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Thursday Music Round-up – Matthew Ryan, Josh Ritter, New Atlantic & The Kooks

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
Matthew Ryan… don’t call it a comeback!

Matthew Ryan has – for the most part – flown under the mainstream radar, even though he’s been releasing albums for more than a decade now. In fact, a quote on his Myspace page even reads, “Don’t call it a comeback; I’ve been here for years“. And the lack of mainstream exposure is absolutely shocking, as Matthew Ryan’s output over the years has been nothing less than consistently brilliant. I suspect, however, that 2008 will be the year that he finally hits the big time.
There’s just something about Matthew Ryan’s voice; it has the very real ability to reach right into your soul and tug on it until it wakes up.

I’ve included two songs here: the first, “American Dirt“, is off his latest album, “Matthew Ryan Vs. Silver State“, and is a ball of seething rage and purpose. The song smothers you in it’s intent, which is more steely than anything I’ve heard from Matthew Ryan before. Matthew Ryan Vs. Silver State came out on April 1, and I seriously suggest you check it out. Ryan is on top form with it.
The next song, “Gone For Good“, is off his 2007 release, “A Late Night High Rise“, and is a slow, delicate number that displays Ryan’s versatility. There’s a Bon Iver kind of vulnerability in his breathy, pleading lyrics here, that absolutely breaks me every time I hear it. A must-listen.

Listen: Matthew Ryan – American Dirt
Listen: Matthew Ryan – Gone For Good

Josh Ritter – Thin Blue Flame

Josh Ritter
Josh Ritter… one of the best songsmiths of our time.

Stepping back in time a bit here, to Josh Ritter‘s 2006 release, “The Animal Years“, and it’s standout track, “Thin Blue Flame“. A 10-minute track of epic proportions, it’s like something out of Revelations… really, it’s a 10 minute opportunity to re-examine your life, and the way we live.

I wondered what it was I’d been looking for above.. Heaven’s so big there ain’t no need to look up. So I stopped looking for royal cities in the air — only a full house gonna have a prayer.

Only a full house.
– Josh Ritter, “Thin Blue Flame”

Josh Ritter — to me at least — is still one of the best songsmiths in contemporary music. Point blank. And Thin Blue Flame is no exception. It’s a direct plea to his listener… and one that I can’t turn away from.

Listen: Josh Ritter – Thin Blue Flame

New Atlantic – Apologise

New Atlantic
New Atlantic (photo credit: sgphotog.com)

One of my guilty pleasures last year was One Republic’s tune, “Apologise”. As cheesy and formulaic as it was, there was something about the song that I just dug. So this is included here, really, as just another guilty pleasure. New Atlantic can produce some interesting stuff, but their cover of “Apologise” is a nice, cheesy, formulaic cover. Heh. But it’s cool for a spin.

Listen: New Atlantic – Apologise (One Republic cover)

The Kooks – Tick of Time

The Kooks
The Kooks have just released their second album, “Konk”.

The Pete Townshend-beloved Kooks are back, and I’m really digging where they are going with their second album, “Konk“, which came out last week. This song, “Tick of Time” is a ridiculously catchy closer to the album, and shows them in their best light… a band, just having fun.
I’ll admit it, I was sceptical that The Kooks would be able to deliver — again — on their hype. But this song clinches it for me. Well played lads, well played.

Listen: The Kooks – Tick of Time

Ps. Be sure to tune in tomorrow for an inaugeral “Live Music Friday” post… starting off with some Damnwells tunes!

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2006 releases 2008 releases artists artists to watch for in 2008 digital downloads guitar live songs music

Margot & The Nuclear So and So’s

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 & The Nuclear So and So’s
Margot and The Nuclear So and So’s

Margot and The Nuclear So and So’s are a band that I, quite frankly, can’t believe haven’t cracked the big time yet. Their 2006 release, “The Dust of Retreat” is an amazing album, but one that – while it gained critical rave reviews – failed to set the main population alight. Which was a great shame, because the band regularly release cracking tunes.

