Can You See the Sunset? » folk

Billy Wallace – The Road Spit Me Out

Eric — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 04:58:49 +0000

I’ve never heard of an indie folk collective called The Wading Girl nor was I familiar with it’s frontman, Billy Wallace. I’m still not sure how that pertains to Wallace’s solo debut, The Road Spit Me Out, but it’s a cool little album full of what sounds like almost vintage sounding folksy old-timey country music that I might picture being played during the less-raucous operating hours of a dusty old saloon. It’s a bit twangy, a bit ragtime, and (overall) very traditional and authentic sounding (what I mean is that it sounds old without sounding artificially so) in a way that’s actually a little creepy. Wallace’s raspy vocals (sounding like a cross between Graham Lindsey and Jack White) are backed by the likes of guitars, pianos, harmonicas, banjos, brass, yearning fiddles, and more. The Road Spit Me Out is a rambling affair where no song really accelerates past a slow honky-tonk trot, and that’s fine with me. His original songs aren’t bad at all, but my favorite moment on the 9 song album was hearing Wallace’s cover of the Michael Nesmith penned song “Different Drum,” which is one of my all-time favorites. And just because, I’ve included a few different versions of the song but remember that “Billy Wallace High School Football Rules!”

MP3:
Billy Wallace - Wrecking Ball Blues
Billy Wallace - Different Drum

BONUS MP3:
Linda Ronstadt & The Stone Poneys - Different Drum
Mike Nesmith - Different Drum
Lemonheads - Different Drum
Me First & The Gimme Gimmes - Different Drum

Venna – Even A Little EP

Eric — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 04:57:01 +0000

It must have been at least a couple months ago that I got an envelope in the mail that contained the three song Even A Little EP from Venna. The CD came in an envelope that was sealed with hand-stamped wax and a personal letter that was typed with (gasp!) a typewriter. It was almost to pretty to open and listen to, but as pretty as the packaging is, the songs are even better. “Danger; Past & Present” is a sweet indie folk pop song that’s acoustic-based with some rootsy instrumentation backing it up. “Hammock Song” is another great song that makes great use of some perfectly placed atmospheric feedback. The last song, “Lovin’s For Fools” is all vocals and guitar and sounds as if it was recorded with one microphone in an empty room. I love the room sound, I love the vocal harmonies, I love how raw it is, and I’m blown away every time I listen to this song. It’s all humanly imperfect and honest music made by real people who love what they do.

The core of Venna is the husband/wife tandem of Heather and Marky Hladish (Marky also plays in The Felix Culpa) and (for what it’s worth) they too call the suburban fringe of Chicagoland home. They’ve also got children and maybe it’s those similarities that draw me into this music. But it might also be Heather’s gorgeous vocals (think Natalie Merchant but breathier a bit more understated) and the band’s enchanting and captivating musical backdrop. The band is playing with Kid, You’ll Move Mountains (another suburban favorite of mine) at Metro Chicago in January and I’ll most certainly try to be there. You should too… and pick up a copy of the Even A Little EP here.

MP3:
Venna - Danger; Past & Present

Victor Villarreal – Alive

Eric — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 21:01:41 +0000

It’s been a long time (seven years to be exact) since the world has heard from Victor Villarreal (of Cap’n Jazz, Ghosts and Vodka, Owls) but he is (at least sorta) back and has a new solo album called Alive. It’s an album that features mostly just acoustic guitar and Villarreal’s own voice. In fact, it is Villarreal’s first time being a vocalist and it really sounds/feels like an emotional release for him. The album is not nearly as frenetic as I first expected, but that makes sense. Alive is a beautiful and poignant tribute/remembrance/testament to Villarreal’s late brother Carlo who died of a heroin overdose in early 2007. Initially, the songs weren’t going to be released to more than Villarreal’s family, but there was enough interest in the songs that he decided to self-release the album for anyone to hear. Villarreal’s performances on Alive are powerful yet subdued both musically and vocally and (at times) reminds me of some of Daniel Littleton’s solo work and his work with Ida. It’s a heartfelt and honest album that is not what I expected but even better. You won’t find a more moving album released this year.
MP3:
Victor Villarreal - Don't You Know Who (I Think) I Am
Victor Villarreal - You Are Worth It

Mike Hale – Lives Like Mine

Eric — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 03:02:20 +0000

Mike Hale’s excellent solo release Lives Like Mine is the perfect example of an album that I passed on for way too long. Hale is the frontman for In The Red and was formerly in the great Gainesville punk band Gunmoll, this album was released by the wonderful folks at Suburban Home, and was (gasp!) made available as a free download. Tell me how I missed the boat on this for so long? I dunno.

