Jonsi @ Coachella by Natalie Kardos

This is a continuation of part 1 of my recent song obsessions. Just a bunch of great songs that have been running through my head over the last few months.

• Paul Jacobson & the Madison Arm – Six O’Clock News (mp3) (unreleased, band website)

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  Heather turned me on to this song. A cover of the Kathleen Edwards original, it stunned me. Built in a heartbreaking narrative, it’s so melancholy and yet so beautiful. It’s a great arrangement with near perfect harmonies.

• Jonsi – Hengilas (mp3) (buy)

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  From my first listen through Jonsi’s Go, I was obsessed with this. The big, open, gently moving chords–like something from Copland’s Appalachian Spring[1]–are gorgeous and welcoming. I can’t understand the lyrics, but the vocals move me as if I understand them. Just a fantastic ethereal song that leaves me wanting to hit repeat at the end of every listen.

• We Were Promised Jetpacks – It’s Thunder & Lightning (mp3) (buy)

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  Deep inside of me somewhere there’s still a bit of High School Adrian, still listening to Seam and Sebadoh’s Bakesale, still a bit angry and still with plenty of angst. That part of me loves this song, from the first guitar notes to the Scottish brogued vocals to the build up and strong, huge guitars and fast strumming to the way the song winds down with an almost whimper. The secret is, the rest of me loves it too.

• S. Carey – In the Dirt (mp3) (buy)

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  After NPR started streaming this album from Bon Iver’s former drummer I listened to it a few times. Initially I was a bit dismissive; “sounds like he’s trying too much to be like Bon Iver.” But it’s grown on me, particularly the beautiful moments in songs like this. This song, in fact, chocked full of them. It manages to be complex, interesting and beautiful all at once. In the end a song like this draws as much from minimalists like Steve Reich as it does Bon Iver.

• Warren Zevon – Keep Me In Your Heart (mp3) (buy)

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  This song, the final track from Zevon’s final album–the album he knew was going to be his last–is almost begging to be called cheesy. The sentimental repeated refrain, the simple structure. But it’s not. Even after so many listens it can make me feel like someone tied a rock to my heart. On a more technical note, the tres solos are a really nice touch to the arrangement.

[1] Or, perhaps “Prarie Night (Card Game at Night)” from his Billy the Kid

To be continued in part 2, Just because I don’t do a weekly column on song obsessions anymore doesn’t mean I don’t listen to songs obsessively. These are just some of the songs that have burrowed their way into my ears in the past few months.

• Carissa’s Wierd – Die (mp3) (buy)

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  It’s difficult to describe what makes this song so obsession-worthy but it’s a song that I’ve listened to dozens of times in the last few months first alone as a promo mp3 download and then as part of of the newly released Carissa’s Wierd compilation They’ll Only Miss You When You Leave: Songs 1996 – 2003. Maybe it’s the layers of instruments and vocals. Maybe it’s the hypnotic way the instruments loop that draws me in. Maybe it’s the slow breakdown. Who knows why, but I know what: it’s good.

• Lushlife – Meridian Sound [Part One] (mp3) (buy)

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  I’ve really been enjoying Lushlife’s Cassette City which I decided to check out after rewatching some of his acoustic hip hop covers. This is a favorite. There’s something particularly compelling about the juxtaposition of the subdued music with the sharp rhythms of his rapping.

• Guided by Voices – Game of Pricks (mp3) (buy)

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  Some people missed “Web in Front”; in the indie rock cannon I somehow missed “Game of Pricks”. After a friend recommended Owen Pallett’s lovely and somewhat goofy cover of it, I checked into the original and I’ve been listening to it tons since. It’s classic classic indie rock; a perfect representation of ’90s indie rock in my mind.

• Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros – Home (mp3) (buy)

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  After I heard a snippet of this in Community, I found that it was by one of those buzz bands that perhaps I’d unfairly written off. Certainly a catchy song–I listened to it 33 times in the first week–but the part I really like is the beginning, the whistling over the straight-beat kick drum.

• Frightened Rabbit – Nothing Like You (mp3) (buy)

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  This is not as much of an ear worm as the others but it’s been the song I’ve listened to most over the last three months. “This is a story // and you’re not in it uh huh” is as fantastic an opening line as I know of. And it’s a great song with a buoyant chorus.

Stay tuned for part 2.

