~~

After listening to my brand new Dolorean vinyl for his newest album “The Unfazed”, I was kinda worked up and wanted more. Well, I started going over the fact that I had to post again on the nom de plume that is the Al James fronted band out of Portland.

Admittedly a bit late to the party on Dolorean as I have only been listening for a couple of years, but there are some crazy good slow burners (including the one in this post) from James & Co. that just stop me in my tracks. The new album that is currently creeping up my best of 2011 list is laid back country at its best. From songs like duet beauty of ‘Country Clutter’ (with Bosque Brown I believe) to the stunning ‘Fools Gold Ring’ and up to 70′s rock influenced ‘Black Hills Gold’ – it is a must own album.

But enough of the new album, the song of the day is from a split 7″ Dolorean did with Holy Sons a few years back and there is a bit of a story of first jobs, misread words, Springsteen albums that lead to this song. Read the story from the Dolorean site here. Such a great track – this is minimal & stark singer songwriter at its best. This song is a piano lament of love lost – tragic in its crushing beauty to say the least. A must hear.

Please visit and support Dolorean: Website, Twitter and Facebook.
Purchase on Partisan Records (North America) and Fargo Records (EUR).
Purchase the 7″ split with Dolorean & Holy Sons on the Pamlico Sound site.

~Smansmith

It is Friday and I am on an extended long weekend (because that is how I roll) and wanted to throw some videos and a few songs at ya to see what sticks.  It will all stick.

Wanted to post on a new video of Zachary Lucky and Carly Maicher for “Leaves are Falling” that they played in Liverpool, Nova Scotia during their current cross Canada tour.  I mention this as they will be here in Calgary tonight at a House Show (I’m out of the loop on that) but they have an official show at the Ironwood Stage this Monday, May 21.  Me and the Mrs. will be in attendance, so you should join us for a long weekend beer and some great tunes.  Great tunes like the below!

Visit The Ironwood Stage for info on the show, directions on this Monday’ show!

~~~

Ms. Al Spx has a new video that premiered on Rolling Stone the other day (yes, Rolling Stone – we live in a new era of indie music folks).  The new album isn’t out yet but is garnering some very high praise (myself included).  The album has been in the works for years and it is truly magnificent.  I will also make no secret that I will be voting for Cold Specks on my Polaris Prize ballot (you know the  Polaris Prize right?).  Watch a video for Winter Solstice below!

Find out and pre-order this amazing debut album from Cold Specks: Cold Specks Store

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Lastly but not leastly, we have The Great American Desert (formerly South of Lincoln who was a Slowcoustic best of the year last year) and a new ‘Classroom’ video for the track ‘Whiteclay’ from his upcoming Yer Bird Records (ahem, yes our fantastic label).  You get an intro with the story behind the song and a fantastic live version of the song followed by why Max Holmquist (The Great American Desert) picked up his career in music.  Thanks to the Lawrence High School Film & Media Program for having Max in for the session!

Listen to a bonus track below – which incidentally will be the next video for the LHS Classroom Session as well!

Find more on The Great American Desert: Website

~~~

There you have a grab bag that is chock full of goodness!

~Smansmith

Give up yer cash early and then just try to forget about it...

I have made two pre-orders this week so far (and one Kickstarter donation, but that is for another post upcoming).  Who said the music industry was going down the shitter?

Today I would like to urge you all to purchase both the below pre-orders, or at the very least think about it and maybe get your friend to do it and then simply enjoy it with them when it arrives.  The two albums are JBM’s “Stray Ashes” from Western Vinyl and The Tallest Man On Earth’s “There’s No Leaving Now” from Dead Oceans.

First off JBM’s new album ‘Stray Ashes’, it is released very soon (May 22nd) so the pre-order is only for another few days but this is currently my must-have release as I type this.  This album from Jesse Marchant is spectacular and is going to be one of my favourite albums of 2012 for sure.  I know it.  It is very moody, ethereal at times, stunning, et al.  I can listen to the whole album together, which is a feat in itself these days, and it totally works.  There is not a weak track on this album.  The songs flex a bit in style while still falling under the JBM umbrella – listen to “Only Now” then listen to “Ferry” or “On Fire On A Tightrope” and you will understand.  I just can’t say enough about this album right now.  Listen to a few streams below.

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PRE-ORDER NOW: WESTERN VINYL SHOP

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 Next is the new album “There’s No Leaving Now” from The Tallest Man On Earth coming out on June 12th.  The internet was a buzz with the new single the other day when it was released to the hungry blogging world and it is for good reason.  While I haven’t heard the album yet, TTMOE has become one of the most consistent artists for music in my opinion – so it is a no brainer to pre-order this album to be quite honest.  If you appreciate Kristian Matsson’s musical style & vocal timbre in the first place, everything he has released has been top notch.

I also had to specifically mention the pre-order for this one as the bundle was too good to pass up (and I didn’t).  Secretly Canadian (the ever omnipotent overlord of the Dead Oceans label) is offering a smashing deal in my opinion.  Get the Vinyl album, the CD of the album, a 7″ single while quantities last and a couple posters.  For $21.99 USD!!  I run a small indie label as well and I can tell you that is a fantastic deal.  So go and pre-order this bad boy already!

“1904″ – The Tallest Man On Earth
from the upcoming “There’s No Leaving Now”

PRE-ORDER NOW – WESTERN VINYL/SECRETLY CANADIAN SHOP

Go.  Go now.

~Smansmith

Los Angeles band Sci-Fi Romance enters the “Before & After” fray with a song from the just released album ‘The Ghost of John Henry’ and the track ‘My Love, Look Up’.

Vance Kotrla from the band reached out and provided links to the final album version and his garage demo of the track and it is another great example of a song coming into its own.  Does this mean that yours truly is pulling away from a more stark, acoustic vibe?  No, not quite but just being able to see a song go from that stage to something just a bit more polished while still keeping the original song’s stark acoustic aura while still adding some production value.

‘My Love, Look Up’ is clearly in the sad bastard variety of songs (which is a good thing) and it speaks to the possible last ‘journey’ we take in life – that is if my interpretation of the lyrics is correct.  While it might not be quite as dramatic as that, the song can represent almost any journey one goes through and even with the sombre feeling of the song, you still get a optimistic view of it overall.  Maybe something that could teach us all a few things in life’s journey.  Oh, and it is a great song too.

Listen to the demo of ‘My Love, Look Up’:

Now, listen to the final album version released May 8th:

There you have it!  Volume Four of the series of demo to album songs – hoped you liked it!

Find out a bit more on Sci-Fi Romance: Website | Bandcamp | Facebook

~Smansmith

Today is the third official “Before & After” post and today we have the band Fort Frances with their track “Hard Earned Heart”.  Fort Frances was most recently on the blog with their great covers project called “…As Told By” (see here) and once again provide some great music for us.

The song “Hard Earned Heart” comes from the latest FF album “The Atlas” from about a year ago with the demo being at least a couple years back.  Fort Frances founder David McMillin indicated to me that this song was a long time in coming and almost had a hard time fitting into their finished album.  Much experimenting and acclimating to a larger sound that Fort Frances has from the original demo might have been the hurdle to overcome.  In working with Sam Kassirer who produced the final album – they created a beauty from the bones of an already great demo.  The final version seems like it always should have, I guess the hard work behind the scenes does actually pay off for the listener after all!  Listen for yourself below.

And now the demo version:

“Hard Earned Heart (Demo)” – Fort Frances/David McMillin

As you can see the bigger sound of a full band/produced final version really accents this particular song from its more folk tinged beginnings.   Kudos on this one!

Visit and find Fort Frances: Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | Twitter

~Smansmith

Wanted to let you all know about this month’s Feel Bad For You (FBFY) Mixtape is themed for the acoustic types.  So clearly I am all over this.  I have been contributing for a while now with a bunch of other bloggers, music lovers and all around alt-country types.  This month my submission is a live acoustic version of “Iso-residue” done solo by Will Johnson of Centro-matic and it is awesome.   The stream is embedded below and below even that is what was submitted and by whom.  Our good friend Rockstar Aimz over at the My Aimz is True blog is our illustrious leader and who is corralling us each month – visit her.

So then , 17 acoustic tracks for your Sunday listening, enjoy!

1. Title: Stagolee
Artist: Beck
Album (year): Avalon Blues: A Tribute To Mississippi John Hurt (2001)
Submitted By: noteethleroy
Comments: I wish Beck would do more simple stuff, he’s damn good at it.

2. Title: Sun Comes Up, It’s Tuesday Morning
Artist: Cowboy Junkies
Album (year): Acoustic Junk (2009)
Submitted By: erschen

3. Title: American Tune
Artist: Darrell Scott (Paul Simon)
Album (year): Modern Hymns (2008)
Submitted By: @philnorman
Comments: One of my favorite Paul Simon songs, covered by one of my favorite singer-songwriters. A song that never fails to touch my soul.

4. Title: Black Mother Pray
Artist: Tarrus Riley
Album (year): Mecoustic (2012)
Submitted By: tincanman2010
Comments: No-end-to-his-talent young singer’s latest dares you to take a spiritual inventory. More here: http://bit.ly/HOU94Z

5. Title: The Foothills
Artist: Sara Watkins (written by Watkins and Blake Mills)
Album (year): Sun Midnight Sun (2012)
Submitted By: Mando Lines
Comments: Big acoustic instrumental tune, sounds like a movie theme. One of two instrumentals on Watkins’ great new record, which contains a duet with Fiona Apple as well as guest vocals by Jackson Browne and Taylor Goldsmith (Dawes).

