A Free Man

Starting off with an old favorite. Okkervil River, who featured on A Free Man’s Top 10 last year is back next week with their fifth full length record, “The Stand Ins”. I’ve heard a bit of it and it sounds as good or better than last year’s gem “The Stage Names”. If you’ve not heard these Texas troubadours, the time is now. Preorder “The Stand Ins” from Jagjaguwar for an early download and cover art poster.

MP3: Okkervil River - “Lost Coastlines”

Mash-ups and remixes are getting more and more compelling these days. I couple of weeks ago I featured a great remix of Oxford Comma and this week I’ve got a bizarrely enchanting mash up that sounds like the start of a geeky Gen X joke that inspired the title of this post. What do you get when you cross Wilco, the 1985 Chicago Bears and Kanye West? Well, apparently you get The Hood Internet. I don’t know much about these guys (girls? robots?) but they’ve got a whole website of mash-ups that’s worth a visit.

MP3: The Hood Internet - Superbowl Jesus (Kanye West + 1985 Chicago Bears vs Wilco)

David Vandervelde is the latest artist coming out of Secretly Canadian’s stables to get my attention. The Nashville based singer-songwriter has thrown down one of those guantlet-esque sophomore records. It’s ballsy, swaggering distorted guitar rock but with clever compelling songwriting. He’s a bit reminiscent of Mark Bolan at times and what I’ve heard of “Waiting for the Sunrise” puts Vandervelde squarely in a group of up and coming artists to be reckoned with. “Waiting for the Sunrise”is available from

MP3: David Vandervelde - “Nothin’ No”

I love Country music.  I don’t mean the shit that you’re likely to hear if you’re unfortunate enough to tune in a commercial C & W station in North America. I mean that lineage of music that comes out of the Deep South in the 30’s and is channeled through folks with names like Williams, Cash, Perkins, Owens, Harris, Jones and Yoakam. Caitlin Rose is making this kind of country music - it’s not alt.country, it’s Classic Country. Her song “Answer in One of These Bottles” pays tribute to the some of the greats. Check out this interview with Rose at Setting the Woods on Fire. Her EP, “Dead Flowers” is available here.

MP3: Caitlin Rose - “Answer in One of These Bottles”

Plucky and ethereal Chicago duet Aviary Ghost is the latest “making music in your bedroom” act to catch A Free Man’s attention. “Somewhere Else”, from their recent LP, is disturbingly addictive - upbeat and well crafted. Check out “Memory is a Hallway” from

MP3: Aviary Ghost - “Somewhere Else”

Omaha’s Series Two records has got a real handle on the Swedish indie scene. I’m almost regularly getting good tracks from these guys and the latest they sent my way was Uppsala’s Peace In Our Time. Johan Regner is making homemade lo-fi pop in the vein of Tafra and some of Series Two other acts.  Get “A Glimpse of Happiness” directly from the label.

MP3: Peace In Our Time - “Some Nice and Decent Thoughts”

Oh, those Swedes. They just keep on churning out the great music. It’s like they’ve got some sort of breeding program going on up there. The Tallest Man on Earth is the latest Norseman to get my attention with wonderfully understated indie folk. His debut LP “Shallow Grave” is out and available on .

MP3: The Tallest Man On Earth - “Pistol Dreams”

While we’re talking about boys with acoustic guitars, it’s worth mentioning Victoria, British Columbia’s Jon & Roy. The simplicity and humility of their name is reflected in their nicely crafted music.  Their sophomore LP, “Another Noon” came out in May and the more I hear of it the more enchanted I am. Have a listen to that album’s title track and if you like it, buy the whole record from the band or on .

MP3: Jon and Roy - “Another Noon”

Getting away from the whole simplicity thing is Miracles of Modern Science. The Brooklyn quintet is making string heavy pop that deftly avoids the trap that so many before them have fallen prey to - sounding like pretentious twats. It’s spacey, quirky and fun. No recordings out to date, but watch for these guys.

MP3: Miracles of Modern Science - “Eating Me Alive”

Texas is represented at the top and bottom of this post today. Closing things out this week is Dallas’ The New Frontiers. The hardest rockers of this week’s post, The New Frontiers are making music that’s fuzzy, churning, redemptive - a little Ryan Adams at his heavier end. Their latest LP, “Mending” is out and available from .

MP3: The New Frontiers - “Man Down”

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Photos

Okkervil River from the Austin Chronicle

Popularity: 67% [?]

