybe, Probably, Can’t Help Myself

I’ve been traveling quite a bit for work without much time to write or even listen to all that much music. So here are three to consider that caught my interest in recent reviews and samplers—two new artists for me and one I have lost track of.

First up is the indie instrument infused Anathallo’s second album Canopy Glow. I have been listening to “The River” which reminds me of Andrew Bird (particularly the Mysterious Production of Eggs) with its ornate layering and complex lyrics. Reviews of their first album suggest that perhaps they are trying just a bit too hard, but reviews I have seen for Canopy Glow suggest consistent song writing with a wonderful mix of music and choral arrangements. The key for me will be whether the album has good variation in song style which I am not sure, so any input there or in general is appreciated. For now it’s a maybe.

The River (Buy Album)

Now what is up with dudes and cabins in the Wisconsin woods? First we had Bon Iver which probably still holds favorite album of year status for me. Now along comes Cory Chisel and the Wandering Sons for our second consideration. I have been listening to “Home in the Woods” from the EP Cabin Ghosts which is apparently named for his family’s cabin in the Wisconsin woods where this is recorded. When I first heard the song, I thought it might be an older artist who had been working for some time and I had just missed him like so many others. His voice has a kind of Marc Cohn sound to it (which I really like), but the sound is more bluesy and raw in a way that makes me think of Greg Brown. To my surprise, Chisel is a newer artist (and young) which might mean we are hearing someone who is at the beginning of a promising career. I am looking forward to hearing more, so this one is a probably for me.

Home in the Woods (Buy EP)

For the last consideration we have Joan Osborne’s latest release, Little Wild One. I confess to being one of those people who only have the hit album Relish which I really loved and played a lot one summer back in Salt Lake City. I remember thinking that this is someone I am going to explore and then didn’t. I got interested again when I read the reviews of her latest album. They (the reviews) weren’t all that great, although respectful of her as an artist. But all the descriptions about songs set in New York City and her role as a newish parent attracted me—but again, I didn’t pursue. However, when I heard “Cathedrals” I couldn’t stop playing it. It isn’t the most complex song, but I simply love the arrangement, the way the tune builds and then resolves. Osborne has such a strong alto voice and the lyrics are clearly from someone who I can identify with. It reminds me of early Billy Joel in many ways, but that is a whole other issue. In short, I am quite sure this one is going to be picked up unless some dear reader tells me otherwise.

Cathedrals (Buy Album)

Three to Consider: Women Folk

Here are three for you to consider--all women singer/songwriters with a folk bent. One I have, one I have other albums by but not the one up for discussion here, and one I know nothing about (but am still willing to write about!).

First up is the newish album, She Ain't Me, from Carrie Rodriguez--her second, and by all accounts her attempt to shift out of her cowgirl-fiddler image. Now I am new to Rodriguez so I don't come to this album with any comparisons to her first album, but I have a sneaky suspicion from reading a variety of "polite reviews" about her efforts at transformation here that I might be a bigger fan of her first effort where the fiddle and her country orientation was more prominent. The strongest songs on this album for me involve that fiddle, although there are definitely some other nice pieces as well. Ultimately, the disc is a bit too generic for me and I can see passing over this disc on my way to Emmylou, Lucinda, or Union Station--probably unfair, but true. Still it has some nice moments and if this is your preferred genre, you will certainly enjoy it. Below I give you one of the fiddle-oriented pieces.

Next up is the new one from Dar Williams. I don't have this one, but I have a couple older DW efforts--although nothing more recent than the 1997 release End of Summer. Below is the opening cut from the new album, Promised Land. "It's Alright" is a solid tune both musically and lyrically if not all that adventuresome--but here is the thing. My previous DW purchases have been based on hearing a couple tracks that are wonderful ("February" on Mortal City can still make me cry) only to find out that they don't really represent the whole album. She has some absolutely beautiful tunes, but also some that, well, aren't and are ultimately just too quirky for me. Consequently, I am cautious. Any input on the Dar out there?


Finally, we have the unknown Kensington Prairie (or at least unknown here at the TR). Below we have "Bluebirds" from the new album Captured in Still Life. Kensington Prairie is the solo effort of Rebecca Rowan, the lead vocalist of Vancouver's indie band Maplewood Lane. This is a perfectly nice little tune and Rowan clearly has a wonderful voice, but truth be told, I got nothin' here and am just hoping that some BC reader will show up and tell me about Rowan and/or Maplewood--hell, even if you aren't from Canada (which we here in the states have of course all just recently learned is close to Alaska), what do ya know/think?


Absence Carrie Rodriguez
It's Alright Dar Williams
Bluebirds Kensington Prairie

Three to Consider

Recently picked up the July 2008 copy of UNCUT which comes with one of those fun sampler discs and this one was particularly nice--like just arriving in a college town and hearing a good local rock station. Three tunes off of it definitely caught my attention and made me add to my Potential Acquisitions list (okay, they made me start it--down there on the right yo).

First up is Fleet Foxes. The sample is "Mykonos" from the Sun Giant EP, although they have also just released their self-titled debut album which also earns a very positive review in the mag. The minute you hear them, you think CSN&Y. Think acoustic guitars and layered harmony. UNCUT's reviewer talks about the hymnal quality of their music evoking the American wilderness, which if this track is any indication is a very apt description. Sounds like a perfect pick up before we head up into the cool woods of Michigan later this summer.
Update: Review of Fleet Foxes show here in DC.

Second up is the self-titled second album from The Felice Brothers. The tune is "Frankie's Gun" which judging from the YouTube traffic is getting a lot of attention. They also did a set at Bonnaroo this year, so expect to hear more from these three brothers and their friend "Christmas" from the Catskills. Neats' first reaction when she heard it was "Dylan." That is a good call both in terms of the vocals and the basic storytelling, but they are a bit more clanky, carnivalesque (probably the accordion that makes me say that), and seedier sounding to me--more Tom Waits-like in approach.

Third (or saving the best for last) is Bon Iver--otherwise known as Justin Vernon. The song is "Skinny Love" which you can find all over the place out there on the nets. Good review of the album and a download of the tune is over at IndieMuse. Lots of comparisons to Iron and Wine out there, but he also reminds me of late Chris Whitley in his Dirt Floor acoustic mode. What I like is the simplicity and clarity of the recording and the bareness of the guitar and his lyrics--it really does sound like something just laid down in a room in a cabin in the woods.

That is it. They are all new to me so we will see what we think when we get full discs.