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I truly believe this may be the greatest video I have seen in years. The new Bonnie 'Prince' Billy release, "The Letting Go", cannot come out fast enough. Will Oldham rides again. Video directed by Andy Bruntel.
DOWNLOAD:
MP3: Bonnie 'Prince' Billy :: Cursed Sleep
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www.bonnieprincebilly.com
ade. But that's not why you should listen to them. While ultimately commercially ignored, the JAMC burned bright on the underground and stayed lit well past the demise of the majority of their peers. Listening to the band is no history lesson in posterity, as the music is as relevant and "contemporary" as anything out in the '00s. 
as as key mood piece for her film Lost In Translation. The reissued Dual Disc comes with a DVD featuring the videos "Just Like Honey," "You Trip Me Up," and "Never Understand."
5:1 Stereo, plus videos for "Darklands," "April Skies," and "Happy When It Rains." 
Admission: I'm no soccer-jock, so the constant references to one of Noir's tunes being in the World Cup commercial are meaningless to me. But what I do know is that "Eanie Meany" is one of the finest sunshine/pop songs of the Summer. Nothing dark here. Instant pop goodness that sounds as if it could have been a long lost Kinks b-side. Barsuk had apparently been after this album for awhile, and after hearing it I can see why. Cheers. [ release date: Aug 08 2006 ] Noir is presently touring -- dates/details on his website.
An Aquarium Drunkard holds anything released by Charlottesville, VA's Yer Bird Records in high esteem, but this, the label's fourth release, is by far it's strongest. Yer Bird's latest find, Philadelphia based Hezekiah Jones, weaves his musical quilt out of the same soft, acoustic cloth most recently and elegantly spun by the likes of Sam Beam and Will Oldham. While warm and inviting, Hezekiah pokes and stirs up darker lyrical truths adding a textual spoonful of sugar to make his unique brand of medicine go down. Be sure to check out the unreleased track "Put On Your Light" below.
It's been a little over a week and a half now, and I still can't get the sound-memory of Elvis Costello's "I Don't Want To Go To (Chelsea)" (backed and arranged by the masterful Allen Toussaint) out of my head. And that, dear reader, is good thing. The re-worked track I heard live in New Orleans is unfortunately absent from the artist's joint effort, The River In Reverse, so I am having to settle for the original...which itself is nothing to sneeze at. I am reminded of the seething punk influence that graced Costello's early work in it's oh-so-subtle way. Give this old favorite a spin for posterity. And make it loud.
As a longtime Pavement devotee, the emerging details of the Matador Records Wowee Zowee reissue have me nearly frothing at the mouth. Nearly. In the meantime, a little live nuggett here and there should stave off the anticipation just enough to keep away the night sweats and the speaking in tongues. Feel me?Labels: Indie Rock, Live Upload Series, Pavement, Stephen Malkmus
L.A. based Submarines are Jack Drag & Blake Hazard and they have a story to tell. It goes something like this: Boy meets girl. Boy loses girl. Boy writes songs about a love lost. Girl writes songs about a love lost. Separately. The story could end here, but the twist is that the two are now back together, both romantically and musically. Through the making of Declare A New State! the two were able to reconcile while making the album. Now how's that for a bedtime story?
Sometimes an artist emerges from the fray whose music winks at you like an old lover. I suspect I am not the only fan of Beirut (Zach Condon) to immediately connect the 19 year old's sound with that of NMH, but you know, shit, I'm saying it too. 
The more things change the more they stay the same. Somehow it doesn't quite seem like these guys have been putting out albums for over a decade, but time can be fluid and funny like that (moreso than not, yes?). 
Howe Gelb's 'Sno Angel Like You was a traveling gift from an old friend in Atlanta I had the pleasure of catching up with over beers earlier this Summer (thanks, John). While on my "list," I had never committed to purchasing the album. This in turn worked out to be a good thing because 'Sno Angel is a near-perfect road album.Labels: Live Upload Series
Now back in Los Angeles, I continually am asked two questions, A) the highlight of the 10 week excursion, and B) what albums got the most play. There are too many experiences to name to begin to answer the first question, but I continually list Athens, GA's The Whigs debut (and self-released) album Give 'Em All A Big Fat Lip as one of the most-played LPs of the Summer.
I have posted twice on The Meters since An Aquarium Drunkard's inception, both were Live shows (that you still can, and should, download below under 'Related Posts'), but this will be the first post on any studio material. 