Sharon Jones @ Outside Lands, photo by Natalie Kardos

I have no never-ending mental catalog of soul but I know my stuff–my collection includes all of Stax’s and Motown’s singles from 1959-1968 among other stuff. It makes me happy when I hear a new artist doing soul right, like Mayer Hawthorne, Raphael Saadiq or Candie Payne.

In the last few months, I’ve heard two albums that I really think have done soul and soul-funk right–it’s soul that’s authentic but still fresh and invigorating. It pays tribute without being a cheap imitation. They’re both thoroughly enjoyable for many hours of listening.

The Kings Go Forth (myspace) are from Minnesota Milwaukee. A ten-piece soul and funk outfit, they’re not the standard sort of band coming up right now, but, man, is The Outsiders are Back a fantastic album. From the upbeat and almost exuberant opener “One Day” to the hard-swinging, hard-hitting, falsetto-voiced ballad “Fight With Love”, it’s a worthwhile listen.

Kings Go Forth – One Day (mp3) (buy)

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You can get another track from KEXP or preview the whole album.

Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings (myspace) are an established band by this point, playing big venues and festivals from coast to coast. While their previous albums (like 2007’s breakout One Hundred Days, One Hundred Nights) were enjoyable, the recently released I Learned the Hard Way is the first, I feel like, that sounds right. Though the songs don’t all sound alike, it’s stylistically similar in a way that transports me; there were multiple times that songs from the album came on and I thought I was listening to some ’60s b-side. “Better Things to Do” has a nice swagger and melody to it, while the title track could have been a Stax single from that time.

My favorite track, though, is the closer, “Mama Don’t Like My Man”. The simple, distorted guitars under the anguished lead vocals and back-ups reminds me uncannily of ’60s soul gospel numbers. I often thing an acoustic session with a modern indie pop band will tell you if they actually have good songs, so does this song reveal that Jones and Co have good songs and plenty of style.

Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings – Mama Don’t Like My Man (mp3) (buy)

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You can grab the title track in exchange for your email address or hear more at their myspace.

rural south african soccer

The World Cup starts today and I’m in the thick of it. A game will be played 500m from my doorstep in a few scant hours. The anticipation is madness; I think the country will explode before the first game.

My South African parents didn’t listen to pop music but we did have Graceland. My brother and I would blast the opening accordion riff of “I Know What I Want” and dance around the living room while my parents were out. After that I started collecting music on various trips here. Much later, I’d dig through the world music archives at KZSU trying to find still new more great music. I’ve always had a soft spot for the music of this country.

South Africa has eleven official languages and many unofficial ones. There are two dozen or more strong musical traditions and there are so many different styles of music in South Africa, one couldn’t even count them all.

Today, with the start of the World Cup and the eyes of the world on South Africa, I wanted to share with you some of my favorite tunes in a variety of styles.

Obviously this is not comprehensive and skewed in styles. There’s significant rock, folk, reggae, Indian-derived music, Islamic music, kwaito, house and other dance music, and many other styles that are produced in South Africa in abundance that aren’t represented below. Nevertheless I hope you enjoy the music I’ve picked.

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You can grab all the songs here. See below for individual songs.
South Africa Mix (zip file, mediafire link)

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Vintage R&B-influenced Afropop (Xhosa)
Miriam Makeba – Pata Pata
Makeba, one of the most famous South African singers, recorded this hit with a Philadelphia R&B producer in 1967. This is a song that never gets old.

Miriam Makeba – Pata Pata (mp3) (buy)

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Hip Hop/ Motswako (English, Setswana)
Tuks – Botho (feat Kabomo)
I’m a sucker for hip hop slow jams and this is a good one from possibly my favorite South African rapper. From the oddly picked Katie Melua sample to the laid back, but discontent lyrics, I think this is a winner. Tuks’ song aren’t universally great but his best songs are very good.

Tuks – Botho (feat Kabomo) (mp3) (from artist website)

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Township Jive/ Mbaqanga + Maskandi (Zulu)
Ubombo – Sibonabantu Ben Zondo & Nganeziyamfisa No Khambalomvaleliso – Sini Lindile
Here are two stylistically similar songs. And both are awesome. With the virtuosic guitar beginning and the rapid-fire spoken section, there’s a touch of maskandi in these, but in the end, I just like calling them ‘awesome’. (I think they’d be classified as mbaqanga.) Great call-and-response, upbeat bass and concertina/ accordion work in both.