6. Title: East Nashville Skyline
Artist: Todd Snider
Album (year): What The Folk – Belcourt Theater – Nashville TN (2005)
Submitted By: toomuchcountry
Comments: This version of ENS is much different than the one Snider included on his Peace, Love & Anarchy release of demos and rarities or that he now performs in his shows. And frankly, I like it better. I was really fortunate to be in the audience the night of this show to hear it. Todd’s show that night capped a great triple-header. Tommy Womack opened and was then followed by Hayes Carll. Todd then took center stage as the headliner and was accompanied by Womack and Jeff Austin of the Yonder Mountain String Band.

7. Title: Stuck on the Inside
Artist: DeepSeaGreen
Album (year): Acoustic Sessions (2011)
Submitted By: @popa2unes
Comments: DeepSeaGreen are a garage-rock band from London formed in late 2008. The four piece is made up of brothers Jon and Daniel Jefford (on guitar and drums respectively), Trent Halliday (vocals, guitar) and Marco Menestrina (bass).

8. Title: Loveless Park
Artist: Jason and Alison
Album (year): Woodshed (1995)
Submitted By: Ryan (Verbow @ altcountrytab.ca)
Comments: Before forming Verbow, Jason Narducy and Alison Chesley played together as an acoustic duo and put out this album. This is one of my favorite songs – simple, beautiful melody that betrays somewhat downer lyrics. Great song.

9. Title: We Can’t Make it Here
Artist: James McMurtry
Album (year): unreleased (2004)
Submitted By: Rockstar Aimz
Comments: I yanked this acoustic version off of McMurtry’s web site a while ago. Very few bands and artists write topical or political songs, and even fewer do it well. McMurtry excels at it, and when all is said and done, this song may be the song that best represents the 2000’s.

10. Title: Iso-Residue (acoustic)
Artist: Will Johnson (Centro-matic)
Album (year): Original on Candidate Waltz (2011)
Submitted By: Slowcoustic
Comments: I always was a big fan of Will Johnson and here he shows he can also take an more upbeat Centro-matic tune and give it the solo Will Johnson acoustic touch. This guy can rarely do wrong acoustically in my books.

11. Title: Anastasia
Artist: Loomer
Album (year): BBC Live Session Track from 2005 (from the Songs of the Wild West Island album 2006)
Submitted By: Simon
Comments: Fell in love with this track when I first heard it and it remains a favourite, it’s a different tempo and mood (and all the better for it in IMHO) than the album version.
Not sure if the band are still together or recording a quick Google revealed little accept a parked website but you can listen to Anastasia and other tracks from the album here http://music.cbc.ca/#/artists/LOOMER and download at eMusic. http://www.emusic.com/listen/#/album/loomer/songs-of-the-wild-west-island/11255770/

12. Title: Question
Artist: The Old 97’s
Album (year): Hit By A Train: The Best Of Old 97′s (2006)
Submitted By: BoogieStudio22
Comments: This one goes out to Laura. I surprised her with ‘the question’ over 22 years ago.

13. Title: Coffee Blues (Live)
Artist: Mississippi John Hurt
Album (year): Salty Dog (orig. 1963, comp. album 2009)
Submitted By: Gorrck
Comments: Acoustic, but with a microphone. Does that still count? I traded the Bluesmobile for a microphone.

14. Title: Broken Man
Artist: Lauderdale
Album (year): Moving On (B Sides/unreleased) (2011)
Submitted By: Corey Flegel – This Is American Music

15. Title: Candy Cane Crawl
Artist: Greg Dulli
Album (year): non-album, live track from 2010 acoustic tour
Submitted By: April @ Now This Sound Is Brave
Comments: Submitting this track on Greg fucking Dulli’s 46th birthday. It’s one of my favorite songs by my favorite artist, containing nearly all the elements that make me love him – the cinematic sweep, the perfectly imperfect vocals, and the knife that cuts my soul right in two and lets all the dirt and light and blood and secret beauty pour right out. He’s accompanied by Dave Roesser on guitar and backing vocals, and Rick Nelson on cello.

16. Title: Goodbye California
Artist: Jolie Holland
Album (year): Escondida (2004)
Submitted By: Brad Kelley
Comments: Jolie Holland was in the Be Good Tanyas, but I only recently discovered her. Love her voice and inflections.

