Day 2 of the music bonanza that is SXSW!  Again, I am not there so this is not a recap of incredible shows seen, amazing artists discovered or the amazing tacos I had for lunch with other festival goers.  Unfortunately.

But alas, the rest of the world goes on, but I wanted to provide the wishlist once again for Slowcoustic if we were to be in Austin.  The below are our suggested shows at SXSW today!

Thursday, March 18th recommendations (evening shows):

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Location: Beauty Bar/Palm Door (401 Sabine St)
Artists: Dawes, Low Anthem, Deer Tick

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Location: Buffalo Billiards (201 E 6th St)
Artist: Efterklang, Midlake

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Location: Cedar Street Courtyard (208 W 4th St)
Artists: Wye Oak, Radar Bros.

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Location: Central Presbyterian Church (200 E 8th St)
Artists: Timber Timbre, Dan Mangan

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Location: Encore Patio (611 Red River St)
Artists: Horse Feathers, These United States

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Location: The Hideout (617 Congress Ave)
Artists: Seabear

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Location: Maggie Mae’s Gibson Room (512 Trinity St)
Artists: The RAA, Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson

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Location: The Parish (214B E 6th St)
Artists: Joshua James, Greg Laswell, Joe Purdy

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Location: Red Eyed Fly (715 Red River St)
Artists: Pearly Gate Music, The Wooden Birds, Rocky Votolato

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**Location: Soho Lounge (217 E 6th St)**
Artists: The Black Atlantic
**Recommended**

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Location: St David’s Bethell Hall (301 E 8th St)
Artists: Joe Pug, Chris Pureka

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Location: St David’s Historic Sanctuary (301 E 8th St)
Artists: Sharon Van Etten, Anni Rossi, Sarah Jaffe

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Location: Stephen F’s Bar (701 Congress Ave)
Artists: Ruth Moody, Danny Schmidt, The Pines

~~~

WOW, I don’t know what I would do.  Too many shows…it is almost, well, bad because too many shows makes for worthy bands being missed…I guess.

I leave you with the one band I would have on my list and move everyone else around in order to see, The Black Atlantic.  Listen, then please go and see.

“Reverence For Fallen Trees”
I Shall Cross This River”

~Smansmith

As I will not be involved with anything to do with Austin, TX this week I thought I would at least give my recommendations on a daily basis on what I recommend and wish I could see for SXSW (music wise).  And if you are looking for an anti-SXSW diatribe, you will not find it – I am not going, have never been to but hope everyone gets the chance to see a band that they really love and “discover” someone that they will begin to love (music wise…more or less).

Wednesday, March 17th (St. Patty’s day!) recommendations:

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Location: 18th Floor at Hilton Garden Inn (500 N IH 35)
Bands: Trespassers William & Brian Borcherdt

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Location: The Ale House (310 E 6th St (Alley Entrance))
Bands: Anais Mitchell & Alina Simone

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Location: Club de Ville (900 Red River St)
Bands: Dawes, Bowerbirds
**Brooklyn Vegan Show**

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Location: Soho Lounge (217 E 6th St)
Bands: Justin Rutledge, Melissa McLelland, Luke Ducet
**Six Shooter Show**

~~~

Location: Spill (212 E. 6th St)
Bands: Black Eyed Dog, Joe Purdy

~~~

Location: The Velveeta Room (521 E 6th St)
Bands: Via Tania, Jill Barber

~~~

This is all the shows that SXSW advertise on their schedule, so without going into PR emails and blogger house shows I am already full up with options and an impossible way to see them all in one night.  Oh, the decisions if I were in Texas tonight….instead I am here at work, sitting here, just…working.

“Workin For The Weakend” – Brian Borcherdt, Torches (the Ward Colorado demos)
(Download and Visit)

~Smansmith

Just a quick mention of someone who caught my ear recently while listening to the OndaDrops Volume 1 compilation that came out about a month or so ago.  The artist is Nathan Moomaw or “Moomaw” as he records under and he has a new album out as of last week and I thought of all of you, my faithful readers.  Moomaw is essentially an acoustic folk pop sounding artist which you can really notice in the “Grab Some Sky”, next we have “Pirate Of This Bottled Ship” which was the song I first heard on the OndaDrops comp – and it a slow chanting sea shanty if I ever heard one.  The last track is “Wait Up” and is almost a fringe electro folk reggae beat of a track.  What?  Yeah, listen to it!  These three songs couldn’t be a better sampler as they ride the gambit of indie and provide a good look at what to expect from the full album!  Check it out below (and you can find a couple more tracks on the Last.fm link below as well).

Moomaw
“Grab Some Sky” (mp3)
“Pirate of This Bottled Ship” (mp3)
“Wait Up” (mp3)
from “Aminalia”
(Gazebo Music)

Buy at iTunes Music Store
Buy at Amazon MP3
More On This Album

~~~

Check out Moomaw:

~Smansmith

Kora is one of those labels that I think consistently puts out good material – they might not put the most releases out there or have a massive roster, but what they have is pretty darn solid.

So when I got an email last week about a new Fredrik Video and a new track from Meredith Bragg (!!) I thought that I must put it up on the blog. The video for “Milo” from Fredrik is taken from the 2010 release “Trilogi” and again is a gorgeous representation of their music. They are a consistently great band for creating moody and powerful music and is a band you can really immerse yourself into. They seem both lo-fi and hi-fi at the same time, I don’t know how to describe it – it is like you have and absolutely high end recording of a bedroom recording. As usual, stunning visuals to go along with the lullaby of a track. see below:

Fredrik – Milo from The Kora Records on Vimeo.

~~

Meredith Bragg in my opinion is a musical genius. The guy’s last release was over 3 years ago and he has all together 2 albums and an EP. The EP is what really caught me – especially with his cover of the Songs:Ohia track “Two Blue Lights”. I mean, who covers Jason Molina? And makes it his own!! I soo love that version. But I digress…this new track is called “Next Time” and is the precursor to his next album which is slated for a little later on this year and is highly anticipated from yours truly. This song is a fragile one, it has the melancholy of Elliott Smith if he had the state of mind to put orchestral aspects into the recordings. This one is half down tempo pop and half love lament from a reminiscent troubadour . Listen below:

“Next Time” – Meredith Bragg

Visit Kora Records on their Website and Facebook.

~Smansmith

So after yesterday’s Calgary Music Scene post – why not do something else Calgary?  Done.

So next week (March 18th to be exact) there is a concert going on here in Calgary with a fantastic line up of Canadian talent!  What may you ask is this event?  Well Postdata and Julie Fader along with the local Clinton St. John (of The Cape May) will be performing and I will definitely be there.  You should be too.

Ticket Give-Away

So here is the deal – I want you to be there too, so let’s get some tickets to you.  I have 2 tickets to pass along to the person who can post in the comments with the name of the club (or email us at admin[@]slowcoustic.com), that they are playing at.  Remember to ensure that the email you use in the comments is the one we can contact you at as well.

Let’s give you a reason to visit, by playing a few tracks by this group of talented Canucks.

“Tobias Grey” – Postdata [visit]
“Goodbye Before Hello” – Julie Fader [visit]
“Spring Flight to the Land of Fire” – The Cape May (sorry, I don’t have any solo Clinton St. John)  [visit]

Also, to sweeten the deal, we will also provide a copy of the new Postdata CD to the winner of the tickets!   Come on, free tickets, free CD, the chance to be in the same room as Slowcoustic…oh, and see what will be an incredible show!

Okay, now who is buying me a drink down at the “___________” club next Thursday?  You know, the one located at 219 – 17th Avenue SW…

~Smansmith

p.s.  just in case – you can still buy tickets HERE (but please note Ticketmaster indicates Brian Borcherdt is on the bill, but he is not making the Western dates for the Postdata tour…)

I have to admit I am not that adventurous and also listen to a bit of a niche style of music.  So this would lend to not getting out as much as one should and connect or even know about the music scene in the city where I live.   Well it took an old school Calgarian returning back to “Cow Town” to bring life into what would be my impression of the Calgary Music Scene.  I admit, I tend to be out of touch….but not as much anymore!

Enter Chris from Culture Bully.  Ya all know it, Culture Bully Music Blog that was based out of Minneapolis for the last 5 years or so.  Pretty much an eternity in music blogger years, but here he is back in Calgary and taking on a task of beginning a collection of Calgary music hubs, artists, labels, blogs, magazines and whatever he can get his hands on.  I say kudos to him and for giving me (and hopefully the rest of you locals in YYCers) a place to check for info on what is happening.  This is a project and collection of web-pages that will essentially be a living document of who, what and where.  Want to know the MySpace page of a local artist…done.

Want to know if they have their own website…done.  Are they on twitter???   Done.  I also know that he is taking input to grow this database, so if you are local and you are “in the know”, why don’t ya help a brother out and give him a holler?  If you already are running a portal to all things Calgary – maybe touch base to share the knowledge or even just to say “hi”.  Hopefully we can grow what we have here in Wildrose Country (ouch…I know it’s cliche, but I had to).

Visit all things Calgary at

There you have it, something local for a change around here!  So in good faith and theme of this post, find a couple of tracks from Calgary’s own fringe electro-folk maven Chad VanGaalen to busy yourself with.

“City of Electric Light”
“Subterranean City Roots (CBC Radio 3 Session)”
Visit Chad VanGaalen at Flemish Eye

~Smansmith

The first track and recommendation is for Cavalier Rose.  This newly minted band out of Brooklyn has something that you don’t get much from me – a bit of energy.  Okay…its kind of a dirty, downtown basement club energy.  This is not an insult in any way – this is the stuff you dig your teeth into.  I mean I admit I like the toned down side of CR (so from what I hear, I cannot see them live as the show is supposed to be pretty loud!!) but there is still something about Heather Christian’s vocals taunting you to lean in only to get your ass firmly handed back to you.  You might want to check out “Sparrow”, my favourite track from their Daytrotter session to get an idea, as well as their website for a listen (streaming and download) for a bounty of demos.

“Lamplight” – Cavalier Rose

~~~

The next song and recommendation is from a similar styled band in the aspect that comes with a bit of energy, but knows how to slow it down just right.  This Boston foursome known as The Longwalls have one of the sweetest Alt Country ballads I’ve heard in a while in the title track from their upcoming EP “Dark Academy”.   I first heard of The Longwalls from fellow blogger Matt over at DysonSound due to a previous EP “Field Guide for the Zombie Survivalist” which didn’t catch me off the bat.  I admit I walked into Dark Academy not expecting what I heard – great classic Alt-Country/ Indie that allows you to enjoy both the energy of your evening plus the mellowing out on the way home at 2:00am.  I think of a similar style “local” band from Edmonton Alberta, The Wheat Pool when I hear them – and that ain’t too shabby at all.  If you have a chance you can stream the whole EP on SoundCloud HERE (you might want to check out the track “Ghosts” as well).  You can also check them on MySpace or watch quite an entertaining video for Zombies from their former album over on YouTube.