There’s somethingcool, laid-back, and yet somewhat disconnected in songwriter Richard Edwards’ lyrics. He’s pointed out many a time that the “Margot” of their name was inspired by Gwyneth Paltrow’s character in “The Royal Tenenbaums”. And, has been pointed out before, this seems reflected in their songs. You could quite easily picture them being used in a Wes Anderson soundtrack.

The new song below is from their forthcoming album, “Animal“. Entitled “Children’s Crusade on Acid“, it’s a live performance from their appearance on Sirius radio. However, I thought I would include one of their older songs here as well, for those who haven’t heard the band before. The first track is called, “Skeleton Key“, and is from the “The Dust of Retreat” album.

Listen to both, and fall in love.

Listen: Margot and The Nuclear So and So’s – Skeleton Key
Listen: Margot and The Nuclear So and So’s – Children’s Crusade on Acid (live)

Oh yeah. And if you want to be the subject of one of Margot and The Nuclear So and So’s future albums, then check out their myspace blog. Richard says:

I’m planning to compose, and record, a collection of three albums about three specific people. I’d like to take applications from people who would like to have an album composed about them.

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2003 releases 2006 releases 2008 releases artists artists to watch for in 2008 digital downloads guitar music music documentaries

The Damnwells… A new release, and some old love.

The Damnwells
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 before we get to the new tune (yes, it’s down at the bottom, along with some others), some background.

It’s hard to describe how much the music of The Damnwells excites me. It’s much like the first time I heard Dispatch, or Ryan Adams, or Ben Harper… and that’s no small compliment from me. There’s a strong alt.country vibe to their stuff (not surprising, considering drummer Steven Terry was a member of the oh-so-missed Whiskeytown), but it also hearkens back – for me, at least – to the times of the Gin Blossoms.
And there’s just something about Alex Dezen’s voice and lyrics; it’s like he knows where you’re coming from, and meets up with you on the journey.

 

The Damnwells
The Damnwells (2006) Photo by Heather Conley

 

I’ve previously pointed you towards the “Golden Days” trailer, but I’m including it here again. It’s a documentary that chronicles the band’s rise to the brink of stardom, and then how it was all taken away from them… after all, The Damnwells have played with The Fray many times, but while The Fray have been catapaulted into the public eye, The Damnwells still remain largely unknown (in terms of mainstream acceptance, anyway). As the film release says:

“In 2001, a photo assistant named Alex Dezen asked a couple friends to record a few songs with him. Shortly thereafter they would form the Brooklyn based rock band THE DAMNWELLS. Two years later they had toured the country, opened for rock legends, and had a song featured in a major motion picture. By 2004, they had signed a major record deal with EPIC Records (Sony/BMG).

In March of 2005, THE DAMNWELLS went into the studio to record their first professional album. For six months, THE DAMNWELLS immersed themselves in preproduction, recording, and mixing. But as months passed, their release date was moved further and further away. In January of 2006, lead singer Alex Dezen received a call they never expected. The band was being released from their contract and the fate of the album was unknown. For the moment, it would sit on a shelf at EPIC Records and collect dust.”

Watch the trailer, and tell me it doesn’t excite you.

Word from Chris (Suchorsky, the film’s director), is that the DVD should be made available in the US by Spring. And I’m freaking out. Up until now, I’ve only seen segments of the film, but not the whole thing.

More reason to freak out, is that Alex has written on the band’s blog that they should back in studio to record a follow up to the 2006 release, “Air Stereo“, in February. As he’s said:

“Really, when you consider all the pressure and nonsense—both existential and metaphoric—we always had to deal with every time we went into the studio, this will be the first Damnwells record we will ever be able to just make. ‘No pressure,’ Paul, our A&R guy at Rounder says. ‘Make the record you want to make.’ What a crazy idea! Not like we were ever making anyone else’s records, but there was always compromise.

