Video: The Gaslight Anthem perform "Bring It On" on Letterman 15/4

© Ashley Maile

Last night New Jersey rockers The Gaslight Anthem guested Late Show with David Letterman and performed "Bring It On" from last year's American Slang. Check out the performance below.



(via The Audio Perv)

Introducing... Balto

In a time where music has become extremely easy to access via the net the magic of finding an unknown band at random has almost disappeared. Sure you can find less well known bands but chances are that someone else found them first and the blog hype has already begun by the time you actually get your ears on the music. Thus, the pleasure and excitement of hearing October’s Road, the new release from Balto: you can still be the first one on your block to discover the joys of this new band and catch it at the very moment when its talent begins to bloom, before they’ve even been signed to a record label

Balto are led by singer and songwriter Daniel Sheron. Sheron is the band’s sole songwriter and lead singer and wrote these songs before forming the band, so Balto’s music is very much his creation. After graduating college in 2010 Sheron left the US for Moscow, Russia and after some time there he quit his job and traveled in Siberia. It was during this time that he wrote what would become October’s Road, and developed a music style that he himself dubs “TransSiberian Americana”. After returning to the US in late 2010 Sheron and a couple of friends recorded October’s Road and the album was later mixed by The Felice Brothers’ producer Jeremy Backofen before being released online on February 16.

TransSiberian Americana is in many ways an excellent description of the sound of October’s Road - it is definitely Americana, but Americana with a unique influence from his time in Russia which makes it stand out among its contemporaries. What makes the album a success is the consistently high quality of Sheron’s songwriting,including his lyrics which are always honest, sometimes painfully so, and often heartbreaking, shifting between the real and the abstract. The record tells the story of Sheron’s time in Russia, but its real focus are his reasons for leaving the US – a story most listeners should be able to find a connection with. October’s Road may just be the best album I’ve heard by an unsigned new artist, and in a music world where Americana and folk rock are doing quite well, with bands like Fleet Foxes headlining festivals, Balto are definitely made for a bigger stage. If there’s any justice they’ll get a proper record deal soon.

The band’s got the entire record available at their Bandcamp page where you can stream it, or buy it for a mere 4 dollars, but we’ve got two streams for you right here if you haven’t been convinced yet. The two tracks I’ve picked are the opening track “The Railyard” (which you can download for free at their Bandcamp page) and “Don Quixote”, one of the more upbeat tracks on the record.

Video: Jason Isbell perform "Alabama Pines" acoustic backstage

Another Jason Isbell post incoming... Last month Isbell performed a great acoustic version of "Alabama Pines", the opening track from his new album with the 400 Unit Here We Rest, for Merchants of Rock and you can check out the performance below.



Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit's Here We Rest is out now on Lightning Rod Records. Stream it here, and check out my review here.

Video: Prince perform "The Beautiful Ones" on Lopez Tonight 13/4

Prince guest Lopez Tonight last night and made a rare performance of his classic "The Beautiful Ones" from his 1984 album Purple Rain, one of my favourite albums of all time. Check out the performance below, plus a performance of "Laydown", a hidden track on his latest record 20Ten.

"The Beautiful Ones"

Album review: Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit - Here We Rest

Here We Rest by Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit has been one of the album's I've covered the most lately and it as finally released two days ago on April 12, by Lightning Rod Records. I wrote a review for One Thirty BPM for the album and you can check it out my heading over to their site by clicking this link. If you haven't heard the album you can stream it here, and you should - it's my favourite album of 2011.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Stream: Bill Callahan - "Drover"

Bill Callahan is perhaps more known under his stage name Smog which he used between 1990 and 2005 before turning to his real name released Apocalypse, his fourth album as Bill Callahan and fifteenth in total, last week on Drag City. Apocalypse continues his highly impressive streak of albums and has been one of my most listened to albums the past week. Check out the amazing opening track "Drover" below, and also check out the beautiful album cover for Apocalypse above.



(via One Thirty BPM via TwentyFourBit)

Stream: Grinderman - "Evil" (Silver Alert Remix featuring Matt Berninger)

As I wrote in early March Grinderman will release a limited 12" vinyl single for "Evil" on Record Store Day (ie April 16), and the single will besides the original version of the track feature three other versions; two remixes and "First Evil", Nick Cave and Warren Ellis' original demo for the track. The two remixes are "Michael Cliffe House Remix" by Factory Floor and the one I'm most excited about; the Silver Alert Remix featuring Matt Berninger of The National on vocals.

