Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova represent everything that the hot & honest parts of me love the most about music. As The Swell Season, they are completely humble and engaging, they passionately perform their craft with every ounce of their souls, and they sound damn lovely the way their voices blend together. Somehow it has taken me until now to see them live, and last night at a sold-out show in Denver, I wondered what had taken me so long.

It felt alternately like a candlelight church service or a campfire at the Ogden last night, with pin-drop silence when it was required and all-encompassing enthusiasm every time Glen invited us to sing along. “All you have to do is sing this simple melody,” he instructed us with a wide smile from behind his guitar. “I don’t care if you mean it or not, just sing it. Well no, actually,” he reconsidered — “Don’t sing it if you don’t mean it.”

But instructions aside — when all of our voices started to rise together to the melody of “Falling Slowly” or “When Your Mind’s Made Up,” I think everyone in the room had to have been convinced. I’ve sang along at the top of my lungs to “Falling Slowly” in my car dozens (if not hundreds) of times, and I gotta say — it was catharsis at its best, to throw my head back with 950 other fans and let all those harmonies soar out into the darkness. It was one of the most honest and wonderful concerts I’ve seen in years. You get the sense that they are doing this for all the right reasons, and their fans respond warmly to that.

There is an undercurrent of hope in their new material that they played last night, and as much as I loved being melancholy and drowning in longing through their past songs, I too feel I am entering a period of hope and some wholeness, and songs like this new marvelously gospel-infused rendition are exactly what resonates with me:

A High Hope (new song, live in LA) – The Swell Season

Maybe when our hearts have realigned
maybe when we’ve both had some time
I’m gonna see you there

Maybe when we’re both old and wise
maybe when our hearts have had some time
I’m gonna see you there
where the good times go
where you are forever young…

The crowd singing here with all they’ve got, the woman in the crowd with the virtuoso voice ringing majestically over the crowd — this must be how ascension feels, no other way to put it.

All of my pictures are up on the Denver Post’s Reverb site as a slide show, if you would like to see more. What a gorgeous night, what a spark in my heart.

A friend of a friend from Berkeley came up with a most excellent and hilarious holiday game, to while away the hours you spend with your extended family this holiday season.

Sarah’s Holiday Game Scorecard

You can also go back and award yourself points for all those awkward and wonderful interactions you remember from this weekend, too.

I (mostly) successfully roasted my fourth turkey ever, except this year I couldn’t find the giblets and ended up leaving the bag in the bird. Hey, at least it was a papery bag. And that thar is my Christmas tree, which I also managed to put up this weekend. I am a holiday goddess of sorts.

I first listened to this song because The National told me to; New York City artist Doveman (aka Thomas Bartlett) is their longtime friend and collaborator, and here The National return the favor by essentially becoming his backing band on a gorgeous album, which they released on their own Brassland Records.

This song is a stinging arrow of beautiful ache, melancholy and somehow lovely. I relate to the way it weaves a dense layer of complex feelings, looking back at promises of magic somewhere amidst the whiskey sea.

Angel’s Share (with Matt Berninger) – Doveman

You always played a stonewall game
but I’ll get past you anyway

a flick of the wrist and it’s straight through your heart
when you’re feeling sad
remember how we fell upon an accident of paradise

So drink your fill, pretty baby
drink down that whiskey sea
and drink your fill, my darling
but save the angel’s share for me

If I were drowning, baby
drowning in your deep blue sea
if you want to rescue someone blue…
please don’t rescue me

In addition to Matt Berninger’s haunting baritone on the album, other collaborators include National bandmates the Dessner brothers and Bryan Devendorf, as well as Beth Orton, Martha Wainwright, Nico Muhly (of this) and Glen Hansard of The Frames/Swell Season (who I see tonight). It packs a pretty immense punch.

This living room performance with string quartet, trumpets, and guest appearances by Sean Lennon and Bryce Dessner was from the album release party last month. The simplicity and spare sadness of this rendition made me cry. Or maybe it’s just something in the air.

[more pics here]

Doveman just completed a string of tour dates opening for the Swell Season, but is sadly not still with them tonight for their Denver show. The only current tour dates listed are a handful of shows in New York.

The Conformist is out now on Brassland Records. As Hansard says of it, “The Conformist is just fucking beautiful. Thomas brings so much light to other people’s music, it’s great to see him stop long enough to apply that light to his profound sense of song. He’s not afraid to go in, in where the good stuff is, in where you might get lost without a compass — in and deeper in.” Here’s to compasses, and where the good stuff is.

