Christopher Paul Stelling Announces Debut LP, Shares Song for Download

We've seen him perform live a few times and know the man is the music and the music is the man. So it's only fitting that we share the news that singer/songwriter Christopher Paul Stelling will release his long-awaited official debut album, Songs of Praise and Scorn, on February 12, 2012 via Mecca Lecca Recording Co. It's an album that pretty much epitomizes what real folk music is, brimming with an inherent honesty and realism.

REVIEW: Brad Sanzenbacher - Fear and Drought

Brad Sanzenbacher – Fear and Drought
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San Francisco-based singer/songwriter Brad Sanzenbacher might not have a country-esque name, but his blend of Americana/country folk is honest, pure, and unassumingly smart. It recalls early electric-era as well as troubadour folk-era Dylan, especially due to Sanzenbacher’s lyrical poeticism and wounded, emotional delivery – one that plays to alt country’s studied imperfection and also calls to mind Alec Ounsworth.

LISTEN: And the Giraffe

There's something to be said for hushed folk music that's capable of stealing your attention even with its mellow demeanor. When that folk meets the encompassing aural beauty of dream pop and the vastness of post-rock, the music is all the more wondrous and interesting. It's a sound that fills you with the same sort of awe you feel gazing up high into the night sky, eyes caught by the flickering glow of distant stars. The music is intimate and inviting, but, more than that, it's comforting with its spaciousness and gentle delivery. There's something distinctly honest and charming about this sound, in part for how it can make things seem palpable or just illusory.

This is the sound of And the Giraffe, a dream folk band from Gainesville, FL that enriches their sound with post-rock style guitar riffs and subtle natural and electronic percussion.

WHAT'S YOUR MUSE? Matt Bauer

It's time for another edition of "What's Your Muse?"

The concept is simple: We ask a band/artist to choose a song that means a lot/the most to them. Then, they record and send us a video of themselves describing why they chose the song. Think of it like a collaborative video mixtape project.

In this edition, we hear from Matt Bauer.

One look at Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter Matt Bauer, and you might think he’s a member of a metal band with his shaved head and big beard. But nothing could be farther from the truth. Bauer creates some of the most vulnerable folk you’re bound to hear. There’s bravery in his decision to be so open and honest on record, baring his soul and hiding nothing in his gentle croon – one that often ends lines in a quiver.

On his forthcoming album, The Jessamine County Book of the Living, Bauer sounds increasingly stately backed by his trusted banjo and a string quartet. The lush, striking string arrangements featured throughout the album give rise to a near bone-chilling mood that’s hard to turn away from. Simply put, Bauer produces moments of haunting beauty that may be melancholic at heart, but wind up being rather inspiring thanks to the music's great sincerity, sense of assurance, and comforting humility.

For his submission, Bauer chose a song that began its life as an a cappella composition. It comes from an album of field recordings that he used as a way to teach himself the banjo. Lucky for us, Bauer shares his version of the song in a live performance that highlights the simple yet awe-inspiring beauty of his quiet power. In its sparse arrangement is the detail and poetry of raw human emotion that most people hold deep down, locked away inside their hearts.

VIDEO: Christopher Paul Stelling Performs "Flawless Executioner" Inside Kensington Stables

For those unfamiliar, Christopher Paul Stelling is a singer/songwriter based out of Brooklyn who is keeping the spirit of great folk storytellers alive. With his dexterous fingerpicking and trusted, well-worn acoustic guitar, Stelling sings in a sort of introspective way where his music takes on a soulful, captivating intimacy -- like a personal confession of some kind to no one else but you.

Stelling recently performed for BreakThru Radio's "Hear and There," a series where a band/artist is filmed in a creative location. BreakThru filmed Stelling performing inside Kensington Stables in New York, right near Prospect Park. As one horse looks on, Stelling erases any thought outside of the moment in which he is performing. It's a beautifully shot piece as we see birds flying and his warm breath in the chill of the air. Also, you really shouldn't miss the last 30 seconds or so of the video for "The Watermelon Song".

MP3: Christopher Paul Stelling - "Flawless Executioner"

Stream/buy and download a 20-track album of songs recorded live in one long studio session after the hop.

REVIEW: Field Days - Projector

Field Days - Projector
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As we get tons of mail about new music, it's really refreshing to dig out a record that has some serious promise. Singer-songwriter Field Days (neé Patrick Damphier) is channeling many of his multi-talented peers on this record (Iron & Wine and Ben Folds come to mind immediately), and the result is a collection of dynamic acoustic tunes.