17. Title: Elk River Blues
Artist: Ernie Carpenter
Album (year): Tales of Elk River Country (1986)
Submitted By: Truersound
Comments: The Elk River runs through central WV and was dammed off in 1958 to form Sutton Lake. Ernie Carpenter wrote this tune while sitting on the ridge looking down at Sutton Lake as it covered what used to be his family’s old homeplace. Such powerful emotions from just one fiddle.

~~~

You can find the series over at the website courtesy of A Truer Sound by one simply click HERE.

~Smansmith

The Church of the Good Thief Album Art

Courtesy of PropertyofZack (see their post here) we get the great news of the upcoming Andy Hull helmed Right Away, Great Captain! album.  This is news that warms the cockles as almost anything RAGC! is right up my alley and with the first streaming sample of the track Blame – this is going to be right in my driveway.  While the song has been circling with a demo style live recording for a while, this crisp and clean album cut really helps the song shine.

If you are familiar with Andy Hull (also of the band Manchester Orchestra) and his solo efforts, which tend to be more stripped down recordings as Right Away, Great Captain! you will not be disappointed.  His delivery is always spot on and the timber of his slightly just a bit higher pitched than you thought it would be voice just works.  It pierces right through me.  When Hull is “on”, the songs he sings just carry such an incredible weight and hit with a hammer.  This is great stuff.

The album, The Church of the Good Thief, will be out in in just over a month (June 12th) via Favorite Gentlemen Recordings and there should be a pre-order next week with a bunch of extras.  Oh, did I mention there will be a 4 x 4LP edition that includes the two previous albums?  I believe a ‘holy sheeeet’ is warranted, but that might just be me.

Find more on Right Away, Great Captain!: Facebook | Favorite Gentleman Recordings

~Smansmith

Volume Two!

I happen to also run Yer Bird Records and with that I hear my fair share of demos.  Well one of our artists is the Philadelphia based band Hezekiah Jones.  This group of musicians fronted by Raphael Cutrufello are crazy talented and run the gambit from heart crushing folk ballads to down home Southern porch jams.  Their penchant for use of instrumentation is one of their signature sounds and it really comes out in this ‘Before & After’ track Borrowed Heart.

I think in the musical genre of “folk” this is a great example on how a song can grow leaps and bounds.  In all fairness, going from an acoustic solo demo to a fully produced track by the good people at Weathervane Music for their Shaking Through Session (see here) is not normal, but sure works good for this series!

So a lot of us have heard the final version of the track so I thought I would go backwards on this one.  Let’s first listen to the beautiful production on the final version of the song “Borrowed Heart” after the Brian McTear (production) & Jonathan Low (Engineer) had their way with the bones of the song.

Stunning right?  Now, the original demo probably hasn’t been heard by too many people outside of the Jones’ crew and the Philadelphia crowd, so this is a real treat for a lot of us (myself included).  Listen to the original demo of “Borrowed Heart” as played by Raphael Cutrufello.

“Borrowed Heart (Orig. Demo)” – Hezekiah Jones

There you have it, start to finish.  How was that for a transformation?  Regardless of really liking more acoustic stuff, I can truly appreciate the hard work and production value adorned upon this track from the WXPN/Weathervane Music session.  You?

Find out more on Hezekiah Jones:  Facebook | Twitter | Label
Find out more on the Weathervane Music/Shaking Through sessions: Website | Bandcamp

~Smansmith

p.s.  A great look at creation of the final song can be seen on the video from Shaking Through here.

I have started a series here at Slowcoustic that will focus on a song’s journey through a musician’s creative process.  Essentially a song from demo to album kind of feature.  I will merely touch on the two versions of the same song as I don’t pretend to really be in touch with what each artist goes through to bring a song through the actual song crafting process.  I tend to be the one in the stands, sitting patiently and enjoying.  While this isn’t a new idea (I thought of making it official after doing a recent before & after post on Damien Jurado) but this might be the first official post for this series.  So then folks, Jack James brings the title track of his latest album “Leaving Town” to the table.

Jack James has been around these parts prior (see a previous post) and when I mentioned the series, James was more than happy to get on board!  The song starts as I would assume most folk type demos start – fully acoustic.  I can’t say I am not happy with this natural state, how about you?

“Leaving Town (demo)” – Jack James

Now we move ahead to the album version (that came out Dec. 2011).  The song doesn’t leap ahead to full orchestral production, but gets a polish job and incremental layers.  Adding in banjo and bass line with accents of percussion grow the track and don’t weight it down.  I am a big fan of banjo used in a sparse finger picking way (as opposed to down home hard core hillbilly folk) and this final track embraces it.  The song itself uses these layers to accent the subject matter, or that these new layers peel away a song that finds itself a ‘Dear John’ letter.  Please enjoy what became of ‘Leaving Town’ below.

Thanks to Jack James for being part of our Before & After series – let us know what you think!  Maybe swing by and see what else he is working on via his Bandcamp page here or follow him on Twitter here.

~Smansmith

Sometimes a band name is so spot on and so accurate that it is not just the moniker of the musician(s) but speaks to what they are about, sound like and what the listener will feel when listening.  Well, Rural Ghosts is just such a band that finds itself in this position.

Rural Ghosts and the self titled 6 track EP (of course it is self titled, how could it not be?) is a recent listen for me and I am glad Erik Neilson (the man who we speak of when we say “Rural Ghosts) thought I would like a listen.   And like I do.

RG speak to what Slowcoustic might be really about.  If the description provided on the Facebook page is any indication how could they not be on this blog?

“Sparse ballads of death, love and regret, set against the thick & mysterious ambiance of Maine’s North Woods”

The songs are lo-fi and echo with intimacy.  I don’t want to assume the songs are at all autobiographical, but you always feel this way when someone rips out parts of themselves and plays music to it.  The songs are all completely acoustic and consist of guitar and voice with even the “air” around the recording adding to what is going on here.  Neilson creates songs that cause time to slip and people to slow down and listen.  While not overtly gothic sounding, the songs mix beauty and sombre like they were childhood friends reuniting after many years apart.  And they pick up exactly where they left off.  It is like the two were never apart at all.

“Bright Side” – Rural Ghosts

You can find Rural Ghosts on Facebook, Reverbnation and purchase on Etsy (yes, Etsy).

~Smansmith

Damien Jurado - image by Sarah Jurado

I discovered/remembered the other day via a random search in my iTunes library about the Damien Jurado demo for “Nothing Is The News” on his new album, Maraqopa.  When I first heard the new version, it didn’t immediately strike me as the demo that we posted back in 2010 (see post here with a couple other tracks) despite the first 30 seconds being almost identical.  I now find myself expecting that electric guitar and percussion to kick in at about 35 seconds in…where the demo now feels “unfinished”.  I guess that is the idea behind a track’s journey from thought, to demo, to final album version.  Of course working with Richard Swift (as Jurado did with Maraqopa) you know that he probably would not allow a solo acoustic song anyway!

So with the new version of Nothing Is The News being over twice as long, you know it has made a longer journey than most songs from the demo stage – especially for an artist who is loosely placed in the ‘singer-songwriter’ genre.  So I look at both tracks being almost two separate songs now.  One the early morning shuffling around the house version and one the driving around the Hollywood hills just prior to sunset version.  I will let you decide which is which.

aaaaand the video for the album version:

Visit Damien Jurado: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Secretly Canadian.

~Smansmith

Will Johnson - (image from Transistor Six Session - transistorsix.com)

Via a precarious #FF (follow friday) on Twitter I found word of the Transistor Six Session from Will Johnson from what looks to be a month ago.  A month ago.  I have been overlooking this for a month already.  For shame.

The session was recorded live at Frank in Austin, TX (of course it was) and includes some old, new and just plain great Will Johnson tunes.  Clearly this leans more towards his South San Gabriel side than the Centro-matic side as it is a solo performance, so if you are a fan you should really enjoy the session.  And it is a full 8 tracks!  Really nice job with the whole thing…there are exclusive photos, recordings (of which 3 are below via Soundcloud) and a video…kudos Transistor Six, kudos.

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Find the full post and additional information over at Transistor Six HERE.
Find more on Will Johnson at the Centro-matic website HERE.

~Smansmith

Field Report (Christopher Porterfield, formerly of the band Conrad Plymouth) has a new album coming in July and I am very excited for it.  If you look for songs thick with emotion and sharp lyrics, than this is your guy.  I think “Fergus Falls” really clinched it for me from a while back that I would be watching this guy forever on what he is recording and releasing.  He has a few tracks streaming from Partisan Records (although a recent Pitchfork article indicated the album is “self released”) that you can sample below.  The latest song to emerge from what looks like a 9 track album is ‘Taking Alcatraz’ and it is my current favourite track easily.

~

Visit Field Report on the new website or like on Facebook.

Next we have the new musical endeavor of Brian Borcherdt called Dusted (this is the place where I say “of the band Holy Fuck”).  The album is also staying true to the new name as it is called ‘Total Dust’ and will see a release on July 10th (maybe it will share a release day with Field Report!).  The new album has some teaser videos and a lead off track of hazey indie pop that is currently auditioning for my spring/summer “jam”.  It is a little more upbeat and layered than his previous solo work on the blow-your-mind-album ‘Coyotes’ from 2010 and I have faith it will be a worthy release at a minimum!  You can currently pre-order it over on Hand Drawn Dracula in Canada (here) & Polyvinyl in places that are not Canada (here).  Listen to the lead off track ‘(Into the) Atmosphere’ below!

Bonus Video Teaser for the new album below.

Dusted – Teaser 1 from Hand Drawn Dracula on Vimeo.

Visit Dusted on the new Website and like on Facebook.

~Smansmith

I am a slacker and not posting lately, but after listening to the above track from I Am Oak, I thought I had to share.  I was introduced to I Am Oak from Geert from The Black Atlantic and have been enjoying his incredibly beautiful folk music ever since.  The above track is from his album Oasem (find it on Bandcamp) and comes with a two thumbs up.

I thought I would also throw in a bonus video of The Swell Season performing “Once” as it is kind of a classic and they performed it for AB Sessions as well!  Enjoy.

You shouldn’t need any help finding the Swell Season, but just in case you can find out all about it/them on the website.

~Smansmith

Soooooo…what are you purchasing today?  Are you purchasing today?  Are you aware it is Record Store Day?  No, you should look into it by visiting the website for info (I know readers of Slowcoustic know this, this is just a ploy to offer the RSD website to the uninitiated).

I am feeling especially lazy today as it is the weekend and I plan on drinking beer in a pub with my lovely wifey while eating terribly unhealthy food and discussing what we are going to do with our millions of dollars from “trickle down funds” that an older family member wins in the lotto.  You know…Saturday.  So there are stores here in Calgary that participate in RSD (Sloth Records for one – I spent RSD2010 here) but today I fear I am not going to make it past the very edge of the suburbs, hence no bitchin record stores.  This is a tragedy in itself, so I urge you all to visit and purchase something, anything from your local independent musical emporium.