Ubombo – Sibonabantu Ben Zondo (mp3) (buy)

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Nganeziyamfisa No Khambalomvaleliso – Sini Lindile (mp3) (buy)

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Cape Town Jazz
Abdullah Ibrahim – Mannenberg Is Where It’s Happening (Cape Town Fringe)
Among the most famous South African jazz musicians along with Hugh Masekela, Abdullah Ibrahim (formerly known as Dollar Brand) produced a hit and an iconic piece with “Mannenberg”. As music historian Rob Allingham says “from the first bar, you know it could only have come out of South Africa.” Many articles have been written about this beautiful song.

Abdullah Ibrahim – Mannenberg Is Where It’s Happening (Cape Town Fringe) (mp3) (buy)

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“Mbube”/ early Zulu Choral Music (Zulu)
Solomon Linda’s Original Evening Birds – Mbube
From the first notes of the song, you’ll probably recognize it. It’s not A Lion Sleeps Tonight—it’s what that song ripped off. A simple and instantly catchy song, American corporations have made millions of the song while, until recently, Linda and his family got nothing.

Solomon Linda’s Original Evening Birds – Mbube (mp3) (buy)

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Read the rest of this entry »

a reissue of an early Tamla record

You know I love soul. I love Motown’s soul pop sound. I love Stax’s hard driving soul and soul-funk. I’m into Dusty’s blue-eyed soul and some of that Northern Soul sound.

But sometimes I want that other stuff, that down and dirty rhythm and blues, with sauntering bass lines and tight-but-rough horn lines. With swinging drums and voices that tell you they know a little something about the world. That music that makes you feel like dancing, like swaggering. The stuff that transports you to dank and smokey juke joints somewhere in the Deep South, many years ago, when things were better, but things were worse.

I love “Down Home Girl” which comes from a great collection of music by famed producer team Lieber and Stoller. I’m not quite sure how two Jewish guys from New York produced such a fantastic R&B record, but here it is.

Alvin Robinson – Down Home Girl (mp3) (buy)

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OKeh was a pretty important label in early R&B and there are some excellent collections of their material out. From Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’ “I Put a Spell on You” to absolute winners like Big Maybelle, who recorded “A Whole Lot of Shakin’ Goin’ On” two years before Jerry Lee Lewis had a hit with it. Check out “New Kind of Mambo” and see if you don’t want to move a little bit.

Big Maybelle – New Kind of Mambo (mp3) (buy)

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Early in Motown’s history, before they became Detroit’s hit factory (complete with a quality control department) and became synonymous with a type of soul pop, they dabbled some in rhythm and blues. Released on Tamla (a Motown subsidiary) in September 1960, this Smokey Robinson & Berry Gordy-penned number broke the top-30 on the R&B charts, qualifying it to be one of Motown’s earliest hits. Still it remains obscure—and awesome.

Singin’ Sammy Ward – Who’s the Fool? (mp3) (buy)

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Joe Pug by Adrian Bischoff

Certain phrases skew themselves toward certain types of music. “I Will Follow” has a tendency to be in pop music–think Little Peggy March’s “I Will Follow Him” or Death Cab for Cuties’s “I Will Follow You into the Dark”; for whatever reason, “Bury Me” has a tendency to be in folk music. Perhaps its the genre’s overall fascination with death. Death and bad-man ballads are common in traditional folk music from the American South, a tradition that carried into country, bluegrass, folk-revival and the various forms of music that have roots in that music. “Folsom Prison Blues” and “O Death” are just two of many examples.

So perhaps its just in folk music’s DNA to look toward death. The idea of death and requests about one’s burial aren’t exclusive to folk music, of course, but many folk songs, including the three below, have these as common themes.

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’60s folk revival revival:

I loved the live version of this song so it was one of the first I listened to when I got Joe Pug’s (myspace) latest release and first full length, Messenger. The record version doesn’t disappoint and I think it stands as one of Pug’s greatest lyrical achievements since “Hymn #101″.

Sitting solidly within the tradition of the folk music revival, and particularly Dylan’s early work, I would call Joe Pug folk music revival revival (but I’m silly).

Joe Pug – Bury Me Far (From My Uniform) (mp3) (buy)

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Old-timey ballad:

One of my favorite songs, this comes from Lomax’s 1958 recordings from the Ozarks. Almeda Riddle has a classic voice; perhaps that’s understating it: Almeda Riddle has a perfect old-timey ballad voice. This song, which came from a broadsheet, has a classic tune and is dripping with melancholy both lyrically and musically.

This song sits solidly within old-timey balladry and, as I mentioned, is a perfect example of the style that was common and appreciated.

