New Music Collaborative

Whitney Houston

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 15:22:00 +0000

I've never written about a celebrity/singer's death here but Whitney Houston's songs soundtracked so much of my childhood and life that it's impossible not to say anything.

Back in the days when I was about 7 years old my parents would ask me to "dj" while they made dinner. I loved my designated job and took it very seriously. I'd sit on the hardwood floor for hours pouring over their cd collection, lining up the perfect matches. Whitney was always a large part of those mixes. The Bodyguard soundtrack had just been acquired at that time and I was obsessed, even though I was too young to see the movie. My little sister, at the age of five, specialized in singing "I Will Always Love You", hitting all the high notes. We used to dress her up and have her perform for my friends. If we had youtube back then she would have gone viral.

Later, in high school "I want to dance with somebody" became my ultimate sing into a hairbrush song and I often got all my friends to do it too. We still joke about those sing-a-long sessions today. In some cases, my love for that song is the only thing I still have in common with those people and it comes up whenever we run into each other. I played that song on the jukebox at our college bar every time I had a spare dollar, just to see the bar sing along. It was the most sung along to song right next to Madonna's "like a prayer" that played when the bar was closing.

Most recently, I dated someone who had a cd collection next to his bed. When I woke up in the mornings the Whitney album always seemed to be staring me in the face begging to be played. I almost always left his place with her songs playing on my ipod, I couldn't help myself. I found her vinyl record at a sidewalk sale while on a run this summer. I canceled the rest of my run so I could walk back with her 25 cent album in hand, happy as could be. I heard the sad news last night as friends were coming over and forced them to listen to that album on repeat. I woke up with "How Will I Know" stuck in my head. I'm singing it as I write this.

I could tell you about the rumors circulating now and the sad terms of her death, but what I just told you seems to me to be the most important. I grew up with Whitney soundtracking some of my fondest memories. I know she had her issues, but it still feels shocking that she's gone when I thought she'd be around for so much longer, hopefully a few more hit songs in her, to soundtrack more moments to come. I'm going to miss Whitney. Read this here if you want the finer details and a nice tribute.

Shakey Graves - Halloween

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 18:18:00 +0000

I've never had a more inexplicable love for a songwriter (except maybe my crush on Justin Townes Earle and the really nice shoes he wears). But this is different than my JTE crush, this is more about the music. When I get a new Shakey song, I can't stop playing it for months. A year after I first heard his songs from Roll the Bones he has released an EP available on bandcamp. It's just as sparse and gravely as his Roll the Bones album and now I need to excuse myself so I can play this on repeat for the next 72...err 200 hours.
&lt;p&gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://shakeygraves.bandcamp.com/track/halloween"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Halloween by Shakey Graves&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&amp;lt;a href="http://shakeygraves.bandcamp.com/track/the-waters"&amp;gt;The Waters by Shakey Graves&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Ravens & Chimes - Night

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 17:59:00 +0000

It was just two weeks ago that I rediscovered Ravens & Chimes lurking in the corners of my digital library. I didn't realize that they were about to release a new LP, Holiday Life, that has been a long time coming. According to MTV Hive, it took almost three years of in-band fighting, lack of funds, and working around day jobs to finish the album. Holiday Life will be released on April 3rd via Better Looking Records.

Ravens & Chimes - Night

Holiday Life Tracklist:
1. Division Street
2. The Parting Glass
3. Past Lives
4. Clarissa Explains It All
5. Night
6. In Rooms
7. Hearts of Palm
8. Fox Gloves
9. Arrow
10. Carousel

The Rosebuds - Road to Nowhere (Talking Heads Cover)

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:15:00 +0000

The Rosebuds released a stellar, albeit depressing, album in 2011 titled Loud Planes Fly Low. I live near enough to the airport that when the routes change no alarm clock is needed. I literally wake up to loud planes flying low. I think it's because of this that I always have one of their songs stuck in my head. Now maybe I can have this cover song stuck in my head instead, it works just as well and is an interesting take on the Talking Heads' classic. Download for free on bandcamp.

&lt;p&gt;&amp;lt;a href="http://therosebuds.bandcamp.com/track/road-to-nowhere-talking-heads-cover"&amp;gt;Road to Nowhere (Talking Heads Cover) by The Rosebuds&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Islands - Hallways

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 18:09:00 +0000

"Hallways" is the most upbeat song on Islands' new album A Sleep & A Forgetting. The jaunty piano and tambourine somehow make this song irresistible and worthy of repeating. It's a fun track on an otherwise lugubrious album. Not that it's a bad thing to put out an album like this, but it requires the listener to be in the right mood to be able to listen from start to finish. However, there is good reason for the album to be so moody as Nick Thorburn explains:

“This album is far more personal than any I’ve made before. I left New York after the end of a relationship and came to Los Angeles. There was a piano where I was staying and that’s where I wrote these songs. This record deals with loss, with memory and forgetting and with dreaming. I started writing it on Valentine’s Day and it’s coming out on Valentine’s Day.”