Let’s kick things off this week with the sultry, smoky voice of Melody Gardot. Her debut LP, “Worrisome Heart” is out and what I’ve heard of it so far is just stunning. Gardot was seriously injured after being hit by a car whilst riding her bicycle in 2004. One of the treatments suggested for her was music therapy and she has truly blossomed. The title track is a guantlet thrown down for aspiring jazz singers. Sublime.

MP3: Melody Gardot - “Worrisome Heart”  .

Word of mouth is still my favorite way of learning about new music, one of the reasons for this post in fact. I got a package from Blighty a little while ago and along with wonderful English sweets was the Mystery Jets latest “Twenty One” (thanks, SSG!). Their sugary British psych-pop wasn’t quite as sweet as the Wine Gums, but nearly as addictive. Get the new Mystery Jets from Seven Digital.

MP3: Mystery Jets - “Half In Love With Elizabeth”

I don’t know much about hip-hop, but I know when something tickles my fancy. And Seattle’s Common Market did that with “Tobacco Road”, the title track from their forthcoming debut LP. The duo got a fair bit pof praise for their EP “Black Patch War” and from the sound of things, the full-length could be a biggun. “Tobacco Road is due out in Septmeber from Massline.

MP3: Common Market - “Tobacco Road”

A Free Man has already declared his undying love for Welsh singer-songwriter Eugene Francis Jnr and had that love consumated in a delightful cyber interview back in March. So it should come as no surprise that I thoroughly enjoyed the most recent single from his debut LP “The Golden Beatle”. If you don’t own this record already - it’s one of the best undiscovered gems of the year. Get it from .

M4A: Eugene Francis Jnr - “My Own Pollution” (Radio Mix)

Herman Düne is a French duet that’s been recording music for nearly a decade. This track, from their 2006 LP “Giant”, is playful, clever and horn-infused (always a selling point for A Free Man). Kind of a Magnetic Fields/Modern Lovers vibe. They’ve got a new LP coming out in October on Everloving Records.

MP3: Herman Düne - “I Wish That I Could See You Soon”

It’s been a long time since anything from Minneapolis has caught my ear, but High on Stress channels the city’s hey day. “Cop Light Parade”, from the quartet’s debut LP “Moonlight Girls”, is reminiscent of fellow Minnesotans The Jayhawks and Soul Asylum. A Free Man likes nothing more than well crafted Americana, and that’s what High on Stress is offering. “Moonlight Girls” is out and available from CD Baby.

M4A: High On Stress - “Cop Light Parade”

One of my favorite covers is Sonic Youth’s treatment of The Carpenters’ “Superstar”, it’s one of those rare covers that’s better than the original. I’m not saying that The Shock of Pleasure has superceded the Sonic Youth version, but it’s pretty damn good. I’m not sure what else the Dallas quartet has to offer, but if Kelley Christian’s vocals on this track are indicative, they’re worth checking out. Their debut LP, “It’s About Time” is out and available from .

I’ve no idea where the Roadside Graves MP3s that I heard this week came from. They certainly didn’t come through my Inbox, so I’m guessing that one of the blogs that I frequent recommended them. I like to give credit where it’s due, but just can’t remember. The memory is the first thing to go, they say.

Anyhow, Roadside Graves. Why is so much good alt-country and Americana coming from the Northeast right now? These guys are a New Jersey outfit who have just released their debut LP, available from .

MP3: Roadside Graves - “Ruby”

I’m fixing to date myself here, but Slowdive’s debut LP induced a sea change in my musical tastes in the early 90’s - away from the guitar heavy grunge that I had been toward melodic dream-pop. I still count “Just For A Day” among my Top 100. Neil Halstead, the male voice of Slowdive, has a new solo record out that’s more reminiscent of Nick Drake’s spare folk than the lush sounds of Slowdive. Outstanding nonethess. ”Oh! Mighty Engine” is out on Brushfire Records and is available from .

MP3: Neil Halstead - “Little Twig”

Closing things out today is Setting Sun, the nom de plume of upstate New York based Gary Levitt. Setting Sun sits squarely in the burgeoning, and compelling, “making music in your bedroom” genre. He recently released his third record, “Children of the Wild”, and is currently touring with A Free Man favorite, Quitzow. Check them out in a town near you and buy Setting Sun’s music directly from the artist.

MP3: Setting Sun - “No Devil Me No More”

Popularity: 98% [?]