It's a wonderful life, this life of music
From the category archives:
The other day I got that kind of email that music bloggers love to get… an email from an artist’s management saying, “Hey… you know, I’ve noticed from your blog posts that you like xyz… and I think you might like some of my client’s stuff. Want to check it out?”… and you actually do [...]
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This is a really short note here, but to any of you readers who have enjoyed the stuff you’ve heard from Joe Pug on this blog so far, you might want to head over to NPR to stream Joe Pug’s October 5 performance from NPR’s Mountain Stage in full… trust me, you won’t regret it.
The [...]
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Included for not other reason than the fact that it’s a cracking tune, and that vocalist Brian Fallon looks like he couldn’t be having more fun… for some inexplicable reason, this (hardly ground-breaking) video has me excited about music again.
[youtube]c-Pm5NC3OZI[/youtube]
You can check out more about The Gaslight Anthem here.
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Short note today… but just wanted to let everyone know that The Avett Brothers have released their new video for single “Murder in The City” (featured in this post back here)… and it’s a killer video (no pun intended).
Beautifully filmed, like the song itself, the video is full of quiet moments. Watch it below.
Beautiful…
And here, [...]
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First off, thanks to Sharyn at No Door Agency for dropping me a line, and keeping me abreast of all the developments in Joe Pug’s career.
I first covered Joe Pug on this blog back here, with this post: Joe Pug – Nation of Heat. A thoroughly impressive debut …
I was instantly captivated by Joe’s music; [...]
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As another week draws to a close, and I head down the coast (and offline) for the weekend, I thought I would throw up a quick music roundup of those songs that have been spinning incessantly on my iTunes this week. So here you go…
Motel Motel – Mexico
Motel Motel… these guys deserve to be bigger.
Listen [...]
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Wow. It has been one hectic week, and at this stage it doesn’t look like there’s any sign of easing up. Which is disappointing, as it means blogging has had to take a back seat, and I’ve received some cracking pitches recently from some great bands flying Under The Radar. Hopefully (!), I’ll be able [...]
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This is just a short note to let you all know that there’s a new Tallest Man On Earth song out – see my last post on this dude here – titled “A Field of Birds”… and it’s a killer tune.
The song’s been released as a theme song for the site, Yellow Bird Project; a [...]
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What that extremely long and convoluted title alludes to is the fact that, for me, May 2008 has proven to contain an absolute dearth of good new music. Aside from the new Death Cab album and Frightened Rabbit release, not much sparked interest from me this month, and that might have been noticed in the [...]
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Langhorne Slim is an artist who has me excited; the quintessential “everyman” performer, he is a singer who seems to truly embrace his flaws… and then run with them.
Langhorne Slim (photo credit: Crackerfarm)
The 27-year-old Slim, aka Sean Scolnick, is a proponent of that frenetic folk-rock of which I’m such a fan; but he manages to [...]
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Continuing my recent love affair with Scottish musicians, today’s post deals with the, quite frankly, brilliant band from Glasgow, Frightened Rabbit.
Frightened Rabbit have released their new album, “The Midnight Organ Fight”.
Yesterday I finally recieved my copy of Frightened Rabbit’s new album, “The Midnight Organ Fight“, following a month of extreme expectation after I was exposed [...]
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Wow. It’s been a busy few days, which means that I haven’t been able to get onto the blog much lately, so I apologise for not replying to comments here and there. Unfortunately it’s going to be just as busy a week this week, with another trip down to Sydney in the works. This time [...]
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Romantica
Knowing my passion for Ryan Adams, a post featuring these guys shouldn’t come as a surprise. After Romantica’s “America” album was featured on Paste Magazine’s “Top 100 Albums of 2007″, comparisons began popping up between Romantica’s singer/songwriter Ben Kyle, and both Ryan Adams and Jeff Tweedy just about everywhere… heady company indeed.
When I first heard [...]
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After almost a week off from the blogosphere, there are a few songs that I haven’t told you about… so we’ll just jump right in…
Matthew Ryan – American Dirt & Gone For Good
Matthew Ryan… don’t call it a comeback!
Matthew Ryan has – for the most part – flown under the mainstream radar, even though he’s [...]
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So last night, I went to another show.
If I was to give you clues as to the show, I would probably say:
1) The performer absolutely wails on guitar.
2) The performer has probably the most pure voice you’ll ever hear. Able to leap and soar in ways uncommon in contemporary music.
3) The performer has some [...]
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There’s a new Bon Iver video out, and it’s story is – quite frankly – inspiring. First, I think I should note that my love for all things Justin Vernon (aka Bon Iver) related is no secret. The guy’s voice, phrasing, and touching lyrics were some of the best that I heard in 2007. So [...]
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It’s been a long, long week. Sometimes things just don’t seem to go your way, you know?
But today is Sunday, and tomorrow’s a clean slate. So, things are looking up already, aren’t they? And with that tone of optimism, let’s jump straight into another tune trio.
The Heavenly States – The Race
The Heavenly States
The Heavenly [...]
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A friend recently alerted me to the fact that a new Margot & The Nuclear So and So’s track is floating around the wide wide world of the internets, and it is with much pleasure that I present it below.
Margot and The Nuclear So and So’s
Margot and The Nuclear So and So’s are a band [...]
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Julian Velard
You know, I came across Julian Velard very late in the game; in fact, it was only through a passing comment a few months ago by Alex Dezen of The Damnwells that I learned of his name. Of course, anyone who knows of my love for all things Damnwells-related wouldn’t be surprised to know [...]
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Firstly, apologies for the lack of regular posting this week. I had my head buried in spreadsheets for most of it, and conferences took up the remainder. That said, the week is drawing to an end, and reports have been filed, so last night was a celebration.
