Donerail (pronounced Dawn-er-rale) are a Portland band that make me smile. Much like a past Burgoblog favourite, High On Stress, Donerail play that kind of Replacements-like rock ‘n roll that never fails to bring a smile to my face.
Donerail’s latest album, “Destiny and Dishonor“, was recorded live over the course of three days, and is where below track, “Some Ending” can be found. There’s something about the album that just sounds… legitimate. I know that’s a strange description, but the fact of the matter is that quite a few bands try to sound like Paul Westerberg/Uncle Tupelo… but they’re trying to emulate them because they think it’s hip. Something sounds different about these guys, Donerail. They aren’t trying to sound like Westerberg or Farrar because it’s “cool”… they play this music because it really is them. I guess what I’m trying to say is… they sound real.
Listening to some of their past material, it sounds to me like the band is still growing; there’s a gigantic leap between Destiny and Dishonor and their past stuff… so I can’t wait to see where this band goes in the future.
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 love the client’s stuff.
(Side note: to management… if you’re going to approach music bloggers, make sure that you’ve actually read the damn blog. I can’t tell you the amount of times I’ve got emails about artists I’ve already posted about, or one that even said “Hey, I sound like Howie Day. You probably won’t know his stuff, here’s a link”… Srsly? Ahem. Rant over)
The point is, that in this case the email came from Shannon over at Brick Wall Management… and not only did she do everything right, but the client she thought I might like was Ari Hest.This is the kind of email I love getting. Where management has actually got my tastes damn spot on.
Um. Ari freakin’ Hest? Only someone I’ve been a fan of for ages… around 6 years or so, I would say, ever since I first heard “Aberdeen” from “Come Home” way back in the day. So of course, I was thrilled when Shannon told me that Ari’s just dropped a new album, entitled “Twelve Mondays”.
After listening to the album for about an hour, I twittered: “Just been sent the new ari hest album to review. there’s a song on here that’s possibly the best thing he’s ever done, in my opinion.”
Yeah. It’s that kind of album.
Official music video for “Dead End Driving”, from the new Ari Hest album, “Twelve Mondays”
First off, some more background on “Twelve Mondays”:
Back in 2008, Ari started out a trailblazing experiment called “52“. Basically, what “52” entailed was recording (and releasing) a new song every week. Fans then voted on their favourite tracks, and twelve of those were collected into the album, “Twelve Mondays”.
That such an album could have come out of “a song a week” project is, quite simply, astounding, and only hints at Ari’s songwriting prowess.
Oh… and the best thing Ari’s written? Well, the whole point of the “52” project was that different songs would appeal to different people. So you should probably head here to purchase the entire album to decide for yourself.
For my money though, “The Weight” will go down as an all-time Ari Hest classic.
So, apologies for the decline in posts around these parts lately. It’s been a hectic few months. Actually, scratch that… it’s been a hectic year, and posting sometimes fell by the wayside. So you know it had to be something special to bring me out of that unintentional hiatus, right?
Well, it is. Something special, I mean. Thanks first go to Melissa from EngineRoom Recordings, for sending me a whole bundle of goodness. I’m still working through the albums she sent, but the first one I popped in, Lowry’s “Love Is Dead” album is, quite simply, gorgeous.
Lowry
Lowry apparently originally started as a band going after an experimental Americana sound, but then evolved into a “cinematic form” of rock music. Well, that’s what the press release says. But, really, what does that mean, in the end? It means that Lowry are one of those bands that music bloggers love to hear, but hate to write about… because they encompass so much in their music. There’s a bit of pop in there, a bit of indie (with some hints of Phoenix here and there… don’t ask me why, but something about it reminds me of those times), a bit of electro, and the aforementioned Americana. The music is a landscape that is constantly shifting and flowing.
The end result is a CD that I’ve been spinning pretty much non stop this past week. While the album is pretty much strong all the way through, right off the bat from opener “Whiskey”, it’s with songs like “Wicked Witch Of Bushwick” and the close-on-eight-minute track, “Down”, with that simply heart-breaking outro, that Lowry seem to be at their best. There’s a fragility there that, at times, recalls Elliot Smith’s whispered dulcet tones.
Yeah. In other words, it’s a good thing.
Anyway, I’ve included two tracks below as a taster. If you like what you hear, then visit their Myspace page to keep updated on any upcoming shows.
Soeveryone’sstilltalkingaboutTheDamnwells‘ latest release, “One Last Century”, which was released through Paste Magazine (for free) on Tuesday. And why wouldn’t they still be talking about it? It is, quite simply, one of those albums. An album that was written just for you.
Alex Dezen has always had that special knack. A kind of effortless personality that connects with the listener, in a very personal way. And I think that this album, finally, is opening that up to a wider audience.
Well, no… the reason I’m revisiting the topic is that today, Alex sent me the “exclusive track” that I’ve heard whispered. The b-side title track of the album, “One Last Century”. And I can’t stop listening to the damn thing.
It’s beautiful.
