Brice Randall Bickford II + friends + Carrboro, NC = The Strugglers. It’s all about location, right? Grab the finely aged “Goodness Gracious” and bask in a little Southern twang & steel guitar — warm, sad sounds, protective like an grown-up version of your childhood blankie. Like he sings in the song: “Don’t you know what will happen with you staring at the world like this?” Or download “Morningside Heights,” the poppy, wise opening track from the band’s 2008 release The Latest Rights and get lost in the violin’s reel from down South to the Upper West Side. The Strugglers stripped down, sedate sound provide a nice reflection of place; that is, the U.S. of A.
The Felice Brothers
The Felice Brothers seem to have a good time spinning out bizarre, wistful Bob Dylan-esque songs about deals gone wrong and inevitably bad relationships. The sloppy fun of “Frankie’s Gun!” makes me wish I’d been in that studio, banging on something, making some noise as the tape rolled. Made up of three actual brothers from the Catskills — Simone, Ian and James Felice — plus “a 19 year old called Christmas,” according to the press info, these guys don’t mind playing a wrong not or two. It’s the thought that counts, right? And their thoughts seem as pure and sincere as a streetcorner singer in the middle of summer, telling everyone how it is.
Thao
I imagine everybody else has already heard these new tracks from Thao (formerly known as Thao Nguyen and also seemingly masquerading as Thao with the Get Down Stay Down). If not, then you should know they absolutely and completely rock (in a folk-pop way). Pulled off of We Brave Bee Stings and All, her Kill Rock Stars label debut, Thao brings in the kitchen sink and everything else to slap together a huge party in these two teeny-tiny songs. From the HGTV-inspired lyrics of “Bag of Hammers” — “Shake the frame of this house / Distress the wood, make it shout” — to the lost love of “Beat” and its accompanying brass (is that a tuba?), Thao doesn’t let you down. (Sadly, though, I think the links on her old 3hive page do.)
Orilla Opry
Emma Baxter and Daniel Noble, recording as Orilla Opry for Montreal’s Ships at Night Records, make an awesome noise. Folk-influenced, stripped-down pop, sometimes harmonized, sometimes dissonant, with hooks and crannies and texture and detail — if Orilla Opry was a house, it would have character and heavy duty curbside appeal. Try “Riverside 2,” off their latest album Lighthouse for Stragglers’ Eyes, for one of the prettiest, most ear-pleasing songs of the year (well, technically, from late last year).
These United States
These United States fall on the Devendra Banhart side of the folk scale in terms of their “freakiness.” I imagine their songs would take you on quite the headphone trip; I’ve yet to put them to such a test. From what I’ve heard thus far from their forthcoming debut, A Picture of the Three of Us at the Gate to the Garden of Eden, my expectations are ratcheted up something fierce. It’s as if I’ve just picked up a new novel, fallen in love with the first chapter, and I’m feeling like I’m on the cusp of reading The Great Americana Novel. As if…
Ben Kamen
It’s certainly not all-weather folk, but Ben Kamen’s somber strumming and vocalizing mingle nicely with the raindrops on the roof today. Kamen has a new EP that he’s giving away for free on his website, from which the two new tracks below are taken. That’s mighty nice of him. What’s nicer is that if you’re willing to do Kamen a Radiohead-style solid and pay for the music he’s otherwise giving away, he’ll send you a limited edition (1 of 100 — No. 98 is to the left) 3″ CD with a hand-painted cover. Now, perhaps you’re all iTuned out and that offer holds nothing for you. But if you ask me it’s good to remember that music ain’t just something you download – it’s something that’s created—and in this case created just for you.
Samantha Crain and the Midnight Shivers
I had Monday and Tuesday off this week, so it is with considerable surprise that I had the realization that, hey, today is Thursday! That would be my day to post, and since I had nothing planned or ready, well, meet Samantha Crain and the Midnight Shivers. Straight outta Shawnee, Oklahoma, this crew serves up solid roots music with a bit of a creepy edge to it. I’m not sure what “Traipsing Through the Aisles” is about, exactly, but Crain sings “I did something wrong” so many times at the end of the song that, no matter how sweetly she croons, I kind of believe her. Look for The Confiscation EP to be released in summer 2008.
Jim Bryson
Sorry I don’t have anything lovey-dovey for Valentine’s Day. Instead, here’s an update on Canadian singer-songwriter Jim Bryson, whose “Satellite” is one of my favorite 3hive songs ever. There are a few new songs from his Kelp records release Where the Bungalows Roam and a bunch of Canadian tour dates on his website, which also offers up plenty of downloadable live tracks and demos. Checking out this new material, all low-fi and laid back — I especially like “The Wishes Pile Up” — reminds me how comfortable it is to listen to Bryson. He’s like an old frind from college playing songs in your living room. How about some shows in Windsor, Jim? I’d cross the border for that.
If By the Bridge [MP3, 4.3MB, 192kbps]
All the Fallen Leaves [MP3, 5MB, 192kbps]
The Wishes Pile Up [MP3, 4.7MB, 192kbps]
Original post: 12/31/04
These long, slow, sad, and self-deprecatingly beautiful country songs from Ottawa-based Jim Bryson match perfectly with the blinding-sun, hoarfrost-covered days we had earlier in the week here in Detroit. Come to think of it, they also match fairly well with the longing-for-even-just-a-moment-of-sunlight, totally gray slush days we’re having now.
Reed KD
This is one of those albums that sneaks up on you bit by bit, note by note, melody by melody. A subtle record that, after hearing it once or twice, lies dormant for a spell until you find yourself humming one of its tunes. “Empty Bottles” has been floating around in my head for weeks. The simple, rich harmonies are sweetly palpable, not unlike the sensation I experienced the first time I ever listened to Either/Or. Self-released on his own Dirty Laundry label, The Ashes Bloom will likely get lost in the glut of mass-market releases racing for your attention this year. Slow life down to bike ride speed and enjoy Reed KD.
American Music Club
In 2001, while I was living in Mark Eitzel’s hometown of San Francisco, I saw him play at the Great American Music Hall as part of the annual Noise Pop Festival. Eitzel is notoriously passionate about his music and stories abound about his being brought to tears by the memory of the songs he sings while he’s playing them. On this night, however, the spirit was more a mix of frustration and contrition. He was trying out new material and just couldn’t seem to hit the right notes. Plus, he’d been preceded to the stage by Bright Eyes and he seemed self-conscious and intimidated by Connor Oberst’s raw yet nearly flawless performance. Eitzel is a consummate musician, and on that night it seemed apparent that the old adage applied and he just didn’t want to have to follow Oberst’s act. Which was too bad, because many times I’ve seen Eitzel, both solo and with American Music Club, play warm, intimate sets that command your attention like the glow of a single candle in darkness. Likewise, the songs that American Music Club have made since reforming almost four years ago after a decade-long break are certainly older, wiser and more refined. But they’re hardly workmanlike — Eitzel and crew are much less concerned about what we all think, and we think it’s all the better as a result.