First of all, this video still makes me DIE LAUGHING:

[direct link]

The thing with the head rotating forward and to the side! Oh, Chris Kattan.

And then Casablancas goes and makes it a bonus track on his new album, and makes it sound like early Strokes — which is a good thing that we sincerely, truly wish he would do more often.

I Wish It Was Christmas Today – Julian Casablancas

(also, those opening bells hit me like the N.E.R.D./Santogold collaboration he did with “My Drive Thru” that’s still super fun for the dancing and hip-shaking)

The Big Pink was absolutely astounding on Monday night at the Larimer. The show was loud, loud, very loud, all smoke machines and strobes. The original duo of the band is fleshed out on this tour by an immensely enjoyable female drummer (badass Akiko Matsuura) and bassist Leopold Ross in a shirt that read, “Safe in Heaven, Dead.” The wiry energy packed into the small muscular frame of singer/guitarist Robbie Furze was magnetic to watch, while Milo Cordell hunched over his keyboards and synthesizer knobs, hands flying back and forth.

The show felt epic and monumental, like it should have happened in some cool era 25 years ago in a tiny London basement club, and then years later people would whisper to each other in hushed tones, “You were THERE for that?”

What The Big Pink is doing with their music feels important and substantial, and the songs from their debut album A Brief History of Love explode and grow to fill the space they rock in. I love the album; I loved the live set even more. They press a fresh blend of sounds from the past over their crisp electronic base. It reminded me of the ragged mix of electric guitar and huge beats of the Handsome Furs show back this summer. Between those two, I found my two favorite shows of the year. Absolutely, absolutely go see the Big Pink when they come through town.

The Clash-meets-New Order vibe of this song was my personal highlight of their set (other than the huge cheers that greeted “Velvet,” and their massive marvelous closer of “Dominoes”). If this doesn’t make you dance and do the hipster flail, your dancer-thing is broken.

Tonight - The Big Pink
(imagine it eighteen times louder, shaking loose the crud of the day)

[See all pictures here]

Tonight I am going to be arguably cooler than I usually am on most Monday nights, and go listen to the dramatic and addictive sounds of The Big Pink at Denver’s Larimer Lounge. This duo from London (touring now with a rad female drummer) won NME’s influential Philip Hall Radar Award at the Shockwaves NME Awards in February (for best new group) and have been slowly conquering the world since. With songs like this, I think it’s easy to see why.

Dominoes – The Big Pink

As I’ve listened to their music, I can’t miss the way I hear the second coming of the Stone Roses on lots of their songs (well, I guess third coming since the Stone Roses already did the second one), or those wrenching Verve ballads, blended so pleasingly with this new-wave streak of ice blue cool and massive drumbeats.

Just off tour with Muse and the Pixies in the UK, The Big Pink are on American soil in support of their album A Brief History Of Love, out on the 4AD label (The National, Mountain Goats, Department of Eagles).

See full tour dates below.

Listening to The Big Pink all week in prep for the show has got me thinking about this perfect triumvirate that I’d love to see booked to play together, because I catch a wonderfully complementary energy from: The Big Pink, NYC’s Violens, and The xx. I’d put them on a bill together because they all blend facets of a retro aesthetic and classic pop song structure, deep under layers of sonic bliss.

So after you listen to The Big Pink, do like I do and enjoy a free Winter Mixtape from the crunchy-sleek icy sounds of Violens, assembled to tide us over while we wait for their full-length debut.

The band writes, “Violens wanted to help new fans piece together a complete picture of their diverse influences from 60’s pop psychedelia to the slick studio production of 80’s new wave, from punk and metal to the dance club bass they were raised on in Miami… The result is the Winter Mixtape, and it is available for free.” And it’s great.

These two tracks are woven into the free mix:

Lighting Lightning – Violens

Doomed (MGMT remix) – Violens

Then –then!!– I am still thoroughly in love with The xx, one of my favorite albums of 2009, so then click over and enjoy this remix they recently did. See! It’s like neapolitan ice cream, all three flavors blend perfectly together.

You’ve Got The Love (XX remix) – Florence And The Machine

Just to be clear, Big Pink is not touring with either The xx or Violens; that is only occurring deep within my imagination, or in yours if you play all the delicious songs in this post and close your eyes, maybe spill a beer on yourself.