Rarely a song comes along that, for some reason, I can’t write about. But this is one of them. It simply knocks me over. I’m the feather, and Alex’s voice the breeze. I’m not sure where it’s taking me, but I can’t wait to find out.
So of course I had to share it with all of you. In keeping with Alex’s vision for this album… spread it around. Tell your friends. This song needs to be heard.
Maybe it’s just because I’m having some personal issues right now, but this new single from Little Birdy, “Brother”, from their upcoming album, “Confetti” is one of the most soul-rending songs I’ve ever heard.
The track also features Australian music legend, Paul Kelly on harmonica and backing vocals.
“Confetti” is due out in May. If this track is anything to go by, it’s going to be a must-get.
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PS. I know I haven’t put up a Ryan Adams post of the Cardinal’s show at the Tivoli the other night. Sorry, I meant to, but shit got in the way, y’know? And to be quite frank, as you may see by the brevity of this post, I’m finding it kinda hard to write right now. Sorry.
I recently came across this session on the always fabulous LaundroMatinee site, and simply had to post it. Anyone who’s read this blog for any amount of time will know my love for Joe Pug (after all, I included him in my “Best Of 2008” post, and called him the artist I “most wanted to help make it“.
So when I stumbled on these videos of Joe performing two as-yet-unreleased tracks, “I’m Not So Sure” & “Bury Me Far From My Uniform” (two tracks which I previously pointed you towards in this post), it was a given that I would post them. Take simply beautiful songs from Joe Pug, add in one extremely loud cricket… and you’re in for good times.
Suffice to say, I’m still enraptured by this kid.
Below, the videos, and after that the mp3s of the tracks.
(Side Note: Apologies for the weird formatting issues in the below post. I’m posting this from the road, and my laptop seems to be acting up a bit. When I’m back at my regular computer next week, I’ll try and fix it up. For now, I hope you can put up with the changing fonts and weird picture alignments etc.)
Back? Ok, good. So, now that you’re up to speed, you can imagine my excitement when I learned that Howie Day was returning to Australia, this time headlining his own tour… and was performing at the Troubadour in Brisbane. This time, I wasn’t going to miss it for the world.
It was my first time visiting the Troubadour last night, and I must say, I was very impressed with the venue. Tiny and laid-back, it’s the perfect spot for a live, intimate gig. Unfortunately the crowd was… well, shall we say slightly young for the most part (in fact, at one stage Howie commented to one extremely tipsy amorous pre-legal age girl at the front of the crowd that “he remembered his first beer too”), but overall the setting was a great one.
Anyway, I’m getting slightly ahead of myself. First, there was the opening act. Well, two opening acts actually.The first was a girl that, for the life of me, I don’t think ever mentioned her name(sorry… if you by any chance come across this post, feel free to drop a comment so I can update the entry with a name). Her set was good, although I think she has a bit to learn about dealing with being an “opening act”. Her awkwardness was part of her charm though, and she played a short set which was worthwhile. After this mystery girl, Sophie Koh came on stage.
Sophie Koh is a girl that I had – coincidentally – only recently become aware of, so I was very interested in hearing her play. Although she apparently usually plays with a full band, Sophie was up on stage as a solo performer, and as much as she may protest against this statement, I really think this is the setting in which she excels. Sophie has that kind of vulnerability to her voice that you simply cannot dislike, and her guitar phrasing is nothing short of beautiful. Seeing as I’ve only recently become aware of her music, I won’t waffle on too much here. Suffice to say that, if you get the chance… go see this girl live. You won’t be disappointed.
After Sophie, it was time for the main event… Howie Day came on stage to what seemed like a subdued crowd (although I think the reason there was a hush was that everyone was waiting in what can only be termed extreme anticipation). It’s weird, but I don’t think I’ve been to a gig in the last 5 years where simply everyone was sitting on the ground in silence. But that was the case with this one. While I think Howie seemed somewhat unsure of what to make of such a crowd when he came out, I think he soon warmed to the fact that here was a crowd to listen.
After a quick, “How you doing?”, Howie launched straight into “Sorry, So Sorry”, which had the crowd in raptures. And it was here that my question was answered. In recent live shows of Howie’s that I’ve heard, it’s seemed clear that he appeared to be moving away from the looping effects of his shows from years past. While I could appreciate the new direction, I would have been lying if I said I wouldn’t have been disappointed if he didn’t employ his “trickery” as he so often termed it that night. However, launching into “Sorry”, it was clear that this was a disappointment I wasn’t going to have to deal with. Unfortunately, just as the song was reaching it’s emotional peak, it became clear that there were some power issues with Howie’s pedals that interfered with the sound equipment; interference that led to everything cutting out, and Howie having to stop, mid-song. Despite this clearly nerve-wracking time for Howie, once the issue was sorted he picked up the song, quite literally from the line he left off, and just let loose with an emotion that bowled us all over.