Dark Academy by StaticMotor

I hope you can get a chance to dig into both of the above!

~Smansmith

So I never said I was first on the spot when music gets announced or promo’d but there are some pretty decent tunes that are new to me that I am spinning, so I thought I might need a Monday playlist.  No real connection other than the fact that I am listening to each individually and not part of the album (except for maybe White Hinterland) or any sort of back catalog – all individual tracks to me over the last week or so from the ol inbox.

“The Darkest Side” – The Middle East (I know, I know, where was I on this one already – AND they are touring with Mumford & Sons!) beautiful slowed down love ballad.  (visit)

“Icarus” & “No Logic” – White Hinterland, from the just released “Kairos”, worthy psych folk. (purchase)

“Liza” – Emily Jane White, from the upcoming “Victorian America”, so good.  (visit)

“By Morning” – Ghostkeeper, from the just released self titled album.   A bit of a jangly indie pop track, but they are from Calgary, come on! (visit)

“Like A Prayer (coverture)” – Glass Cake, yes it is a Madonna cover done overly lo-fi and it’s fantastic! (visit)

“Maybe Always (ft Jenn Grant)” – Share, from 2009’s Slumping In Your Murals (visit for a 3 track EP FREE) – they are playing The Palamino here in Calgary on Thursday, March 11th as well.

There you have it, another blogger “mixtape” for your Monday!

~Smansmith

Two sides of the same coin. Six of one, half dozen of the other. You know what I am getting at, two versions of one artist’s music. For fans, it can be both genre “eye-opening” such as this one might be or create a polarization of those that have give someone a sound they are most comfortable with.

Okay, let’s just get it out there that I am a “folkie”, so this post is a reference to Withered Hand releasing a “dance” remix of “Love in the Time Ecstasy” so I might be biased. Regardless, for some it is just more output from an artist and if they are a fan, this is often a good thing. For others, when artists experiment (or hell, this example could be the real Withered Hand, I wouldn’t know) they feel almost betrayed as it isn’t the artist they thought they knew. This post is a scenario of essentially a fringe folk type releasing a pseudo dance track. This probably would never, ever, ever have happened prior to the “mash up/remix” craze that affects the music scene today, but we can’t reverse the evolution of music now can we? So where to we stand? Let’s take a listen shall we.

Withered Hand
“Love in the Time Ecstacy (Swimmer One Remix)“ (mp3)
from “No Cigarettes”
(SL Records)

More On This Album

~~

Withered Hand
“No Cigarettes” (mp3)
from “You’re Not Alone”
(SL Records)

Buy at iTunes Music Store
More On This Album
~~

Just so we are clear, the above two songs are now together on this new single release as “No Cigarettes” is re-released from You’re Not Alone as the b-side to the remix. So? Do you feel like this is an evolution of an artist, a side diversion of an artist or simply something he did one day and thought it turned out pretty good (or the re-mixers did a good job and he thought it was worthy)? I obviously like the old school Withered Hand, but that is no surprise due to my limited tunnel vision (is that an oxymoron?). I don’t think the SL Records remix is bad, but it feels like something Bronski Beat would have released in the early 80s. Maybe it is another option to get more notice for Withered Hand…not a bad thing, but is it necessary?

What do you think?

~Smansmith

I don’t know why I didn’t already know, it might not have been fully publicized (other than about 20 blog posts around the net…what, am I under a rock over here?), but I discovered (quite easily by visiting Secretly Canadian) the new Damien Jurado album will be out in May!  Okay, May all of a sudden feels very far away to wait for the new album “Saint Bartlett”.  Unfortunately as numerous sci-fi flicks have advised, time is a constant, so I await with baited breath.

But alas there is one ray of hope to get me through, the lead off promo track “Arkansas”.  A bit loungy (complete with what could be the “wood block” percussion sounds).  Still got that Damien Jurado lyrics and delivery – this is one guy that hits the spot around Slowcoustic HQ every time.  I still have to get his “Slowcoustic Essentials” post up….maybe this will spur me on.

Listen for now:

“Arkansas” – Damien Jurado,
from 2010’s “Saint Bartlett” (Secretly Canadian, May 25th, 2010).

~Smansmith

p.s.  Jurado and Richard Swift combined on this one, so you know its going to be good…
p.p.s.  More info here.

Confused?  Looking for a recommendation?  Well then…Welcome!  A couple of quick recommendations for today on 2 items that fell onto my lap this week.

~~~

Lets start slow (well sounding at least) with a recommendation to me via Twitter – wow, these PR types are going all the way in finding new ways to get onto blogs.. ;-).  Just joshing, the recommendation kind of caught me off guard and was really frickin good.  It was for a band called Lisa Will Insult You, Darling.  Yes, she is a frigid one that Lisa.  It is full of lo-fi songwriter jams, so you know I will like it.  Very melodic and slow paced tunes from Polish born “S. Jegorow” – also I have to mention that his voice is jus soo perfect for the music as it lulls to relax while making you think that there could have been nobody else able to sing these songs.  Recommended.

“Kill Your Love”

Visit LWIY,D on MySpace, Last.fm and Bandcamp

~~~

Evening Chorus were recently on “Songs From The Shed” which is novel idea to bring artists to, yes you guessed it, a shed to record some songs and make a video of it!  What you get is REAL recordings from real people.  There is no re-takes, no mixing and no autotune action here.

Evening Chorus are a four piece from across the pond and are one of those folk bands that you don’t really see around my current locale.  Maybe it is the fact that the sound seems almost exclusively based in the UK with its chosen instruments and jaunty sing a longs.  The closest we get to this UK folk sound are some Canadian East Coast bands (which can actually be pretty darn good), but I always tend to think as we were once a colony of said nation, that maybe the brits left a little bit of themselves with Canada.  The track below is “Decisions” which is from their “Look Forward To The Day” EP from late last year and this version is great!  I know I don’t often get “upbeat”, but sometimes there are reasons to, Evening Chorus are one of them.

Visit Evening Chorus on MySpace, Twitter & BandCamp (they also have a new 2010 EP here to look into).

~Smansmith

Kinda been a hectic last bit with the various world events, personal events and upcoming events.  What is it of which I speak?  Well, glad you asked.

How about those Olympics?  Pretty sweet in my opinion, but I tend to quickly jump on board of sports I would shun in any other forum…I dunno, all of a sudden I am a fiend for biathlon for 2 weeks every 4 years!   I, like a true and proud Canadian, enjoyed the Gold Medal Hockey game this past Sunday and I am even glad it went to overtime for the win.  I hope all you other Canucks had a chance to enjoy a few frosty brews with friends while it happened (I know I did).  Enjoy this bit of Canadian Hockey Classic – Stompin Tom (video & lyrics)!

Just received my tickets for me and the wifey to go see The Tallest Man On Earth when he hits Calgary this May, should be a good show as everyone I know who has seen him live says his shows are excellent.  With his new album The Wild Hunt out in the next couple of months, it should be right on time!  Enjoy “King of Spain” (mp3).

Thinking of hitting the Postdata and Julie Fader show here in Calgary on March 18th.  If you are not totally aware Postdata has a new album which you could say is the perfect blend of Clem Snide and Brian Borcherdt.  This is a very good thing…enjoy “Tobias Grey” (mp3).  Julie Fader is also quite a lovely songstress who’s album “Outside In” was one of the best Canadian Albums last year.  Enjoy “Goodbye Before Hello” (mp3).  You should check out a show if you can (check Hand-Drawn Dracula for dates).

Next week should see the launch of the new Yer Bird Records website that I gone and stolen from the former owner and good friend Morgan.  Make sure you drop by starting Monday, March 8th for a visit to say “hi”.  We will have lots of tracks to download and after that, I will be perilously balancing that act of music blog AND music label owner.  Trying not to push bands that I may have a financial interest in and also trying not to hound those damn music bloggers about giving away mp3s from my bands!!!!  ;-)  Enjoy a song from one of our favourite releases “Cancer and Delirium” from J. Tillman, “When I Light Your Darkened Door” (mp3).

Visit Canadian Hockey
Visit The Tallest Man on Earth
Visit Postdata
Visit Julie Fader
Visit Yer Bird Records

That is about it for now, what’s new with you?