Almeda Riddle – Bury Me Beneath the Willow (mp3) (buy)

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Country singer-songwriter:

Otis Gibbs (myspace) is an artist that I came across when I was DJing at KZSU. This song is a nice waltz that really hits its stride in the chorus, where the melody is backed with lush and lovely harmonies.

His style is a bit hard to describe, drawing on elements of country, particularly classic country, but also displaying elements of modern folk singer-songwriter music and old-time dance music. In the end he creates something that is thoroughly not Nashville, not pop country, but still identifiable as country.

Otis Gibbs – Bury Me on a Rainy Day (mp3) (buy)

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Bonus (cowboy ballad):

Bury Me Not on the Lone Prarie is a cowboy song that’s been recorded by the many artists including the Carter Family and Johnny Cash. This is a lovely version from a collection of old-time music.

Fields Ward – Bury Me Not on the Lone Prarie (mp3) (buy)

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I love Ace Records’ oldies/ R&B compilations so I’ve picked some up without really knowing much about them. Some I listen to pretty frequently while a few have fallen by the wayside.

The other day this song, from the waysided Goldwax Story, vol 1, came on and I was blown away. Sam Cooke’s voice is among the top two male vocalists in pop history (with Smokey Robinson being the other), in my opinion. I knew this wasn’t Sam Cooke but if I closed my eyes, I could almost be fooled. Louis Williams does a pretty spot-on (and purposeful) Sam Cooke impersonation and with the rest of the Ovations produces a convincing and compelling track in “I’m Living Good”.

The Ovations – I’m Living Good (mp3)

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You can pick this track (and the rest of the compilation) up at amazon.

There’s not that’s gotten me out of my music blogging hibernation, but on a tip from Slowcoustic, I checked out the Belgian band Isbells (myspace).

Their self-titled album from 2009 struck me immediately. Fairly simple acoustic songs with lush vocals, often in falsetto ala Bon Iver, dominate the album. (But I think it would be a mistake to dismiss this band as a Bon Iver knock-off.) The songs are melancholy and beautiful, filled with yearning.

While the album isn’t perfect–there are a couple weaker songs–and it sits as much as a collection of songs as an album, it’s still very much worth getting and listening to, perhaps on your ipod as you walk through streets as it rains, clearing your head and sorting out your own yearnings.

Isbells – As Long as It Takes (mp3)

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Isbells – Reunite (mp3)

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You can get the album from amazon mp3 or get the CD from Belgium.

Zydeco Night at Rock N Bowl

I was in New Orleans with some friends over New Year’s and I keep thinking back on the first three nights we were there. They were among the most satisfying consecutive nights of music I’ve had. And the great thing is that they were standing gigs, so if you go, you can probably see the same events.

So without further ado, here are three recommendations for shows in New Orleans:

• Zydeco night at Rock n Bowl: This one is not quite a show as much as a musical experience. My friends and I headed to Rock n Bowl our first night in New Orleans for Zydeco. (The night we went Geno Delafose was performing, but I think the music is pretty consistently good there.) There was a stage, a dance floor, a bar and a bowling alley, all right next to each other. Zydeco, a style of Louisiana dance music with heavy use of the washboard, along with some accordion and rock instruments, is a lively and fun music to watch and dance to. Even better is bowling to it. And if our night wasn’t complete by drinking, bowling and jiving to the band, near the end of the night the bartenders got on the bar and hula-hooped. Check calendar for nights.
• Rebirth Brass Band at the Maple Leaf: The next night we went to Uptown to Maple Leaf to see the Rebirth Brass Band’s (myspace) standing Tuesday night gig. Their first set started at about 11pm; after a half hour break, their next set started at about 12:30am. I’m not sure how many sets they played that night but they were coming on for at least another. Mixing traditional New Orleans brass band (second-line) elements with hip hop, funk, soul and jazz, the band tore the roof off of the packed and sweaty Maple Leaf in a long continuous set of originals and covers. The sound wasn’t the best at the club but the tunes and atmosphere were great as everyone seemed to enjoyed the performance. Tuesdays.
• Walter “Wolfman” Washington at d.b.a.: For our third night, we headed to the Marigny to see Walter “Wolfman” Washington’s (myspace) at d.b.a.. “Wolfman” is an old school R&B/ soul musician. He has a bunch of young guns filling out his band and they’re tight. D.B.A. is also a nice bar with a good selection of the beers, so between that and the solid music, it’s a good time. Wednesdays.