The album opener "Half Past Tennessee" is a wonderful one, as it sets the tone for a warm and clean production value that holds consistent throughout the record. Damphier reportedly used a 4-track reel-to-reel in his parents' basement, and the devotion to the old-school technology pays off. Rhythmically, the track moves well, hooks the ear early, and redeems the listener with beautiful vocal harmonies. The voices return on the subdued and painful ballad "Polar Opposites", alongside a quieter fingerpicking track and well-placed kick drum. 

Most tunes on Projector have an advanced sense of composition, perhaps one that comes from working with a more limited recording setup. Whether the slower-pace affords Damphier time to consider the construction of each song with a more critical eye, or even if he's had the structure in mind the whole time, we are treated to a well-crafted album. 

Continued after the hop, with tour dates and a sweet video. 

LISTEN: Finglebone - 23

Finglebone - "Befuddled"

(Hear more below)

Imagine the times you’ve stood in a crowd, surrounded by flashing lights, advertisements, chattering voices, and all other sorts of ambient noise from bustling city life. Despite the sea of distraction and noise, there are moments where you find yourself elsewhere. You’re still firmly set in the center of this commotion, but instead of drowning in it all, you drift off to someplace devoid of outside influence. It’s these transportive moments that offer up a meditative clarity, bringing forth a humbling awareness of what you may have previously overlooked or what particular things mean. Picture yourself seated in a small paddleboat on the sea, and you realize how miniscule you are against the infinity of the horizon.

Finglebone (aka Adam Varney) manages to capture this inward journey with 23. Through headphones, this nine-track album eliminates tangible surroundings and forces you to venture into a mentally constructed world. Through a mix of field recordings, loops, drones, and acoustic guitar passages, Finglebone constructs a tranquil yet intensely pensive sort of head trip. Whether it’s the sinister drones and unintelligible, field-recorded chatter on “The Picture Became Alive” or the birds chirping beneath the almost heavenly-sounding notes from the acoustic guitar on "Lucid," the emphasis is clearly on the negative space in the overall sound. Finglebone’s intent with 23 is helping us to discover that melody is not strictly something that must be manufactured; melody is something that exists all around us. It’s an album of ambient exploration that highlights the natural music of our world.

Stream/download all of 23 after the hop.

REVIEW: Liz Janes - Say Goodbye

Liz Janes - Say Goodbye
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Saying Liz Janes is a bit of a chanteuse is like saying Ella Fitzgerald was a great singer. Like Fitzgerald, there’s a soothing serenity to Janes’ voice, one that’s capable of quieting anything with its gentle, angelic, honeyed tone. Surrounded by a yin-yang of spacey folk and jazz-inflected soul, cradled by a spacious amount of reverb, Janes’ voice soars with a comforting, reassuring strength.

It’s been five years since Liz Janes’ last release (the 2005’s collaboration with LA free-jazz collective Create (!) ) and nearly six years since Janes’ last solo album (2004’s Poison & Snakes). Say Goodbye, released this past December, moves away from the indie and folk rock tendencies of Poison & Snakes and the avant folk experimentalism of 2005’s Create (!) collaboration towards more jazz and pop-oriented material. It’s refreshing to hear an artist take risks with his or her sound and direction, and Janes is no exception – precisely why Say Goodbye sounds somewhat adventurous without ever really attempting to do so.

LISTEN: Fierce Creatures - "Satan Is A Vampire"

Fierce Creatures - "Satan Is A Vampire"


It's not straightforward, but it's most definitely adventurous -- if the soundwave up there wasn't indication enough. There's a freedom that flows throughout, one that's transportive and empowering; it's about escape just as much as it's about rising above. With its twists and turns, it winds up being quite enchanting thanks to the melodic hooks scattered throughout -- whether it's two guitars playing with one another or a choir singing to the high heavens. Drawing from a variety of genres including post-rock, indie pop, and classic rock, "Satan Is A Vampire" aims to cram a lot of emotional and musical diversity into just a few minutes. Diving deep into the well-textured and arranged sections reveals a world of blissful, energizing, as well as soothing passages that all fit together rather seamlessly.

"Satan Is A Vampire" is from Fierce Creatures' self-produced 2010 EP, I Mostri Feroci. The band is currently working on new material for a future single and their next EP/LP scheduled for release this summer.

