Introducing... The Henry Clay People

The first time I heard about The Henry Clay People was when they were announced as the opening act for Drive-By Truckers during their US tour last spring (I think), but it took until me until the release of their newest album Somewhere On The Golden Coast in June last year to actually check them out. I instantly fell in love with their music, and Somewhere On The Golden Coast became the soundtrack of my summer, being easily my listened to album during that period (the only competition came from The Gaslight Anthem's American Slang).

The Henry Clay People are a rock 'n' roll band from Los Angeles, California with lyrics dealing with your average late teens/early twenties stuff; girls, friends, work, drinking, music etc, to a background that I've seen described as Pavement-meets-The Hold Steady, and I could certainly get behind that description. On their facebook page the band also cites The Replacements, Faces, Neil Young and The Clash as influences, but blue-collar rock such as Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band and Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers.

The band are led my singer and guitarist Joey Siara (who's vocals share many similarities with those of Stephen Malkmus of Pavement) and his brother Andy, also guitarist. They released their debut album Blacklist The Kid With The Red Moustache in 2007 on their own, and then signed with Aquarium Drunkard's Autumn Tone label for the follow-up For Cheap Or For Free, which was released in 2008. With every new album the band has shown a steady growth in songwriting culminating in last year's Somewhere On The Golden Coast, which was released on ATO Records imprint TBD Records (which may also be the reason they were brought on tour with Drive-By Truckers, who are signed to ATO). The band is currently working on their fourth album, although no title or release date has been set.

Somewhere On The Golden Coast is filled with passionate and energetic no-frills indie rock and you can listen to the entire album below, or download the single "Slow Burn" in exchange for an e-mail adress. If you're not willing to listen to the entire album I'd suggest giving its standout track "This Ain't A Scene" a chance, since it's definitely one of the best songs released last year.

The Deep Dark Woods record Daytrotter session

Photo by: Kevin Hogarth

Canadian americana band The Deep Dark Woods is the latest band to record a session for the good people over at Daytrotter, and you can download it for free right now (all you need to do is sign up).

I first discovered The Deep Dark Woods with the release of their third album, Winter Hours, in 2009 and I fell in love with their excellent well-crafted mix of folk rock, americana and alt. country, with fellow Canadian Neil Young being a prominent influence. Or to quote Daytrotter founder Sean Moeller's piece on the session: "The band carries the torch of great Canadian songwriters old and contemporary - from Neil Young and The Band to Patrick Watson and Jason Collett - and makes it their own by making it a hybrid of the sound that feels local, as if they're walking us around their hometown, showing us how little or how much there is to see."

The Daytrotter session consists of four tracks and provides a good introduction to their catalogue with one track from each album; "The Straight And Narrow" from their self-titled debut from 2006, "Five-Hundred Meters" from their 2007 album Hang Me, Oh Hang Me and the Neil Young & Crazy Horse-esque "The Sun Never Shines" from Winter Hours, plus "Charlie's (Is Coming Down)" from a 7" single released in 2010. Head over to Daytrotter and download it now.

Video release for Wild Palm's "Delight In Temptation"

Wild Palms, one of my favorite bands at the moment, have now released the video for their third single taken from the debut album out now on Monday the 7th. Here is "Delight In Temptation". Enjoy!

Listen to the new Arctic Monkeys track "Brick By Brick"

A short while ago Arctic Monkeys unveiled a new track on their website called "Brick By Brick", which may or may not be from their upcoming James Ford-produced album, which is set to be released some time this year. Check out the track below.

Brian Fallon cover Jack Johnson's "Sitting, Waiting, Wishing"

Jack Johnson and The Gaslight Anthem doesn't seem like the likeliest pairing, but this morning The Gaslight Anthem frontman Brian Fallon performed a cover of Johnson's "Sitting, Waiting, Wishing" on Australia’s Triple J (via Cover Me). Fallon, commenting on the odd pairing, says "My band, they always talk about, ‘Why do you like Jack Johnson? He was on the Curious George soundtrack.’ I’m like, ‘So, did you listen to it? It’s good! Maybe you should have a kid and mellow out one day, not be so tough and punk rock.’".

After listening to his performance I'd be inclined to agree, even if I've personally can't remember hearing a single Jack Johnson song. Check out the video below, download an mp3 of the performance or download the entire video.