~Smansmith

Bowerbirds “Northern Lights” from matt amato on Vimeo.

“Northern Lights” (mp3) – Bowerbirds, from 2009’s “Upper Air”

So Always a fan of Bowerbirds and this track is great for Hockey Showdown Sunday at the Winter Olympics.  Obviously I am cheering for the Canadians for gold and so let’s hope these “Northern Lights” today shine in a golden hue for our boys on ice today.

Visit Bowerbirds

~Smansmith

Quick note on the latest release from aaahh Records is another little gem from the banjo laden songstress Julia Kotowski or “Entertainment For The Braindead”.

The album was released on February 26th and is getting a fair amount of love with numerous downloads in the last day or so.  I would recommend getting a copy of the actual CD if it pleases you as it will sell out like previous releases from EFTB.  Take a listen to two tracks below, then head over to pick up the entire discography (this is the 4th release from her so far I believe).  If you do please also grab her fantastic “Hydrophobia” album (see my previous post on it here).

“Patience”
“Pirates”

Visit, Download and even Purchase EFTB:

~Smansmith

p.s.  Another great treat is that all you DIYers out there, you get the album front/back cover for your jewel case…it is like you actually have the disc!

So not new music Tuesday, but new music Friday!!  This album has been a long time coming (relatively) mostly as when you want something released, it always seems to take longer than you want.  Well, friends it is out today so get your grubby hands on it!

I also wanted to re-post one of the early demos and an early track release to remind you why you want to head over to purchase at his newly updated website.  The album has been getting a pretty good response from those who have heard it and I agree, it is quite a polished first release from a young singer-songwriter.  These are songs for those fans of Damien Rice, Greg Laswell, Bon Iver and the like.  One of the tracks was featured on an episode of One Tree Hill (don’t hold that against him) and I believe another will be aired on Grey’s Anatomy soon.  His sound is perfect for sound-tracking such drama – even if the drama is on network television – as it brings weight to your listening adventure.  Some of these songs are just so melodic and the experience can hit you like a tonne of bricks.

Listen:

“If I Had A Boat (Demo)”
“Follow You Down To The Red Oak Tree”

Video Bonus:

Visit and Purchase James Vincent McMorrow:

iTunes UK only currently

~Smansmith

p.s.  See my previous post on JVM HERE.

So you know I am a fan of Joe O’Connell’s musical prowess that he flexes with his Elephant Micah persona.  It is just so good.  When he slows it down, his vocals simply kiss the landscape of his open prairie folk fusion sound.  He brings some of the most melodic tracks with solid lyrics (he also writes poems and in his “spare” time) and at times a bit of lo-fi fuzz for good measure.

The first release (pictured above) is “Echoer’s Intent” and is described as:

“…minimal, mostly live recordings…fully foreground Elephant Micah as a writing and solo performance project.”

I have ordered this limited CDR already but have only heard the first track called “Loon Call” and it is truly a masterpiece from EM and going into my favourite songs he has recorded.  Completely acoustic, this track has some of the most straight forward singer songwriter guitar work and brings O’Connell to the forefront where he belongs.

“Loon Call” – Elephant Micah (HIGHLY recommended)

~~~

The second release is “Elephant Micah Plays the Songs of Bible Birds” which is apparently been in the works for about 3-4 years now and can be considered the pre-cursor to his “And The Hindu Windmills” album.  It is for country folk and on the lo-fi side by the sounds of the first sample “Loop and Lil”.  If you visit the purchase link below there is a great little story on how this album was supposed to be a faux cover folk album from a non-existent band….a concept that would have been fantastic!  He had some help from Beth Remis (of Pillars and Tongues who I actually saw open for Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy and totally were a highlight) to arrange and sing alongside of.  Can’t wait to hear the rest of this…I hope you all are too.

“Loop and Lil” – Elephant Micah

Visit Elephant Micah on his website HERE and order both the above from Time-Lag Records HERE.

TOUR DATES

FEBRUARY

26 Los Angeles, CA at the Music Castle

27 Los Angeles, CA at Echo Curio w/ Powerdove [Early Show]

28 Los Angeles, CA at Pehrspace w/ Ben and Bruno

MARCH

2 Santa Barbara, CA at the Biko Co-op

3 Santa Cruz, CA at Crepe Place

4 San Francisco, CA at TBA

5 Davis, CA at Nadav’s House

7 Chico, CA at Café Flo

8 San Francisco, CA at Bottom of the Hill w/ Delta Spirit

10 Eugene, OR at Sam Bond’s Garage w/ Old Lights

11 Portland, OR at Kristen’s and Adam’s House

12 Olympia, WA at the Cherry Loft w/ Lougow

13 Port Townsend, WA at the Boiler Room w/ Lougow

14 Vancouver, BC at the Shed w/ Lougow

15 Seattle, WA at Bluebird Ice Cream w/ Lougow

16 Bellingham, WA at TBA w/ Lougow

II. ELECTRIC PERSEVERANCE REVIEW

All shows with Time & Temperature

26 Louisville, KY at the Lounge w/ Joe Manning

27 Nashville, TN at Betty’s w/ Kelli Hix

28 Memphis, TN at the Buccaneer w/ the Warble

29 Oxford, MS at TBA

APRIL

1 New Orleans, LA at Sidearm Gallery w/ Hurray for the Riff Raff

3 Athens, GA at TBA

4 Chattanooga, TN at JJ’s

6 Somewhere, TN at Ida

7 Asheville, NC at Harvest Records

8 Knoxville, TN at the Pilot Light

9 Lexington, KY at the Hive

III. ROUGH ROUTING

All shows with Mark Trecka except where noted (*)

13 Grinnell, IA at Grinnell College

15 North Manchester, IN at the Firehouse

16 Buffalo, NY at Sugar City

17 Rochester, NY at Casa Del Awesome

18 Montague, MA at the Book Mill w/ Oweihops

19 Portland, ME at TBA

21 Boston, MA at TBA

22 New Paltz, NY at the Inn

23 Purchase, NY at SUNY Purchase

24 New York, NY at TBA

26 New York, NY at Bruar Falls w/ P.G. Six*

28 Philadelphia, PA at Robin’s w/ Strand of Oaks

29 Baltimore, MD at 2640 Space w/ Small Sur

30 Columbus, OH at TBA w/ Time & Temperature, Deadsea

MAY

1 Chicago, IL at TBA

~~~

~Smansmith

p.s.  Bonus track for reading this far down after the tour dates,  “The Ecstasy (Insomnia Plus One)” – one of my ALL TIME favourite songs – totally lo-fi, a bit fuzzed out and completely stunning.

So there is always massive amounts of music out there, but we here at Slowcoustic take pride in knowing more than anyone about what is good.  Don’t get us wrong and label us as music snobs, we are just better than anyone else at picking music that isn’t shite!  Okay, the bravado music blogger persona is out (so very 2008 anyway), but I do have some suggestions on new music Tuesday for a variety of tunes (there is variety this time, trust me we have indie, dream-pop, indie-electro-rock, folk noir, etc…).  There is much more out there today, but start here and get out there and hunt down some more – recommendations welcome in the comments!

~~

Matthew Barber
“True Believer” (mp3)
from “True Believer”
(Outside Music)

Buy at Amazon MP3
More On This Album

~~~

Beach House
“Norway” (mp3)
from “Teen Dream”
(Arts & Crafts Mexico)

Buy at iTunes Music Store
More On This Album

~~~
Balmorhea
“Bowsprit” (mp3)
from “Constellations”
(Western Vinyl)

Buy at iTunes Music Store
More On This Album

~~~
The Pass
“Cross Walk Stereo” (mp3)
from “Colors”
(nuluBLAST)

Buy at iTunes Music Store
More On This Album
~~~
Hoquiam
“Zombies of the Sea” (mp3)
from “Hoquiam”
(St. Ives)

Buy at iTunes Music Store
More On This Album

~Smansmith

p.s. I think Joanna Newsom has a new album out….  ;-)

Photo from lolitanie.com (Visit for more!)

I am not going to lie, I was biased going into the album from the brothers Jurado (Damien and Drake). Quite biased as Damien Jurado is an all-star around my place. Well folks, if this is a “side project” of which it has been ill-labeled as, I am fine with this not being on the side but being the new face of Damien Jurado…as Hoquiam. You might also remember newcomer Drake from Damien’s video for Caskets, which is one of the best songs to video imho.

Released from St. Ives (part of the Secretly Canadian family) on this coming Tuesday, February 23rd is one of the best albums I have heard in a long time (I did say I was biased, right?). It is described as “dark early 60’s garage feel” and including “gothic folk and personal narratives” with my personal favourite description from the label “Sparse, desolate, and a place you will find yourself passing through from time to time” which is a nod to the fantastic track “On the Beach”. The album contains such a personal experience (or is narrated as such) of growing up, the struggle of relationships and life in the Pacific North West.

The album definitely has an “oceanic” theme to it, which fits into it feeling like a semi-autobiographical story of growing up in “Hoquiam, WA”. Just to make sure we are all on the same page, Hoquiam is a real town and the birthplace of Drake. With the addition of Drake to the established sound of Damien, we definitely move to the aforementioned gothic part – these songs are just small vignettes of small town life…if not the darker versions of themselves. The thing I can’t express to you more is the fact that the album while being nigh with dark, foreboding stories is told soo well and crafted beautifully. I do admit it is the achingly sober tracks that really hit me straight in the mouth as it sits agape, songs like “Hope Ocean” and “Gallons” are stunning. They are sparse and move at a hauntingly slow pace with Damien’s rising voice chanting of failing parental relationship in Hope Ocean to his sobering admission of “I could kill you for no reason” in Gallons. While yes, this does sound incredibly disturbing to many, it can be stunningly beautiful at the same time – whether it is real or not, it could be slices of real life and it is told with an unmatched honesty.