Where art and commerce meet, there has to be. Your mixed-medium, six foot canvas doesn’t fit in the six by three inch display case at Wal-Mart, and no amount of dieting or exercise is ever gonna fit your square peg in that round hole. Compromise is a part of life—at least the kind that includes a roof over your head and food on the table. So now that we’re supposed to make this record, the one we want to make, without the pressure and nonsense, I think I may be feeling a little Stockholm syndrome coming on. How the hell am I supposed to do that?

Guess we’ll find out.”

The guy just has this amazing way with words, and if there was one person I could sit down and have a beer with, Alex Dezen would definitely be one of my frontrunners.

Anyway, on to the tunes below.

Alex Dezen - The Damnwells
Alex Dezen before forming The Damnwells (2000) Photo by Heather Conley

The first track is the new release on their myspace page, entitled “Down With The Ship“.
Dezen has this talent of crafting these incredibly powerful songs, accompanied simply by his acoustic guitar and pure heart (as anyone who has heard his “Live Performance at the Hotel Cafe 10/14/07” can attest to. It’s floating around the net, so take a look for it. If you’re really struggling, drop me a line, as I have the whole show in a zip file).
This song is no different. The guy’s voice absolutely wrecks me.

Listen: The Damnwells – Down With The Ship

The Damnwells
The Damnwells on tour (2006) Photo by Heather Conley

I’ve included some of their other singles below, simply because you should be listening to this. The first is a cracker of a tune (and the first of theirs I heard actually), from their 2003 release, “Bastards of the Beat“, called “Kiss Catastrophe“. It’s undeniably catchy. Try not to get into it. I dare ya.

Listen: The Damnwells – Kiss Catastrophe

The next track is their tune, “I Am A Leaver“. This is off their last album, “Air Stereo”, and is probably the song that has garnered The Damnwells the most mainstream attention. Again… if you don’t find yourself singing along with the chorus, I don’t know what’s wrong with you.

Listen: The Damnwells – I am a Leaver

The final track is the theme song for the “Golden Days” trailer, Golden Days. It’s a comforting tune, with wonderful backing vocals and lyrics like: “I can’t hear much but the melody coming from you / Baby please don’t rush, keep the tempo slow and blue, let me hear the words you say / Let’s go and get tangled in chains of golden days.

Listen: The Damnwells – Golden Days

One of my “things to do before I die”? See The Damnwells, live. And it’ll happen.

It’ll happen damn it.

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Ray Lamontagne – Crazy (Cover)

So, following on from yesterday’s post, there are two more quasi-hip-hop songs that I think you should hear. The first of those was here, and now the second (pushing the bounds of the term “quasi-hip-hop songs”), is:

Ray Lamontage – Crazy (Gnarls Barkley Cover)

Ray Lamontagne - Crazy

Ok ok… it may not be a strictly hip-hop song, but I had to include this here. Ray Lamontagne is a ridiculously talented artist, yet one that still seems to be criminally underrated outside of the “music critic” scene.

He has a soft, raspy voice, but one that still cuts like a razor. And, backed just by an acoustic guitar here, that voice is able to shine.

As with any great cover, it’s not simply a remake; it’s a retelling, with different ingredients.

Listen. Love. Support.

Listen: Ray Lamontagne – Crazy (Cover)

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Post-A-Day Week: Electric President – Insomnia

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, then let me know; but I think this might be easier to digest. Today we’ll be starting off with:

***

Electric President – Insomnia

 

Electric President - Insomnia

 

Something different from the usual fare on this blog to start off the week. I stumbled across Electric President only recently; actually when I was introduced to the band, Radical Face. Electric President is the side-project for Radical Face’s frontman, Ben Cooper, and Alex Kane.

While this track was originally released in 2006 (I know, slow pick up much?) on the self-titled album, it still remains an exciting tune. Somewhat part Postal Service, some parts Myslovitz, Ben Cooper has an intriguing, plaintive voice that demands you listen with a whisper. While the electronic touches may not be for everyone – again, think Postal Service – it’s well-worth a listen.

For more songs, check out their official page on the Radical Face site. In the meantime, however, here’s Insomnia by Electric President for your aural pleasure.

Listen: Electric President – Insomnia