In the crowded and diverse world of indie folk what really makes artists stand out to me is idiosyncracies and superb melodies. Tobacco Pat brings both of these in spades on his new, self-released album Vimanas.
Tobacco Pat – American Mind
Tobacco Pat – The Doctor
Read More...
Jay-Z's protege, J. Cole, released the mixtape Friday Night Lights recently and it's pretty stellar. It's also pretty lengthy at 20 songs. That's why I'm here to spoon-feed you a stand-out track in "Higher".
J. Cole – Higher
Read More...
We are fast approaching the end of 2010, which means it is that time when everyone in the music blog community recaps their favorite songs, albums, bands, and musical moments of the year. You can expect the Dig writers to post some of our favorites over the next week or so, but today we are kicking off the "year in review" extravaganza by reaching out to you all for your picks.
Read More...
The Blogger Lowdown is a feature where we ask the good people who run our favorite, essential blogs to give some insight on themselves and their sites. There are some great resources for discovering all kinds of music on the interwebs and our hope is to introduce you to a few of these outlets and the people behind them. This week features Lydia of Sunset in the Rearview – a wonderful, accessible indie and hip hop blog.
Read More...
I came across Yellow Lady Slipper while looking for local(ish) music and I was lucky to find them. They hail from a small town in Western PA known for it's large outlet mall so naturally they play an earnest, percussive brand of Americana-tinged indie rock. Plus, their album is available for free!
Yellow Lady Slipper – Stay Movin'
Read More...
Tracy Anne Smith garners praise for her expressive performances, rich tonal palette and musical control. Cuban guitarist and conductor Leo Brouwer praised her "polyphonic hands" and "tremendous sound," while American virtuoso Benjamin Verdery commended her "ability to express the emotion of a work to its core."
Her 2008 album Lilac.Star.Bird is a wonderful collection of pieces that range from the immediately accessible to the esoteric and encompasses the contemporary canon of repertoire while suggesting a few new nominations.
Tracy Anne Smith: Nuages
Read More...
Many apologies to our dear readers for the lack of posts the last few days. With one Digster on a trip, one fighting the flu, and one with a debilitating stomach virus, not much was happening in the way of blogging. But we'll be back up and running with all the fresh, in depth content you love in no time! Well, after this short little post anyways.
Read More...
Since receiving Ophelia's self-titled debut album a few days ago it has quickly become one of my favorite finds of the year (and "Nowhere, No Way" is a late contender for my song of the year). Ophelia make stripped-down acoustic Americana and it's quite charming.
Ophelia – Nowhere, No Way
Ophelia – Butcher
Read More...
One quality of a truly remarkable performance is that there is often one note and/or one phrase that can encapsulate the grace, fire, virtuosity, subtlety, or authenticity of the artist.
In addition, Ludwig Van Beethoven foreshadowed George Gershwin 103 years before Rhapsody in Blue and the alleged first collision of the classical and jazz idioms.
TWD takes a closer look at an overlooked moment in an underplayed piece that reveals how truly ahead of the curve Beethoven was.
Beethoven No. 32 Op 111
Read More...
Those Who Dig nation, I need you!
Ok, so here is my Christmas / Hanukkah / Kwanza / non-denominational December gift to the readers of Those Who Dig (and their friends.) I, a graduate of the Penn State film department, am going to create a video power hour. Now I'm not sure if you have ever done a video power hour before; they are amazing. But to ensure that you, the readership of this phenomenal blog, enjoy the pants off this artistic masterpiece I want, scratch that, need your input. In short…
HELP ME!
Read More...