I know these chaps have been around a while and are pretty popular, but they've somehow alluded me until now. Unfortunate, this. The Great Lake Swimmers have a perfect blend of indie and Americana with a heavy dosage of heart and soul that sits well with me.
Great Lake Swimmers – Palmistry
Great Lake Swimmers – The Chorus in the Underground
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Those Who Dig didn't make it to SXSW this year. Maybe someday when I have money and time. I have to imagine the best thing that happened the entire festival was captured in this video, where Sharon Van Etten premiers a new song. You should all know by now we love love love Sharon and have even had the chance to talk to her. Her forthcoming new album, produced by The National's Aaron Dessner, has me salivating at the mouth in anticipation.
Read More...It feels like a good time for another Collaborative Playlist, in which we provide a prompt or topic, you submit your favorite songs that fit, and then a few weeks later we present a playlist of your suggestions for everyone to enjoy! The theme for this edition is Spring.
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A lot of times albums with epic backstories get dragged down by the constant focus on where the music was made and not how or why (see: Bon Iver). Other times, referencing a backstory, while potentially interesting, has nothing to do with how the album was shaped or conceived. Daniel Sheron's story is both interesting and clearly relevant to the often sparse, dark, and heavy folk he creates as Balto.
Balto – The Railyard
Balto – Elizabeth the Bumblebee
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Elvis Costello – No Action
The needle on my mind's turntable kept dropping on this tune every time I woke up last night. I've previously said (via Tweet, probably while drinking) that Elvis Costello's "No Action" is my favorite Side 1, Track 1 ever. That might be a slight stretch upon further reflection, but it's not terribly far from the truth. It absolutely is, however, a killer start to This Year's Model, an album with great song after great fucking song and one of my favorites ever. There's such a timeless sound to this album; indie rock bands are still trying to replicate Costello's off-kilter, up beat punk to no avail. He's one of the very few artists who's never made a song I didn't at least mostly like.
What do you guys think? Best album opener ever?
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Label Year on Arts & Crafts gets started in earnest with a review of Chikita Violenta's Tre3s. If you missed the introduction to the feature, check it out here, then read on for my thoughts on this album.
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I'm a tad late on this one, but I couldn't pass up a new Lupe Fiasco tune. This seems to be a cut Lasers track, but I have to say it could have replaced a couple songs that made the album. Eric Turner provides a great hook and Lupe forgoes his usual lengthy verses and spits short phrases with straight-forward rhyme schemes.
Plus, ya know, I just love Lu.
Lupe Fiasco – Stereo Sun (Ft. Eric Turner)
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I'll be going under the knife tomorrow for some minor surgery on my foot. Which means I'll have seriously increased blogging time for the next few days, even though it will probably be in a drug/painkiller induced stupor. Everybody wins. Here's a foot-stomping jam from The Builders and The Butchers to pull me out of my anesthesia haze.
The Builders and The Butchers – Rotten to the Core
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Hey Erie readers! There's an exciting show taking place tomorrow night at the Crooked I, headlined by The Farewell Drifters. The band is based out of Nashville but features Erie native Christian Sedelmyer. Check it out!
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XV – Awesome (Ft. Pusha T)
Every day that an XV song leaks is a great fucking day. The latest is a remix of "Awesome" and it has fire-spitter and MC of the moment Pusha T laying down a verse. It's got the typical Vizzy positivity and bounce and, like usual, great rhymes and clutch pop (read: nerd) culture references. Super Saiyans and references to grammar always get me. I've said before that I'm a sucker for piano-led hip hop production. Maybe XV heard me (or read my tweets) and made this one for me. A boy can dream, right?
Bonus video after the jump!
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