Weekly Roundup: Nov 6 – 12, 2011
This is going to be a very brief Weekly Roundup from my end, but still full of plenty of good tunes & videos for all of you. Check it!
Kitsch Music
A few weeks ago I was driving home and listening to the low end of the dial on my car radio. My car is kind of a piece and the radio dial can't be read so I can't rightly tell you what station I was listening to when Sherman "Blues" Johnson & His Clouds of Joy came across the airwaves. The tune was Hot Fish and for its time and place the song couldn't have been more perfect for an evening drive home at the end of a long day with the windows down and the city lights blinking an optimistic yellow through my windshield. It felt great, I felt good. I know that the music selection amplified these feelings and I've been thinking about it ever since.
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Hudson: Against the Grain
Hudson (aka Travis Aulsebrook) is an Austrailian folk artist with a new EP out this year entitled Open Up Slowly. The entire album can be streamed via his bandcamp page tagged at the beginning of the article or you can purchase the EP for the low low price of 8 bucks. This EP has all the makings of a great future for Hudson with hook, balanced pop orchestration, engaging lyrics, and that innate and hard to define sing-along quality that makes pop music worthwhile. I was really happy that this EP found its way into my headphones this weekend. But here's the best part, stop motion animation! Hudson teamed up with animator Dropbear (aka Jonathan Chong) to create this hip music video for the EP's single Against the Grain. What's not to love? Check it out, buy the EP, and make your next commute with Hudson and Open Up Slowly. You dig?
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Dan Mangan – Oh Fortune
Arts & Crafts has been on a tear with recent releases, and I have fallen way off the pace with my Label Year feature. Tuesday's Los Campesinos! album will mark the sixth release in the past seven weeks, none of which have yet appeared here. So let's get things back on track and kick off the big finish with a look at Oh Fortune by Dan Mangan.
Unbroken: Zamperini's Testament
Tonight I'm starting a new feature at Those Who Dig called This Book Is A Song. I have always loved literature and reading and I decided it would be fun to look at the connections to music. The idea is to share some thoughts about books I read and match them up with relevant songs. Let's get to it!
NZ Songs for an Alien Spaceship
As you probably know if you've been reading Those Who Dig over the past few weeks, I interviewed the seven bands that were playing the New Zealand showcase during CMJ. One thing I asked each was to give me songs for a collaborative playlist. Tonight I'm unveiling it for your listening pleasure.
Interview with Princess Chelsea – NZ @ CMJ
We've finally reached the end of the CMJ New Zealand showcase interviews and we're going out strong. What follows is a conversation I had with Princess Chelsea. And an added bonus, Pikachunes joined in for the chain and playlist questions. Check it out!
Weekly Roundup: Oct 30 – Nov 5, 2011
You know what the end of daylight savings time really means, don't you? That's right, a whole extra hour to enjoy Weekly Roundup!
Interview with Andrew Keoghan – NZ @ CMJ
We are approaching the end of my New Zealand showcase interviews. The penultimate installment is with Andrew Keoghan. Check it out!
Interview with The Golden Awesome – NZ @ CMJ
My New Zealand showcase interviews roll on with tonight's post featuring The Golden Awesome.