Okay, now that I have got the point that the album is not a day skipping amidst daisy fields in spring, the album isn’t just a collection of ’sad bastard songs” as it is broken up with more up tempo songs (an album of 17 tracks as well!). These are the types of songs that make you think of earlier Damien Jurado albums, but with a bit more growth and production value. The album has songs like “Fake Teeth” and the practically jaunty “Mo Clips” complete with hand clapping sing along to bring you out of your funk. Man, I love this album. The one note I have is (even if done on purpose) there is a slight disconnect between some songs in recording levels. While most of the album is on the lo-fi side, some tracks are full on professionally recorded which can cause a slight jarring if you are not following tracks in order on the release (my Itunes mixes it all around so merging “Gallons” to “Mo Clips” just might cause whiplash).

Overall, I have to say that this is the best album I have heard all year so far and it shows definite promise to hold onto that title…who knows Damien is releasing his next solo album soon….

Please consider ordering/pre-ordering a copy of Hoquiam on limited vinyl over at St. Ives HERE. They are all individually created covers as I couldn’t even get “official” cover art due to the unique-ness of each cover! Can’t wait to get mine. Currently I don’t see an option for CD, but can only assume a digital component will arise after next week as well.

“Zombies of the Sea” – Hoquiam, 2010
Bonus: “Hoquiam” – Damien Jurado, live at Hotel Cafe

Visit Hoquiam:

~Smansmith

p.s. You might want to visit my first post on Hoquiam from back in August of 2008 with some very early demos ripped from MySpace (moved to streaming due to album release, sorry)…

I was recently provided with a stellar couple of songs from one of my new favourite bands, White Pines.  You could say that Joseph Scott (and crew) provide, in my opinion, the definition of the Michigan “folk” scene.  I don’t necessarily consider the sounds created as exclusively folk, but for lack of a better word, I say folk.  If you think of the strum of an acoustic guitar, echos of vocals that are soo smooth and complimentary to the entire song, then “Folk” it is.

I was planning on posting on this new release from Jumberlack this week, but when I was forced to see a tweet from the Quite Scientific guys about a White Pines show, it just hit me like hammer across the forehead!  Damn I love the scene out in the North East of America!  Not to sway too far off topic, but the Elbow Room (Ypsilanti, MI)) last night hosted probably one of the best line-ups in my opinion that would be possible…anywhere!  Chris Bathgate, White Pines and Strand of Oaks!  I immediately thought I have to post on the new White Pines releases & giveaway!

Okay, the 7″ is just released at the Jumberlack Store (HERE) and is two new tracks from White Pines to help kick off the tour that started on Feb. 10th.  The tracks are reminiscent of the sound from “A Face Made of Wood” the phenomenal EP from 2009 but grow on its great sound.  The new songs are longer, more layered, uber lush and at points you almost feel you need headphones to completely immerse yourself in it (this is exactly how you want to spend the 5+ minutes of Name As Son, believe me).  This Side B, Name As Son, is the type of song that has the echo and chant of late night gothic folk – the cadence of the percussion pulling the song and you along with it, fantastic.  Also, if you are familiar with the previous White Pines EP, you might feel that “pull” toward the side A, Gather The Children, which I feel can do no wrong and fits my mental impression of Michigan Folk and finds itself a bit more singer songwriter influenced.  Maybe it is just the timbre of Scott’s voice or the beauty in the songs themselves, I just can’t say enough about White Pines.

Usually you get one track that is well ahead of the other in a 7″ situation but these two are fairly evenly matched – they are not identical sounding and actually accent two parts of the same sound.  Gather the Children is a steady paced sing-along while Name As Son is the slow gallop of chamber folk, being powerful, melodic and intoxicating.  If you like the slowed down, almost bluesy folk at times you will love White Pines and find this 7″ a must.  Let’s take a listen shall we?

Gather The Children – White Pines by Slowcoustic

Name As Son – White Pines by Slowcoustic

~~~

So this is where the good stuff comes in!  The fine folks at Jumberlack are providing not 1 but 2 giveaways from Slowcoustic today.  One is the 7″ (listen above) and the other is both the 7″ and the “A Face Made Of Wood” EP!  If you are worried about vinyl, the 7″ comes with a download as well, so do not fret my children of the 00’s.

WIN STUFF HERE:

(courtesy of Jumberlack)

• So, the first person to email admin (at) slowcoustic.com with the actual title of the 7″ release – you will win the a copy of the vinyl!
• The first person to email admin (at) slowcoustic.com with where in the list I had “A Face Made of Wood” in my post for Best EPs of 2009 in my post from last December (i.e.  What #/where was White Pines on the list), will win both the EP and the vinyl!!!!

I would like to thank Jumberlack Media for the music and the opportunity for my readers to enjoy some of the best music of 2010 so far.  Please consider visiting White Pines and Jumberlack below.

Tour Dates

~Smansmith

p.s.  How bout a sample of the EP?  Try “Speak With The Dead”!

p.p.s.  Follow White Pines (@whitepineforest) and Jumberlack (@Jumberlack) on Twitter!

Haven’t heard it yet, no problem.  Streamed a bit on MySpace, but you never know, right?  Well how to decide if you want the new Theodore album “Hold You Like A Lover” in two easy steps.

1. Listen to a sample from the previous album Defeated, TN:
   “Wade’s Lament”
   
2. Listen to a sample from the previous, previous album Songs For The Weary:
   “Back From the War”
   
3. Super secret 3rd reason – my post where they cover Damien Jurado’s “Fuel” – HERE

The album is out now (released Feb. 9, 2010) from Moon Jaw Records and is available on CD and Vinyl – no digital at the moment, but hopefully soon…

Visit Theodore and purchase “Hold You Like A Lover” below

You can also find the above tracks and 6 others over on Moonjaw for free download!

~Smansmith

p.s.  If you like the above two songs, and you do like them, please stream “Across The River” on MySpace – frickin’ good!

Who is this unassuming sandal wearing young gentleman?  He is “Little Yosemite” and he brings some of the best down tempo folk laments around.  Yes, it’s true.

Brought to my attention from a “guy you don’t want to mess with”…Drunk Country over at WOXY’s “The Waiting Room” radio show (and part of my twitter posse – follow him at @DrunkCountry) and he has made me a believer again.  Little Yosemite definitely has a laid back approach to creating music, so much so that his “…Through the Winter” EP is possibly the most aptly named release I have heard in a while.  If we all assume winter is a time of hibernation and the slowing down of all things then we are on the right page with this EP.  Despite this being the Winter Olympics and all, essentially the season is a time where one rests and aims to be even be introverted (if ever a season was to have a personality).  The EP follows its seasonal lead and finds itself drifting, floating and even dragging you into the experience of its dark, ebb and flow of acoustic soundscapes.

Definitely not something to put on at a party to “get it started”, but something you put on to sit back and immerse yourself into – it has steady percussion, pin-points of banjo and echoing voice of James McGaha.  Some tracks are more ambient than others (The Falls) and some are true journeys that must be experienced (The Stump, The Branch).  The track featured below is “Dig a Ditch” and is a meandering path with a sparse electric guitar and slight finger picking banjo as your guides.  It is almost a lullaby for his current home in Minnesota.  He better get his fill as he will be moving cross country to Portland (Oregon) this year, which just might show up in his upcoming full length album that will hopefully find its way to us later this year (fall, maybe?).

“Dig a Ditch” – Little Yosemite
from 2009’s “…Through the Winter” EP

Find and purchase Little Yosemite below

~Smansmith

Upcoming album (March 16th, 2010) from Sean Hayes is getting a preview of a couple of promotional tracks that were just released.

Well, I guess you could say what’s the big deal, you would assume that I would like Sean Hayes due to previous releases.  He is definitely on the radar around here with his laid back sound and singer songwriter leanings.  Well, I saw the update over on Songs:Illinois (maybe when I get to be a real blogger, he will get his updates from me…but until then…) and I knew there was a new album on its way, but lost focus and kinda forgot!  I know, bad music guy to forget about an anticipated album but it happens to all of us I guess.

So the first couple of tracks “Garden” and “When We Fall In” are the perfect teaser to a new album by an artist you are already familiar with.  I say this because the first track Garden is exactly what you want (and expect) from Hayes – a slower paced catchy tune that you like instantly.  If you are familiar with Hayes previous albums, you might compare it to something merged from “A Thousand Tiny Pieces” and “Alabama Chicken” (my favourite album by Hayes).  It has a little bit more added on top, almost like bonus of some interesting percussion and flecks of layering (cymbals, layered vocals, keyboards) and it maybe freshens up his sound and you know you are listening to something new.

When you get to When We Fall In – you are treated to something a touch different – more “band” you could say.  You still get Hayes classic slightly scratchy/nasal delivery (this is meant in the most flattering way, I have to say) but you know he is working with a crew on this one.  If for nothing else than the echoing backing vocals you know that he is looking to show a bit of growth that was hinted to in previous albums.  I find this song makes him part performer and part singer-songwriter.  He is not just a guy with a guitar and lone spotlight on the stage, he is growing into entertaining and stretching his talents as a musician.  I am excited to see what the remainder of the album has to provide.

Sean Hayes

“Garden” (mp3)
“When We Fall In” (mp3)
from “Run Wolves Run”
(Sean Hayes)

More On This Album

Bonus Video for Garden:

You can find fantastic deals on Pre-Orders as well as his full back catalog on his website HERE.  You get all sorts of signed CDs/Vinyl and the 3 track “Honeybees Falling” EP included!!

~Smansmith

It’s Friday and the start of the Olympics and what better way to show my love for the “the true north strong and free” than a post on an upcoming Canadian artist?  Friends, I will cheer my heart out for my Canadian athletes and Isenor’s album “Frost” just might be the perfect album to soundtrack the entire event for me.

The album “Frost” is pretty much the album that could.  What I mean is that originally it was only 7 tracks and was going to be an EP of sorts, but that just wouldn’t do.  Isenor found additional time with fellow East Coaster Shotgun Jimmie and low and behold another 4 tracks materialized out of their sessions at the Marshwinds Farm.  What has surfaced is an indie folk-pop album that literally came out of nowhere for me.  This album is one that truly wants you sit there and actually try to sing along to the songs as they are so well done (I try this often and realize I am a music blogger and not an artist in any way whatsoever).  Right off the bat the title track “Frost” has such a harmony, builds perfectly through a few bridges and meets the chorus that evokes the singing by yours truly.  When the banjo kicks in during the chorus, it absolutely turns this folk track into something more than its five and a half minutes can convey.  It is possibly my “it song” for the year so far.

There is more than the title track to this album with additional favourites like the focused mid tempo “Release Your Crown” or the lush “Riverwoman” this album just has hooks that relentlessly draw you in.  It is a more down tempo album at it’s core, but not in the “sad bastard” way you might be used to hearing around this blog.  As a whole, the full album enjoys songs that bring hushed moments, well thought out song building and a maturity beyond this young Sackville, New Brunswick via Nova Scotia singer songwriter.  Maybe this is what keeps catching me, until a few weeks ago, I didn’t know there was a Corey Isenor and now I can’t believe I missed him (even with a mention over on Herohill for his previous EP).

He is also not a one trick pony, no sir.  I think he has the flexibility to go beyond my own personal musical niche and move into what I mentioned earlier as folk pop.  With songs like “Force of Nature” and “Meteor Shower” you hear more indie influences with visions of spring creeping into your world, things seem brighter when those songs come on – definitely leading to a summer mix-tape option for many I think.  I can also see a song like “Baby Don’t Go” being quite a great pub sing along that really gets the crowd into a frenzy – like those East Coast pubs are known for….I think…

Well that is what I got, a great album from a Canadian that I think is a winner.  Take a listen to two tracks and tell me you don’t feel the same way.  At this time I don’t have an actual link to get you to purchase the album – but please message him on MySpace and get him to sell you an album already!

“Frost”
“As A Ghost”
from 2010’s “Frost”

Please visit all things Corey Isenor

~Smansmith

Laura Gibson & Ethan Rose
“Younger” (mp3)
from “Bridge Carols”
(Holocene Music)

Buy at iTunes Music Store
More On This Album

*A treat for fans of Gibson, maybe a bit to ambient for some but treat yourself to some good headphones and a listen to this album – it is thick and lush with layers.  You will need to listen a couple of times in order to even start to hear the entire thing.