That being said, the musicians are the reason we have records and they often need help as much (if not more) than the record stores themselves.  So there is always purchasing albums online!  We do live in the future after all and can receive goods from around the world with a few clicks of a mouse.  I will pimp my own online label shortly because I can but I also want to see what y’all are picking up?  Are you picking up a RSD2012 specific item or just purchasing an LP you have always wanted but just needed that little push?  My last RSD purchase was the album “Tallahassee” from The Mountain Goats and the self titled “Daniel, Fred & Julie” vinyls.  They are fan-frickin-tastic.  They obviously were not RSD specific albums and I plan on doing a similar purchase today.  I am thinking the new Horses Feathers album “Cynic’s New Year” or the Cold Specks pre-order of “I Predict a Graceful Expulsion” (listen to a track from the Cold Specks RSD2012 release over on The Blue Walrus).  Both are amazing albums and you will want them both on vinyl.  So those are my choices, how about you?

Now we are also having a Record Store Day 2012 over on Yer Bird Records for the two releases we have on vinyl – Hezekiah Jones’ “Have You Seen Our New Fort?” and Ghosts I’ve Met’s “From A Spark”!  Both are great listens and at 50% off (!!), they are a no brainer…if we say so ourselves.  Listen to each below and click over and use your DISCOUNT CODE: “rsd2012“!!  Vinyl only folks.

There you have it.  Enjoy this 2012 version of Record Store Day!

~Smansmith

New EP from Akron, OH based White Pines is out today!  The 5 track EP is now available from our Yer Bird Records Bandcamp page right here.

I have come to really enjoy the driving force of White Pines, Joseph Scott, and his uncanny ability to bring folk acoustics into a part ambient, part folk rock vibe.  While being a stellar solo acoustic performer, he can build on a track and bring a fuller sound without taking away what you enjoyed about the “folk” aspect of it in the first place.  While it isn’t exactly jangly indie rock that all the kids are talking about, it is still a jump up for this slow and acoustic guy!

If you enjoyed the previous full length album ‘The Falls’ from White Pines, this 5 track EP falls in line with it’s overall sound and would fit nicely into being its companion.  The stand out song here is Bluebird which we have included below in both the original porch-side demo performed solo by Joseph Scott and then the EP version which shows a bit of a before and after in his song-crafting process.

So swing by and pick up a copy of the digital EP over on the Yer Bird Records Bandcamp page and we should have a link to some physical CDs in the very near future, so keep an eye out there as well.

You should be able to grab one of those physical CDs at his upcoming show this weekend if you are in the Cleveland, OH area when White Pines opens for Lambchop(!!).  See info on/rsvp to the Facebook event that just went up HERE and see the details below for those non-FB types:

Lambchop with White Pines
Beachland Ballroom
Sunday, April 22nd, 2012
7:30 pm
$15.00
(Tickets)

Visit White Pines: Album Bandcamp | Label Page | Facebook | Twitter

~Smansmith

Doug Paisley - courtesy of No Quarter

Doug Paisley is the kind of guy you just want to root for and enjoy his great music.  I tend to think his music is great in the first place, so thinking that I should *feel like* I should like him only works even more for me.  I don’t know why I think this, but maybe being Canadian, I feel that both me and Doug are already behind the 8-ball.  Regardless of feeling sorry for myself (and non ceremoniously for Paisley), I feel like Doug provides some excellent music that leap-frogs any scenario of Canadian-ness and lands in a “just plain good music” territory.  He has a new EP coming out in a matter of minutes (April 17th on No Quarter) and a new album coming out later this year I believe.  You should be anticipating both.  I just felt I should post after seeing the fantastic video from Southern Souls (below) and thinking that I should be pushing this son-of-a-bitch on all of you.

DOUG PAISLEY – To & Fro from Mitch Fillion (southernsouls.ca) on Vimeo.

Find one of his new tracks “Bats” from the 5 track EP streaming below (courtesy of Paste Magazine):

Find out more on Doug Paisley: Website | No Quarter (label)

~Smansmith

p.s.  Find a track from our Slowcoustic Best of 2010 Canadian Music here.

Kill County - February 2012 (courtesy of their Facebook page)

If you are a reader of this blog you know that one of the things I really, really, really enjoy is a heartfelt “country” song that has a bit of twang and southern heartland influence.  It also helps if it is acoustic and (more or less) akin to a sad bastard song.  Well, I was pleasantly surprised (re: totally stoked) when the good folks at Hear Nebraska led me to a recent performance from one of Kill County’s driving forces, Ringo over in Michigan at WCBN 88.3.  See Hear Nebraska’s post here with a bit more info on the band’s current situation and for the full SoundCloud stream of all 5 tracks.

As HN alludes and Ringo himself indicated to me, the follow up to 2010′s fantastic “The Year of Getting By” is well on its way for this year and will be another vinyl release!  If these songs are a sign of the new album, count yours truly in for a spot at the front of that line when it comes out.  Listen to a few tracks courtesy of Hear Nebraska’s SoundCloud account below.

Seek out more on Kill County: Bandcamp | Facebook

~Smansmith

I have to apologize for this quick post but I wanted to make sure y’all had a chance to listen and swing by to visit Hip Hatchet today on his album release day!

Today sees “Joy and Better Days” released over on the Hip Hatchet Bandcamp Page (HERE) and comes with a Slowcoustic recommendation.  The album can be considered “folk”, but with Philippe Bronchtein’s vocals giving you a Bill Callahan vibe, you know you are getting more than just a “folk” album.  I will delve into the album further on future posts here on the blog but today is the release day and you need to swing by and give it up for the album!

BONUS: “Child’s Hand in Dirt (Demo)”

Today we also have a treat as Mr. Hip Hatchet has agreed to have us do a before/after post on what is now one of my favourite tracks on the album.  Please enjoy the demo and album version of “Child’s Hands in Dirt” above!

Visit Hip Hatchet: Bandcamp | Facebook | Twitter

~Smansmith

Good Friday Coffee Drinking!

A little bit of this and a little bit of that – today being a holiday I am without focus as I am just excited to be in comfy clothes and drinking LOTS of coffee at will.  So I thought I would post a few items that have made an appearance in the last bit for your bag of mixed goodies this Good Friday.  Today we have three options for your listening enjoyment in Trotting Bear (with Andy Berkhout) and their video session at Show Me Shows, Pickering Pick doing a great Nick Drake Cover and the lead off track on the new Jos Fortin album!

First off, visuals to awake you gently with the beautiful sounds of St. Louis based Trotting Bear!

Trotting Bear – Feet On The Ground (A Show Me Show) from Jarred Gastreich on Vimeo.

Visit Trotting Bear: Facebook | Website/Bandcamp
Visit Andy Berkhout: Facebook | Website

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Next we have Sam Pickering Pick’s cover of Nick Drake’s ‘From The Morning’.  I mentioned on Twitter when I first heard the track that Pickering Pick lends to a perfect person to cover Nick Drake – it just feels right and easy coming from him.  And it’s a free download for all you mp3 hording types!

Visit Pickering Pick: Website/Bandcamp | Twitter

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Next we have the lead off track from the new album from the Canadian folkie’s new album ‘Typewriter’.  There is just something about the song ‘So Far’ – it is traditional sounding but feels so new…maybe the echoing electric guitar paired with acoustic while there is an almost ambient background swirling around you.  Stunning.

Visit Jos Fortin: Bandcamp | Web/Tumblr

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Enjoy your Friday folks, drink more coffee in comfy pants for me, K?

~Smansmith

Song of the Day is from the great new album “Post-Empire” from Will Stratton.  I actually had it as my song of the night last night in general, so why not have it “officially” posted on the blog?  Why the album has not had a peep on this blog yet is beyond me (re: all my lazy ass’ fault) – so let’s start talking Will Stratton’s latest shall we?

The new album has actually been spinning over here for a surprisingly long time (as has Will Stratton’s music in general) and I don’t want to say this new album is the crown jewel in his discography, but it is the crown jewel in his discography…so far.  While not removing himself from the musical style we have heard from him in the past, he comes in with arguably his best & most complete album to date.  ‘Post-Empire’ is part finger picking folk, part retrospective alt-pop and almost a classic 70′s psychedelia.  That last reference might scare some, but is definitely subdued, but there is something that sounds older than Stratton’s years but I am not one to be able to pin it down….no matter how hard I try.  I think part of his album overview hits the mark for this album and Stratton’s focus on music in general;

“While some music writers may talk themselves hoarse about the dueling narratives of hype and authenticity these days, there will always be artists quietly making music impervious to buzz, telling real stories of decline, romance, hope, regret, and renewal.”

I have chosen the track “The Relatively Fair” for my feature song of the day from the album as it is the one that speaks to me the most.  It displays incredibly infectious hooks (well for a folk – acoustic based song at least) and immediately causes me to nod my head.  While many might say having ‘infectious hooks’ means a song of less breadth, they would be off the mark for the track.  With it’s backing strings and style of acoustic guitar, it treats you to the perfect mix of a catchy song and quality song-crafting.  Do me a favour and also follow along to the lyrics via his Bandcamp page – smart, poignant and actually have the ability to speak to someone.  Try that in the bulk in the music industry these days.  Listen below.

If I were a betting man, I would say that as long as you find yourself on this site, you will want to find yourself listening to ‘The Relatively Fair’ and ‘Post-Empire’ as a whole.  So why don’t you?

Find Will Stratton: Bandcamp | Facebook | Twitter

~Smansmith

Been looking forward to Jesse Marchant’s (JBM) new album ‘Stray Ashes’ since I heard about it.  As he only makes great albums – if he has a new one, by default I am looking forward to it.  So I have been meaning to mention it here on the blog and once Music Savage (see their post here) posted on the latest track ‘Winter Ghosts’, I am now VERY MUCH looking forward to it.

The first single was actually ‘Only Now’ that premiered over on Paste Magazine’s website (here) and it is a great piano laden song with Marchant building up the almost upbeat track till just past half way when it reaches its peak before returning to an almost ambient collection of pure JBM.  The ebb and flow of that track really works for it.  Now below we are posting the second single ‘Winter Ghosts’ which comes in at whole other speed than ‘Only Now’ and it is a doozy.  This is where JBM shines – the song is whisper quiet at times and also builds (but in a much much less subdued way – you might even need headphones to really get that impression).  The slight echo in the vocal track, the ghostly backing sounds and lightly picked electric guitar meld into the song perfectly.   A beautiful must-hear song that proves the new album, Stray Ashes, will be a must-have.

“Winter Ghosts” – JBM
from the album ‘Stray Ashes’ – due May 22nd on Western Vinyl

Visit JBM: Website | Facebook | Western Vinyl

~Smansmith

ANDY SHAUF – Covered In Dust from Mitch Fillion (southernsouls.ca) on Vimeo.

Today we have a couple of videos from a couple of guys that know me as “that old guy they had coffee with in Calgary one day”.  Yeah, its not hard to think that way when you meet up with a couple of talented young musicians on a tour stop in Calgary.  Early last year Myself, Andy and Zachary visited a local coffee shop near my day job and we had good coffee, a couple of laughs and a good conversation.

Andy Shauf was kind enough to provide up one of his CDs and low and behold he has a new EP just out this week as well (see his bandcamp page for ‘Sam Jones Feeds His Demons’), so alongside the great Southern Souls video above take a listen to a new track from him below.  Side note is the video above includes the song ‘Covered in Dust’ which will be on Shauf’s next full length release.