MP3: Brian Fallon - "Sitting, Waiting, Wishing" (courtesy of Cover Me)

Download the video (courtesy of Triple J)

The Gaslight Anthem are currently finishing up a tour of Australia and Asia, and will return to Europe in June. Fallon is also working on a side-project with British musician Ian Perkins called The Horrible Crowes and they'll release their debut album this summer, with the next Gaslight Anthem album set for 2012 release.

Albums of February 2011

Last month a wrote an article called “Albums of January 2011” which was posted on January 31, and I planned on continuing in that fashion but due to concerts and other things this has been delayed a few days. But now it’s here, the not-so-awaited “Albums of February 2011” and I personally feel that February was much stronger than January, and this month there was a great amount of albums to choose from. In limiting myself to five albums there were several good albums that didn’t make the cut, among others Gruff Rhys’ Hotel Shampoo (which you can stream here), The Twilight Singers’ Dynamite Steps, Saigon’s The Greatest Story Never Told, Cut Copy’s Zonoscope, Jessica Lea Mayfield’s Tell Me and La Sera’s self-titled debut record.

Here are my five personal favourites from February (meaning that this in no way is meant to represent the views of the other writers on this blog), in alphabetical order and including only albums to have actually been released in January (so no streams or leaks).

James Blake – James Blake
[ATLAS/A&M, 2011.02.07, Spotify]

James Blake is probably one of the most hyped young artists today, and he’s someone who actually deserves it. Blake came to attention last year when he released three ep’s during a single year, each one different and showing a progression in his composing. Blake is a 21-year old dubstep producer and trained classical pianist from London and his self-titled debut brings his very different backgrounds together and he creates an electronic world with prominent piano and auto-tuned vocals, which ends up sounding much like a twisted version of soul. Definitely one of the most exciting new artists and the poster-boy of dubstep’s got a bright future ahead of him. 8/10

The Deep Vibration – Strange Love
[Self-released, 2011.02.01, Spotify/Stream]

I was introduced to The Deep Vibration in early February, right after the release of Strange Love, their debut full-length, and wrote an introductory piece on them for this blog, which you can check out here. Strange Love is an accomplished mix of ‘70s Neil Young & Crazy Horse-ish country rock, modern alt. country and indie rock, with vocals that sound like a mix of Ryan Adams, Neil Young and The Roadside Graves’ John Gleason. 8/10

Drive-By Truckers – Go-Go Boots
[ATO Records, 2011.02.14, Spotify/Stream]

Drive-By Truckers are probably my favourite current band and when they returned with their ninth studio album I had high expectations, and the band delivered. Go-Go Boots is their most mellow and soulful album so far and finds the band branching out with great result. Read my entire full review of the album here. 8/10

Radiohead – The King Of Limbs
[Self-released, 2011.02.18]

Radiohead caught the music world by surprise once again when they announced the release of The King Of Limbs less than a week in advance, and then released it one day early. The King Of Limbs seems to have been getting mixed reviews from fans, but unanimously positive ones from the press, which isn’t that hard to understand. Musically this is Radiohead’s least conventional record, there are barely any guitars on the record at all, and there are fewer hooks than on Kid A or Amnesiac, which means that casual fans who are more into the guitar rock incarnation of Radiohead are going to be disappointed. That said, it’s a rewarding album, relying more on creating a mood than actual songs, which isn’t something I’m usually a fan of but they make it work, with “Codex” being its crowning moment. 8/10

Yuck – Yuck
[Fat Possum Records, 2011.02.15, Stream]

When I first heard Yuck’s self-titled debut in January I listened once and dismissed them as just another revival band that got the sound right, but missed the songs. I was wrong. The album’s been in steady rotation for the past two months and there are indeed songs, and really good ones too, but the fact remains that a large part of their appeal is in their unashamed revival of the sound of early ‘90s indie rock. The two most obvious comparisons go to Pavement and Dinosaur Jr., and for once they actually make sense since the band gets the sound down perfectly, and the feel. So for anyone who wants it to be 1991 again, this record is for you, or just for anyone who’s into great guitar-based indie rock. 7/10

Live review + photos: The National + Sharon Van Etten, Live at Cirkus, Stockholm, Sweden 2011.03.01

A few days ago The National’s European tour arrived to Stockholm and I was, together with lmvs from this blog, in attendance at the sold-out show. The show took place at Cirkus, a beautiful, more than 100 years old, venue that was originally intended for circus shows, which spawned a couple of jokes among the band members about frontman Matt Berninger acting like a clown.

