More Releases

Jeff Beck - Emotion and Commotion

2010-04-06T15:50:18Z

It's nearly impossible to find a picture of Jeff Beck that doesn't somehow also involve a guitar. Playing live, album covers, even posed publicity shots, the legendary and pioneering Brit player is never without his trusty white Fender Strat. But when you're an iconic classic rock figure spanning more than 45 years (he did after all replace Eric Clapton in The Yardbirds -- and Jimmy Page did the same for him), it somehow makes sense that man and instrument would be so eternally entwined. Beck has always been both influential artist and artisan, music scholar in a way as well as technician (just how does he get that particular distorted tone?). His fluid, inventive playing style -- almost always in an instrumental setting -- has become one of the most recognizable in rock and his groundbreaking mid-70's albums Blow By Blow and Wired still sound amazingly fresh today.

Aptly titled new album Emotion and Commotion, due April 13 (Rhino) and his first in seven years, is a grab bag of scattershot styles and moods, from jet-fueled rock pyrotechnics ("Hammerhead") to stately classical grandiosity ("Nessun Dorma") to soulful classics ("I Put A Spell on You" w/ Joss Stone) to...well, much more in between. And that's not a bad thing. As an instrumentally minded virtuoso, Beck's guitar is, of course, his voice. Listening to the monumentally gorgeous closing track "Elegy for Dunkirk", a stunning combination of orchestration and Beck's signature soaring guitar lines, you understand perfectly why Beck doesn't really need a singer (plus they're "too poncy and they get in the way", he jokes). Recommended.

Myspace Artist Site

Jeff Beck - "Serene" (from the album Emotion and Commotion)

Espen Eriksen Trio - You Had Me At Goodbye

2010-04-01T00:21:37Z

We'll admit that we're hardly what you would call a great place to discover new jazz artists, but we also hope that you'll indulge our random genre-crossing whims and listen to Norwegian jazz pianist Espen Eriksen's lovely, low-keyed album You Had Me At Goodbye (April 13, Rune Grammofon). Taking a cue from acclaimed piano trio E.S.T. and their late, great namesake Esbjörn Svensson, Eriksen fashions spare but wonderfully melodic songs that seem as untethered and light as clouds. The production is lush but uncluttered, just the sound of piano, bass and drum leaving plenty of open space for the notes to resonate and sing.

You Had Me At Goodbye is, as their bio insists, jazz -- but it's also something more...and less. The solos are brief, the improvisation as far from discordant as possible and, in many ways, these are simply beguiling melodic songs that happen to be instrumental: the "voice" here is Eriksen's piano. Goodbye pretty much had us at "Anthem," a track that takes all the right turns, moving easily to minor chords and delicate, loosely structured flutters of spinning piano lines. We're also seduced by "In the Woods", a song that builds on a rhythmic bass foundation with graceful, building intensity, chord progressions and piano notes that literally seem suspended in air. This is the soundtrack for your next best day. Highly recommended.

Myspace

Espen Eriksen - "Anthem" (from You Had Me At Goodbye)

Espen Eriksen - "In the Woods" (from You Had Me At Goodbye)

You Had Me At Goodbye is also available at the Amazon.com mp3 store and iTunes.

Jen Olive - Warm Robot

2010-03-18T23:07:20Z

Jen Olive decided to heed some advice from a friend. Sure...why not send a few of her left-of-center, alt-folk/pop songs to someone who might appreciate them...say Andy Partridge, founder of acclaimed British uber-cult band XTC and new music aficionado? So she did. Intrigued, Partridge decided to do more than listen. Over many months and without actually meeting face to face, the two corresponded and collaborated: she sent him basic demos, he "enhanced" the production with his own instrumentation and mixes and, track by track, week by week, the astonishing Warm Robot was created. Music completed, the pair finally met in London last December. "He filled in the blank spaces," Olive says of Partridge. "It was all recorded in a very organic and natural way. Who would have thought I'd need to hook up with someone 7,000 miles across the world to make something that made sense?"