~~~

Slow Six
“These Rivers Between Us” (mp3)
from “Tomorrow Becomes You”
(Western Vinyl)

Buy at iTunes Music Store
More On This Album

*Also a lush affair, but a bit more of a post rock instrumental journey (no, not that “Journey”).   I find that this track finds the ebb and flow of orchestral elements that I always enjoy – the strings especially – but at almost 10 minutes it does take effort to fully embrace the entire track – you make the call.

~~~

The Abramson Singers
“Fool’s Gold” (mp3)
from “The Abramson Singers”
(White Whale)

Buy at iTunes Music Store
More On This Album

*Possibly my favourite of the these three songs, The Abramson Singers simply bring an ease to this song.  It’s melodic, ethereal and extremely catchy.  These “four ladies” (at least in the photo shoot – the actual 4 sides of Leah Abramson maybe??) build beauty into song as if it was the only choice in life.  Recommended.  (Locals, please note that The Abramson Singers will be in Calgary at The Marquee Room on Feb. 27th).

~~~

~Smansmith

So if you are a regular reader of this site (what?) you might have noticed a bit of a slow down in posts the last few weeks.  I’m sorry, bad music blogger – I know!  The whole deal is a daily music blog is just that…”daily”.  Okay, I never really said I was officially a “daily music blogger”, but these days you gotta be hungry and post daily in order to grow and get all you lovely folks who visit on a regular basis.  And finding and talking about music isn’t all that bad of a daily thing if I had to say.

Overall, I just am a bit worn out with the “proper” job each day and then blogging and all the back of the house stuff over at the label I have jumped on board with.  So again, I know these are my roots and this is the heart of me – Slow and Acoustic songs – and I will snap out of it soon, no worries!

Back to music that is slightly related…how about a mellow track from Chauchat?  They (Tyler Whitney and Erik Sahd) have released an album over on our label (Upon Thousands) so I will periodically pimp artists from there in order to try and bring more awareness to them – they are good folks, so they deserve more love.  You can visit Chauchat on the locations linked below, but definitely check out Last.fm for massive amounts of free downloads – including the newest release from late 2009 “Songs for Scaffolding”!  The song selected for this post is a lo-fi track from one of the older albums and is such a great track – if you are a fan of lo-fi recordings this one is a keeper!  Oh, you can download the whole album on Last.fm as well!!

“I Woke Up” – Chauchat, from 2004’s “Cardboard Projectors” album

Visit, Download and Purchase Chauchat:

~Smansmith

TGIS!**

I love Saturdays! (**please note that this post was supposed to go up yesterday, but you know how it goes…Sunday Morning Fever??) It very well could be the best day of the week (most definitely) and that is that, there is no back talk from any of you.  Ya here me…the best day.  I find Saturday great as you get to sleep in and stay up late in the same day with little repercussions due to standard work schedules.  I do apologize to those of you who may in fact work at the “proper” job on weekends, but I am much too set in my ways and much to old to give up my weekends to anything other than being lazy, watching a movie, maybe a beer or two and listening to music.  Seriously what else would a music blogger do…go out to a live concert??  “Now that is crazy!”[...he says as Dan Mangan and Aidan Knight perform at one of our "Technical Institutes/Colleges" this very night...] {EDIT – remember, this was last night due to not posting this yesterday!!}

Well I have a couple of videos that I think you should see.  The first one is from Shelley Miller and is possibly a Sunday Morning live performance of “Walk Away” and it is quite lovely.  I find the track a bluesy, roots tinged folk track that finds itself delicate and gritty at the same time.  Don’t think the flower dress and mostly hushed acoustic guitar is not balanced by the powerful voice and, um…skull planter on the window sill.  I think that just says it all for this Chicago talent.  Find her on MySpace and her Website.

Bonus rip of this great track – “Walk Away” from Shelley Miller

~~
Another video is one of the videos discovered by Craig over at Songs:Illinois this past week and it truly was  a nice find!  There is a whole lot of Sufjan styled acoustics and vocal delivery and now that Sufjan himself is dangling from the ledge of his signature sound as it is, well we have someone to take the torch on that one.  The video’s are a bit DIY and fit the sound in spectacular fashion – you can find a download of the song “Sarah Minor” over on Songs:Illinois – so go get it!

‘Sarah Minor’ from Keaton Henson on Vimeo.

~~

So something I thought was funny, I received the PR email about Midlake like many bloggers did – but I noticed it was all just “look at Midlake, they are good…honest, you have to believe us!”.  I presume it came out due to the negative review on Pitchfork, which I think is a bit weak – the album is pretty good, so it should not have to have any knee jerk due to a jerk at PF (see what I did there?).  I think the album is quite nice and as a laid back fan – I like it but I am not going to die on that hill if you know what I mean.  Just thought it was funny, never mind the backlash on various social media sites due to this “mis-step” by Pitchfork.  I think the review was gone about the wrong way but isn’t completely off the mark – they just came up with a verdict that you are not allowed to have your own sound…is it soo wrong to sound like yourself?  Anyway.

Another thing that both made me happy and made me a bit proud (by proxy) is getting a PR email about The Deep Dark Woods releasing their track “Charlie’s (Coming Down)” on 7″ vinyl.  What you say?  Yes, the track that (as far as I know) was only available via the HearYa music blog…until now!  The song was an entry for CBC’s Great Canadian Song Quest and was the Saskatchewan contender about the Good Time Charlie’s bar in Regina.  Well, it won (of course) and they are releasing it officially with two shows in their home province (March 5th – Saskatoon, SK @ Louis Pub & March 6th – Regina, SK @ The Exchange – both with The Sumner Brothers joining in!!).  Highly recommended if you are available to get there.  This all made me happy for the great track and proud as a blogger showing that they can influence the greater good – way to go HearYa in assisting in getting the song released!  Watch and listen to the great HY session HERE and find that winning track HERE.

Bonus DDW:  “The Gallows (CBC Radio 2)”
“Winter Hours (CBC Radio 2)”

~Smansmith

Musical recommendations are the best.  Especially when they come in the “full circle” style.  I recommended (or posted on) hitide.lotide previously and in turn when a new EP came out, it was recommended back to me from someone I “recommended” them to.  You see where I am going with this, right?  Oh, and I say it is a “gift” as originally the EP was supposed to be for only family and friends, but alas – we are all family/friends now!!

hitide.lotide is Nate Gruber and his talented friends and they bring you acoustic folk that is soo fragile you fear it just might break if not held close.  As noted in my previous post on the great “The Forest” album (HERE) there are notes of Sufjan Stevens and even some Iron & Wine with maybe some flecks of soundscapes a la Peter Broderick.  Despite all this “sounds like” stuff, it still feels separate from his contemporaries and is in my opinion a breath of fresh air.  If you like dreamy folk with some orchestral moments and finger picking style acoustic guitar, then you will have to have this new EP.  Did I also mention that it is a FREE  DOWNLOAD over on Last.fm??