The National brought along Brooklyn-based folk singer-songwriter Sharon Van Etten and her band, consisting of Doug Keith on bass and Ben Lord on drums. For those of you unfamiliar with Van Etten; she’s a young, extremely talented artist who released her first record in 2009 and her second, Epic, last year. They played a great set, with The National’s Aaron Dessner joining them on guitar for a couple of songs, including at least one from her upcoming album that Aaron Dessner is producing, which seems to be a slightly different musical direction, but one even more exciting. Sharon Van Etten herself was an excellent vocalist and a funny, albeit a bit shy, bandleader and switched from her customary electric guitar to a harmonium for one song, adding a new dimension to the performance.

After a half hour wait The National began their set with the ballad “Runaway”, the same song that they opened with at the Way Out West Festival in Gothenburg this summer, and something of a deceptive move considering the energetic direction the rest of the show took. The National were enthusiastic throughout the show, and although their dark and sometimes stark music might not seem like the type of music that would translate to a live setting they’re one of the very best live bands out there. The setlist consisted of ten out of eleven songs from last year’s High Violet (only “Lemonworld” was missing) and a few songs from Boxer, Alligator and the Cherry Tree EP, and my only complaint about the setlist was the lack of “All The Wine” and “Available” but that’s hardly a serious complaint.

The National frontman Matt Berninger is one of the most captivating frontmen I’ve seen, despite not seemingly doing all that much, except when walking through the audience during “Mr. November” but his stage presence and manners are something special. The sound was excellent with the guitarists Aaron and Bryce Dessner having some of the best guitar sounds and tones I’ve heard, and the rhythm section, consisting of the Devendorf brothers Scott and Bryan, were tight (and Bryan being one of the best drummers I’ve seen).

Highlights included the aforementioned “Mr. November”, “Bloodbuzz Ohio”, “Wasp Nest” and the closer “Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks” which the band performed unplugged with the audience singing along. Overall The National performed one of the best gigs I’ve seen in a long time, and it shows why they’ve become one of the biggest indie rock bands, with perhaps only Arcade Fire being significantly bigger.

9/10

Song of the day; Brother - "New Year's Day"

Song of the day; Brother - "New Year's Day"

Photos: The Vaccines, Live at Debaser Slussen, Stockholm, Sweden 2011.03.02

One of the biggest British hypes this year, The Vaccines, had their gig at Debaser Slussen, Stockholm, Sweden yesterday, and birds need feet was of course there to watch their performance. The band opened with ”Wreckin' Bar (Ra Ra Ra)”, which wasn't a surprise; it's a great song to start a gig with. The gig was, approximately, only about 30 minutes, but it was a well-performed 30 minutes packed with great music. This band, in my opinion, has a very bright future with their typical British guitar pop. I'll give The Vaccines 8/10 for this gig.

We also snapped some photos, so here you go:

Stream: Cymbals Eat Guitars - "Gleemer (The Deeds Of Fertile Jim)" (Guided By Voices cover)

Brooklyn-based indie rockers Cymbals Eat Guitars are currently recording their upcoming second album with John Agnello, but you can already hear a new track by them. The song I speak of is a cover of Guided By Voices' "Gleemer (The Deeds Of Fertile Jim)" from GBV's sixth album, 1993's Vampire On Titus, which they've recorded for an upcoming Guided By Voices tribute album. Stream the track below.

The tribute album will be released on No More Fake Labels some time this year, and will according to Twenty Four Bit also feature contributions from Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit (covering “Everywhere With Helicopter”), Blitzen Trapper (covering "Hot Freaks"), La Sera (covering "Watch Me Jumpstart"), Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore (who's previously released cover of "Stabbing A Star" will be included) and The Flaming Lips (covering “Smothered In Hugs”).

