captains dead

sometimes one of the highest compliments i can pay a record is that its too short. i know thats a pretty lame compliment, but when you want more of what a record is giving you i think thats a pretty awesome type of longing. a meager nine songs make up strand of oaks’ leave ruin, which is either a pity, or just the right amount. for the most part, im torn. i want to hear so much more, but me thinks these nine songs are so strong that i would’ve hated to have him, timothy showalter, muck it up with possible filler. honestly, i havent come across a record this identifiable in a long, long while. showalter’s lyrics seem to have taken pages out of the various stages of my semi adult life. i have only spent less than 24 hours with it, but i feel like its going to be one of them records i listen to for years to come. highly, highly recommended! seems like, as of late, i have really been gushing on a lot of shit. signs of a good year…. if you download only one of 10 songs i recommend this year, check out “new paris.”

you can buy it on amazon for a mere 7.99. money well spent….

ryan over at muzzle of bees has got an interview with mr showalter for your reading pleasure.

end in flames

oneida kinda fell off my radar after secret wars, which was 4 records ago. i hear everything since has been pretty stellar, but still havent listened to any of it. no better way to get back into em than a triple album?!? yep, rated o is a triple record, and is also the middle child of the “thank you parents” trilogy – 08’s preteen weaponry was the first installment. here are three tracks from the 7.07 jagjaguwar release.

i will haunt you
saturday
whats up jackal

there are a whole bunch of records that i keep meaning to get around to listening to, but yet they keep escaping my ears. the obits’ i blame you is high on that list, and this, “two-headed coin,” the follow up single only solidifies that i needed to hear it yesterday.

two headed coin
pine on

mr scott kannberg aka spiral stairs where the hell have you been for the past 5 years? living off those high dollar pavement royalty checks that float your way every month? oh so i see it says you’ve hangin out in melbourne for a while. not to sure how long “awhile” is but hey its your life, you do what you want, i suppose. well, im glad you’re back and happen to be bringing with you your first “bona fide” solo release which you are calling the real feel, which is due out on matador on 10.20. check the matador blog post that talks about the album in length, but briefly. btw, im psyched….

maltese terrier

stating the obvious in 3,2,1… we’ve hit that pivotal mid year point, time to start separating the good records from the bad, the great records from the downright shitty. like any music dork worth his weight in beat to shit concert t’s, i must take a personal inventory in what has been turning me on thus far. i gotta admit, its been a pretty great year. so great, in fact, that i could probably come up with a really solid top 20 at this point, but i wont. what i do have for ya though is my top 7 of the year, at this point. only caveat is is that they are in no particular order, cause as of right now anyone of these could potentially be my favorite of the year.

so far there’s been two real surprises. the first being magnolia electric co’s josephine which is just a wonderful record, definitely on par with some of his best work ie songs:ohia’s magnolia electric co and didnt it rain. i have complained in the past about his quality control issues, and this record only solidifies that view point, me thinks.

second surprise, although it really should come as no surprise, at least to me, is dinosaur jr’s farm. i guess i just wasnt expecting it to kick ass much ass as it does. its classic dino jr, nuff said.

dawes myspace

when my time comes
that western skyline via daytrotter

magnolia electric co site

josephine

dinosaur jr site

i want you to know
stream farm in its entirety on their myspace page

justin townes earle myspace

what i mean to you
mama’s eyes

jason isbell site

seven mile island

roadside graves site

far and wide
ruby

william elliott whitmore site

old devils

you know what you are getting yourself into when you happen upon a david yow related recording, i think that’s fair to say. i hate to pigeonhole the guy, but its the truth. he’s got a newer band called qui. they put out a record last year, or the year before, that i didnt listen to – it is called loves miracle, btw. well, they have a new one coming out, that i will hopefully listen to, called penuce sometime in ‘10. this track, “prison braid” is off their recently released 7″ on infrasonic sound, which is a studio as well as a label as it turns out.

prison braid