Fierce Creatures
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LISTEN: Laura Stevenson & The Cans - "Nervous Rex"

MP3: Laura Stevenson & The Cans - "Nervous Rex"

Shy, frail beauty that's filled with heartache, but also an understated confidence. It deals with pain, isolation, and the external v. internal battle of our collective emotions. In certain ways, Stevenson's determined fingerpicking on her acoustic guitar details much of what she feels, even as she softly and sweetly sings her intriguing words and metaphors. She weaves a web of notes and melancholic hooks, catching your attention and holding you tightly until she gently casts you off, back into the uncertainty of the world. Delicate, emotive, distinct, and quietly breathtaking -- "Nervous Rex" is quite a bedroom folk pop gem.

BUY: "Nervous Rex" is from a record Stevenson put out under her name, simply titled A Record. The album is out on Quote Unquote Records for a "pay what you want" price. You can download it right now here. The album was also re-released on Asia Man Records under Laura Stevenson & The Cans with three additional tracks. You can pick up a physical copy of the album here.

WHAT'S YOUR MUSE? Cheyenne Marie Mize

It's time for another edition of "What's Your Muse?"

The concept is simple: We ask a band/artist to choose a song that means a lot/the most to them. Then, they record and send us a video of themselves describing why they chose the song. Think of it like a collaborative video mixtape project.

In this edition, we hear from Cheyenne Marie Mize.

Cheyenne Marie Mize made her international debut last year with the Among the Gold 10" EP, performing a handpicked collection of late 19th century American parlor music with Bonnie "Prince" Billy. Earlier this year, she was a member of the "Dear Companion" tour, supporting Ben Sollee's and Daniel Martin Moore’s collaborative record released on Sub Pop. And while she may have debuted her talents collaborating with others, it's her brand of indie folk that's sure to make her a memorable songwriter.

Tomorrow, Mize releases her debut album, Before Lately, on sonaBLAST records. With hauntingly gorgeous melodies, thoughtful acoustic instrumentation, and warm, rich vocals, her music is easy to get lost in. It's a careful blend of folk and pop that sounds as though it has deep roots in the rich past of Americana. In her submission, Mize shares a song that stirs up quite a bit of emotion for her. It's a rather fitting choice that evokes a similar mood and strength that lay within the fabric of her music. It's a song off of a classic indie folk album that has more than won the right to be referred to as a classic. And in what I hope is a continuing trend, she goes ahead and performs her choice, delivering a chilling and moving solo performance full of raw emotion that illustrates her strong connection with the song.

Adam Haworth Stephens Offers Up Single + Making of Album Video

Two Gallants' lead singer and songwriter Adam Haworth Stephens is releasing his debut solo album, We Live On Cliffs, on September 28th through Saddle Creek. The album was produced by Joe Chiccarelli (White Stripes, U2, Radiohead, The Shins) and features Adam on vocals, guitar and piano as well as a list of guest musicians including Patrick Hallahan and Bo Koster (My Morning Jacket), Justin Meldal-Johnsen, Joey Waronker, Cody Votolato (Blood Brothers / Jaguar Love), Mike Daly, Petra Haden, Andy Cabic (Vetiver) and current band members Jen Grady, Matt Montgomery and Omar Cuellar. Of the album, he says, “These songs are about desperation. The desperation to make something of living, to find a sense of ease, to find someone to love and to maintain that fleeting feeling of love.”

Stephens has a keen pop sensibility and brings it into his brand of alternative folk rock. He has the folk rock charms of Josh Ritter and a poetic wit of observance in the vein of Bob Dylan. Through his songs, he shares his experiences and proves that he's the type of man who's hit the road hard, playing whenever and wherever he could play. Grab a song from his new album and watch a behind-the-scenes video after the jump.

LISTEN: Freedom or Death

 (Photo: The Year In Pictures)

MP3: Freedom or Death - "Lost In Dances"
MP3: Freedom or Death - "Soldier"

High above everything, you can finally see and hear what you're supposed to. Outside the limits of the city, you finally gain your perspective. You spend your life dancing around the important things because, sometimes, you can never really realize what matters until you remove yourself from the familiar and the present. From the top of it all, you start to question decisions that have been made and, even more so, you begin to form a new perspective about everything that you once held to be concrete. Freedom or Death soundtrack this journey. Over cracks, clicks, clanks, blips, and beeps, this Toronto duo lays down smooth harmonies and gorgeous melodies underscored by lively, chilling guitar and adventurous synthesizer. With ease and grace, Freedom or Death prove their ability to move from quiet, subtle beauty to a captivatingly vast ambiance. They make an eclectic mix of post rock, electronica, electro pop, folk, R&B, pop, and even ambient that you can't help but get lost in.

Stream the whole self-titled EP here.