In typical idiosyncratic style, Partridge calls Olive "this astounding allegro algorithm from Albuquerque" which is just about the best way to try an describe the artist whose intricate, sophisticated songs can turn a pop melody inside out and upside down. The lines are unpredictable and oblique, often appearing to lack an anchoring center, shape-shifting from one line to another as vocal harmonies and elaborate guitar lines dart about. At times reminiscent of Jesca Hoop -- another American who needed to find open arms (and ears) across the big pond -- Olive (and Partridge) make songs such as the quirky, acoustic folk jumble "Wire Wire" and languid, jazz-tinged and sumptuous "All My Heads Meet" dazzling creations with equal measures of substance and style. Warm Robot arrives March 30 via Partridge's own Ape label. Highly recommended. Full bio and "Boulevard" video after the jump...

Myspace Artist Site

Jen Olive - "All My Heads Meet" (from the album Warm Robot)

Jen Olive - "Wire Wire" (from the album Warm Robot)

Black Prairie - Feast of the Hunters Moon

2010-03-16T17:47:58Z

Black Prairie is a new acoustic band from Portland OR comprised of three members of the NW art-pop indie darlings The Decemberists -- Chris Funk (guitar/dobro), Nate Query (bass) and Jenny Conlee (accordian) -- and joined by local musicians Annalisa Tornfelt (violin) and Jon Neufeld (guitar). Originally formed by Funk and Query in the midst of a Decemberists tour, the quintet release their heavily Americana/bluegrass debut Feast of the Hunters Moon on April 6 via Sugar Hill. Noted Decemberist and Death Cab for Cutie producer Tucker Martine is at the helm of the new project whose sound, according to Funk, “bridges the music of Clarence White and Ennio Morricone."

“The first gatherings were a little daunting as we were all used to the traditional song form,” Funk adds. “It’s been totally open-ended from day one, which is at times a little terrifying.” Of the debut's thirteen tracks, two are traditional covers including the haunting "Red Rocking Chair." We're particularly fond of the "Ostinato Del Caminito" a fascinating mashup and instrumental workout of Astor Piazzola-styled tangos, dark gypsy violin shadings and plucked bluegrass runs. "We're trying to really keep the integrity of the acoustic aspect of it", notes Query, "so we don't really experiment with that. But otherwise it's no hold barred. With these five instruments, what can we do?" Recommended.

Myspace Artist Site

Black Prairie - "Red Rocking Chair" (from Feast of the Hunters Moon)

Black Prairie - "Ostinato Del Caminito" (from Feast of the Hunters Moon)

Carrie Rodriguez - Love & Circumstance

2010-03-16T07:19:24Z

Albums of cover songs are curious things. An artist can often reveal more in the choice and interpretation of someone else's song than in an original composition -- a fact that comes to light in brilliant effect with Love and Circumstance, the new album from Carrie Rodriguez. We've been fans of Ms. Rodriguez' own special take on alt-country/Americana for years now, from her earliest work with the legendary Chip Taylor to her most recent 2008 Malcolm Burn-produced album She Ain't Me. An accomplished musician -- the fiddle is her forte -- Rodriquez has become an equally adept singer and songwriter, one who has that rare ability to make her songs work completely, where the scope of instrumentation is equal to the lyrics and melody.

It is that special innate gift as well as her obvious love of a perfectly attuned and deeply personal song that makes the dozen covers on Love and Circumstance such a compelling and revelatory listen. "It was very important for me to go back to my roots with this record and concentrate on what was important to me," explains Rodriguez, “songwriters like Richard Thompson, Townes, Hank, they’re the ones who initially inspired me." Just one of many standout tracks is "Big Love", a song originally written and recorded by the one-off Little Village (John Hiatt, Ry Cooder, Nick Lowe and Jim Keltner), featuring Rodriguez' seductive vocals and some masterful guitar from the always-great Bill Frisell. We're also smitten by the sumptuous version of Lucinda Williams' modern roots classic "Steal Your Love", a towering, transcendent anthem of goose bump-raising proportions. Highly recommended.