Listen to two tracks and tell me you don’t want more…go on, try to tell me.

“Cross Legged”
“Beaded Blood”

Visit and purchase hitide.lotide

~Smansmith

Ever since hearing “You Explained Away Everything” from Horse Stories 2006 album “Everyone’s A Photographer”, I have enjoyed the laid back melancholic pop of Toby Burke and he has been on my radar.

The new album just released is “November, November” and sounds exactly like the title might lead you to believe – it is a little slice of a fall season (or early spring if I had to say, as it does show more movement to the pop side of things at times).  I am not sure too much on what the lead off track is, but I think it is either the below video “Telephone Message (November)” or even “Hummingbird (We’ll Be Okay)” as they are perfect examples of the beauty Burke spreads across his albums.  Although I think he has super potential to turn to a hard-core folky as his voice just feels like it has lived a life beyond Burke’s actual years.  Songs like “The TV” and “Hole In The Head” really stand out for me personally with the slow moving beauty of his truly melancholic indie-folk-pop (is that even a genre?).  No, seriously grab at least a couple tracks if you can from Horse Stories you won’t regret it.

Everybody needs a little Horse Stories at some time, maybe “November, November” might be a nice February pick for ya.  Just thought it was a nice Wednesday recommendation for everyone as well.  Buy it from his site HERE, and check out the video for the great “Hummingbird (We’ll Be Okay)” while you are there too.

Telephone Message (November) by Horse Stories from Horse Stories on Vimeo.

Bonus: “You Explained Away Everything” – Horse Stories
from 2006’s “Everyone’s A Photographer” (highly recommended)

Visit Horse Stories:

~Smansmith

So I am driving to work this morning and my 1st gen iPhone is now my “car stereo” and while on some form of random and I start to get a bit of a beat.  I sit there in traffic dumbfounded and wondering what has happened?  Has some DJ hacked my home network and placed music that is over 60bpm into my iTunes library?  Even worse, did somebody say “mash up”?  I immediately decided to beef up my encryption of my wireless network key at home….

Okay, so all jest aside, it was some Justice remix that came on and I didn’t press forward.  I know what you are saying here “…but Sandy, where is the acoustic guitar and an ‘in the gutter’ Texan troubadour?”.  Well friends, those folks are nowhere in sight today – its Monday and I need a pick me up.

The pick me up is from TOR who you may remember from his Sufjan Stevens mix-tape adventure (see my post here).  This time it is only a single track and it is Final Fantasy vs. Q-tip, and I am not afraid to say that it really works and I have been listening to it a lot since receiving it a few weeks back.  All I can say is take a listen and enjoy your Monday!

“The CN Tower can work it out (Final Fantasy f. Q-Tip)” – TOR

Visit TOR on his website here for more samples of his mix mastery – HERE.

~Smansmith

So I am building the new Yer Bird Records website (hey, did you know I am mid-way through a transition to take over my own record label? Well now you do…) and when building a page for the great Matt Arbogast, The Gunshy, I found the above photo. Its a great photo in general (from Mr. Ryan Hendrix) but really look at it…it turns out it is absolutely fantastic. Just the negative space (is that what it is?) all around him and with just the surfaces reflecting a lone spotlight. Wow.

I start to absorb the photo and then I have to listen to some Gunshy. Have to. Arbogast’s “early morning after a late, late, late night” voice is (to many) his signature – but don’t let it distract you from the songs themselves, there is soo much there. So I start playing a couple of tracks and one of the tracks that hit me was the title track to his 2004 EP “What Will They Speak of You When You’re Gone?”. The song has everything and also gives you everything. It literally “leaves it all out there” – it is hushed, it is angry, it is pensive and it is gut wrenching. I know I tend to be a bit wishy-washy as some say about liking “singer-songwriters” but Matt Arbogast bleeds for you. The song is tragic, and so incredibly encompassing that it must be heard. You must listen. Even when the monitor turns on and you hear the hum at 3:20 of the track, it still fits – like everything else in the song, it is just supposed to be there and fits what I needed today.

Just thought you needed to hear it.

“What Will They Speak of You When You’re Gone?” – The Gunshy

Visit The Gunshy and Pick up a copy:

~Smansmith

Balmorhea
“Bowsprit” (mp3)
from “Constellations” – (Feb. 23, 2010 release)
(Western Vinyl)

More On This Album

I am looking forward to the new album from Western Vinyl’s resident instrumental alt folk group Balmorhea.  Atmospheric and beautiful at is minimum, epic and jaw-dropping at it’s most.  Should be a pretty sweet album, but that isn’t something that you all would expect from me.  Try the first advance single above.  Enjoy an live video from a few years back below.  Enjoy your Friday!

Balmorhea “Untitled 2″ from Retread Sessions on Vimeo.

~Smansmith

Just saying, that’s all.

This guy just seems to keep coming up on my daily listening adventures due to his great “Gets It On” album from a few years back.  It used to be available for free download from his website, that I just noticed is no longer up!!  This better not be a sign.

I recently thought about Patton again while talking to a good friend and he mentioned that an album that kinda went under the radar was from this “Bill Patton guy”, and I totally jumped up and said “yes, somebody gets it”.  It was a bit of a moment for me.  From what I can tell he is somewhat of a touring and studio musician for certain artists with most recently being a key  member of the J. Tillman 7″ single for “Wild Honey Never Stolen” from Western Vinyl (which is absolutely phenomenal and comes highly recommended).

You should swing by CD Baby and get yourself a copy of the album and at the very least head over to RCRD LBL for 3 more tracks from this lo-fi, singer songwriter gem from 2004, or 2006 according to CD Baby…I don’t have my CD here to look on the liner notes.  Regardless it is too long since that album, way too long.

Listen to a couple of quick covers (especially that Prince one – too short!) that I have already featured here on Slowcoustic and for frick sakes, please don’t tell the original artists so he doesn’t get sued!  Buy the album to find out why I say that.

“Kiss (Prince Cover)”
“Fairies Wear Boots (Black Sabbath Cover)”

Visit and Purchase:

~Smansmith

a singer of songs provides me with a double dose of my song of the day and in turn I am passing it on to all of you.  Lieven Scheerlinck (the singer of these songs) is no stranger to Slowcoustic as he was one of the first artists I featured back in September of 2008 (you can see it with a couple of early tracks HERE).

Lieven has just released his first full length album on HI54LOFI Records a couple of weeks back and it is definitely a hushed and intimate experience.  The album is overflowing with ballads meant to be merely whispered to the one next to you – and we get the experience wrapped up in 13 tracks of digital storytelling.  Often accompanied by a piano and/or a lone guitar strummed at half speed there is no wanting for anything more “slowcoustic”.   Songs like “Calvary Walks”, “Slow River” and “Lonely One” drift by you and almost melt into the walls around you, so don’t let them simply float away, you have to listen.  Many will feel like the album never really takes off as it does tend to stay in 1st gear, but that is the way of these songs – anything with more energy would shatter them I believe.

A real nice touch on this album is Lieven’s inclusion of vocals from 3 lovely ladies to accent the album and bring a duo harmony to some of the tracks.  They really do work and the ladies (Tiny Ruins, Ana Franco and Craven Canary) on the tracks “Road to Nowhere”, “Rabbit Hole” and “Wrath” respectively.  I have to say that these tracks stand up to the solo tracks of “Stray Bullets” and “Pretty Lies” and are among the strongest songs on the album.  I can keep going with classic comparisons on the album being meant for a rainy day or for soothing a recently bruised heart, but let a couple of tracks help you in finding just the right moment to soak in Old Happiness.

“Pretty Lies”
“Road to Nowhere”

Visit & Purchase a singer of songs;

~Smansmith

The Moonband say something that resonates with me on their MySpace page in their description of “what we sound like”.  Essentially they indicate that they record alternative folk but let you know that folk is all encompassing – as is the sound of The Moonband.

The ’sensational’ Moonband pseudo themed space odyssey is definitely rooted on the prairie farmlands and acoustic porches of wherever you would call home.  With a title like “Songs we like to listen to while traveling through Open Space” or “…Open Space” as it’s known, you know right away that there must be something going on here.  You may get the impression of some progressive post rock epic, but in turn you get a warm collection of acoustic folk and indie pop and even a touch of Americana to finish it off.   I even noticed that (for me) there is even a bit of kickin’ up the heels with a songs like “Roll On Blues” & “Top Of A Tree” – and while I tend to enjoy the slower moments such as “Devil Got a Piece of Us” and “In the Garden” you know that you aren’t getting a carbon copy of tracks that simply have different song titles but carry on the exact same song vibe from the previous track.    For a band out of München Germany, they could easily be compared to a dusty road folk band out of the southern US.

The Moonband are also an actual band (rare around this blog of singer songwriters, I know!) and this also helps the album bring a bit of a fuller sound to the late 2009 release.  There are up to 4 vocalists listed in the liner notes and it shows with numerous harmonies and layers in songs like “Tom Waits” and “Days to Live”.  I think it is also the fact that despite being fairly acoustic, they do not sit contently with a guitar but bring mandolin, Glockenspiel, ukulele, banjo, Lap Steel and stand up bass…you can’t go wrong with all these strings!  For this post I want to feature two songs that are quite stellar (no pun intended) that show the slow and aching side (The Hiker) along with a bit of German American folk (Boogeyman).