I couldn’t get a few songs by the Tallest Man on Earth out of my head in 2009

I’m not going to make a best-of 2009 list (thought I did post one other best of 2009 list). I have about 2/3 of the year covered well but the rest of the year’s releases I haven’t covered as well. I still listen to music obsessively, though and so I can make this list without fear of inadequate preparation. As always with song obsessions, I don’t really choose the songs, they choose me. I wish I always knew why a song sticks in my head, but it doesn’t happen that way.

If you’re interested in this, check out my 2008 and 2007 lists.

I know that this is much later than many year-end lists, but as a semi-retired music blogger, I have the luxury of setting my own schedule. It’s pretty nice.

1. the Tallest Man on Earth – the Gardener (mp3) (buy)

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   Nearly every track on Shallow Grave was among my top listened songs according to last.fm, but this one stood out a bit more than the rest. It has that incessant, but interesting strumming, and beautifully melodic and poignant vocals.

2. Adele – Hometown Glory (mp3) (buy)

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   I initially wrote Adele off. I thought she was just another manufactured British retro-soul artist. Then I saw her perform “Chasing Pavements” on a few late night shows and my opinion started to turn. But it was when I saw her perform this song on Conan’s show (I can’t find a video, but here’s a similar performance of the song on Letterman) that I realize she was for real. This really is a stunning song. She’s got a great voice and the simple and subdued orchestration works well.

3. David Ruffin – Anything You Ask For (mp3) (buy)

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   Definitely not a 2009 song but one that I was obsessed with during the year. From the stutter-start drums to the funky guitar to the lush strings to Ruffin’s gravely-but-sweat voice, there’s nothing about this song I don’t like.

4. the Gaslight Anthem – the ‘59 Sound (mp3) (buy)

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   Another band that I initially wrote off but I came around on. I actually like this whole album, but this song is definitely a stand-out. It’s just so catchy and sincere.

5. Shirley Ann Lee – There’s a Light (mp3) (buy)

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   This is the song that made me want to get yet another of Numero Group’s fantastic releases, Downriver Revival (which I did get and later reviewed). It’s so simple: straight forward guitar work and absolutely burning vocals. One couldn’t ask for more from a soul gospel number.

6. Henry Lumpkin – Don’t Leave Me (mp3) (buy)

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   I got a lot of Motown in a hurry so some of it slipped by the wayside. In particularly the early stuff didn’t get a full listen. With this year being the 50th anniversary of Motown’s founding, I went back to listen to some of it and found some true gems, like this anguished soul number from someone I’d never heard of. It quickly went into heavy rotation.

7. Tallest Man on Earth – I Want You (mp3) (free at Daytrotter)

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   If the beginning if the year was dominated by songs from Tallest Man’s Shallow Grave, the latter bit was dominated by this song, a Dylan cover, and others from the Daytrotter session. I’m a sucker for good banjo work and this song is nothing if not a display of great banjo work–it’s also a lovely tune.

8. Dawes – When My Time Comes (mp3) (free at daytrotter, buy original)

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   This is a good tune with a great and very endearing chorus. It’s that simple. It’s also noteworthy that this is essentially a live-to-tape track—I don’t think there are any overdubs on Daytrotter sessions—so it’s impressive that they just nail the harmonies throughout without any dubs.

9. Alberta Cross – Low Man (mp3) (buy)

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   Hearya and others have been talking about Alberta Cross for a while so when his new album came out I decided to check out a few tracks. This one played on repeat for much of my time in rural South Africa and later when I was getting settled again in Cape Town.

10. Jonsi + Alex – Happiness (mp3) (buy)

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    This is another situation where I was really obsessed with an entire album and this song just has a slight lead over the others. Even before I knew this was Sigur Ros-related—it was released on the Dark was the Night comp as a Riceboy Sleeps track—I loved it. Ambiant, long, moving, gorgeous, and slowly developing, it reminds me both of what I like best about Sigur Ros and modern, melody-driven composers like Aaron Copland.

11. Mayer Hawthorne – Your Easy Lovin’ Ain’t Pleasin’ Nothin’ (mp3) (buy)

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    Retro-soul like any genre has its hits and its misses and I really think Hawthorne’s A Strange Arrangement is a hit. Great production, interesting songs, good beats. This is one of the first songs I heard from it and I really enjoyed its breezy oldies vibe enough that it kept me coming back.