Myspace Artist Site

Carrie Rodriguez - "Big Love" (from the album Love and Circumstance)

Carrie Rodriguez - Love and Circumstance Sampler ("Steal Your Love", "Gypsy Davy", "Lover's Prayer")

Natalie Merchant - Leave Your Sleep

2010-03-16T07:15:36Z

Described as "the most elaborate project I have ever completed or even imagined", the 2-disc Leave Your Sleep from Natalie Merchant arrives April 12 via new label home Nonesuch, ending a seven-year recording hiatus and, as part of the reawakening, taking her deep into a world of classic and contemporary poetry. Working with more than 130 musicians ranging from modern jazz masters such as Wynton Marsalis and Medeski, Martin and Wood to an eclectic and international array of players, Merchant and her collaborators create an array of songs based in traditional Chinese Music, Celtic folk, sea chanteys, Dixieland, reggae, rock, bluegrass, classical and more. The unifying thread to the ambitious Leave Your Sleep is lyrical: each of it's 26 original songs takes its verses from a poem, from wordsmiths famed and obscure, British Victorian masters to cutting-edge contemporary writers: Ogden Nash, e.e. cummings, Robert Graves, Edward Lear (even Mother Goose) to name just a few.

The genesis for the project came while Merchant took a creative break to raise a young daughter in a small New York town. Months of research and conceptualizing led to studio sessions with co-producer Andres Levin and the steady flow of musicians and collaborators. "The sessions were recorded in live ensemble settings to capture a fresh and spontaneous energy," notes Merchant. "They were some of the most magical experiences I’ve ever had making music." Finding what Merchant calls the "mood of a poem", Leave Your Sleep's incredibly diverse range of styles is anchored by the former 10,000 Maniacs singer's distinctive voice and transcendent songcraft. Highly recommended.

Artist Website Nonesuch

Natalie Merchant - "The Man In the Wilderness" (recorded live for BBC Scotland) (original version from Leave Your Sleep) Watch the video here.

Natalie Merchant - "The Sleepy Giant" (recorded live for BBC Scotland) (original version from Leave Your Sleep)

Matt Pond PA - The Dark Leaves

2010-03-16T07:13:25Z

After a dozen years of releasing one album after another of divine indie chamber pop, you might think that Matt Pond had pretty much exhausted his -- and his ever evolving eponymous band's -- wayward course. For reasons that remain a mystery to us (and I'm sure to MP as well), broad commercial success has somehow eluded the Philly-to-Brooklyn singer/songwriter and his band while Death Cab For Cutie, The Shins and others who peddle in similar lightweight, retro-styled pop/rock, have cultivated that crit/cred sweet spot well. But you can call us decidedly delighted that Pond is still plugging away, returning April 13 with the artful, agile new album The Dark Leaves.

As with each Matt Pond PA release, there are some tweaks and refinements in store and for his Dark Leaves the watch words are the self-issued "razing, rooting and rebuilding." Recorded in a remote studio near Bearsville, NY, the new project delves headlong into the jangling guitars and lush arrangements that have marked his best work -- including 2007's Last Light -- with swirling, ELO-ish lead single "Starting". But there's also a more ethereal folk/rock element at play here as well throughout the album, mandolins and other acoustic accoutrements adding a nimble naturalness to the proceedings. Smart, thoughtful eminently melodic, The Dark Leaves adds another worthy chapter to the Matt Pond PA saga. Recommended.

Myspace Artist Site

Matt Pond PA - "Starting" (from the album The Dark Leaves)

Library Voices - Denim On Denim

2010-03-16T07:11:06Z

Canada's Library Voices say that you could call their music "Post-Twee-Power-Folk-Nu-Beach-LoFi-Modern-Indie" but want to keep it simple: they just prefer "pop." The Regina, Saskatchewan octet formed in 2008 and have released an EP but well-tuned critical ears have already made note, including SPIN and those smarty-pants at The New Yorker. We like the witty, rather retro-meets-modern substructure that supports the Voices' nimble, gangly jangle and it's a blast to play "pin the tail on the influences" as our collective heads swim with a muddled melange of names from 60's radio fodder, 70's So-Cal harmonied pop, skittish 80's New Wave and homespun 90's indie rock. But that's really just the beginning of the fun.