“The Hiker”
“Boogeyman”

If you have the time, I recommend a full listen (and a visit to the experience that is their website).  Something else I think needed mentioning is for you to order the physical CD – the images and “background” info is part of the charm of this release as well.  From the hints on tabs to play each song to the “space” theme of the challenge for us having 5 fingers in order to play an instrument with 6 strings….silly humans!

Visit The Moonband:

~Smansmith

Apologies lad and lassies but little ol’ me forgot to give the heads up for the locals (like they didn’t already know) on Woodpigeon tonight in Cow-town!

They are playing at Broken City – maybe door tickets?? – which can be found, phoned, emailed HERE.  I will unfortunately not be there as I am a lone wolf, er, ah because of prior engagements with a friend (and a large container of “on tap” beer) – but it should be a great show supporting the Die Stadt Muzikanten album (pre-order at Boompa).

Enjoy a couple of tracks from the album below to warm ya up!

Empty-Hall Sing-Along
Morningside (live on CBC Radio 2)

Visit Woodpigeon on their WEBSITE or at BOOMPA:

~Smansmith

Matthew Ryan is doing something that I really like.  Taking his songs and giving us intimate and unique versions of them by recording them in (so far) intimate and unique locations.  I also like it as I still believe Ryan is one of the best acoustic guitar/voice combinations in music today.  I think he could sing the ingredients to cough syrup and have it cut right through me with its beauty….just sayin’.

A little about this song and the project itself from Ryan:

This is the first video of a series I’m calling The Raw Version. I’ll be recording performances of songs at home and in various locations and sharing them with you. It’s gonna be interesting to see where this heads, I’m gonna try and get creative as far as locations and such. I’ll mainly be focusing on songs from Dear Lover, but there will be older songs, maybe even a cover or two, and songs that you request as well that I’ll be sharing in this fashion.

To request a song, just reach out to me via the various social sites that we communicate on (scroll down to see all the link). Please understand that I’m pretty busy these days, so be patient about your request. I’ll do Raw Versions of the songs I get the most requests for.

Raw Version #1 is The Wilderness. The Wilderness is Track 7 from my newest album, Dear Lover. I’d been thinking about doing this for a while. I finally sat down to do it last Monday, January 18th, 2010. It happened to be Martin Luther King Jr.’s Birthday (one of my heroes), so it felt fitting to start with The Wilderness. It was recorded in my living room at about 11p.m. I hope you enjoy it.

Dear Lover, my newest album, is now available at all the trusted online digital music stores (itunes, amazon, emusic…) and will be available at traditional independent record stores on 2/16/10. You can hear the entire record right now on my website. Just go here (you can also purchase CDs and digital versions of Dear Lover directly from my site as well):

Visit his website at http://matthewryanonline.com/

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To request a song for The Raw Version, just reach out to Matthew Ryan at one of these social sites:

Enjoy a track that I hope is next in the RAW series – “Some Streets Lead Nowhere”
taken from the Dear Lover album (see my overview of the album HERE)

~Smansmith

Something I like is getting a recommendation for something and then realize that it has caught you off guard and kicked you in the teeth.  Olds Sleeper did just that – Fringe country at its best.

Recommended from one of my Last.fm group members and as they tend to know what I like due to me shoving my musical taste down their throat as much as possible.  So with that I knew it had to have some merit.  What the “catches me off guard” refers to is when you find someone who you might think is “only” a singer songwriter that seems a bit gruff country turns out to be lo-fi, experimental and a small pinch of noise troubadour.  Not the type of artist that will be making an appearance on the next Gossip Girl, but that is just another reason to dig your teeth into it.  It’s dirty, got guts, dusty jeans and includes a heart of gold on the inside – you just know it.

While he has 3 full albums to download for free on his website (blogger icon below), it may take you 3 months to actually digest them – they are thick, cryptic, angry, sad and all ready for the open road.  The Catching Night Before Dawn might be more for the acoustic songwriter crowd, the Horseheads may be more for the dirty country folks and I am just listening to Rise and Rust now!  If you have the time to, listen, if you don’t, then stop and treat yourself to an escape with this old sleeper.  Oh, and don’t get scared if it goes sideways for a bit, it always rights itself and that is a bit of the charm of Olds Sleeper!

“I Knew A Mountain (Remix)”
“So Much”
~Taken from Catching Night Before Dawn

Cocaine, Pistols, Tequila”
“Devil by the Trees”
~Taken from Horseheads

Visit Olds Sleeper:

~Smansmith

Visit They Shoot Music and Akron Family.

And because we all like You Tube rips…..here is the track in mp3 format!

“Crickets (acoustic on THEY SHOOT MUSIC)” – Akron Family – highly recommended.

~Smansmith

It’s been a few weeks (or month or so) since the last “new on the ‘nets” so I thought we could consider this your Sunday Slowcoustic newspaper edition.  Sit back, grab a steaming hot cup o’ joe and dig into some items I have noticed over that last couple of weeks that deserve a mention.

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• Cover Lay Down, one of the best and most comprehensive folk cover blogs in the history of music blogging has a couple of posts you will want to follow up with.  Most recently his own “Josh” birthday post (CLD is 3 years old) and a bounty of tracks from numerous “Josh” artists like Josh Ritter/Joshua James/Josh Rouse, etc.   Love themed posts!
• Hopefully there are some still left, but Herohill has T-Shirts!  Posted last week, you can have your piece of the rock in the form of an original T from YoRodeo.  Get over there and pick one up!
• Speaking of blog birthdays, Agnes over at It All Started With Carbon Monoxide turned Two!  Go and wish her congratulations.
• Just this morning Knox Road advised of a Sufjan Stevens track from his latest that might be more what we expect from the avant garde folkster.  Check the song HERE.
• Tart introduces you to a local songwriter Brendon Losch and really wants you to know him to.  He is in “the gang” afterall!  ;-)
• Got some time to enjoy some videos?  We Listen For You has a collection all in one post from Sharon Van Etten (very nice) – see it HERE.
• Muzzle of Bees have a couple of posts on the Rural Alberta Advantage hitting Milwaukee – check the lead up and then the review (with photos).
• Daytrotter put two personal favourite sessions out lately – check out Little Wings and Timber Timbre and get your download on!

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I recently told all of you about the great compilation from ondarock as it is chock full of great folky tunes, well who wants more free compilations??  I knew it!

Snowstar Records Compilation (available on BandCamp for free)

To celebrate the label’s 15th release, they have combined 10 tracks from artists they enjoy as an appreciation gift – so go show some support and appreciate it, it is a good one.  Enjoy a sample of one of my new favourites I Am Oak.

“Gold and Porcelain” – I Am Oak

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All Creatures (A Sherman Compilation) (available at ShermanArts on Tumblr)

Sherman Arts is a West Philidelphia Based community for local music at local venues.  A great idea for a great area of talent – this compilation has 37 tracks people!  Bands include Boca Chica, Birdlips, The Baird Sisters and also an appearance from a Slowcoustic friend and favourite Strand of Oaks (check the photo of him, classic!!) – and listen below for proof.  Head over and look into it and if you are in the Philly area – get involved!

“Clear Recollections” – Strand of Oaks

~

~Smansmith

The song Casualties from J. Tillman’s “Long May You Run, J. Tillman” is most likely my favourite song of the last decade.  So no list of best songs of the 00’s, just this one great video/song from his performance on Luxury Wafters and the video ripped mp3.  I believe this may be my favourite song of the past 10 years…

J Tillman – Casualties – Luxury Wafers Sessions from Luxury Wafers on Vimeo.

“Casualties (Luxury Wafers Session)” (mp3) – J. Tillman

~Smansmith

Okay back to the music…I Am Oak is my kind of music, so if you are reading this, it just may be yours as well (let’s hope shall we).   I Am Oak (or Thijs Kuijken) was recommended from a good source also in the Netherlands and I can’t thank him enough.  He has great banjo chops and especially in that “An Oxen” video I can’t stop thinking of The Tallest Man On Earth album cover!  Vocals soo smooth that it feels tracked/produced/mastered all while being one take in an abandoned school!

Look for a full feature on I Am Oak in the next couple weeks for the Old Songd album here on Slowcoustic as well.  If you wanted to look into IAO a bit more, please visit his MySpace page.
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I am oak – on oxen from What about Fish on Vimeo.

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I am oak – on trees and birds and fire from What about Fish on Vimeo.

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~Smansmith

So what’s worst than finding what could be your next favourite band and then having no way to connect to them?  Well there are worse things, but as a musician/artist/band if you are not available (and want to be) and you don’t have a website set up – you might as well just stay in your basement by yourself.

Okay a bit harsh, but it’s true.  If you are actually trying to grow your career or if you simply want to get your music out there (and to great people like me!) a brand new shiny website and web presence is what you need.  Well, the good folks over at Kilted Chaos have a bit of a contest to provide all this to you.  It involves twitter so if you have to follow and tweet so if this sounds foreign to you…well, climb out from under the rock and get online.  What is 10 minutes of almost effort in order to get a full year of exposure to your fans, or your potential fans.  This is the plan.

Click the pic above or HERE in order to read a bit about it and get started on entering the contest.  It is starting tomorrow!

“More Exposures” – Elephant Micah, from Alsatian Sunlight (full album available free here)

~Smansmith

Many bands have a shelf life because let’s face it, often musical tastes change as you age.  There are also factors such as mood, location, social circles that tend to influence the music you are listening to and again let’s face it, all music is not meant for all situations.