12. J. Tillman – When I light Your Darkened Door (mp3) (buy)

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    Sometimes I have a problem where if I decide [x] is my favorite album by an artist, I’ll listen to that to the exclusion of their other albums. Trying to fix that (my favorite Tillman album is Minor Works), I went back to some of his other work and this song really struck me. Crushingly beautiful is one way to put it.

13. Jay Z and Santogold – Brooklyn Go Hard (mp3) (buy)

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    I’m not from Brooklyn and I’m not a big fan of either Jay Z or Santogold, but something about this song had me coming back for it again and again. I think it may be how incessant and intriguing the phrase “we go hard” is to me.

14. Kid Cudi – Alive (mp3) (buy)

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    It’s pretty easy to pinpoint what had me hooked to this song: the weird swooping synth sounds in the verses. I also like the flow of Common’s verses a lot; they fit the beat well.

15. John Vanderslice – Too Much Time (demo) (mp3) (buy original)

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    I was obsessed with at least three different versions of this song this year, including the beautiful version with the Magik*Magik orchestra which I first heard at the Tiny Telephone 10th Anniversary Show and later in the linked video above. It’s a good song with a great chorus. I love the demo’s subdued collection of synth sounds under JV’s plaintive vocals.

16. Fanfarlo – I’m a Pilot (mp3) (buy)

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    I’ve long been a Fanfarlo fan and so when the first hints of their new album came out, I was listening with keen interest. With keen interest over and over and over.

17. the Welcome Wagon – But for You Who Fear My Name (mp3) (buy)

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    It’s funny that I have two stomp-clap songs in a row. I like this rousing Sufjan-produced campfire song.

18. Passion Pit – Sleepyhead (the One AM Radio remix) (mp3) (from tour only b-sides compilation)

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    My most recent obsession on the list[1]. It’s an obsession entirely because it’s so ridiculous. And that it’s on the makes-me-smile side of the ridiculous line.

19. The Swinging Tigers – Snake Walk, Part 1 (mp3) (buy)

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    If you’ve paid attention to my mixes or when I used to do soul sets on my radio show, you know I’m a sucker for hard swinging soul instrumentals. I found this one listening back to some early Motown stuff early on in the year. Every time I heard this one, I want to do an anachronistic and over-the-top dance to it.

20. the National – Wasp Nest (mp3) (buy)

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    I don’t know who or what pointed me this song midway through the year, but I quickly got the rest of the Cherry Tree EP and found myself wondering why didn’t anyone tell me this EP was so good?. I really like the interplay between the vocals and the shimmery instrumentation on this one.

[1] But not my last obsession of 2009. That would be “Prarie Night (Card Game at Night” from Aaron Copland’s Billy the Kid

Sandy from Slowcoustic asked me if I wanted to take part of his “Best of…Bloggers” series and I was happy to take part. This originally appeared at there. I had a bit of a hard time deciding what “Best of” I could do for 2009 since my music involvement has been very different for the last four months of it, so I decided to do this.

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Of possibly everything related to music that people rate, probably one of the most subjective is live performances. There’s so much besides the music that factors into the experience–what else happened that day, were you with friends or alone, what your expectations were, what the people standing near you were like–that one’s review sometimes not even up to the performers.

With that in mind, I present to you, in chronological order, very personal list of most memorable music moments from 2009.

• David Bazan @ house show, Berkeley (2/18)
  I saw two of Bazan’s house shows this year but this was easily the better. Attentively sitting on someone’s living room floor, about thirty big-time Bazan fans watched him perform without amplification a few feet away. The music was great, the between-song conversation was good, the crowd was awesome–there wouldn’t be a lot of ways to make this show better.



• Yoni Wolf @ Apple Store (2/28)
  I hadn’t much considered Why? before this. This show with the frontman and an electric piano changed that somewhat. But what is most memorable about this performance was the once-off cover of “This is the Day.” I remember the hymn from church growing up but Wolf’s version that day was dark and haunting and still sticks with me.



• Les Savy Fav @ the Mezzanine, San Francisco (3/1)
  I’d heard many stories about the antics of Les Savy Fav live show and, in particular, frontman Tim Harrington’s antics. This show did not disappoint whatsoever. Harrington came out covered in toilet paper but quickly stripped down to his shorts. Before the night was up he spit beer into the crowd, licked the lens of the photographer standing next to me and duct-taped a girl to him. In between all of this, he managed to sing some songs.