Kicked off with lead single "Drinking Games", debut full length Denim On Denim (April 13, Young Soul) makes the most of the band's eclectic array of instruments and voices (we are talking eight performers here) as staccato guitar riffs, handclaps, swelling organ chords and a big boisterous beat set up an irresistible vocal harmony hook. The result is The Cowsill-ian, Bay City Roller-ish anthem as might be performed by a 70's version of Arcade Fire -- and, we might add, with a clever lyrical edge. We're also besotted by the tenaciously driven "Haunt This House", a rave-up of rhythmic thrust and a kitchen-sink's worth of wall-of-sound instrumental mayhem that would make David Byrne smile. Fun -- didn't we already say that? -- but almost never frivolous, these boisterous Library Voices shall not be shushed. Recommended.

Myspace Artist Site

Library Voices - "Haunt This House" (from the album Denim On Denim)

Library Voices - "Write Me A Myth" (from the album Denim On Denim)

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JBM - Not Even In July

2010-03-16T07:08:46Z

JBM is the official moniker for Jesse Marchant, a skilled purveyor of moody, sometimes despairing but always deeply affecting songcraft on his acclaimed debut album Not Even In July, released in 2009 but finally receiving wider availability April 13. Recalling Nick Drake, Alexi Murdoch, Jose Gonzalez and the more reflective folk works of Neil Young, Marchant keeps things on a simmer stylistically, creating eerie minor-key masterworks of despair, loneliness and loss surrounded by a haunting atmosphere of mystery and solemn introspection. Marchant's voice is often steeped in reverb, the echoing words adding to the overall feeling of facing the world's challenges alone.

But despite the air of regret and sadness, Not Even In July maintains a warmth and tenderness and the heart of the album still beats with a hopeful humanity. Perhaps it's the feeling of intimate proximity to the proceedings at work here -- and Marchant's unflinching honesty -- but when the last chords fade on the devastating tale of suicide in "Swallowing Daggers" the emotions evoked have a cathartic effect, a meditation that oddly leaves the listener thoughtfully aware. Few albums have this uncanny ability to flow seamlessly from track to track and mood to mood, spanning the ethereal folk-hymn "Cleo's Song", lustrous acoustic shuffle "Ambitions and War" and percolating, descending piano chords and slow building crescendo of "July On the Sound." Highly recommended. On tour with Rogue Wave now through the end of April.

Myspace Artist Site

JBM - "Ambitions and War" (from the album Not Even In July)

JBM - "Cleo's Song" (from the album Not Even In July)

Freelance Whales - Weathervanes

2010-03-16T07:04:43Z

Purveyors of smart, dreamy, and elaborate art-pop, New York's Freelance Whales happily steer clear of any overly precocious trappings on their sophisticated March 16 debut album Weathervanes (Frenchkiss). Formed in late 2008, the Queens-based quintet appear to have an endless supply of both esoteric instruments -- banjo, glockenspiel, harmonium -- and impressive creative compositions at hand as they seamlessly weave labyrinthine sonic patterns that ebb and flow beneath lofty vocal melodies. If it sounds overly mannered or obtuse, it's not. But it is, above all, music that requires the act of listening and for those who are looking for an album of genuine small-screen cinematic pleasures, Weathervanes is it.

Not surprisingly, Freelance Whales have already begun to receive rapturous buzz with NME hailing their music as "gentle, naive bliss...(with) hooks blossoming with the pace of an actual flower opening." Lead track "Hannah" is a great place to start: an infectious electronic riff merges with an odd assorment of instruments, stammering rhythms and tumbling lyrics for a song that is just this side of quirky. But our favorite may be the eerie "Ghosting", a scintillating swath of twinkling lights, delicate time measures and a melody that's allowed to meander unfettered and unhurried. Highly recommended.

Myspace Artist Site

Freelance Whales - "Hannah" (from the album Weathervanes)

Freelance Whales - "Ghosting" (from the album Weathervanes)