Find out more on Andy Shauf: Website | Facebook | Twitter

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Zachary Lucky – ‘Saskatchewan’ (Street Folk Sessions) from James Maunder on Vimeo.

Next video is Zachary Lucky with a brand new video via the Street Folk Sessions in out in Hamilton, ON.  Lucky is currently on another cross Canada tour, this time in support of his excellent new EP ‘Saskatchewan’.  Fittingly, the song is the title track and is one of my favourite tracks this year.  Watch it above and stream it below.

Find more on Zachary Lucky: Website | Facebook | Twitter

~Smansmith

Just over a week ago we over at Yer Bird Records met up with Brock Mitchell for a video session for Tyler Butler.  Tyler made it down for the day as he had a house show that night and we juuuuuust squeaked in this video in time to get back to the venue for the house show only 2-3 minutes late.  If it wasn’t for the quick and talented Mitchell, we could have had a pretty surly crowd at the show!  That might be an exaggeration but overall it was a bit cold, a bit rushed but the results shown here in the video make no note of it at all.  A stunning video and the latest in the growing video series for Shot At The Dark.

Enjoy Tyler Butler playing “Plover” (pronounced “Pluh-ver”) from his album Winter King.  Please disregard the footage of vandalism by the artist starting around the 1:50 mark…

SHOT AT THE DARK – TYLER BUTLER from Shot at The Dark on Vimeo.
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Visit Shot At The Dark: Website
Visit Tyler Butler: Winter King Website | Facebook | Bandcamp

~Smansmith

Original photo of Damien Jurado by Adrian Bischoff (I Pick My Nose Blog)

This should need no introduction around these parts.  Plain and simple, two of the heavyweights of the Seattle “folk” scene.  Damien Jurado covering the J. Tillman Classic “When I Light Your Darkened Door”.

The song was recorded live from the Doug Fir Lounge as part of the 2007 Musicfest Northwest event.  I also apologize as I don’t remember how I have it, just that we had it at Yer Bird Records because the original Tillman track is from our label released album ‘Cancer and Delirium’…so somebody sent it to us!  Now you can listen to it in all it’s glory.

“When I Light Your Darkened Door (J. Tillman Cover)” – Damien Jurado

Enjoy one of the best tracks you could ask for on a spring Sunday morning…

~Smansmith

Haven’t done a “new on the nets” round up in a while so I thought I would plunder other blogs and find out the good stuff and post it here.  Rules of the jungle baby.

• We Listen For You had their (now annual?) Showcase at SXSW and once again did it on the acoustic tip.  I can appreciate this.  I also appreciate Bro. Stephen, Radical Dads, Conveyer, Dent May, Miracles of Modern Science, Kevin Barnes and The Henry Clay People taking part.  Watch some video from the event on the recap HERE.

• HearYa has given the stamp of approval to Field Report (nee Conrad Plymouth) and I have to agree.  Already pretty much liking whatever Christopher Porterfield has done it does stand to reason.  Need proof?

• The new album from Cold Specks is fast approaching.  The album has been in the works for a long time and the release can’t come soon enough.  Quick Before It Melts had the latest track “Winter Solstice” up on his blog in anticipation of May 22nd release of I Predict A Graceful Expulsion.  Listen.

• Next we have Draw Us Lines with their own event for the amazing Jennifer O’Connor.  They posted a preview of the show they helped put on from this past week (so…then…here is your…ahhh…heads up??).  Always enjoyed O’Connor and so then I also say thanks for the heads up on this little beauty of a track.
  

• BoyHowdy over at Cover Lay Down did a bit of a recap of the Couch by Couchwest “Festival” and we (Yer Bird Records) got a shout out from him as well.  Check out their recap HERE.  As we had the amazing Hezekiah Jones video exclusive to CXCW for the festival, there was no embed of it on the Cover Lay Down post…so then, here is the Chris Bathgate cover from Hezekiah Jones’ most recent album.
  Hezekiah Jones :: Last Parade on Ann Street (Chris Bathgate Cover – CXCW 2012) from Yer Bird Records on Vimeo.

• So you have heard me yammering about the Kim Janssen album Ancient Crime a few times (currently my favourite overall album of 2012) and Snowstar Records has been tweeting/posting about videos for the album, so I had to check it out.  They just posted the stunning video for the track Blyth Farjeon Choir.  Might not be for everyone, but it is beautifully shot and it is a moving track.  Watch below.
  

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There you have it.  Just me catching up on what others are doing.  Others are doing quite well apparently…

~Smansmith

Ever have a song that seems like a bizarre scenario, but when you listen it has the power to utterly devastate you?  Well Andy Hull (of Right Away, Great Captain! and Manchester Orchestra) feels this way and I agree totally.

The song in question is a part 2 of sorts from The Weakerthans ‘Virtute’ songs – which I believe is confirmed to be John K. Samson’s cat.  Andy does both of the songs on his tumblr page and both are downloadable for free – I just thought you needed to hear ‘Virtute the Cat Explains Her Departure’ – please listen in a quiet area or with good headphones.  The song originally is not as stark and devastating to listen to but it is Samson’s original lyrics sung by Hull that totally brings this song home for me.  Virtute can be anything in your life really and when Hull sings “But I can’t remember the sound that you found for me” it crushes my soul just a little.

“Virtute the Cat Explains Her Departure (The Weakerthans Cover)” – Andy Hull
Taken from Andy Hull’s Tumblr page.  Visit for ‘Plea from a Cat Named Virtute’ as well.

~Smansmith

**post photo taken from an interesting post here.

Today sees the re-release of our good friend Tyler Butler’s album Winter King over on our label, Yer Bird Records!  This album has seen its fair share of coverage over here, so I just want to say that we still love it and we are happy to bring it back to you all over again.

This 2012 re-release includes some re-mastering of the first 4 songs (also called the ‘House Painter EP’ to those in the know) and includes a new recording of ‘Feral Horse’ along with the previously unheard title track, Winter King.  So it is now a 10 track release and is available at the Winter King Bandcamp Page or over at the Yer Bird Records’ store.

Tyler Butler – “Winter King” by Yer Bird Records

We also have a bonus for you all that we are offering through Slowcoustic for this particular release.  We have some additional promotional CDs that we printed and we then got some stickers made up and made an insert and presto we have an affordable way for you to have a physical copy of the new Winter King!  This is an extremely limited run of discs, so act quickly to ensure you get your copy.  Each copy will arrive with a download code for the album & a few stickers…all for less than the price of a normal CD!

Tyler Butler – Winter King

Disc w/ North America Shipping $9.00 CAD

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Tyler Butler – Winter King

Disc w/ International Shipping $11.00 CAD

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For more info on the album visit us at Yer Bird Records.
Find more on Tyler Butler: Facebook | Bandcamp | Winter King Website

~Smansmith

Hip Hatchet - Joy and Better Days - artwork by Markel Uriu

New album from Hip Hatchet due on April 10th!  If the lead off track that is currently streaming on his Bandcamp page is any indication we are in for a treat.  Philippe Bronchtein (the one they call ‘Hip Hatchet’) crafts mixtures of late night drinking, introspective moments and life changing themes into music and delivers in his deep, if not slightly gritty, delivery.  Songs that you can both sway together with a partner and sit alone and ponder what should have been or what will be soon.  I might be a bit partial to his style of music, so I would always tell you it is good for any situation…but that is just me.

This lead off track below, Sing Me A Reprise, was “written during a period of relocation from Vermont to Portland and navigates themes of transition, home, memory, and relationships”.  The song was recorded by engineer and producer Tim Shrout, it features Alex Lewis on the electric guitar, Charlie Freundlich on the double bass and Philippe Bronchtein behind the rest of the instrumentation.

So the album comes out on April 10th via Gravitation Records and you can find a bit more info and full track listing over on the Hip Hatchet Bandcamp page.  You can also find more on his Tumblr page and ‘like’ him on Facebook.

~Smansmith

A Friday Recommendation here for all you blog readers not scouring for the latest secret show overview from Austin (I’m not bitter about SXSW, not one little bit).  This album has just had a bit of a low key release and I want to make sure you all get your chance to listen to it as it shouldn’t be overlooked.

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John Goraj is no stranger around here as his previous album “Possible” found some love with us and we even had a track from John on our last label compilation release (find that gorgeous song “One More Winter” here).  We also did an interview with John along with providing a few samples from “Possible” back in 2009.  So it is a no brainer that his new album gets a recommendation as well!

The new album “Seen &Unseen” is 12 tracks of winding laments and almost majestic listening.  While it is in the folk realm, it feels like soo much more – the guy pours his heart into his music – not that others don’t, but it is immediately noticeable in John’s prose.  He takes his time and gets it right.  In fact me and John have been going back and forth on this album for months now and I know he has taken his time and perfected his vision for “Seen & Unseen”.  Songs like “Resting Place” and “We Were Just Kids” bring a sense of familiarity and comfort – almost like his music is his introduction of himself to you and after a few plays, you might know him more than you think.

He is offering a free track in the album opener Horse and Home but I thought I would also post the closing track Prisms as it is truly a stunning listen.  I think both songs represent well what you get with Goraj, beautiful instrumentation, earnest lyrics/delivery and something that sticks with you as a piece of work as opposed to what we so casually call an “album”.

Find more from John Goraj: Facebook | Bandcamp | Website | iTunes

~Smansmith

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This is simply perfect for those of us that are not attending the South by Southwest festivities in Austin this week.  I think I just might like my couch better though…

This video premiered over at Couch by Couchwest’s site, so go watch it there as well, make a comment and find massive amounts of other videos from the numerous talented CXCWsters!

Find more from Tyler Stenson: Website | Facebook | Twitter
Find more on Couch by Couchwest: Website | Facebook | Twitter

~Smansmith

Kim Janssen - photo by Matthijis van der Ven

Just in case you all missed it when I mentioned it on Twitter the other day (and why aren’t you following me on twitter?) – but Kim Janssen recently performed for the Onder Invloed project (translates to “Under the Influence” for us pesky English types).  Janssen decided to perform some covers in his patented delicate acoustic way.  Sounds good to me.

Kim Janssen – Passing Afternoon (Iron & Wine) from Onder Invloed on Vimeo.

Kim Janssen – White Center (Damien Jurado) from Onder Invloed on Vimeo.

Kim Janssen – Priests And Paramedics (Pedro The Lion) from Onder Invloed on Vimeo.

I have really been enjoying these videos lately along with Janssen’s new album Ancient Crime – so this is why you have been getting some extra love for Janssen on the blog this past week…it is just soo good…

~Smansmith

Today sees the release of Kim Janssen’s album Ancient Crime from Snowstar Records over in the Netherlands.  It is a concept album and that concept might be stunningly gorgeous music…no really.  I have been looking forward to this album for a few months now and after more than a few listens it has become one to beat for best album of the year so far.

So when I mentioned my lame “concept album” reference above it is because it is in fact described as one in all honesty.  The album as outlined by artist and label as:

It is a album inspired by his years on boarding school in Asia. ‘Ancient Crime’ is a concept album that takes place in an old idyllic school, in a remote village in north-west England during the winter. A mixture of history, myth, memories, old and new verses and arrangements.