THE BIG PINK TOUR DATES
Nov 23 – Larimer Lounge, Denver, CO (come early for the DJ set at Twist & Shout!)
Nov 25 – 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis, MN (DJ set at Transmission beforehand)
Nov 27 – Empty Bottle, Chicago, IL
Nov 28 – Magic Stick, Detroit, MI
Nov 29 – Lee’s Palace, Toronto, ON
Nov 30 – La Salsa Rosa, Montreal, QUE
Dec 1 – Paradise, Boston, MA (DJ set at Newbury Comics beforehand)
Dec 3 – Bowery Ballroom, NYC, NY
Dec 4 – Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY
Dec 5 – Black Cat, Washington, DC
Dec 6 – Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA
(other European tour dates here)

VIOLENS TOUR DATES
19th Nov – Brixton Academy, London
21st Nov – London Calling Festival, Amsterdam
22nd Nov – Academy, Leeds
23rd Nov – UEA, Norwich
24th Nov – Academy, Sheffield
25th Nov – Rock City, Nottingham
27th Nov – Apollo, Manchester
28th Nov – Academy, Glasgow
29th Nov – Academy, Newcastle
1st Dec – Guildhall, Portsmouth
2nd Dec – Academy, Bristol
4th Dec – University, Cardiff
5th Dec – Academy, Birmingham
9th Dec – Mercury Lounge, NYC

The xx US TOUR DATES
Nov 23 Independent – San Francisco, California (SOLD OUT)
Nov 24 State University – Sacramento, California
Nov 25 Doug Fir Lounge – Portland, Oregon
Nov 26 Richard’s – Vancouver, British Columbia
Nov 27 Neumos – Seattle, Washington
Nov 30 Triple Rock – Minneapolis, Minnesota
Dec 1 Bottom Lounge – Chicago, Illinois
Dec 2 Mod Club – Toronto, Ontario
Dec 3 Le National – Montreal, Quebec
Dec 4 Paradise – Boston, Massachusetts
Dec 5 Webster Hall – New York
(Many other worldwide dates here)

Lately I’ve been hung up on a Patty Griffin song. She’s a songwriter whose waters I have wandered into deeply with a few specific songs, but I know she has so much more out there than what I have experienced. My first introduction to this Maine musician was her song “Top of the World,” covered by the Dixie Chicks on their 2002 album Home – and I just noticed she also wrote the closing track “Let Him Fly” on their 1999 album Fly. Both are astonishing, uncommonly potent songs.

I’ve said for years that “Top of the World” is probably one of of the saddest songs I know of by any artist, just this distilled essence of ache that is so hard to capture in a song. It’s a tale of regret and dead dreams, and not being able to do anything to fix what’s laying before you. You can listen to it here; the line about “I pretend to be sleeping when you come in in the morning, to whisper goodbye, go to work in the rain, I don’t know why…don’t know why” kills me every time. Everyone’s singing, we just wanna be heard.

She’s toured in recent years with folks I love like Emmylou Harris, Gillian Welch and David Rawlins, and I’d forgotten her contributions to Cameron Crowe’s splendid Elizabethtown soundtrack until I read a friend’s blog post this morning.

In recent weeks the song of hers that I’ve re-discovered is “Mary.” It’s this razor-sharp rumination into motherhood and the beautiful humanity of Mary, the mother of Jesus. It’s not a religious song. Griffin takes a look at Mary as a common, complex woman weighted with (and sometimes obscured by) responsibilities, yet wreathed in beauty. I would postulate maybe even the latter because of the former.

Mary – Patty Griffin

Mary
you’re covered in roses
you’re covered in ashes
you’re covered in rain.
You’re covered in babies
covered in slashes
covered in wilderness
covered in stains.

…Mary you’re covered in roses
you’re covered in ruins
you’re covered in secrets
you’re covered in treetops
covered in birds who can sing a million songs
without any words…

For me, the song speaks to the beautiful and complicated ways that caring for another, particularly in this case through motherhood, transforms both the individual doing the caring and the world. Mary is in the shadows of the blazes of glory in the chorus here, but she is doing the work that needs to be done through crippling loss. And there’s so much more to her than anyone knows.

Secrets, ashes, beauty.

Through the silent ambush of heavy snow Friday, three great shows were happening about town, and one that I missed while I was seeing Fanfarlo was Old Canes at the Hi-Dive. Signed to Saddle Creek Records, Old Canes are the project of Appleseed Cast frontman Chris Crisci. I’ve just stumbled upon their most recent album Feral Harmonic a day late, a dollar short, etc etc.