Stream: Futurebirds - "Millstones"

A couple of weeks ago I posted about Athens, GA band Futurebirds and their cover of Stevie Nicks'"Wild Heart", which will be included on their upcoming ep Via Flamina (out on April 1 via Autumn Tone). Via Flamina will include three other new tracks by the band and you can stream one of them, "Millstones", right here. (Note: the stream of "Wild Heart" has since been taken down).

Tracklist for Via Flamina:
1. Via Flamina
2. Millstones
3. Wicked Game
4. Wild Heart

"Millstones"

Video: Black Lips - "Go Out And Get It!"

Atlanta, GA garage rockers the Black Lips will release their sixth studio record in June and today they've released a video for "Go Out And Get It!", the first single from the album, and also the album title itself, Arabia Mountain. Arabia Mountain is produced by Mark Ronson and you can view the video, which also features Vivian Girls, "Go Out And Get It!" below.

Grinderman to release remix of "Evil" featuring The National's Matt Berninger

Nick Cave's Grinderman project released one of last year's best records in Grinderman 2 and on Record Store Day they're going to release a limited 12" vinyl single with the track "Evil" from the album. Besides the original version the single will also include the "Michael Cliffe House Remix" by Factory Floor,"First Evil" (Nick Cave and Warren Ellis' early demo of the song) and most excitingly the "Silver Alert Remix", by Grinderman and Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds drummer Jim Sclavunos and Peter Mavrogeorgis, which features The National frontman Matt Berninger on vocals. The thought of Nick Cave and Berninger sharing vocals is definitely something I'd wanna hear, both being unique vocalists - and both being great vocalist.

In related news Grinderman are releasing "Palaces Of Montezuma" from Grinderman 2 as a single on March 14, which, besides the original song, will feature a remix of the track by Barry Adamson and a remix of "When My Baby Comes" by The Horrors' frontman Faris Badwan's new project Cat's Eyes (stream both tracks below). Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds will also reissue four of their albums on May 17, namely 1994's Let Love In, 1996's Murder Ballads, 1997's The Boatman's Call, and 2001's No More Shall We Part. More info on that here.

"When My Baby Comes (Cat's Eyes Remix)"


"Palaces of Montezuma (Barry Adamson Remix)"

An introduction to Jamie Woon

I'm very impressed by this British young talent called Jamie Woon. I was totally amazed by his performance of the song "Spirits", which really shows us his musical talent (watch it below). The first single "Night Air" from the forthcoming album has already been on repeat on my iPod for a couple of weeks now and I'm looking forward to hear the debut Mirrorwriting which is out 11th April.

"Spirits"


"Night Air"

Ty Segall to release new record, Goodbye Bread, in June

Photo by Claire Marie Vogel

Ty Segall released the live record Live In Aisle 5 in January but he's already announced the release of his next studio album Goodbye Bread, which will be released on June 21 via Drag City. Goodbye Bread will be the San Francisco garage rocker's fifth studio album, and it's the follow-up to last year's acclaimed Melted. Check out a video of Segall performing the song "Goodbye Bread" live in a Bathroom below (via Pitchfork).



Segall is currently touring the US, the dates are available here.

Purling Hiss record Daytrotter Session, available now

Philadelphia-based musician Purling Hiss, aka Mike Polizee, recorded a session for the excellent Daytrotter, which was released yesterday. Purling Hiss released his self-titled solo debut in 2009, and then two albums last year, Public Service Announcement and Hissteria, and if you're into lo-fi garage psych he might be for you. Mike Polizee is also a member of Philly garage psych group Birds Of Maya. Head over to Daytrotter to download the session for free (although they require you to register).

Damien Jurado announce Record Store Day live record

Seattle, WA singer-songwriter Damien Jurado will release his first live record on April 16 as part of Record Store Day. The album is called Live At Landlocked and was recorded on June 13, 2010 at Landlocked Records in Bloomington, IN. The record consists mostly of tracks from his latest record Saint Bartlett, which was release last year, but also contains a new song called "Thax Douglas #1". The record will only be a limited release with either 800 or 900 copies, depending on the source.

Jurado is coming to Scandinavia and Sweden in April, and will perform here in Stockholm on April 19 with support from Swedish indie folk singer-songwriter I'm Kingfisher (aka Thomas Denver Jonsson). Scandinavian tour dates here.