NME premiered the Silver Alert Remix today and you can stream it below - it almost feels like an entirely new song, and it's really cool. Also check out "First Evil" and the original version of the track here.

Video: My Morning Jacket - "Circuital" (VH1 Storytellers)

Last night I posted an mp3 of My Morning Jacket's brand new track "Circuital", the title track from their upcoming album, and today I've got a video of the band performing "Circuital" for VH1 Storytellers. I've previously posted a video of their Storytellers performance of "Golden", which you can view here, and the full show will air on June 3. Circuital will be released on May 31 via ATO Records.


(via Pitchfork)

Stream: Blitzen Trapper - "Maybe Baby"

Portland, Orgeon folk rock band Blitzen Trapper have been one of the most consistently impressive bands during the last couple of years and while they're working on their upcoming sixth studio album they're releasing a single on Friday for Record Store Day. The 7" single contains two brand new tracks, "Maybe Baby" and "Soul Singer", and will be released on Sub Pop, limited to 1500 copies. Sub Pop have been kind enough to give us a teaser by uploading the A-side "Maybe Baby" to Soundcloud - which sound like another winner to me. Check it out below.

MP3: My Morning Jacket - "Circuital"

My Morning Jacket will release their sixth studio album Circuital on May 31 via ATO Records and they've finally released a first track from the album, namely the more than seven minutes long title track which you can download below. "Circuital" is definitely impressive and should be reassuring for the people who, unlike me, feared that My Morning Jacket had lost their way on Evil Urges and feels most closely related to their 2005 album Z. Download the track below in exchange for an e-mail address, and if you're a fan you might want to pre-order the album or perhaps join their brand new fanclub via their website.

UPDATE: We've also got a stream for you guys, right here:

Video: My Morning Jacket - "Golden" (VH1 Storytellers)

My Morning Jacket are often considered to be one of the best live bands in the business, but there's also a lot of mystery surrounding their tracks and the meaning behind them, which meant that the announcement that they'd appear on the upcoming season of VH1 Storytellers was a dream come true for every fan. Rolling Stone have now premiered a teaser video from the program in the form of "Golden", a beautiful ballad from their 2003 album It Still Moves.

The clip begins with My Morning Jacket frontman Jim James explaining the origin of "Golden" before the actual performance, which gives you a good idea of the band's softer side. The full performance won't be aired until June 3, and by then their upcoming sixth studio album Circuital will already have been released - it's out on May 31 via ATO Records.

Stream: Arctic Monkeys - "Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair"

Arctic Monkeys released "Brick By Brick" in early March as a teaser for their upcoming album Suck It And See, but today they've released the first proper single from the album, with the overlong title "Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair". Check out the track below.



Suck It And See will be released on June 6.

Yuck record new Daytrotter Session, available now

British indie rockers Yuck have recorded a session for the wonderful site Daytrotter, featuring four songs from their self-titled debut record although sadly my personal favourite "Get Away" isn't included. Yuck's been one of my most listened band's since discovering them in January, and they've grown a lot on since my first listen to their lp. Head over to Daytrotter and download the session (they require you to register for free though, but it's worth it - just look through their archives).

If you haven't heard it yet I'd recommend that you check out "Doctors In My Bed", their brand new b-side for the "Get Away" single, which is available here.

Full album stream: Bombino - Agadez

This isn't exactly the type of music that's usually posted on this blog, or that I usually listen to, but it's an impressive piece of work by one of my favourite guitarist out there today. I was first introduced to the works of Omara "Bombino" Moctar, a 31 year old guitarist from Niger, when I read an intriguing review Group Bombino's 2009 album Guitars From Agadez, Vol. 2 (part of Sublime Frequencies' Guitars From Agadez series) around its release, and I've been a fan since.  

Guitars From Agadez, Vol. 2 featured great guitarwork, both acoustic and electric and half of the record was reminiscent of folk rock and the other half of garage blues, with a distinct African twist; all of it being recorded in Niger without proper equipment. Add to that the African vocals, in the Tuareg language Tamasheq, and most people will be sceptical but it's an excellent record.