The marvelously warm opening track on the album breaks exuberant and brightly colored – pounding and thumping with a fantastic drumbeat. This beat is certainly the first thing I noticed, since my tapping toes and drumming fingers sprang instantly into action as if controlled by little marionette strings. The middle is punctuated by brilliant brass mariachi cascades and then the call and response starts (see title of the post); I am absolutely convinced and find myself calling right back.

In the face of danger, I am unafraid.

Little Bird Courage – Old Canes

You can also stream the entire first album Early Morning Hymns here, see what you think. Also, here is a piercing live rendition of the song “Both Falling Bright” from that album.

OLD CANES TOUR DATES
Nov 19 – Bond’s Garage – Eugene, Oregon
Nov 20 – The Crepe Place – Santa Cruz, California
Nov 21 – The Wire – Upland, California
Nov 22 – The Viper Room – West Hollywood, California
Nov 23 – Che Cafe – San Diego, California
Nov 24 – Modified Arts – Phoenix, Arizona
Nov 25 – Launchpad – Albuquerque, New Mexico
Nov 27 – Hailey’s Club – Denton, Texas (with Cursive)
Nov 28 – Emo’s – Austin, Texas
Nov 29 – The Conservatory – Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Nov 30 – The Anchor – Wichita, Kansas

[thanks JC, both]

May of 1995 was the end of my sophomore year of high school down in San Jose, and while I studied on a Thursday afternoon for Mr. Pimentel’s science final or Señora Navarro’s Spanish class, somewhere not too far up 880 Jeff Buckley was tuning up his acoustic guitar for a solo midday set on the college campus of UC Berkeley.

Jeff had been touring in support of Grace for nearly a year, currently with Juliana Hatfield, and was preparing to leave for Scotland in a few weeks. He would play San Francisco’s beautiful old Great American Music Hall that night in a sold-out show.

According to David Browne’s excellent Dream Brother book, Jeff had just been named one of People Magazine’s “50 Most Beautiful People In The World” this month, and was “mortified.” Yet here Jeff is in fine, chatty form – his lightly joking, sometimes sardonic banter (imitating Scott Weiland, among other things) counterbalanced by the gorgeous weight of his songs, inducing chills even in the warm afternoon sun. Just listen to that intro to “Mojo Pin”; it’s near mystical.

I never did see Jeff live, but I delight in finding these recordings of shows that were happening all around me. I can listen to them now, and sorta, you know — pretend.

Jeff Buckley in Sproul Plaza, Berkeley (5/5/95)

SETLIST
1 – Last Goodbye
2 – Lover You Should Have Come Over
3 – So Real
4 – Mojo Pin
5 – Grace

November 17th was his birthday — he would have been 43 tomorrow.

[Photo by Jan Richards]

There was a time in 2005 when Spring was just in full bloom, and things were starting to shift around on the seismic levels of my life. I found myself headed up to the shiny lights of Seattle, where the forest creeps right down to the edge of the endless waters that surprise you at every turn in the road. I would be spending a handful of days there before taking a bumpy little ferry over to Vancouver Island for a the weekend, and of course I made a “Blue Seattle” mix to accompany me for this week in my life, stuck somewhere between endings and beginnings.

Garden State had just come out, and the smoky, melancholy Colin Hay song “I Just Don’t Think I’ll Ever Get Over You” played a prominent role on that Seattle mix I carefully crafted, alongside folks like Amos Lee (”Seen It All Before”), Jeb Loy Nichols (”Mostly Bittersweet”) and Jackson Frank (”The Blues Run The Game”). That Colin Hay song is just so damn sad and wistful, as are most of the songs on the mix I came up with, songs that made me want to lean forward on the railing of a small ship as it cut through the grey, and watch the white foam left in our wake.

I’ve successfully managed to completely disassociate Hay from Men At Work, and now when I hear his nuanced solo work, I just think of things like fog and the sea, dotted with emerald islands.

Recently a sailor from my summer voyage pointed me in the direction of this marvelous song, one that I’d never heard before, and I’ve listened to it dozens of times since then. Any minute now, my ship is coming in / I’ll keep checking the horizon, I’ll stand on the bow, feel the waves come crashing.

Waiting For My Real Life To Begin – Colin Hay

Colin also recently did a Daytrotter session, with four other earthy, acoustic tunes for your enjoyment. His newest solo album American Sunshine came out this summer on Compass Records.