Video: Centro-matic - "Only In My Double Mind"

I'm not sure how I've managed to miss that Centro-matic's got a new album coming out in April, but they do, and it's called Candidate Waltz. Centro-matic's an American indie rock/american/alt. country/insert-meaningless-genre-name-here band from Denton, Texas who also perform under the name South San Gabriel. The only difference between the two band's are which songs frontman Will Johnson thinks fit best, with South San Gabriel focusing on the slower, more introspective songs. Johnson has also released two great solo albums, and he was the drummer of indie supergroup Monsters of Folk (Jim James of My Morning Jacket + Conor Oberst and Mike Mogis of Bright Eyes + M. Ward), plus he's worked with Drive-By Truckers and their frontman Patterson Hood on several occasions (including Hood's 2009 solo album Murdering Oscar (And Other Love Songs)).

From what I can find there's no release date set for Candidate Waltz yet, except for April in general. The band has released a video for the first single from the album, "Only In My Double Mind", which you can view below, and the album cover (above) and tracklist (below the video). If you head over to the official Centro-matic website you can also read the lyrics for the album, here. If you're unfamiliar with Centro-matic I'd suggest heading over to their Soundcloud page where they've got their entire discography available for listening.



Tracklist for Candidate Waltz:
1. Against The Line
2. All The Talkers
3. Iso-Residue
4. Estimate x 3
5. Only In My Double Mind
6. Solid States
7. Shadow, Follow Me
8. Mercedes Blast
9. If They Talk You Down

Johnny Flynn announce North American tour

Johnny Flynn & The Sussex Wit will be heading to the US for a two and a half week tour between May 15 and June 2, with two Canadian dates thrown in for good measure. Caitlin Rose will be the opening act on all dates and James Mathé will join the tour for a couple of shows too.

For those of you that are unfamiliar with Johnny Flynn I'd suggest changing that as soon as possible. Flynn, is together with ex-girlfriend Laura Marling, undoubtedly the most talented of the new British folk scene (which has also produced Noah And The Whale and the now-world-famous Mumford & Sons), and he release his excellent debut album A Larum in 2008 featuring some of the best lyrics I've heard in a long time. In 2009 he released the Sweet William EP and last year saw the release of his second full-lenth Been Listening, which didn't quite reach the extreme heights I expected of it but nevertheless was a very good album. For newcomers I'd suggest tracking down A Larum first. Plus he's also a theatre actor, and poet.

Check out "Kentucky Pill" from Been Listening and "The Wrote And The Writ" from A Larum below.

"Kentucky Pill"


"The Wrote And The Writ


Johnny Flynn & The Sussex Wit + Caitlin Rose tour dates:
05.15 - Seattle - Vera Project
05.16 - Portland - Doug Fir Lounge
05.17 - San Francisco - Independent
05.18 - Los Angeles - The Echo
05.19 - Phoenix - Hard Rock Café
05.21 - Denver - Hi Dive
05.23 - St. Louis - Blueberry Hill
05.24 - Minneapolis - 7th Street
05.25 - Chicago - Mayne Stage
05.26 - Toronto - Horseshoe
05.27 - Montreal - Il Motore
05.28 - New York - Bowery Ballroom
05.30 - Boston - Middle East Downstairs
05.31 - Northampton - Iron Horse
06.01 - Philadelphia - World Café Live
06.02 - Baltimore - Ottobar

Video: The Strokes - "Under Cover Of Darkness"

Lots of Strokes news lately, folks... Now it's the release of the video for their single "Under Cover Of Darkness", which you can view below. "Under Cover Of Darkness" is the first single from their upcoming album Angles, and so far only two tracks has been released: "Under Cover Of Darkness" and "You're So Right", which you can download here. Check out the album cover for Angles here and check out the album's tracklist here. Angles is out on March 22 via RCA Records.

Okkervil River announce North American tour

Okkervil River will release their sixth studio album I Am Very Far on May 10 via Jagjaguwar and they've now announced a month-long North American (really the US plus Toronto and Vancouver) tour in support of the album, spanning from May 31 to June 28. Titus Andronicus will be opening during the entire tour but Future Islands, Julianna Barwick and New Villager will also join them on different dates (details below).