This is not lost on you when listening as it is extremely delicate, formal and hits a nice balance of instrumental band tracks with more traditional (yet just as grand) vocal tracks.  If I am not mistaken the album is 10 tracks and 5 are essentially instrumentals – this may immediately make many pause but the strong points in this album are so strong that they literally pull the entire album together.  I normally am not a huge fan of these interludes/ambient moments on albums and Ancient Crime has its fair share, but with tracks like ‘Drift’, ‘Tors’, ‘Casket’ and ‘Holmes’ Bonfire 1966′ being so stunning you just want more from this artist/album that the interludes fill that void left by what could effectively be an EP release if he so wanted.

The songs Drift and Tors have made appearances on Slowcoustic already and they lead the pack on the album as the truly top notch tracks.  Drift is currently my favourite track of 2012 so far…by a long shot.  Take a listen to it below:

And Janssen has recently performed it live, so let’s take a look at it as well!

There is a 10 second ad prior to the performance…just hold on!

The song Drift is a good measure of the sound and overall feel of the Ancient Crime album – it is a floating pensive moment put to a beautiful backdrop of acoustics, instruments, choirs and Janssen’s feather soft vocals.  It might be Janssen’s cadence and breathy delivery that makes you feel comfortable and at home in these songs…it just so happens he has crafted a beautiful pallet of music to coincide with.  Take a listen to ‘Tors’ below to get the full effect of the instrumentation of which I speak.

Again, the album from this co-member of the band The Black Atlantic (yes, that Kim Janssen!) is truly a “best new music” and comes highly recommended.

Find more on Kim Janssen: Facebook | Bandcamp
Purchase Ancient Crime: Bandcamp | Snowstar Records

~Smansmith

Today sees the release of one of my favourite releases of 2012 thus far in Zachary Lucky’s ‘Saskatchewan’!

While I have been listening to it for a couple of weeks now, I am still having a hard time putting words to this EP.  It is almost like trying to explain what/who is ‘Saskatchewan’ to someone who isn’t Canadian.  I dare say Saskatchewan is what being a traditional Canadian is really about but again, it is hard to describe.  Zachary Lucky’s home is the province in question and other than being Canada’s version of the American Heartland, it is the subject matter of this March 6th release in its entirety.  As his Bandcamp page says: “these songs are for Saskatchewan.“  And I believe him.

Lucky’s songs might always sound a bit pensive and almost longing at times and this is at the forefront here.  This may also be because Lucky is a never ending touring musician and this EP is about returning to ‘home’.  Just list the song titles and you know where this EP is going (and where it wants to be): Across The Ocean, Leaving, Back in the Fall, Leaves are Falling, Refrain and Saskatchewan.

Most notably there is a narrative of separation throughout all the songs.  Some reference a more personal relationship between two people like the track ‘Back in the Fall’.

Now listen to that song with it being even more about Lucky’s relationship with Saskatchewan itself.

Now the ‘title track’…this the pinnacle of the album with Lucky looking back fondly and pining for the past while still knowing it is just that.  Almost like that long lost Dear John letter that never made it to its rightful recipient, it is a lament of love for anything (in this case his home of Saskatchewan).  The letter than might not have ever needed to be sent but instead just repeated over and over to yourself.  It also just so happens to be a great venue to focus on some fantastic pedal steel along with Lucky’s patented strumming and vocal timbre.

Fans of Lucky’s previous work will be more than delighted with Saskatchewan and it will be required listening in many roots/folk homes.  Overall I rambled in this ‘review’ about the feeling that this album/EP has left me with – it may be just 18 ways to say the same thing but I think you get it.  The only fault of the EP is that is comes in at about 20 minutes total time due to the 8 track EP having 2 instrumental interludes and no track exceeding 3 1/2 minutes.  Despite this, they just might be the best 20 minutes you will spend on music today or any other day.

Find Zachary Lucky: Website | Bandcamp | Twitter | Facebook
Find Tour Dates for Zachary Lucky: 2012 Canadian Tour

~Smansmith

p.s.  Calgary on May 21st at the Ironwood Stage!

p.p.s.  Don’t forget the ever lovely touring partner of Lucky, Ms. Carly Maicher guesting on ‘Leaves are Falling’

As I didn’t have a specific reason to post today, I thought I would share some tracks that have been spinning on a regular basis while at home, at work and in the car.  I make massive amounts of personal playlists as I have a fairly long commute and I cannot stand being at work with only the sound of buzzing fluorescent lights.  So what am I saying?  Feel free to send me suggestions in the comments or even tweet at me on the twitters with any suggestions.

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Nice split 7″ now out from Kill County (with Good Saints) and I like it soo much we will be giving away a copy of it in the next 1-2 weeks, so keep an eye out here for that give-away.  Ever since their fantastic “The Year of Getting By” these Nebraskans have been on the center of my radar – this track “Brown Lee” is another reason why.

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While we are putting out Tyler Butler’s Winter King re-release in a few weeks at Yer Bird Records – I don’t want ya to forget about this little gem that has seen some repeated listens in the last week.  From his ‘Feral Horse‘ release in early 2010 continues to show the stark beauty in Butler’s songs.  Don’t miss this one.

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Jonas David was mentioned to me from April over at Common Folk Music and I am finally getting to listen to it – very nice moments of acoustic jams along with a bit of full band mixed in for good measure.  It really excels in the quieter tracks like “Let Me Live” above so check out Jonas David as this is another German who knows his stuff.

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Tim Showalter is now teasing us with a track before he digs into new music for Strand of Oaks.  This time we get the Weathervane Music helmed Shaking Through session with his track ‘Spacestations’.  There is a whole feature via Shaking Through and well worth a watch and it is a free download too!

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That is all for now, but I will be starting this type of post more often in order to get more music recommendations out to y’all.  Enjoy!

~Smansmith

Brand new album from Pickering Pick has been released on his Bandcamp today!  The 11 track album is called ‘Prayer Flag’ and it once again show’s Pickering Pick’s prowess in the acoustic finger-picking folk crowd.

This album was recorded late last year in his home recording studio while he was literally just ‘getting used to’ his new gear.  As Sam indicated to me, when he gets to playing, often the flow of the music keeps coming and while not meant to be an official recording session for an album…it simply ended up being one.  While almost not moving ahead with the album, ultimately the songs continued to speak to him and hence, here we are.  If you are familiar with Sam Pickering Pick’s work (or if you are not) he creates a sound specific to him – I want to say it sounds of his homeland across the pond because I have nothing else to accurately describe it.  It sounds authentically and traditionally English despite Sam making his home in sunny California now.  That vibe is not overbearing but it floats around his music and is a welcome friend in my opinion.  His ease at creating this music is also astounding – despite not fully knowing his creative process – Pickering Pick can create stillness and beauty on almost anything he creates.  Prayer Flag is no exception.

Although having no official connection to this release, we did put out last year’s “Tiger Balm” from him on our Yer Bird Records label and I dare say this might come across as it’s companion piece.  You also might find a similarity in the artwork from Meghan Spurlock (visit) but I feel they might be joined by more than visuals.  Find a couple tracks to stream below and swing by his Bandcamp page to pick up a copy of the album digitally or one of the very limited CDs.

Enjoy and visit Pickering Pick: Facebook | Twitter | Bandcamp | Yer Bird Records

~Smansmith

p.s.  Anybody in the Sacramento, CA area can find Pickering Pick tonight at The Naked Lounge (H Street venue) around 8:30pm!

Apparently we should be on the look out for a new Sergius Gregory album by the looks of this, so why not have a ‘cover-song of the day’ for it?

Sergius Gregory creates atmosphere in(stead of) music.  It is partially ambient, partially folk based and it drips with the aforementioned atmosphere.  The Morrissey cover gives a more gentle drift than the truly downtrodden Morrissey lyrics provide on paper.   The lyrics in Gregory’s delivery seem more of an account of sadness instead of an internal self loathing that you might expect from this particular track.  Either way it is a beauty and bodes well for the upcoming album “Long Life” – ETA unknown.
seasick, yet still docked (morrissey cover) by sergius gregory

More info can be had on Sergius and his previous album can be found over at Saint-Loup Records or you can always follow him via the Facebook.

~Smansmith

This is a video from last year that I have personally ripped the audio from and have been listening for a while in preparation for the upcoming Kim Janssen album.  This video is Janssen playing the traditional folk tune “Wild Bill Jones” as if Sam Amidon was playing it.  You know what?  He is spot on and it is a great tune from the Into The Great Wide Open Festival in 2011.  The song starts at around the 0:34 mark for those that don’t speak the native tongue.

Keep an eye on on Snowstar Records for more info on that new album due in March.

~Smansmith

Sorry for the neglect on the blog this week my friends.  I am also cheating and just providing a playlist of tracks I have been listening to…but let’s be honest here – it isn’t the superior journalistic writing that you are here for…you can tell me.  So then, let’s have some links to get some music that I have been enjoying and urge you to as well.

• Seattle Times and their 4 day feature on Damien Jurado covers to promote his upcoming album (my vinyl shipped yesterday!).  So far there has been Jon Russell, Pickwick, Al James (Dolorean) & Jeremy Enigk (Sunny Day Real Estate).  All are worth a listen, but RIGHT HERE you will find James’ version of Cloudy Shoes.
• Horse Feathers have a new album upcoming and they have finally dropped their lead off single via Stereogum.
• Jordan Klassen has a new EP out and there is some great beauties on it.  Currently my favourite is the track ‘Threads’ as it is finger picking indie pop perfection.
• We have been putting up new live videos of Tyler Butler over on the Yer Bird Records/Winter King website.  This week had Tyler giving his best Jake Gyllenhaal impression while singing ‘Kingfisher’.  See for yourself below:
  
  Tyler Butler :: Kingfisher from Yer Bird Records.

That is all I have for now – look for more suggestions this weekend!

~Smansmith

Just listened to a couple of Dustin Gamble tracks and thought I would share.  I was reminded of him as he just started following me on the Twitters so I took a spin back through his Reverbnation page and thought I would show you how to spend a Slowcoustic St. Valentine’s Day.  For a reminder, I did a post on Dustin way back in 2008 here.  I am not sure if he is still really recording as the two songs below have been around for a bit (I believe) but they are excellent slowcore folk jams not to be missed.

“Easy”
“Storefront Inn”

Just a suggestion to check the guy out and listen to a few sad bastard tracks this February 14th.

~Smansmith

p.s.  I don’t really ‘celebrate’ today as it is my Mom’s birthday and she just steals the show every year from my wife….so, then…Happy Birthday MOM!!

p.p.s.  My mom doesn’t steal anything.  Ever.  Love you Mom.

Today’s song of the day is from Zachary Lucky and his track “Back in the Fall” from his upcoming album Saskatchewan (some say EP, some say LP, some say who the hell cares, just let us hear it already).