You can stream the album on soundcloud. It's out next week, Feb.14 on Anti Records. You can preorder it here.

Oldboy Memory - All Day With You

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 15:56:00 +0000

Something about all of these sunshiny days has left me craving twee-ish pop songs. It's a phase that takes hold and is hard to shake. I follow SEA Indie a south east asia label and they put out some interesting stuff. One song they posted was the following, and although it gets repetitive it's nice to have floating around in the background.

Brewery Sessions #2 TONIGHT!

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 20:26:00 +0000

If you follow me or my other blog, Brewery Sessions, on twitter you've surely heard enough of this by now. But we're so excited to be putting this show and tap takeover tonight. Mike and I are learning fast about what it takes to get a brewery's beers and a band in a venue on the same date. But now here I am, watching the clock and counting down the hours until this actually happens. It's only been 3 months since we launched our site and we're feeling incredibly lucky to be doing what we originally set out to do -- combine music and craft beer in ways that a wide range of people can enjoy.

If you're in the Boston area we'd love for you to come tonight. One of my absolute favorite local bands, Larcenist, is playing 2 whole sets tonight and debuting some new songs. Here's some from their last album to preview. You can stream and download more on bandcamp.

&lt;p&gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://larcenist.bandcamp.com/track/ocean-city-swallowing"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Ocean City, Swallowing by Larcenist&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;

As for beer, in addition to the other taps at Atwoods Tavern, Jack's Abby will be pouring a selection of their beers including something on cask as well as their brand new Framinghammer Baltic Porter at a sneaky 10%abv.

All the details are on the flyer above but here is the official facebook event page as well. Hope to see you there.

Francois & The Atlas Mountains - Gold Mountain (Slow Club Cover)

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:10:00 +0000

Francois & The Atlas Mountains have been putting out some easy going tunes that are akin to floating on clouds even though there is this subtle melancholia that drifts through. Nothing is more calming than a cup of tea and some of the following tunes. You should all know by now that I love Slow Club so this cover really got my attention.
Francois & The Atlas Mountains - Gold Mountain - Slow Club Cover

However, you need to hear more than just a cover by this band. Frànçois Marry moved from the French west coast to Bristol and played trumpet for bands like Movietone and Camera Obscura. He recently signed to Domino Records with his fourth album E Volo Love (which is a palindrome meaning "And Love Flies"). Here are two tracks from his recent album one in french and one in english.

Francois & The Atlas Mountains - Les Plus Beaux

Download: City Kiss

January Favorites

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 13:46:00 +0000

January and myself didn't get along very well. Things that had potential to go wrong, made sure they did. This probably had a large influence on my listening habits, as I spent a lot of time listening to songs that I can take comfort in. Here's what last.fm says about that...

Of course my top two, Sharon Van Etten and Damien Jurado, had new albums that weren't available to me until late this month but I fell hard for both of them when I finally did get to hear them. You can pre-order both albums and get the tracks now. SVE's Tramp is due out February 7th and Damien Jurado's Maraqopa will be released on February 21st and both are heartbreaking and stunning to say the least.

Sharon Van Etten - Serpents
Damien Jurado - Museum of Flight

As for albums that were actually released this month, First Aid Kit's Lion's Roar was my favorite. They just learned today that the first week of US sales of the new album surpassed their total sales of their debut album. I'm so happy to hear that their fan base has grown that much and that they are receiving the sale numbers and attention they deserve. You can listen to it in it's entirety here.

Other notable releases this month include the following:

Bro. Stephen - Baptist Girls
The rate at which blogs picked up on this album was astounding. The first place I read about it was the trusty folk blog, Common Folk Music, and you can read April's interview with him here. You can stream the album on bandcamp.

