burgundy cellar.

2008-10-14T11:28:00.008-05:00

his new album has been credited with sticking with the same old thing: soft-spoken vocals and delicate strums with the occasional rocker or two. and i can't lie. it does just that. but honestly, i could care less. ray's voice makes up for anything ever lost in his recordings. i'd like to see him do a few more rockers, but aside from that, my critiques are few and far between. with that said, this album makes my ears burn. makes me yearn. for what? i know not, but sir lamontagne delivers. i'll include two of my favorites. listen for the sex sounds in "henry..."

ray lamontagne - henry nearly killed me (it's a shame)

ray lamontagne - winter birds.

autumn mix.

2008-10-13T15:35:00.020-05:00

an autumnal mix for the autumnal weather. i always treasure this time of year. and what's better than music that induces the feeling? nothing. yeah, nothing. this is my interpretation of this time of year. and i even put it in alphabetical order to avoid favorites. then again, they're all favorites... enjoy.

a.a. bondy - world without end.

amos lee - ease back.

bowerbirds - olive hearts.

bon iver - for emma.

deertick - ashamed.

donovan woods - she belongs to me (bob dylan cover).

fleet foxes - your protector.

horse feathers - working poor.

iron and wine - the trapeze swinger.

josh ritter - the temptation of adam.

paleo - three stops to the big dream i dream.

phosphorescent - wolves.

right away, great captain! - me and julio down by the schoolyard (simon and garfunkel cover).

he's not french, just his name is.

2008-07-06T15:26:00.005-05:00

taken from the purposely misspelled french for "good winter," bon iver is the brainchild of justin vernon, who has gotten numerous accolades for his latest release, for emma, forever ago. to see this as yet another singer-songwriter is easy to do, but only if you've not actually heard the album. vernon sequestered himself in a cabin for three months after the break-up of his long-term band. while wondering through his snowy abyss, he found himself doing the household chores required to keep warm and singing his songs.

these songs ended up being the nine wonderful compositions found on the lp. he sings the majority of the album in falsetto, which gives them a snowy vibe to match his white surroundings. and the songs play into the "listen to alone or with your significant other" vein. nonetheless, this album has changed my perception on a lot of things - forgive me if this is too much, but it is true. i'm including two of my favorites from the album.

bon iver - flume

bon iver - skinny love

from port.

2008-06-27T11:42:00.004-05:00

up-and-coming artists are becoming a commonality among the blog universe, thanks to networking sites and musical segmentation - both of which have their perks and their negatives.

but i've got to say that the california-based port o'brien is on my list of newcomers that take my breath away. they've accomplished acclaim from the likes of m. ward and tegan and sara, as well as numerous critics - this one included. their songs have this air of seamanship that is completely derivative of van pierszalowski's fisherman background. expect nautical folk and rock when listening to these guys and you should be alright. their first lp came out last month and is entitled all we could do was sing. i'll include one from that release, as well as one of my other favorites.

port o'brien - i woke up today

port o'brien - five and dime

dance away, do the twist.

2008-06-05T19:25:00.007-05:00

alright, first off, let me apologize for it being quite a while since i've last posted some good music for you guys and gals to listen to. with that said, allow me to jump right in.

these united states deserve a lot of acclaim for their new album, a picture of the three of us at the gate to the garden of eden. these guys have managed to compose a group of songs so toe-tappingly fun, that it's easy to overlook the lyrics, which are top-notch in my humble opinion. i pride myself on being a huge fan of music that makes me dance - not very well and not at all dirty. and these guys have been waking me up every morning wriggling and squirming out from under the covers. their music puts a smile on my face that doesn't go away until i'm half-way through my 8am class, which is saying a lot for me.

Also, be sure to check out their live ep, entitled daytrotter sessions, for the wonderful studio whose website can be found at daytrotter.com. i'll include three of their songs: two from the ep and one from the lp - in that order. enjoy and keep on coming back if you're digging the tunes.

these united states - already got a girl who calls me that

these united states - first sight

these united states - jenni anne

serpent, crucifix, coronet.

2008-04-02T15:53:00.005-05:00

the snake the cross the crown were introduced into the indie world as the typical indie rock band with a touch of southern hospitality. they released their first lp with the label, equal vision - the album was called mander salis. but mid-tour they decided, "hey, we don't really like this music we're playing anymore." so they stopped touring and went back into the studio to record cotton teeth, their release from last year. this album changed up the pace and offered a more folk-tinged sound. and i like this sound a lot. plus, i'm proud to say that they were formed in huntsville, alabama. alright, enough gushing. i'm going to include a couple songs off cotton teeth.

the snake the cross the crown - the great american smokeout

the snake the cross the crown - gypsy melodies

for all the american hearts.