• The Rural Alberta Advantage @ Central Presbyterian, Austin (3/19); @ Bottom of the Hill, San Francisco (7/9)
  Two very different shows but both very memorable. At the Central Presbyterian show during SxSW, I saw the band completely win over an audience of people largely unfamiliar with their music. They were on top form and I had chills for about half the show. When the finished the show acoustically in the main aisle of the church, I was in awe like everyone around me. The Bottom of the Hill show was the last Ipickmynose Presents show and it was a rousing success. Two days after their debut album came out to much acclaim, the band seemed to still be surprised by their success and performed a fantastic show.



• The Tallest Man on Earth @ the Rickshaw Stop, San Francisco (3/25)
  I’d been obsessing about Shallow Grave for months leading up to this show, which was just a week after I’d seen the Swede, Kristian Matsson, at SxSW. This show was more noteworthy than the SxSW in that this performance was just perfect. Matsson has a way of performing that is just as much about movement as it is about music. He sits during the slow beginning of a song and then stands moves fluidly to the front of the stage and looks out into the audience. After this show nearly everyone I talked to said they thought he was looking right at them, bringing the performance to each audience member in a way few artists do.



• Damien Jurado @ Bottom of the Hill, San Francisco (5/5)
  I’ve seen Jurado perform about six or seven times now, but this show seemed to have what would have been my hand-picked setlist of favorites performed with intensity. In his first four songs were “Ghost of David”, “Medication” and “Ohio” and I knew it would be a good night.



• Iron & Wine @ Swedish America Hall, San Francisco (5/7)
  I’d seen Iron & Wine a few times, including one magical time in 2004 at the Great American Music Hall, but even that time wasn’t at a venue as small as the Swedish American. Maybe this show stuck with me because his setlist, chosen by fans on his website, was filled with nostalgic favorites. Maybe it was because the Swedish American has great acoustics for solo shows. Maybe it was just a great performance.



• Or, the Whale @ the Independent, San Francisco (6/6)
  I love Or, the Whale and this show was good, but the experience here wasn’t about the music (which was great as always). Two months before I was to leave for South Africa, the experience was noteworthy because every time I turned around there was a friend of mine or someone I wanted to talk to. It was a blast and I went home thinking I might be making a mistake moving away.



• John Vanderslice @ Secret House Show, San Francisco (7/25)
  I’m still not sure how this all came together but my going away party in San Francisco was a secret show by John Vanderslice in my apartment to me and thirty of my friends. Completely without amplification, JV was accompanied by Jamie Riotta on upright bass and vocals. My cheeks hurt from grinning so much. It was utterly spellbinding and will probably go down as one of my most memorable music experiences in my entire life.

White Plains from ipickmynose on Vimeo.

• “Oh How I’d Miss You” @ my apartment, San Francisco (7/25)
  Following JV’s performance, I played a killer soul playlist with this Marvin Gaye/ Tammi Terrell number on it. After people trickled out, my lady friend and I spontaneously danced in an empty living room to this song. But, given that I was leaving the country a week later, the lyrics were a bit too topical and near the end of the song I looked up to see her crying.
• Sangoma Ceremony @ private home, Khayelitsha, South Africa (8/15)
  Saying yes to a series of opportunities led me to be in a tiny tin-sided house off a dirt path in a township outside Cape Town. A new sangoma (sometimes translated as ‘witch doctor’) was being initiated and there was much dancing, singing and clapping among the couple dozen people packed into the house. It was an experience that few outsiders get to have.



• Zulu hymns @ small church, Ingwavuma (9/6)
  This church is at the end of the road, literally. The tar road ends about 2km before it and the dirt road ends right at it. A few hundred meters father, the hill drops off steeply into Swaziland. The hymns during the actual service were sung in both Zulu and English but were largely not noteworthy. While I was sitting waiting for the service to begin, though, women scattered around the room spontaneously and seemingly without coordination started the most beautiful hymns I’d ever heard. Four part harmony filled the room. It was baking hot in that room and I still had chills.

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What have been your most memorable music moments this year?

This blog started because friends would ask me what I was listening to so I just started keeping track online. Well, more often than that, I would get psyched about a band and email a bunch of friends about them. I haven’t been exposed to as much new music lately, but I did have an experience reminiscent of that recently with Portland’s A Weather (myspace).

Their whispery and often breathtakingly gorgeous folk reminds me of P:ano’s magnificent debut When It’s Dark and It’s Summer (previously). Both their album Cove and the EP Feather Test are really solid and worth checking out. Their music is reminiscent of a fair amount of music I’ve heard before but that’s not to say it doesn’t stand on it’s own.