Okkervil River frontman Will Sheff's got a solo show in London scheduled for March 28 too, and Okkervil River will also support Arcade Fire on a one-off date in Dallas, TX on April 30. All the info we've got on I Am Very Far is collected here, and you can view a video of the band performing the future b-side "Weave Room Blues" live on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon here.

Tour dates:
03.28 - London, UK - St. Pancras Old Church (Will Sheff solo)
04.30 - Dallas, TX - Gexa Energy Pavilion (with Arcade Fire)
05.31 - Atlanta, GA - Variety Playhouse (with Titus Andronicus & Future Islands)
06.01 - Chapel Hill, NC - Cat’s Cradle (with Titus Andronicus & Future Islands)
06.02 - Washington, DC - 930 Club (with Titus Andronicus & Future Islands)
06.03 - Philadelphia, PA - Trocadero (with Titus Andronicus & Future Islands)
06.04 - New Haven, CT - Toad’s (with Titus Andronicus & Future Islands)
06.07 - New York, NY - Terminal 5 (with Titus Andronicus & Future Islands)
06.08 - Boston, MA - Royale (with Titus Andronicus & Future Islands)
06.09 - Buffalo, NY - Town Ballroom (with Titus Andronicus & Future Islands)
06.10 - Toronto, ON - Phoenix Theatre (with Titus Andronicus & Future Islands)
06.11 - Columbus, OH - Newport Music Hall (with Titus Andronicus & Future Islands)
06.12 - Minneapolis, MN - First Ave (with Titus Andronicus & Future Islands)
06.14 - Omaha, NE - Slowdown (with Titus Andronicus)
06.15 - Denver, CO - Bluebird Theater (with Titus Andronicus)
06.16 - Salt Lake City, UT - Urban Lounge (with Titus Andronicus)
06.17 - Boise, ID - Egyptian Theatre (with Titus Andronicus)
06.18 - Seattle, WA - Neptune Theatre (with Titus Andronicus)
06.20 - Vancouver, BC - The Vogue Theatre (with Titus Andronicus & Julianna Barwick)
06.21 - Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom (with Titus Andronicus & Julianna Barwick)
06.22 - San Francisco, CA - Fox Theater (with Titus Andronicus & Julianna Barwick)
06.23 - Los Angeles, CA - The Wiltern Theatre (with Titus Andronicus & New Villager)
06.24 - San Diego, CA - Belly Up Tavern (with Titus Andronicus & New Villager)
06.25 - Tucson, AZ - Rialto Theatre (with Titus Andronicus & New Villager)
06.28 - Lubbock, TX - Jake’s (with Titus Andronicus)

Video for "Final Form" by Everything Everything

This is the video release for Everything Everything's forth single "Final Form" from their debut album Man Alive (released 30th October 2010). I listened a lot to Everything Everything last year when the album came out and "Final Form" is still one of my absolute favorite tracks from last year.

The band themselves describe their new video as:

"... mostly concerned with the idea of a withering body, and your ability/inability to use it. We wanted to release something with a more serious tone than our previous singles, as we felt we had only exhibited one side of the album, and wanted the video to reflect this. Once again we directed the same film making team and tried to bring about a colder, darker atmosphere in which to perform a far more straightforward and honest performance, without all the trickery and brashness we have employed before. Having said that, we did utilise the same amazing graphics team to re-create Jonathan as a 'micro-biological ghost' using face tracking software, as well as simple projection techniques to mesh our faces together. Our first body, our last body, our Final Form."

Enjoy!

MP3: The Strokes - "You're So Right"

Angles, the new Strokes album, is one of the most talked about releases right now, and a few weeks ago they released the first single from the album, "Under Cover Of Darkness" as a free download on their site for a limited time. Today "Under Cover Of Darkness" gets its physical release and with it comes the b-side "You're So Right", which will also be included on Angles.

While "Under Cover Of Darkness" retained much of the band's classic sound "You're So Right" sounds more like a post-punk version of Julian Casablanca's solo album Phrazes f The Young and is likely to scare away a few fans. It's also indicative of what the rest of the album will sound like from the reports I've heard. Listen and download it below, courtesy of New York radio station 101.9 RXP, and judge for yourselves. Angles is out on March 22 via RCA Records.