Fast-forward to Agadez; it's a lot cleaner than Guitars From Agadez, Vol. 2 but besides that not much has changed; the guitarwork is still excellent, and the vocals and songwriting provide an African touch that is nice change of pace from my regular listening. It's no surprise that the sound of Agadez is cleaner and more professional considering it was in American filmmaker Ron Wyman's home studio in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Agadez is already out in France but will be released in the US on April 19 and the rest of the world on April 18 via Cumbancha.

Head over to Bombino's Bandcamp page or NPR to listen the entire album, and you can download track two, "Tar Hani (My Love)", for free at the Bandcamp page.

Video: Futurebirds - "Megachills"

Athens, GA folk rock band Futurebirds premiered the brand new not-so-slightly psychedelic video for "Megachills" last Friday, but for some reason I didn't get around to it until today. "Megachills" is taken from their self-titled debut ep which was released in 2009 and used to be available for free online, but is now being remastered and re-released by Autumn Tone on April 19. Check out the video below.


(via My Old Kentucky Blog)

Futurbirds also recently released an ep of newly recorded material called Via Flamina, which features two original songs and two covers - one Chris Isaak and one Stevie Nicks, and you can stream the ep in its entirety here.

Full album stream: Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit - Here We Rest

Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit's Here We Rest is probably the album I've been posting most about lately, and definitely the one I've been listening to the most. We've finally got a full album stream for you, thanks to AOL and Here We Rest is Isbell's most impressive work to date and a must-listen in my opinion (my full review should be up in a day or two). Head over to AOL and give it a listen - you won't regret it.

Here We Rest will be released tomorrow on April 12 via Lightning Rod Records.

Stream: Ty Segall - "Fist Heart Mighty Dawn Dart" (T. Rex cover)

I didn't even know this was happening, but apparently Ty Segall is releasing a T. Rex covers ep called Ty Rex on Record Store Day (April 16), which should be pretty awesome - and judging by the cover of "Fist Heart Mighty Dawn Dart", which Gorilla vs. Bear and Altered Zones co-premiered today, it will indeed be something worth getting. Shame that the Swedish version of Record Store Day isn't nearly as much fun as the US or UK one.

Listen to Ty Segall's version of the track below, and if you haven't heard it you should check out T. Rex's 1970 original, also available below.

Ty Segall - "Fist Heart Mighty Dawn Dart"


T. Rex - "Fist Heart Mighty Dawn Dart"

Full album stream: The Felice Brothers - Celebration, Florida

The upcoming Felice Brothers' album Celebration, Florida isn't out for a month but you can still stream the entire album right now at AOL's Spinner. Less than two weeks ago the folk rockers premiered "Ponzi", the first single from the album, which gave us some idea of how the band would deliver on their promise of "frightening horn sections, unexpected 808s, ambient synth lines, schoolyard taunts, booming, primitive drum beats, heavy bass lines, piano, violin, accordion, ringing guitars, rave beats, and sinister acid jazz", in addition to their own brand of folk rock. Head over to Spinner and give it a listen, and who knows, the stream might be taken down soon if this wasn't supposed to be made available yet...

Celebration, Florida will be released on May 10 via Fat Possum.

John Paul Keith announce new album The Man That Time Forgot

In February I wrote that John Paul Keith & The One Four Fives would release their second full-length this spring, and today they finally announced the new album The Man That Time Forgot. The album will be released on June 21 via the Fat Possum imprint Big Legal Mess Records, and is labelled as just "John Paul Keith" and not John Paul Keith & The One Four Fives as their debut record was, and they explain the change on their website like this:

"We decided that the full name was too long when combined with the album title; the phrase just made more sense without it. Also, the fact is, I rarely get to tour with the full One Four Fives lineup anyway, and sometimes I have to play with a completely different band altogether. But rest assured – this is a 100% One Four Fives record, with Mark, Johnny, and Al all over it!".

Check out the album cover (with the tracklist) above and listen to two new songs below; "Anyone Can Do It" and "Afraid To Look".

Full album stream: The Henry Clay People - This Is A Desert EP

The Henry Clay People's This Is A Desert ep has been one of my most anticipated releases for awhile and I've previously posted two tracks from the ep; an mp3 of "California Wildfire" and the video for "Winter Song". Spinner's got the entire ep up for streaming though, even if I can't find an actual release date, except for some time in April, so just head over there to listen. I'm halfway through and it's just as good as expected.

If you're unfamiliar with The Henry Clay People I'd suggest you check out my introductory piece here, which includes a stream to their excellent album from last year Somewhere On The Golden Coast.