The song is simply fantastic.  Whether it is the lazy banjo, the pedal steel or the honest delivery (when his voice just starts to crack when he first sings “Back in the Fall” – it’s killer).  The song is seems like it is not necessarily a story about a past relationship rather than a mantra to himself about life moving on…and its okay.  It just also happens to be painfully gorgeous.

You can pre-order his album ‘Saskatchewan’ from his Bandcamp page HERE and find out if he is visiting your hometown via his tour dates on his website HERE.

Bonus for y’all is a live video I took of this song at a recent house show Zachary did here in Calgary about a month ago, enjoy.

~Smansmith

HI54LOFI Records has a new compilation out to commemorate Valentines Day next week appropriately called ‘I Love You & Stuff” but wait, it’s soo much more.  This isn’t just 15 tracks to impress the one you love/like or even not remotely know, you also get the opportunity to actually send them a Valentine card with your “purchase”.  Come on, you know you want to spread the love and what better way than with music (…says the music blogger).

There are some really great tracks on this compilation and while it not being exclusively “Slowcoustic” or anything it has it’s fair share along with a full range of indie for the whole family.  I wanted to include a favourite from a Canadian artist I have been keeping my eye on, The Bravest Ghost.  Sean Craib-Petkau who is this said ghost recorded a song exclusively for the compilation and its another winner, so kudos to HI54LOFI for seeking him out!  Listen to ‘Long Shot’ below;

“Long Shot” – The Bravest Ghost
from ‘I Love You & Stuff’ Compilation

So that is my “pick” from the release, but there are more of note I wanted to make sure get a mention including the pixie lullaby from Shedding Feathers entitled ‘Starlet’.  Shedding Feathers is a project of Craven Canary and A Singer of Songs (who also have other contributions from their respective bands on the album).  Listen below;

And for my non-Slowcoustic recommendation, I have started a bit of a head bopping affair with Lint Vaccine’s ‘Those Freckles Compliment Each Other’.  It is a bit lo-fi but fun and includes a cow bell – why can’t this be your bleary eyed crush this year?  I think it can, just take it for a test spin here;

Find out more on this compilation and how you can order it and send cards to some folks HERE.  Visit the Bandcamp page for it HERE.  Visit HI54LOFI HERE.

~Smansmith

Tyler Butler joins the crew over at our label Yer Bird Records and re-releases ‘Winter King’ on March 20th, 2012!

If you are reading Slowcoustic on a regular basis, you already know of Mr. Butler from Edmonton and we are very excited to bring one of our favourite albums of last year home to us over at Yer Bird Records.  We are re-releasing it with a couple of ‘bonus tracks’ as well!  The bonus tracks are a newly recorded version of “Feral Horse” from his previous EP Feral Horse plus the previously unheard title track ‘Winter King’.  All in all we couldn’t be happier here at Slowcoustic/Yer Bird Records with having Tyler on board as this album is simply amazing.  See a quick teaser trailer below plus the track listing.

Tyler Butler :: Winter King (March 20, 2012) from Yer Bird Records on Vimeo.

1) Barghest*
2) Morana*
3) Child-Ghost*
4) House Painter*
5) Waxwing
6) Kingfisher
7) Plover
8) Sparrow
9) Feral Horse (Winter King Version)
10) Winter King (previously un-released)

(*Re-Mastered for the 2012 release)

You also might want to check out a new video for Plover recorded in conjunction with this re-release over on the new Winter King website.  We will be uploading a video performance of all 8 of the original tracks on this site over the next few weeks!  For now also enjoy the newly remastered ‘Morana’ below.

Tyler Bulter: “Morana” by Yer Bird Records

~Smansmith

Andrew Sisk (Photo by Scott Munn)

Today’s song of the day is from one Andrew Sisk, who was passed on to me from Matt over at Pigeon Row (see them & their full list of clients here) and I am greatfull this brooding singer songwriter’s newest album is now with me.

The album, Treelines, was released on January 31st and is nine thick-with-character songs recorded “…in his apartment in Montreal with his son Elliott sleeping on his lap during vocal takes, and quietly watching him record classical guitar parts“.  The song “I Whispered It” is a stunning example of what what you would think from that last sentence.  It is a layered but still stripped down beauty – vocals just scratchy enough to feel worn in and echoing guitars in the distance causing texture.  The song both floats and digs into you at first listen.  My only ‘complaint’ is that it ends to soon.  So then, stop and listen for at least two minutes and seventeen seconds today.

Find the full album from Andrew Sisk over on his Bandcamp page.

~Smansmith

Canadian Matt Paxton has a new single from the good folks at Other Songs Music and it is a free download from their Bandcamp page.  The song was finalized late last year with the help from Scott Orr (of Other Songs Music) and features guest vocals by Allison Geleynse.  Its a beauty and I look forward to more from Paxton (you can catch a previous album on his own bandcamp here).

~~

Next we have another look into what we can expect from the upcoming Kim Janssen album Ancient Crime that should see a release from Snowstar Records on March 9th, 2012 (despite their website saying Jan. 26th…typo?).  We previously posted on the stunning lead off single “Tors” (see here) and with the new live performance of ‘Drift’ via InDeKringloop.nl, I have to say I am getting very excited about the album!

Enjoy your hump day by relaxing to these two new tracks already!

~Smansmith

Today sees the release of the newest opus from Elephant Micah. Being big fans around Slowcoustic HQ, this is an even bigger day as we also have a quick interview with Joe O’Connell along with our post on the album!

The album is “Louder Than Thou” and is released from O’Connell’s own label Product of Palmyra in digital and vinyl formats. It is 6 tracks of what might be called a return to form if you thought that was even needed from this Indiana project. First off, it comes in at 6 songs and some of you might say that it is an EP and not an LP, but songs range from 4 1/2 to 7 1/2 minutes each so we can all agree this album while still being a touch short is definitely in the LP arena.

The songs are described as “Avant Americana” and include instrumentation some may find experimental in nature but still natural with the songs. Louder Than Thou fuses a feel for the music instead of arranging 10 x 3 minute tracks of acoustic guitar. Sure I say that flippantly, but it is actually true – the album isn’t straight forward but still includes the bones of what would be called a folk album. Tracks like (my favourite) ‘Airline Living’ has this floating aura with 70s influenced band elements and this bass line straight out of a Sofia Coppola movie soundtrack. As a stand alone track, this one has been a favourite for weeks now.

The lead off single (if that is what you would call it) is the song ‘If I Were a Surfer’ and it could be the beginning to ‘Airline Living’ and is simply a blanket of pure velvety folk goodness.

You might even get a bit of ‘upbeat’ in the track ‘My Cousin’s King’ and ambient instrumental-ism in ‘Rooster On the Loose’ but you always know you are listening to Louder Than Thou. While there is an ebb and flow to the album’s song crafting, it is still a full album and is one that fits into the incredibly deep back catalog of the band.

I had a chance to have Joe O’Connell talk about a few items on who “Elephant Micah” is and a bit about this new album.

~Interview with Joe O’Connell of Elephant Micah~

• For those in the know, they [for the most part] consider Joe O’Connell to be “Elephant Micah”. Who (or what) is Elephant Micah to Joe O’Connell?

I guess Elephant Micah is the name of a project, and I’m the person responsible for that project. The name is just a placeholder… just a title that ties together some series of performances and recordings over time. It’s supposed to be, ah, adaptable.

On this record, Justin and Nathan Vollmar (of the band Vollmar) helped me arrange and record basic tracks. Kate Long, Kyle Langvardt, and Michael Anderson each did overdubs.

• Your website indicates that Louder Than Thou is the “…clearest statement of the Elephant Micah sound”…what should someone take away from the new album if they hear it for the first time today?

This project has developed pretty slowly over time. I think it has only recently started to hit its stride. I would like this record to come across as the work of people who have been at it a long time, who are making their most compelling music in the present, and who are committed to continuing on that trajectory.

On Louder Than Thou – there is an ebb and flow on the album from the softer singer songwriter to the more experimental song crafting – how do you balance the traditional and non-traditional sounds?

On this record, it was less a matter of balancing two different styles and more a matter of creating the right, ah, stylistic contour (?) over the course of the recording. We just aimed to make decisions (in arranging, performing, mixing, etc.) that would allow the songs to hang together… within the overall scope of a record that is fun to listen to, and changes a lot over its course.

What I mean to say is, I was probably looking for a way to have changes in style without polarizing (?) style in terms of folk vs. rock, quiet vs. loud, experimental vs. “poppy,” or whatever.

How is it to be an artist and your own label? Does your label half push you to release more and then your artist side ask to slow down and enjoy the actual music?

Ooh, well, it is impossible. I just want to get this record out there and I don’t know a better way to do it.

• Would you release any other acts on your label? Any side projects that you feel shouldn’t fall under the moniker of Elephant Micah?

Sure, if I had unlimited resources, I would want to help release other people’s music. I can think of lots of great projects to do along those lines. As it stands, though, it takes all the time and money I can muster to get one Elephant Micah record out.

• As a songwriter – do you collaborate, write from experience, collect stories and combine to create an song/album?

I think the answer to this question might be “no.”

I do fool around with words, tunes, and guitar parts a lot. When I hit upon something that piques my interest, I pursue it and try to expand upon it. Sometimes my sense of an idea is strong enough that it will lead to other ideas. I try to string these ideas together into a set that I can record as an album.

My ideas come from playing with language, themes, genre rules… and maybe sometimes the starting point of an idea is something you could call experiential or real… something sort of observational. But that is mainly just a jumping off point for the rhetoric of the song. If I sing about the village of Rocky Ripple, Indiana, for example, it’s because I find it useful for staging a song with a certain aesthetic about “real places” and “real people.” I do like these genres that are take up real life (country, confessional, etc.), but I think that how they work and whether they work is purely a matter of good style, not a matter of true stories.

• Do you feel successful as an indie artist?

At first I wrote “no.” It’s a struggle to gather up all the resources I need to make a record. That’s why it’s been a while between this one and the last one.

But I’m going to go ahead and venture that I do feel successful. I’m managing to make really strong recordings, and get them out to people that derive some meaning from them. I don’t want to come across as anti-commercial in any simple way, or as being indifferent to whether more people hear my music. And I don’t want to claim some integrity or importance on the basis of being “marginal” to the indie music world. But I think I can say that I’m happy with what I’m doing, and I do see it as successful by my standards.

• Who are a few contemporaries that you would want to work with?

Will Oldham, Dark Dark Dark, the Cairo Gang, Small Sur, Hiss Golden Messenger, Vollmar, Pillars and Tongues, Magnolia Electric Company, Breathe Owl Breathe, Lougow, Bronze Float, Time and Temperature, the 1-2-3’s, the Flying Burrito Others, Scout Niblett, Thousand Arrows, Hurray for the Riff Raff, the Luddites, Bubbly Mommy Gun, the Blue River Music Association, Jon Kay, Grease Gravy, Century of Aeroplanes, Jandek, Califone, Little Wings, Aurora Nealand, Delay, For Barry Ray, Ben and Bruno, the Hollows, Open Sex, Norman Oak, Mary Oakie, Joe Manning, Nathan Salsburg and James Elkington, the Red Queen Hypothesis, Honey Radar, Canadian Rifle, Tammar, Uno Moss, June Panic, Alasdair Roberts, Cathy Irwin, Mark Kozelek, June Panic, and more.

• What was your main “New Year’s Resolution”?

“Keep going,” as they say.