BUY: Pick it up on iTunes (US), iTunes (Canada), iTunes (UK), or iTunes (Japan).

Freedom or Death @ MySpace
Freedom or Death @ Twitter

LISTEN: Lucius - "Shenandoah"

With the success of acts like Iron & Wine, Fleet Foxes, Horse Feathers, and many others, it's comforting to know that American Folk Music is alive and evolving. Much of the contents of the famous family songbook Rise Up Singing has woven its way into the public domain, and sage songwriters like Bob Dylan and Pete Seger are relative household names.

Lucius, a folk duo from Brooklyn fronted by Jesse Wolfe and Holly Laessig, may yet join the ranks of our new folk generation, with their tightly knit harmonies and humble guitar strumming. The ladies are currently poised to debut their album Songs from the Bromley House with two shows in NYC later this month, and if you're in the region, going might be a good idea. With a star-studded production team, there's no telling how far Lucius will take their own brand of folk music. 

Listen to "Shenandoah" below off the newly released LP Songs from the Bromley House.

Lucius on MySpace

Songs from the Bromley House on Amazon and @ Bandcamp

LISTEN: The Giving Tree Band - "Circles"

(Photo: bighappyfunhouse)

They say the road is endless. You hit the road to escape; run away from everything. But eventually, you'll find yourself back where you were before. So here's a slice of pure Americana that's sure to meet you every step of the way. A group of confident voices singing together, joined by their collective emotional weight. Acoustic guitars, mandolin, violin/fiddle, and banjo are some of the only things you're bound to hear through miles and miles of countryside. It's the type of song you'd hear looking out the car window as the comfort of home slowly recedes into the horizon at your back.

Broken Hearts & Dirty Windows: Songs of John Prine Out June 22

Oh Boy Records releases Broken Hearts & Dirty Windows: Songs of John Prine tomorrow. The tribute album features Josh Ritter, Deer Tick, Conor Oberst, Drive-By Truckers, The Avett Brothers and more covering classic Prine songs.

For today only, Broken Hearts & Dirty Windows: Songs of John Prine is Amazon's Daily Deal, available for only $3.99.

The great folks over at Relix Magazine are making My Morning Jacket's take on Prine's "All the Best" available for free download. Check it out after the hop.

Fences To Release Debut LP

Fences will release its debut album on September 28th through Onto Entertainment/ADA. The album was produced by Sara Quin of Tegan and Sara.

Fences might be a band, but it's really the brainchild of one Christopher Mansfield, a Seattle transplant from Boston. It was in Boston that Mansfield studied music at the prestigious Berklee School of Music. It was during this time that Fences was conceived. His girlfriend at the time was studying the works of August Wilson and suggested that he should name his band after the playwright's famed play, Fences.

Fast forward a few years, and Mansfield has moved to Seattle. He recorded a batch of songs that ended up becoming the Ultimate Puke EP. The work helped him build a strong fan base throughout the Pacific Northwest, opening shows for St. Vincent and Mark Kozelek and playing festivals like The Bumbershoot Music and Arts Festival, The Capitol Hill Block Party and Sasquatch.

Ultimate Puke ended up in the hands of Sara Quin of Tegan and Sara who immediately reached out to Mansfield. After a year or so of correspondence, Quin invited Mansfield to Canada and within weeks, he was recording at Quin's studio in Victoria, B.C. The album was recorded over 10 days, with Mansfield putting in 12 hour days to record 13 songs. The result of all the hard work is a 10 track album, Mansfield's debut LP as Fences.

Check out the songs over at MySpace. It's incredibly moving stuff and features really great songwriting. It's aching, it's warm, it's intimate, and it's filled with enough substance to sink a ship. Mansfield's songs are folk and alt country-inspired tunes filled with something special, with truly genuine expressions of human emotion. There's a story behind all of this music, just like there's a story behind each of his tattoos.

LISTEN: Fences @ MySpace

The new LP is out September 28th.

REVIEW: Slow Club - Yeah So

Slow Club - Yeah So
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Slow Club (aka Charles Watson and Rebecca Taylor) make the kind of music one might turn to in the wake of a break up, but not in the way you might think. Yeah So is a befitting title as these songs are more empowering than a sounding board for sorrow. Love is a serious thing, but it also comes and goes. The songs here might be about heartbreak and overcoming the pains of love, but that doesn’t at all limit their reach and appeal. They sing with an air of optimism and have soaring voices that can overcome it all.