Shee-it...don't think for a minute the visit to New Orleans was all on a downer tip -- come on now, it is New Orleans, Laissez Le Bon Temps Rouler. One the of the highlights was seeing the final show of this Summer's Elvis Costello/Allen Toussaint tour in support of their recent collaboration on the album The River In Reverse. The night went down at the House of Blues on Decatur street in the Quarter. A full hot-house digging Costello's take on Toussaint standards and Toussaint's arrangement of the Costello canon. Costello's prolific, and has covered many a genre, but this particularly pairing was right up there with his late Seventies workouts. (Note: I'm not an Elvis die-hard, so this might go against "popular" Costello opinion, I don't know.)
on Costello's "(I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea," and Costello's bluesy rendering of Toussaint's "On Your Way Down." The thematic "Ascension Day" is Toussaint's minor key arrangement of Professor Longhair's "Tipitina" with lyrics penned by Costello. The tune found itself a home both on the album and toward the end of the live set. Oh, and I, along with the rest of the sweating, swaying masses of course loved "Pump It Up." I mean, who doesn't?
Grayson Capps' album If You Knew My Mind traveled across, and around, the country with me this Summer emanating hot and humid stories from the deep South set in and around Louisiana. Perhaps it was a preview -- a primer -- for the New Orleans I was to travel to, two weeks ago. This, my 13th visit to the Crescent City, while very enjoyable seeing old friends, also carried with it a dazed sadness upon seeing Katrina's wake firsthand. CNN can only prepare someone two-dimensionally. While the French Quarter, the Uptown area, and most of the other tourist-destinations were for the most part spared, the low-lying surrounding areas including the Ninth Ward were hit hard, leaving rubble and ruin in the hurricane's path. Throughout it all, the city and it's steadfast inhabitants haven't lost an ounce of their charm -- not for me anyway.
On Assignment for Live Daily:Labels: Alt.Country, Interview
One of the many stops on this summer's cross-country fandango was Athens, GA for the 10th annual Athfest. The last Athfest I attended was 2001, right before the Drive-By Truckers broke -- their performance at the 40 Watt that year was the last time I saw them in that intimate of a setting.
As I gear up to head back across the country to L.A. I am tying up some housekeeping odds and ends on the Drunkard. Look for regular/continuous posting to resume (after near three months off) in the beginning of August. Lots and lots and lots of music/stories/bullshit to unload on ya'll.
One of my favorite LP's from the early '70s is David Crosby's underrated masterpiece "If I Could Only Remember My Name?" A fully realized embodiment of the "sound" of California's folk/rock/country/psychedelia movement of the time, the album features such players as Neil Young, Jerry Garcia, Joni Mitchell, Phil Lesh, etc., etc. Almost as good as the album (and just, if not more interesting) are these outtakes from the 1970 sessions. These tracks are further proof that Crosby was an artistic force to be reckoned with at his creative peak. DOWNLOAD:
MP3: David Crosby :: Wall Song #2
MP3: David Crosby :: Mountain Song #4
MP3: David Crosby :: Wooden Ships Jam
MP3: David Crosby :: Walking In The Mountains
MP3: David Crosby :: Epp Hour (AKA, Rounds)
MP3: David Crosby :: Under Anesthesia (False Start)
MP3: David Crosby :: Under anesthesia
MP3: David Crosby :: Over Jordan (Wayfaring Strangers)
MP3: David Crosby :: Mountain Song #3
MP3: David Crosby :: Mountain Song #2
MP3: David Crosby :: Loser #1, #2
MP3: David Crosby :: Wall Song #1
MP3: David Crosby :: Wild Turkey (Leather Winged Bat)
MP3: David Crosby :: Tamalpais High (At About 3)
MP3: David Crosby :: Is It Really Monday?
MP3: David Crosby :: Loser #3, #4
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Amazon: David Crosby - If I Could Only Remember My Name
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Related Post: David Crosby :: If I Could Only Remember My Name
Also of Note: If you are interested in this snapshot in time, the late '60s and early '70s Southern California folk-rock scene, keep reading. A book that has recently grabbed my attention is Laurel Canyon: : The Inside Story of Rock-and-Roll's Legendary Neighborhood. Chronicaling the state of one of L.A.'s most interesting and famously "arty" neighborhoods, the book excels delving into country-rock and the surrounding scene that developed around it.
old 97's first appearance at SXSW
One of the Drunkard's loyal readers sent in this alternate version of Benson's uber-catchy "Alternative To Love" after listening to this week's podcast of The Aquarium Drunkard Show (which featured the LP version.) So thanks dear reader, we likes it.Here it is, off the Metairie EP, in all it's jangly acoustic glory.
p.s. - the Raconteurs album with Benson and Jack White is great too. If you're on the fence, check it out, it's absolutely worth your dime.