~~~

Swing by the Product of Palmyra Bandcamp page HERE to pick up a copy today. Digital is “Pay What You Want” and the vinyl is a limited version of 375 and it will sell out.

~Smansmith

Not much to say here as I literally just started listening to Mr. Willy Tea Taylor about 5 days ago.  Thanks to the heads up from my good friends The Sumner Brothers on this true country crooner.   The voice, the look and the down home warmth you get from listening (even if they aren’t the sunniest of subject matter) is a breath of fresh air.  Despite often getting lost in gritty country tunes, sometimes you need a bit of good ol’ boy mixed in with your whisky.  Just sayin’.

Take a listen to a couple of tracks from his ’4 Strings’ album that came out last year below.  “Life is Beautiful” is what you expect and an amazing country ballad of country life & love.  Also, for a bit of context on this album I included the lead off track ‘Bones’ that gives me a strong Tallest Man on Earth vibe…and we all know we like that around here.

~

Please swing by and take a listen to the album on his Bandcamp page and for more info you can visit his website HERE.

~Smansmith

I have been giving this album some serious spinning for the last month or so and it is indeed a seriously great listen.  The album officially saw its release on Jan. 24th (this past Tuesday) over on Crossroads of America.  The album is available on all your favourites; space age digital, retro CD and exclusive vinyl – of which I recommend the latter…but more on that below.

First off, let us get one thing straight, this album is a creeper.  This album, while seemingly an innocent folksy little collection of mellow singer songwriter jams, is just soo much more and you really realize it from repeated listening.  This album grows on you because it is something that you dig into instead of let play in the background…which all too many people do with “folk” music in general.  If this happens to you with albums, please return to “Baptist Girls” as it unfolds soo immensely that I can’t see anyone not enjoying it.  Well, those that come to a blog called Slowcoustic should all know what I mean.

The album has an eerie comfort attached it with what could be described as it’s honest laments and life observations that just so happen to be attached to music.  These songs are performed with sincerity and you know it – especially with lyrics chosen of self deprecating and inner moments that most of us only think to ourselves.  All sung over acoustic guitar and moody synth in the ether that surrounds you as the listener.  Even being an apparent “lo-fi” recording it sounds full but doesn’t lose the intimacy that is apparent in Bro. Stephen’s recordings.

Listen: “Tears on Tape” – Bro. Stephen

Okay, I said “more on that later” in regards to the vinyl.  I recommend the vinyl version of “Baptist Girls” as it is a phenomenal album in general, so there is that.  It also forces you to listen to the album outside what might traditionally be where you hear most albums these days…your computer.  Unless you have a nice set up, you want to hear this album in its fullness on a home stereo and vinyl usually makes this the only option.  Bro. Stephen provides a delicate folk(ish) album that you can play loud and immerse in… yes, honestly it does really work.  As a bonus, it is on lovely green vinyl, aaaaaaand it is where to get two bonus tracks:

Bonus, bonus, bonus tracks: 2 bonus tracks exclusive to the vinyl option!

So there you have it, best new music and a great album that I fully recommend.  So swing by Crossroads of America to pick up your copy by clicking HERE.

Find more on Bro. Stephen:  XRA Records | Facebook | Twitter | Website | Purchase at Bandcamp

~Smansmith

Today’s song of the day is a cover of the classic track ‘Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want’ from The Smiths as performed by Pickering Pick.  Gone is the dramatically mellow angst only to be replaced by sombre aching alongside the ambient acoustics.  While we are not comparing which song is better and both are the same lyrically but give total different listens despite being the ‘same’ song.  Pickering Pick removes himself from the persona of Morissey and The Smiths and simply creates a great version of a classic song.

“Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want (The Smiths Cover)” – Pickering Pick
As part of the Rate Our Music #08 compilation “See You on the Other Side”  (FREE DOWNLOAD)

Visit and listen to more from Pickering Pick on his Bandcamp Page.

~Smansmith

I know I have posted many times on this album and I am releasing it on my label over at Yer Bird Records, so I can’t really get into it anymore without making y’all upset.  So then, here is a track to listen to and let’s pretend that this is the first you have heard of this discovery and are ready to purchase and send me personal thanks for bringing it to your attention.

Find out more from our Label page or Bandcamp page.
Purchase: Label | iTunes | Amazon

~Smansmith