Today? Today is the morning after.
So what am I [...]
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Back in the day, I used to be a pretty big Alexisonfire fan. In fact, when I’m feeling like a bit of anger is called for, I still am. So it was with interest that I awaited the sophomore release from Alexisonfire’s guitarist, Dallas Green, under his acoustic side project called “City and Colour“.
And [...]
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I’m off down the coast for the weekend, with a lot of things to be sorted out before leaving; so this Friday’s post will be a round-up post. Lazy? Perhaps. Awesome tunes? Definitely.
Here’s a round-up of what’s been heating up our speakers this week:
Patrick Park – Here We Are
Rapidly becoming a firm favourite [...]
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The Damnwells (2006) Photo by Heather Conley
Those who have read this blog for a while might have noticed subtle hints of my slight obsession with the band, “The Damnwells“. And when lead singer Alex Dezen dropped a new song on their myspace page, it became clear to me that yet another post was needed. But [...]
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(Aside: 3 posts in 1 day? I know, it’s a regular explosion over here!)
Ah. Scott Adams. The dude is simply amazing.
For those out of the loop, Scott Adams is the creator of the famous “Dilbert” cartoon strips. But unless you subscribe to his blog, you probably aren’t aware of just how damn hip [...]
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This may spawn a week of quasi-hip-hop cover posts; I’m not too sure yet. But ever since I heard this cover by Obadiah Parker of Outkast’s “Hey Ya” last month, it’s been playing on a pretty much non-stop repeat.
The cover has become something of a Youtube phenomenon, with lead singer Matt Weddle’s free voice [...]
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Post-A-Day Week: It’s not often over a weekend that I’ll be sent enough songs to make up a week of posts. So, this week, I’ve decided to put up a post a day, as opposed to lumping them all into one confusing mess, as I am wont to do.
If you prefer the big mass posts, [...]
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Post-A-Day Week: It’s not often over a weekend that I’ll be sent enough songs to make up a week of posts. So, this week, I’ve decided to put up a post a day, as opposed to lumping them all into one confusing mess, as I am wont to do.
If you prefer the big mass [...]
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Post-A-Day Week: It’s not often over a weekend that I’ll be sent enough songs to make up a week of posts. So, this week, I’ve decided to put up a post a day, as opposed to lumping them all into one confusing mess, as I am wont to do.
If you prefer the big mass [...]
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Post-A-Day Week: It’s not often over a weekend that I’ll be sent enough songs to make up a week of posts. So, this week, I’ve decided to put up a post a day, as opposed to lumping them all into one confusing mess, as I am wont to do.
If you prefer the big mass [...]
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Sorry things have been a bit quiet lately; real life takes it’s toll, and lease renewals and rental inspections take up a bit of time. That said, let’s jump right into a Tuesday Trio.
Gomez – Chasing Ghosts with Alcohol
While Gomez – in my eyes, at least – will always struggle to live up [...]
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Robert Francis
At just 19, Robert Francis is unquestionably a song-writer wise beyond his years. Having already worked with some musical giants (Ry Cooder, and John Frusciante to name just a few), it is clear that the future hold’s great things for Robert Francis.
It’s hard to listen to this guy and picture him at just [...]
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Unquestionably, one of the most exciting guitarists I’ve seen in the last few years is Andy Mckee.
McKee is one of those players, much like Guy Buttery (featured in my “30 South African Bands You Should Hear” entry), who’s percussive, unorthodox fingerstyle method of playing inspires everyone who is lucky enough to see it live.
In [...]
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It’s been a while since the sounds of London caused me to become excited, but two lads are currently making enough noise to bring London to the main stage again. Those two boys are Jack Penate and Jamie Treays (aka Jamie T).
Jack Peñate
Interesting side-note to begin this: Penate seems to have a problem holding onto [...]
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There’s only a short list of songs who can immediately make me smile when I’m down. To this list, let me welcome “Let’s Dance to Joy Division” by The Wombats.
It’s too early to say how these Liverpudlians will fare; they’ve only released two albums. One of which, “Girls, Boys and Marsupials” was a Japan-only release, [...]
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On Friday night, I achieved one of my life’s goals (dramatic, perhaps… but nonetheless true), and saw State Radio perform live, at the Tivoli in Brisbane.
I almost cried, I was so happy.
Some background: Perhaps my favourite band of all time, was (and is) Dispatch. Darlings of the indie scene, who never caved to pressure, and [...]
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So on Sunday, I managed to score tickets to Xavier Rudd’s “White Moth Tour” at the Gold Coast Convention Centre; as usual, Xavier was fantastic. His set was perhaps more aggressive than I’ve seen in the past, but that only urged the crowd on all the more.
However, this post is not about Xavier Rudd; everyone [...]
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Ohad Rein is one of those people who simply exemplifies music. You know the type I mean.
That person you know who seems to be living their life according to a different song. Whose every movement seems to be a chord adding to the inevitable crescendo. Everyone knows someone like Ohad.
That doesn’t make it any less [...]
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So 2007 is nearly over, and there’s one artist who I feel should have made a bigger splash this year – Brett Dennen.
This kid brought the goods with his 2006 album, “So Much More”, but surprisingly his music is only now beginning to reach a larger audience, thanks to an opening slot for John Mayer.
2008 [...]
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I don’t think I’ve been this excited for a “band documentary” since Last Dispatch, featuring only my favourite band of all time, Dispatch.
This time it’s “Golden Days” that has me in a lather, featuring The Damnwells. And if you haven’t heard their music(there’s some on their myspace), get going man!
Their Golden Days Ep, along with [...]
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