Howie Day performing live at The Troubadour
After “Sorry”, the night flew by in an absolute flash for me… I simply blissed out on – finally, after all these years – finally hearing one of my favourite musicians perform live. For those who are interested though, here’s the setlist (as I recall it) from the night. If you were at the gig though, and think I’ve missed something out, then drop a comment and let me know.
Howie Day at The Troubadour in Brisbane Setlist
Sorry, So Sorry
Brace Yourself
Ghost
Sunday Morning
No Longer What You Require (new song)
Sound the Alarm
Bunnies
Perfect Time of Day
Collide
Madrigals
Encore:
She Says
Highlights of the set for me? Well… to be honest… everything. However, if pushed to pick a few highlights, I’d say “Ghost” (of course), “Bunnies” (which was simply brimming with emotion), “Madrigals”, “Collide” (which Howie introduced as simply, “Well, here’s this song”, which was an indication of what a curse and blessing the song is, even all these years later. The reason it’s on my highlights list, though, is that it’s the reason my girlfriend came with me to the gig; a rare occasion), and the new song, “No Longer What You Require”. It was my first time hearing this new song, and – quite frankly – it’s the most excited I’ve been about Howie’s music in years. Point blank. And I don’t mean that in a derogatory way at all, it’s just an indication of how amazing the song is.
As I mentioned above, it’s pretty much impossible for me to give a song by song breakdown of the night, as I lost myself in the music. I will say this though… Howie not only lived up to my expectations – which after close on 8 years of waiting in anticipation, were not small… by any means – but he clearly overwhelmed them. The guy was nothing short of magical. Possessing one of the strongest voices I’ve ever witnessed, and with a musicality that simply towers over most over performers, the night was one that with stay with me for years to come. All I can offer, should some of Howie’s people stumble across this post in their usual reputation management checks, is my sincere thanks to Howie for a simply amazing night.
Howie's many pedals...
After Howie had finished for the night, he came out and joined the crowd (or what was left of it) for a while. Thankfully, I managed to meet him, and a more humble, gracious person you could not hope for. Despite what the media sometimes portray Howie as, I was amazed at how down to earth he was, and how hard he was obviously willing to work at his chosen career. I’ll be honest: I was amazed that Howie performed to such a small crowd, with such a cheap ticket price in the first place, given what he could obviously ask for. But he’s clearly committed to working on breaking it in Australia from the ground up, and that’s something I have major respect for. Anyway, I managed to snag a pic with him, which is below. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera that night, so all the pics are from a somewhat crappy phone camera… which is a pity, but still, at least it’s a reminder of a wonderful meeting. Thankfully, Howie was kind enough not to laugh at my fumbled, tongue-tied compliments.
Howie Day & Burgo
Anyway, that’s clearly enough from me, as this post is becoming ridiculously long. All that’s left to say? Come back soon Howie. We’ll be waiting for you.
Seeing as this track has already been put out there on the ‘Tube (see the comments section of this post for more on that), I don’t see a problem with posting the mp3 of that video. So here, for your extreme auditory pleasure, is Howie Day’s new song… “No Longer What You Require”, from his live performance at Annandale while on his Australian tour. It is, quite simply, beautiful. As I said up above, in the main post… it’s quite possibly the most excited I’ve been about Howie’s music in years.
Seeing as there’s really no information out there about this song, I thought I might as well take the time to transcribe the lyrics from this performance… as up until now I’ve drawn a blank looking for any lyrics out there already. I’m pretty sure there are a few mistakes in the below, so please feel free to correct me in the comments and I’ll be sure to update the post accordingly.
Anyway, here you go… Howie Day, “No Longer What You Require” Lyrics
We had it all we were young lovers
We were full of trust and faith
And we were deadset on making it last forever
forever and a day
I recall it was fall last year when it started to die
Standing still as the temperature kills
The summer (?) that were keeping it alive
The days got colder so I held you closer
In an effort to save us some time
Almost like the wind came and ruined the spark
And left us in the dark
But hey,
I could have told you that i loved you and stayed
Around to kindle the fire
But I was late
On my returning now you’ve lost all faith
And I am a liar
I’m no longer what you require
See I still feel you at night
Turning in the sheets when I turn out the light
It’s how a ghost,
The ghost of your first love
Won’t ever leave you until the day that you die
I won’t have any doubt leaving her behind
Even if the choice was the right one
It was a good thing staring me right in the face
but I turned and ran away
But hey,
I could have told you that i loved you and stayed
Around to kindle the fire
But I was late
On my returning now you’ve lost all faith
And I am a liar
I’m no longer what you require
Back then the days were so much faster
we were young, stubborn and in love with disaster
And no, you cant come back even if you try
You better just forget and won’t you close the door on me
Coz it’ll never be the same
It’ll never be the way it was before
But hey,
I could have told you that i loved you and stayed
Around to kindle the fire
But I was late
On my returning now you’ve lost all faith
And I am a liar
I’m no longer what you require
Well hey,
I could have told you that I loved you and stayed
Around to kindle the fire
But I was late
On my returning now you’ve lost all faith
In the dying light
I’m no longer what you require
I’m no longer what you require