MP3: The Strokes - "You're So Right" (courtesy of 101.9 RXP)

Stream:


(via One Thirty BPM)

Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit unveil album cover for Here We Rest

Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit's upcoming album Here We Rest is one my most highly anticipated records of 2011 and have been since I heard it was in the works a year ago (although a fall 2010 release was expected back then). Here We Rest will be released on April 12 via Lightning Rod Records and in my opinion (yes, I've heard) it's Isbell's most complete and fully realized album since he left the Drive-By Truckers in 2007, and both "Alabama Pines" and "Codeine" are among his very best songs. The band has now revealed the album cover, which is a beautiful painting by 400 Unit guitarist Browan Lollar, and you can view it above.

The band's got two shorter US tours announced in support of the album for March and April, and a date at a festival in Bergen, Norway on April 29 which I hope will be accompanied by a show here in Sweden (all tour dates here).

Full album stream: Middle Brother - Middle Brother

So the third album stream of the day is Middle Brother's self-titled debut album, which has been one of my most anticipated releases of early 2011 and is now available for streaming over at Spinner. Middle Brother is a collaboration between John McCauley of Deer Tick, Matthew Vasquez of Delta Spirit and Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes and personally I feel like McCauley's the most dominating one when it comes to the album's sound, although that's not saying it sounds like a Deer Tick album - it's obviously the work of three distinct voices.

Middle Brother is out tomorrow via Partisan Records, and you can download an mp3 of the title track here, and an mp3 of "Me Me Me" here. Middle Brother are currently touring the US with Deer Tick and Dawes, and they've got a show at SXSW with Bright Eyes and The Felice Brothers among others scheduled too (full dates here). I'm hoping a European tour with a Stockholm show will be announced in the near future, but I'm not getting my hopes up...

Full album stream: Middle Brother - Middle Brother

Full album stream: Kurt Vile - Smoke Ring For My Halo

Philadelphia singer-songwriter Kurt Vile's new album Smoke Ring For My Halo will be released on March 8 via Matador Records but you can stream the whole album already over at NPR. The John Agnello-produced Smoke Ring For My Halo is Vile's fourth studio album and it's the follow-up to 2009's Childish Prodigy.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Kurt Vile's work this is a good starting point, even if his debut from 2008 Constant Hitmaker is my favourite record of his, and musically I'd describe it as slightly psychedelic singer-songwriter indie folk, which doesn't really mean anything, does it? It's good, so give it a listen.

Full album stream: Kurt Vile - Smoke Ring For My Halo

UPDATE: Stream it right here (via Drowned In Sound)

Download a few mp3s from the album and check out the dates for Vile's European tour in May with his backing band The Violators, here.

Full album stream: Noah And The Whale - Last Night On Earth

English folk-pop band Noah And The Whale are set to release their third studio album on March 7 via Mercury Records, and we've already posted about the first single from the album "L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N.". The album is called Last Night On Earth and you can stream it in its entirety right here, thanks to NME.

Tracklist for Last Night On Earth:
1. Life Is Life
2. Tonight’s The Kind of Night
3. L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N.
4. Wild Thing
5. Give It All Back
6. Just Me Before We Met
7. Paradise Stars
8. Waiting For My Chance To Come
9. The Line
10. Old Joy

Song of the day... The National - Mr. November

Let's get really excited about tomorrow when my co-blogger shuffle and I are going to The Nationals' gig at Cirkus, here in Stockholm, Sweden. I'm prepared for an amazing show. Shuffle saw them last summer at the festival "Way Out West" in Gothenburg, Sweden, and I'm kind of jealous. But tomorrow it's my turn to see them as well. I don't think that we will be disappointed.

So, todays "Song of the day..." will be The National's "Mr. November".

Listen: White Fence - "The Pool"

I wrote an introductory piece on White Fence almost a month ago, just after discovering him and his second album ...Is Growing Faith. White Fence is the solo project of Tim Presley of The Strange Boys and Darker My Love and ...Is Growing Faith was released in January on Woodsist Records.

About two weeks ago Afterlife Records released a 7" vinyl single with "Harness" from ...Is Growing Faith and the excellent new b-side "The Pool". You can stream "The Pool", which I'd best described as psychedelic garage pop, below.



(via Weekly Tape Deck)