&lt;p&gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://xrarecords.bandcamp.com/track/patrons-of-the-arts"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Patrons of the Arts by Bro. Stephen&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Laura Gibson - La Grande (buy)
Laura Gibson - La Grande

Kingsley Flood - Colder Still EP (buy)

Cheyenne Marie Mize - We Don't Need (buy)
Cheyenne Marie Mize - Wishing Well

The Maccabees - Given to the Wild

Chairlift - Something

Kathleen Edwards - Voyageur

John K. Samson - Provincial

John Statz - Old Old Fashioned (Frighted Rabbits Cover)

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 09:54:00 +0000

John Statz worked magic into "Old Old Fashioned" from Frightened Rabbit's 2008 album The Midnight Organ Fight and quite possibly made it better than the original. I cringe when saying that, but I think you might agree too. It's gone from that a hasty upbeat song to a slower and more delicate tune fit for actually waltzing across the carpet like the song suggests doing. I would curl up in this song, and pull a cozy blanket over us after I was done waltzing with it, if I could. Both versions have something very different but equally heart warming to offer. Go to John Statz's bandcamp page to stream the album (if you like folk you'll be very happy with this album) and get the first track, "Distance" for free.

&amp;lt;a href="http://yerbirdrecords.bandcamp.com/track/old-old-fashioned"&amp;gt;Old Old Fashioned by John Statz&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;

Walk off the Earth - Somebody that I Used to Know (Gotye Cover)

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 04:01:00 +0000

Sorry if you've already seen this viral video with 42 million views, but it's pretty cool.

Summer Twins - I Will Love You

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 14:18:00 +0000

The Summer Twins released their debut LP on Burger Records and it's got to be the sweetest, cheeriest, twee pop I've ever heard in the dead of winter. If California sunshine that was bottled in the 50s then this music was distilled in it. It's pure fun that'd be hard not to enjoy. This song is the cutest! Get the album here. Stream it here.

Yukon Blonde - Stairway

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 15:47:00 +0000

Yukon Blonde's new album Tiger Talk is due out March 20th and this is the first glimpse at what the Canadian band has prepared for us. This sounds incredibly different from the Yukon Blonde that sang the song "Wind Blows". This is like the rock-pop switch got flipped and they went with it. I think it'll work well for them. This one has more than enough energy to get you psyched up for the weekend.

Yukon Blonde - Stairway

The Shivers - I See It All Babe

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 15:07:00 +0000

A brand new song (literally just uploaded) and video from New York's The Shivers. I love them more and more with every song I hear. This one is just perfect right now.

The Shivers - Used To Be by Silence Breaks

The Wooden Sky - Child of The Valley

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 09:11:00 +0000

The Wooden Sky’s newest album, Every Child A Daughter, Every Moon A Sun, is at the top of my most anticipated releases for this year and is due out February 28th. Their last album has been on heavy rotation ever since I caught a house show of theirs in December, it’s one of those that gets better with each spin and I always seem to find a new favorite song. Luckily for those like me that can hardly wait for February 28th to roll around here is the first outstanding track from the new album. It has that haunting violin and gorgeous narrative lyrics that made their last album so special. Enjoy.

Air Review - America's Son

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 20:04:00 +0000

Air Review is a new folk quintet out of Dallas. "America's Son" has that charm that only comes from a comforting folk song. It's a gentle and repetitive song that ultimately leaves you smiling for some reason you can't quite put your finger on.

Air Review - America's Son

Damien Jurado - Museum of Flight

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 13:58:00 +0000

This week has been all about hearing singles from releases due out next week through April. Every morning I've been able to wake up to a new batch of excitement. I hope I'm not starting to sound insincere when I say this is at the top of my most anticipated albums of 2012, but Maraqopa the new album from Damien Jurado due out February 21st, really is. I've heard from a few Seattle based people and friends of Damien that this is the album of the year. I believe them.

The first single released, "Nothing is the News" was an absolute slow burning jam, full of twist and turns and lots of guitar. Now "Museum of Flight" is a different animal with it's slow hip swaying rhythm and his wavering signature falsetto that could break your heart, especially in the first verse when his voice soars above the quietly strummed guitar. This is the best breakup song I've heard in a while, it's one part pain, one part looking back, and one part hoping the person can still be there. "Don't let go, I need you to hang around / I'm so broke and foolishly in love".

Damien Jurado - Museum of Flight

Last American Buffalo - Baby I'm Alive

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 11:58:00 +0000

Every Tuesday in January Last American Buffalo has been releasing a song, and not just any song, but outlandishly good songs full of that rough and tumble, dusty, L.A. rock sound. The most recent release is one of my favorites with the declaration of "baby, I'm alive" sounding like it's about to blow the song apart. But the song ends before it can. It's divine. Check out the other releases on the bandcamp page and enjoy two of my favorites right here.

