I AM FUEL, YOU ARE FRIENDS

...we've got the means to make amends. I am lost, I'm no guide, but I'm by your side. (Pearl Jam, Leash)

Monday, September 01, 2008

Monday Music Roundup

Holy crap, it's already September! I ushered out the unofficial end of summer/Labor Day Weekend with a camping trip that found me sleeping in a real, live, badass teepee after being eaten alive by mosquitoes while making several s'mores.

AND I got five bugbites on my face. That's just hot any way you look at it.

I've also been developing Space Bar Wrist (new ailment) while trying fruitlessly to crack the leader board on the new awesomely '80s Monolith shoot-em-up video game where you can win all-access passes to the fest (Sept 13-14). And I think the scorer is broken because I'm not that bad.

Tunes for the week!

Kiss Me Again
Jessica Lea Mayfield

Scott Avett of The Avett Brothers says that 18-year old Ohio native Jessica Lea Mayfield is "the most exciting new artist in the scene today," her debut album With Blasphemy, So Heartfelt was produced by Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys (she sang backup on Attack & Release), and the album also features vocals from two members of Dr. Dog. These are all more than enough recommendation for me to listen to her, and I love what I hear. Similar to the fabulous Samantha Crain, Mayfield has a dusty, echoey old-time sound to her mournful music that gets under your skin. She's playing a slew of upcoming shows with the aforementioned fan bands, as well as My Morning Jacket, and her album is out Sept 16th on Polymer Sounds.


Good Ol' Fashioned Nightmare
Matt and Kim
Yeah! Brooklyn duo Matt and Kim turned in one of the single most enthusiastic performances that I saw at Monolith last year, a cataclysmic explosion of spirited yelling and jubilant rhythm. This song is a shiny new free download from their upcoming release Grand (RCRDLBL), and opens with such a sunny simplicity that it could be one of those homemade ditties you would compose on your new Casio keyboard on Christmas morning, using the program function and your siblings' handclaps for backup percussion. I love it.


Kicking Bird
Wovenhand

There is an unrelenting wilderness, a near Western riot in this song from David Eugene Edwards, the Colorado solo artist behind Wovenhand. Various folks have tried to nail down the sound of this former 16 Horsepower frontman with analogies like, 'Bauhaus meets Billy Graham' or 'Nick Cave and Johnny Cash in a shootout in Deadwood.' It conjures up a whole other world on the edge of some sort of Southern friend apocalypse. Ten Stones is out next week on the Sounds Familyre label, and the current tour hits Denver on October 25th (and looks something like this).


Furr
Blitzen Trapper
So, do you remember that scene at the very end of Dazed & Confused where freshman Mitch lays back on his bed with the headphones on, after that beautiful and crazy night, and a huge smile spreads across his face while the record player spins? In that moment he's listening to "Summer Breeze" by Seals & Croft but if they were looking for alternate substitutions that captured that same feeling, allow me to recommend this new song from Portland's Blitzen Trapper. Yes, the album cover makes it looks like an especially woodsy death metal band, but just take a listen to this goodness -- with those ear-catching lyrics about mothers shouting through the fog, the listening for the angels, and curling up underneath a dogwood tree. BT hits Monolith Sept 13th. Hurrah!


No One Does It Like You
Department of Eagles

The first thing we should establish is that Department of Eagles is not a particularly scintillating division of your local rangers outpost, but actually a side project band of Daniel Rossen of the Brooklyn band Grizzly Bear. He must be a big fan of native wildlife, what with the bears, the eagles. Either that or pro football. In any case -- this song is all delightful retro-psychedelic fuzz with pieces that alternately recall the Beach Boys and tunes like the 1966 hit "Little Red Riding Hood." Plus, the b-side to this first official single is a cover of a JoJo song, so really -- come on. In Ear Park is out October 7th on 4AD.

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8 Comments:

At September 02, 2008 2:04 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I loved the Woven hand mp3 that you posted. I wouldn't be as bold as to try to pinpoint the sound - it has so much in it and is reminiscent of so many different things - from Adam Ant through the music from Kostaritsa's movies... Kostaritsa and The No Smoking Orchestra.

 
At September 02, 2008 7:20 AM, Blogger J said...

I also just discovered Jessica Lea Mayfield (like just yesterday). I'm really looking forward to seeing her with the Black Keys at the end of the month. Hopefully the Black Keys bring her on stange to do "Things Ain't Like They Used To Be" with them.

 
At September 02, 2008 11:22 AM, Blogger Taylor said...

The Song that plays at the end of "Dazed & Confused" when he puts on his headphones is "Slow Ride".
"Summer Breeze" is playing when he's hooking up with the sophomore girl on the blanket outside her car.
None the less, great movie, great soundtrack and the Blitzen track "furr" is great as well.
Love ur blog

 
At September 02, 2008 11:27 AM, Blogger heather said...

Gah! Taylor, you are so right. Dammit! I knew something about that didn't seem right when I was typing it late last night but I like my soundtracking revision choice better. :))


thanks for the info/correction.

 
At September 03, 2008 9:48 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I received the new Wovenhand album yesterday in the mail. Now that's what I call a pre-order!

I have listened to it over and over and over and it gets better and better every time.

 
At September 04, 2008 2:20 PM, Blogger Unknown said...

Now it is all the more disappointing you missed Lucero at The Black Sheep. Jessica Lee Mayfield was one of the two openers. I think any given song on its own I would like just fine, but her songs started to all seem the same to me hearing them together live. Her brother was rocking the upright bass and stole the show.

 
At October 02, 2008 5:47 PM, Blogger Kerry Timander said...

Thanks for the tip on the Blitzen album. Liked the last one, but love this one. Wouldn't have known it was coming if it weren't for your blog.

Thanks,

Larry Mann
http://www.thesnacktray.com

 
At December 02, 2008 6:20 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

hey!

thank you for posting the Wolvenhand mp3! such a great song and band! For anyone out there who likes them, I would also suggest checking out Fatboy from Sweden: myspace.com/gofatboy!
They also kick ass!

 

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