That is unless you are a fan of The Mountain Goats such as I.  I will always like listening to The Mountain Goats and let’s face it (where am I going with these “let’s face its”?) there are great albums and just really good albums.  I am partial to Tallahassee, The Sunset Tree, All Hail West Texas and We Shall All Be Healed among the massive amounts of releases by John Darnielle and crew.  Sometimes you just need to listen to the lyrics, feel the delicate delivery followed by spittle flying angst the next.  Truly an independent music icon if ever there was one.

Another reason:

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So that is about it.

Oh, and enjoy a pseudo “unreleased” duo of tracks that were found on their website a few years back that are both absolute great tracks.

“Cut Off Their Thumbs”
“Deserters”

~Smansmith

This is the kind of singer songwriter that builds terrific songs that might be able to have more “bite”, but that doesn’t seem like the point when listening.  Sure other bands or artists may get attention that way, but where is the attention for a talent that can put together a cohesive album and soundtrack your day with no hesitation?  Espe’s albums have the style of folk-pop that you might find in a hour long drama on any major network but don’t take that as an insult (as I know some of you would).   His deft use of harmony alongside a bounty of acoustic guitar go a long way.  Mix in a bit of piano and stories about small town life and you have a great idea of an Aaron Espe song.  If you can’t tap your toes or connect to a song, even for a little bit, than you my friend are looking in the wrong place here.

Please consider visiting Aaron below, you can pick up albums electronically or even on CD (gasp!) and opt for signed copies as well – he is a man of the people.  If you needed to sample some of the warm folk melodies from Aaron Espe, you can listen to a track from each of his albums below and visit his site for more sampling – you can actually download both albums for free but a donation is always welcome.

“Roads”

(highly recommended – see a YCD “best of 2008″ post)

“Stuck”

Visit & Purchase

~Smansmith

Do you like great slowcore?  Do you like great singer songwriters?  Do you like beautifully ambient tracks?  Do you like all the previous for free?  Hells yeah!

The good folks over at the Italian music webzine “ondarock” has issued its double “disc” release of selected Slowcoustic music.  This makes this sad bastard very happy.  The compilation is a great project and features some original stuff, existing album demos and even a cover (or two).   See below for the bands included (notice some Slowcoustic favs amoung them!):

A SINGER OF SONGS

ANT

BARZIN

BRIAN WHEAT & GROGGY DARLIN’

DAKOTA SUITE

DOG IS BLUE

DREW PISTON

FOXTROT EMPIRE

HEZEKIAH JONES

ILYA E. MONOSOV

JOHN CRAIGIE

LEONARD MYNX

MOOMAW

NICOLAI RICCARDO GREY

NORABELLE

OWEIHOPS

PICKERING PICK

RADICAL FACE

RIVULETS

SIMON LLEWELYN EVANS

STEVE ADEY

TEX LA HOMA

THE BOY HARDY

THE BRENDAN HINES & CO., INC.

THE MOSTAR DIVING CLUB

THINGS IN HERDS

So click the patchwork image at the top of the page or click RIGHT HERE to visit (translated page in English HERE).  Come on, 26 free tracks put together with thought and care for your listening pleasure?!?!  You can’t go wrong here folks.

~Smansmith

Bands with long overly wordy song titles.  I don’t know who started this, many think Sufjan contributed to the phenomena but I am not sure if he started it or brought it to the fore front of independent music a few years back.  I am not always sure why I like it.  Maybe because almost like reading a novella, you try to look into what it means without having to dedicate all that time to actually reading a full length book but still get enough to “get it”.  Another reason is I like judging people (who doesn’t) and I always look to see if a band or artist is trying to be too smart for their own good.  Mostly I like a “good” long song title as it will in turn make me want to listen to the song, which I guess is something they are going for.

Well, I found one place where these bastardy named songs work.  A band that has long, but not tooo long of a title and ones that strike me as pretty interesting.  I then realized another reason that these songs I was listening to and enjoying had such long names.  They are instrumentals!  The title is in fact the only words the song has…which is a pretty good reason to have a long song title, no?

The band is The Slowest Runner in all the World and the song offered up below as the example is “As the sea swells she bleats and moans like a goat in heat.”.  So the track just by it’s title alone conjures up an image…but it also gives you an idea that the song might have epic crescendos (”sea swells”) and ebb and flow (”bleats and moans”) of a song that has only the music to tell the tale.  This is the key fact for all of this and why it all works, the song has to be strong enough to tell the tale or send you deep into it to discover what it is trying to relay or even give you the opportunity to create your own message,/theme or idea of what the song is about.  Not unlike the band Balmorhea (also a Slowcoustic favourite), sometimes when listening to this kind of instrumental modern orchestral music, it often makes words seem redundant and the music would simply drown out anything lyrically that you had to say.  The sound is described as “stunningly cinematic” and create “…strings and piano with a traditional rock setup and experimental sound manipulation techniques for a uniquely-embellished sound”.  I agree whole heartily.

With all that rambling, the end result is a band that brings 5 epic soundscapes on this EP (or maybe an album as only one of the 5 tracks is less than 6 1/2 minutes in length) and prove that it stands up to any scrutiny of song names.  As trivial as that sounds the overly long song title fades away and it is the music created that stands alone without words and it speaks, or even shouts its presence to you and then it is simply great music and you then kick yourself for listening due to song title in the first place.

The album is “The Flophouse Sessions”.  The band is “The Slowest Runner in all the World”.   The song is “As the sea swells she bleats and moans like a goat in heat.” and please consider heading over to grab it to listen to the whole EP/Album as it needs one full sitting of all 5 tracks to immerse yourself in.

Track Listing

1. As the sea swells she bleats and moans like a goat in heat. (mp3)
2. A blind captain, a whispered portent, an infirm navigator.
3. A Moor slave dreams of a beautiful woman he will never meet.
4. Like hares they mistook confidence for capacity…
5. This is water.

Visit Slowest Runner

~Smansmith

One of my favourite Canadian artists today (having never seen her live or really at all) – the ever elusive Basket of Figs performing.  Absolutely fantastic.

BASKET OF FIGS – Send Your Youth from Mitch Fillion on Vimeo.

~Smansmith

Just a quick one this Sunday with a band I was reminded of a few weeks back and simply meant to make mention of it, but never did?!?  I first listened (once again) over at Love Shack, Baby as Tart seems to be in bed with all those UK type folks and gets the info and posts up tout suite like a good music blogger should.  Tart put up a taster of the new single with the B-side “Laughter” and once again, I am just a bit slow – but this is how I have chosen to live my life and listen to my music.  ;-)

The band is eagleowl (yes, I believe they are purposefully lowercase…I believe…) and they have a new single out “Sleep the Winter” with the B-side being “Laughter”.  Both are great ethereal ambient folk tracks to join the eagleowl discography.  This discography, however small, is chalk full of gorgeously crafted laments from this Edinburgh troupe.   Their music is described as “post folk” or “alt-folk” but I simply call it stunning.  There are aspects of acoustic and electric in their sound – like a cello backing a gently picked electric guitar – argh, soo good.  Definitely a headphones on a rainy Sunday type sound that brings waves of sombre beauty.  Highly recommended.

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Bonus: “Blanket” from their previous EP “For the Thoughts You Never Had”
This track also appeared on Crumby Lovers: A New Weird UK Sampler (see Post HERE)

Visit and Purchase

~Smansmith

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This track includes (Benjamin) LØZNINGER’S patented hushed delivery alongside a eerie journey through the past, memories, future possibilities or even alternate universe.  He creates atmospheric music that envelope every bit of space around you and in headphones it can be quite epic.  So not only is the video a great watch, the music to image factor is off the charts.  Look for a new album soon, this Canadian in France is a favourite.  Enjoy a bonus track from a few years back as well with one of his most familiar songs to those in the know.

“Sunday (I will play)” – LØZNINGER

Visit LØZNINGER:

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The Quiet Revolution is not your typical band.  It is not even really a band at all.  The Quiet Revolution is (in thier words);

“internet project that features talented singer/songwriters singing songs written and composed by Tal More, a 31 year-old Israeli songwriter.”

The video above is for Parallel Me which includes the vocals of fellow Israeli Hadar Green and it is another great lesson in the audio to visual school of video making.  Stop animation that creates the feelings/emotions that the song is conveying.  For me it is the big eyes of the characters and what is a simple story that expresseses ultimate sorrow or loss.  I mean, if you are into that sort of thing.

“Parallel Me (featuring Hadar Green)” – The Quiet Revolution

Visit TQR:

~Smansmith

Another song of the day for you folks!  Today we have Montreal’s Armen Bazarian or as his recording moniker “Armen at the Bazaar” (see what he did there?).  Bazarian comes with a free self titled EP that is currently available from the man himself via his MySpace page.

The EP is a little more ‘pop” than “folk” but is really well done from this unsigned Canadian.  Definitely strong on melody and can be incredibly catchy at times with songs like “Complications” and “Expected to be Telepathic” – you will find yourself uncontrollably tapping your toes if you are into this style of music.  I personally would like him to test out the “darker” waters as I think his sound is only steps away from being full on pop music but it is a good listen regardless.  He definitely has a bit of experimentation with his “Tribal Interlude” and there are aspects of something deeper than just catchy tunes (even if they are catchy as well).  I just might have to continue to listen while walking down the beach this week.  I had to bring this post around to me at some point, you knew that!

Seriously though, swing on by his MySpace page and click for a free 6 track EP being offered up, test out a nice track I’ve selected to push you in that direction.

“Heart & Thoughts” – Armen at the Bazaar, from the self titled EP

Visit AATB:

~Smansmith