As a two piece, they could easily be much more laid back and straightforward with their approach to song structure, but instead they possess a dynamic range. With hints of country, folk, rockabilly, indie, and pop, the duo uses distinctive styles to convey particular feelings. One of the most prominent strengths on this record is their sense of pacing. They know when to slow the pace and when to pick it back up again, displayed in the rhythm changes of “Trophy Room” and the seamless transition from the opening track, “When I Go,” into the electrifying energy of “Giving Up On Love.”

This record is also successful on account of its use of balance. The duo provides equal doses of those fragile moments through the lullaby-style acoustic songs (“Sorry About the Doom”) along with that more rollicking rockabilly spirit (“It Doesn’t Have To Be Beautiful”). Watson and Taylor have voices that are well-suited for one another, much like Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazelwood on Nancy & Lee. They sound not as if they are singing to one another, but are instead singing of the same shared experience – Watson singing for the boy, Taylor singing for the girl. It is their constant harmonization that proves that strength comes in this balance, adding a more heartfelt depth to the album’s character. Both are like two (forlorn) lovers staring at the same moon, thinking the same thing.

Yeah So is a bold introductory statement, with enduring songs that we can all relate to at some level or another. What Yeah So says is that things come and go, but memories are everlasting. Success and failure are just different names for the same life lessons. It is an album that says we’re all in it together. As different as we might be, we all share something in the end.

BUY: Yeah So is out now on Moshi Moshi. Buy it here or here.

Slow Club @ MySpace
Moshi Moshi Records

ALSO...I came across a bunch of listings for one of Slow Club's appearances at this year's SXSW that read "March 20th - Barbarella (Moshi Moshi/Mixtape Muse/Wichita/Glitoris Party). For the record, none of us were at this year's SXSW and we were not involved with this show. I'm still scratching my head as to why our name was associated with this show and why this listing with our name appeared on multiple websites.

REVIEW: Derek Porter - Strangers, Vol. 1

Derek Porter - Strangers, Vol. I

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Sometimes the simple things are actually lot more complex than we first presume. Some things are upfront and are subsequently appealing for that very reason. Yet, the underlying reason for what truly draws us in is the sum of all the parts – not just that simplistic version of what we first meet. Some things, in one way or another, have layers. This can be said about Chicago’s Derek Porter and his new record, Strangers, Vol. 1.

The songs here are not necessarily direct; their power lies more in their ability to surround you. Porter is no doubt a singer/songwriter, but he has a vision that extends beyond the humble beginnings of an acoustic guitar. He blends his acoustic guitar with organ and layered vocals on songs like “I Remember” as well as with the pitter patter of delicate drums and active bass lines on songs such as “I Forgot” and “All I Know I Have Forgotten.” Through layering a diverse range of instruments, his gentle fingerpickings evolve into vignettes with more grandeur. Porter reveals himself undoubtedly through his lyrics, but where we truly get an inside view into his inner workings is with his carefully arranged layers of instrumentation.

Strangers also has a profound level of honesty. It is certainly not perfect all the way through, but the presence of slight imperfections makes it human. Because of this, Strangers possesses a familiarity that helps to construct a stronger connection with the listener. It features a simple-yet-vast soundscape that sees Porter dealing with the space between that which is remembered and that which is forgotten. Strangers may meander in spots, but it’s important to remember there are many layers to explore.

Strangers, Vol. I came out on Tuesday through Piercing Music.

BUY: Get Derek Porter's Strangers, Vol. I here (name your price)

Derek talks about the record...

Derek Porter - Strangers Vol 1 Promo from Dirty Cricket.

Piercing Music Official Site

Piercing Music @ MySpace

Reflections, Ryan, and the Rain

It’s been miserable here the past few days. If it’s not raining the sky is still overcast, full of the same shades of gray, the same mess of clouds. I used to like the rain a lot, and I guess I still do. But when you have begun to grow tired of your daily routine and don’t see change on the horizon for a while, the weather can keep things exciting – it’s the one thing that does change from day to day. It’s been raining for a while. I never believed in that old adage “April showers bring May flowers” because it never really rained that much in April. That adage must be true now.

Last night it was raining and when I got in my car to drive home from school, it just so happened that I had Ryan Adams & The Cardinal’s Jacksonville City Nights playing. The record has a certain level of comfort that takes you in and lets your mind unwind. It’s got a loose and natural feeling that was highly fitting for the short trip home. It was past two in the morning, so the streets were empty aside from the washes of color laid down by the street lights and traffic lights on the rain water. Highly memorable.

Jacksonville City Nights + a drive in the rain…try it sometime.