2008-03-26T16:17:00.012-05:00

this fellow is one of my new favorite artists. i play him every week on the show (somewhat cheating the local artists spot - but for good reason.). a.a. bondy mixes blues, folk, rock, and gospel into a wonderful conglomeration of sound. he has his foot in the door to the past with the window to the future opened. bondy is from birmingham, alabama, but he relocated to new york, i believe. so i've got some right to play him on the thirty. nonetheless... i also feel inclined to tell you that he is playing in the area soon. in fact, here is a tour schedule:

mar 26 2008 @ ann arbor, michigan
mar 27 2008 @ madison, wisconsin
mar 28 2008 @ covington, kentucky
mar 29 2008 @ nashville, tennessee
mar 30 2008 @ birmingham, alabama
apr 1 2008 @ dallas, texas
apr 2 2008 @ austin, texas
apr 3 2008 @ baton rouge, louisiana
apr 4 2008 @ tallahasee, florida
apr 5 2008 @ orlando, florida
apr 6 2008 @ gainesville, florida
apr 8 2008 @ athens, georgia
apr 9 2008 @ carrborro, north carolina
apr 10 2008 @ towson, maryland
apr 11 2008 @ brooklyn, new york
apr 12 2008 @ northampton, massachusetts
apr 13 2008 @ buffalo, new york

he'll also be on the conan o'brien show on the night of april 11th. i'll leave you with the proof - two of my favorites off his album, american hearts.

a.a. bondy - rapture (sweet rapture)

a.a. bondy - killed myself when i was young

oh no! oh my!

2008-03-26T16:03:00.009-05:00

oh no! oh my! i've found a new band. excuse me for getting around to it two years after their self-titled first release. nonetheless, check these guys from austin, texas out. daniel, joel, and greg are the heart of the band. their lyrics are whimsical and their melodies are sunny-day music. i'm giving you guys and gals two of my favorites off the album.

ah, it's a nice day for a drive-by shooting.

oh no! oh my! - walk in the park
oh no! oh my! - the backseat

cocoon: pandas everywhere.

2008-03-02T16:23:00.017-06:00

i just came into contact with this duo (mark and mo'). they're from france and their style is folk/pop. and honestly, i'm thoroughly impressed. arpeggios everywhere, catchy melodies, toe-tapping percussion, and the occasional ukulele. plus, they have this crazy fascination with pandas, and who doesn't love pandas?

i don't think they come outside france very much, but when they do, i'll be there. i'm including some favorites off of their first lp, my friends all died in a plane crash, as well as an interesting cover that they play a lot live.

cocoon - on my way

cocoon - vultures

cocoon - hey ya

iron and wine's southern(ish) tour.

2008-02-03T05:51:00.000-06:00

that's right. sam beam is taking his southern mythology to its rightful place. and with his respectable recluse ways, this one is all the more precious.

dates, cities, venues:

apr 9th: new orleans, la @ house of blues

apr 10th: tallahassee, fl @ the moon fsu

apr 11th: orlando, fl @ the plaza theatre

apr 12th: fort lauderdale, fl @ revolution live

apr 13th: jacksonville, fl @ freebird live

apr 14th: atlanta, ga @ variety playhouse

apr 19th: grand rapids, mi @ calvin college fine arts center

apr 20th: louisville, ky @ headliners music hall

you can see which one i'll be at.

say hello if you're there.

and here's a little something to tantalize.

iron and wine - flightless bird, american mouth

images, images, what's an image?

2008-01-12T15:45:00.001-06:00

lately, i've been doing some thinking. the rock n roll image is fading in many facets. given there are still plenty of drugged-out, alcoholic, man whores out there thrashing the stage and all, but things have cooled down a little bit. and this little fact brings a little quirky smile to my face. thinking of three of my favorite band-leaders and their newly sober albums. this is late, but it's never to late to take notice. i don't think.

conor oberst

conor cleared up over a year ago, released cassadaga last spring, and went on tour for the rest of last year. cassadaga happens to be one of my favorite bright eyes albums. the lyrics paint a million pictures inside your head. i felt engulfed in my own mental movie.

bright eyes - four winds

jeff tweedy

tweedy and his cohorts, wilco, realeased my favorite album from them last year: sky blue sky. his newfound sobriety undoubtedly had no negative effect on the end-outcome of his work. though he pretty much dropped his use of metaphor, but in a sense, it made the lyrics better. they're just so open and honest. i love this album so much.

ryan adams

this man had one of the worst reputations in the biz. i'd heard his concerts were out-of-hand and he refused to be open in interviews - not to say that he was supposed to be open, for that's an artist's prerogative. but ryan also cleaned up, released easy tiger, and did some touring. ha, he even wrote an apologetic song to the interviewer with whom he first established his reputation. and ryan boasts that this is the album that he's been wanting to make this whole time. touche, sir.

i'm not saying congratulations are in order. i'm not saying sobriety made their stuff better or worse. hell, i'm not even being opinionated on anything but their music - because beyond that, i've no true connection with them. just a simple pointing out.

the captain calling.

2007-12-07T10:22:00.000-06:00

the frontman for the atlanta-based up-and-comers/already-there-ers, manchester orchestra, has a side project. andy hull is filling his spare time with a three-album project called right away, great captain!. though he never planned for it to be much more than an outlet and a space-filler, those fans of manchester and others who enjoy a softer tune from time to time have taken notice.

the project consists of three albums, detailing the story of a sailor at sea. the songs on the first album are beautifully integrated. and if you have a working imagination, they can easily transport you back in time (the 1600s to be precise).

i may be a little belated here. but just in case you are too, here's a peek at what andy's right away, great captain! sounds like.

right away, great captain! - night, marry you

a thriller.

2007-12-06T07:59:00.001-06:00

though mr. jackson is closely associated with negativity, it cannot be denied that he made some of the catchiest music to date in his hey-day. i know this. you know this. and well... ben gibbard knows this.

and though halloween is long gone, here's a little ear treat.

ben gibbard - thriller