A Weather – Spiders, Snakes (mp3)

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A Weather – Oh My Stars (mp3)

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You can buy Cove (and their previous EP) at amazon. Slowcoustic has a lovely tune by A Weather’s Sarah Winchester along with some A Weather tunes.

Rural Alberta Advantage by ipickmynose

“Wow” “…wow. That was … great.”

I was backstage at the Bottom of the Hill for the ipickmynose presents show with the Rural Alberta Advantage. It was just me, Nils and a guy named Travis from KALX–Amy and Paul had gone back to their hotel to change. Travis had asked Nils to do a quick acoustic song to accompany the interview they just did and after a brief misstart Nils stunned me with a version of “In the Summertime.” He finished and after a long pause I could barely choke out a compliment.

the Rural Alberta Advantage – In the Summertime (acoustic) (mp3, for KALX)

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If you like this you should also check out the solo piano version of the song on the RAA’s daytrotter session. And, of course, I highly recommend buying the original version if you don’t have it yet.

Nils from the Rural Alberta Advantage at the Bottom of the Hill

One may wonder how I’m so lucky. I often wonder the same thing. A great going away party has all your friends, plenty of good conversation, and maybe some beer if you’re into that sort of thing. Add to that an intimate, acoustic performance by one of your favorite musicians and it’s really hard to describe how amazing the outcome is.

John Vanderslice (myspace) did just that for my going away part. He and Jamie Riotto (on upright bass) played about an hour with no mics or amplification whatsoever. The gathered audience, sitting on the floor of my cleared out Mission apartment, was entranced. There was hardly a sound except for thunderous applause and “woos!” after each and every song. Figuring that the effect of having this show in my own apartment and for me had skewed my perspective, I said to a number of people afterwards “that was pretty good, right?” Every single one of them corrected me: “No, that was amazing.”

Thanks, JV, for making it a wonderful evening an unforgettable one. And if you were in the audience, thanks for coming. These videos and photos don’t do it justice, but they’re something I’d like to share here anyway.

Romanian Names from ipickmynose on Vimeo.

White Plains from ipickmynose on Vimeo.

Lucifer Rising, by John Vanderslice from ipickmynose on Vimeo.

I have a signed set list among my prized possessions but unfortunately I don’t have a scan of it handy. I will add it to this page eventually.

JV, by the way, has a new 7″ coming out with “Too Much Time” on it. You can get it from Dead Oceans. They’ve also posted a demo version of the song, which is flippin great:

John Vanderslice – Too Much Time (demo) (mp3)

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This is emphatically not a return to form. I’ve been sharing songs with friends and I thought it was a bit silly to not share them here too.

colo(u)rful houses in Bo Kaap

I quite like this Alberta Cross song. The whole album is good, too, though I don’t love every song.
Alberta Cross – Low Man (mp3)

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Volcano Choir is a side project of Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon. This track was not what I expected, but it’s quite catchy/ good. And Justin’s vocals are wonderful as always.
Volcano Choir – Island, IS (mp3)

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Soul Sides has been posting some fantastic stuff lately and you’d be remiss to not check it out. Bobby Freeman’s “Good Good Lovin’” is a classic blues-based, Motown-sound track with a hard driving sax part. They posted two tracks by the Metros and both are excellent soul tracks, but I like the dark, swaggering “Since I Found My Baby” better.

They also posted these oh-those-are-funny videos of Lushlife doing acoustic covers of classic hip hop tunes. They are so funny, until you realize they’re actually quite compelling. For example, this Jay Z cover:

I definitely am going to keep my eye out for Mayer Hawthorne after a few tracks of his I heard recently. Grab the breezy, oldies- and Motown-inspired “Your Easy Lovin’ Ain’t Pleasin’ Nothin’” at MBV.

I don’t know much about Monogrenade but I quite like folky The Acorn-reminiscent track “Ce Soir” that Anyone’s Guess posted.

The B-side of the Very Best 7″, “Yalira”, available here, is beautiful and worth the listen.

I’ve been listening to the Frightened Rabbit Daytrotter session a lot. The featured version of “My Backwards Walk” is great.

And, finally, if I’m posting, I feel it’s my duty to mention the great KevvyKev’s (one of KZSU’s own) 25th anniversary Bang the Drum concert with 25 DJs and 25 MCs. It’s definitely another impressive line up. Check out all the details.

boats in Kalk Bay, False Bay