Last American Buffalo - Yucca Baccata

&amp;lt;a href="http://lastamericanbuffalo.com/track/baby-im-alive"&amp;gt;Baby I'm Alive by Last American Buffalo&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;

Dry The River - The Chambers & The Valves

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 19:24:00 +0000

Dry The River has completely won my heart. Every new song I hear from them makes the urge to see them live grow ten fold. They remind me a lot of Stornoway and I wish the two bands would tour together. Can we make that happen, someone? Their album is streaming on soundcloud and the Chambers & The Valves 7" is officially released on February 27th. They're about to start an ambitious tour that takes them all over including LA and San Francisco with Alabama Shakes this week(!) and later to the east coast with the Bowerbirds. Check out the dates here.

Dr. Dog - Lonesome

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 12:25:00 +0000

Here's another new track from an album that I suspect a lot of ears are eager to hear. Being someone who only likes a handful of their songs, I'm happy to report that I enjoy the swaggering and raggedy astetic this song brings to mind. I have enjoyed watching this young Philadelphia band grow and mature over the years and I'm genuinely hoping that this is the album of theirs that converts me to being a Dr. Dog fan. Their new album, Be The Void, will be released February 7th on Anti-Records. Until then, enjoy singing along to this one. "What does it take to be lonesome? Nothing at all."

Plants and Animals - Lightshow

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 19:12:00 +0000

I'm really good at having weird dreams as of late. To recap my last week of very vivid dreams: they were all about surviving post-apocalyptic times (in my childhood neighborhood, in Mexico, and on an undisclosed mountainside in Austria) and I still can't seem to shake the realness and very strange nature of them all. Luckily there is slightly off kilter music out there that probably would have done a good job soundtracking these dreams. Like this new Miike Snow track called Black Tin Box (it's so new I can't even embed it yet). Or this amazing track that you should play on repeat by Plants and Animals. I expect big things from them this year.

Howler - Back of Your Neck

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 13:56:00 +0000

I can't decide on how I feel about the entire Howler album, America Give Up, but I do know I love this song with it's California surf vibes, which is an especially great sound considering it comes from a Minneapolis band. It's hard to resist bopping your head along.

Check out the perfectly vintagey video for the song below.

Lightning Love - Deadbeat

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 16:44:00 +0000

Lightning Love is a Michigan based musical trio consisting of brothers, Aaron and Ben Collins, and their friend Leah Diehl. Quite Scientific Records has signed this young band and is releasing their EP, Girls Who Look Like Me, on January 31st. At the moment "Deadbeat" is all you can stream (and download for free) on bandcamp but you can listen to clips of their other songs here which are actually a bit different from this first track. The dichotomy of the biting bitterness of the lyrics in "Deadbeat" and the happy sounding electro-twee-pop type beats is one we've seen before, but this one track will keep you hungry for more.

&amp;lt;a href="http://lightninglove.bandcamp.com/track/deadbeat-free-download"&amp;gt;Deadbeat [Free Download] by Lightning Love&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;

Ravens & Chimes - Division St.

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 15:52:00 +0000

There's a large possibility I've posted about this song before, but I've been cleaning up my itunes and was reminded how freaking fantastic this indie folk rock band is. This song in particular always makes me stop in my tracks and really listen. The vocals are so genuine it takes my breath away. I could continue with terrible cliches but only because they are true. So whether you've heard it or not, have a listen, that's all I'm trying to get across here. You can find them on facebook, listen on bandcamp, and their website is where you'll find info on their current extensive european tour.

&amp;lt;a href="http://ravensandchimes.bandcamp.com/track/division-st"&amp;gt;Division St. by Ravens &amp;amp;amp; Chimes&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;

And the darkness came,
And covered over all the things we are,
And it took my name,
But maybe I was never here at all.

The Oh Hello's - Hello My Old Heart

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 15:20:00 +0000

Songs like this with that singer/songwriter vibe remind me of the days when this was the type of music I listen to exclusively. Finding songs before they were on Grey's Anatomy or some WB show was kind of my specialty back in the day. While my musical leanings have grown and changed drastically, songs like this one still make my heart flutter and bring me back to the times when I consumed sweet and simple lyrics and acoustic guitars for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://theohhellos.com/track/hello-my-old-heart-2"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Hello My Old Heart by The Oh Hello's&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;

The Oh Hello's are a sister/brother duo from Texas. This is their debut EP filled with pretty melodies and some great builds leading up to hand claps and foot stomping, especially in "Trees" and "Lay Me Down". Their 4 song EP is a name your price download on bandcamp. Go get it.

Thanks to Songs For The Day for introducing me to this, he has wonderful taste in music.