But now that I’ve found Lives Like Mine all I can say is that I’m thoroughly and totally impressed. The music is essentially just acoustic-based singer/songwriter stuff but actually way more than that. It’s played very quietly and very slowly in contrast to Hale’s other projects and might (on the surface) seem to lack any real punch, but wait! The album is gorgeously simple and hauntingly downtrodden in both the tone of the music and the lyrics. It is an album of intimate and sad songs that flows so well from start to finish it’s difficult to not get wrapped up in listening and forget about what you were doing beforehand. Boring? No way. The addition of a lonely piano and some beautiful harmony vocals from Allyson Seconds on a few songs is just icing on the cake.

Lives Like Mine is (without a doubt) one of the finest releases of 2009 and also one of the most captivating. When playing the album for my wife, she immediately said she loved it. My advice to you out there is simple; if Suburban Home releases a record, no matter what the genre, it is almost certainly going to be good. Go pick this up on some beautiful vinyl now!

MP3 | Mike Hale – Lives Like Mine Lives Like Mine
MP3 | Mike Hale – Red Tide Lives Like Mine

Roadside Graves – My Son’s Home

Eric — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 06:19:51 +0000

With My Son’s Home, Roadside Graves have delivered a sprawling and amazing record that will (most likely) be ranked among the year’s best by more than a few critics. The band combines yearning alt-country folk, fiddles, Alman Brothters style Southern rock guitars, and Dylan-esqe vocals into something that is as all over the map as it sounds. Throughout the albums’s 18 songs long there is so much to go around; piano, banjos, accordion, and more. Roadside Graves even introduce a slight element of freak-folk that gives it an even weirder edge and a bit of the grandeur found in the larger-than-life arrangements of some of Wilco’s more recent work. If you like any of the bands I’ve mentioned above or even (one of my personal favorites) The Weight, you should be checking My Son’s Home out. This record is brought to you from Justin of Aquarium Drunkard fame and his Autumn Tone label.

MP3 | Roadside Graves – Far And Wide My Son’s Home
MP3 | Roadside Graves – Work Itself Out My Son’s Home

Sarah Jarosz – Song Up In Her Head

Eric — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 01:48:58 +0000

Song Up In Her Head is the impressive debut from 18 year-old bluegrass prodigy Sarah Jarosz and I really like it. This isn’t (however) your typical bluegrass record despite the instrumentation and isn’t necessarily what you’d expect from someone this young. Vocally, she’s great and shows she’s a great mandolin and banjo player as well. She sounds more mature than her age would have you think and delivers a collection of wide-ranging-yet-cohesive songs. There’s moments of yearning Appalachian folk harmonies and mountain music, upbeat and melodic nu-grass instrumentals, and even what (at first) might seem to be odd cover songs (The Decemberists’ “Shankill Butchers” and Tom Waits’ “Come On Up To The House”), but it all goes fabulously together. Like I said, I really like Song Up In Her Head which is out now courtesy of the good folks over at Sugar Hill Records.

MP3 | Sarah Jarosz – Tell Me True Song Up In Her Head
MP3 | Sarah Jarosz – Shankill Butchers Song Up In Her Head

The Swaggerin’ Growlers – Keep Your Head Held High

Eric — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 03:51:33 +0000

I’m trying to get this post in before it’s time for me to be on baby duty for the evening. Here goes: The Swaggerin’ Growlers’ second album Keep Your Head Held High picks up right where their last one, The Bottle And The Bow, left off. The Boston based band has again filled an album full of awesome Irish/Celtic-influenced folk-punk where instruments found in traditional Celtic music like fiddles, tin whistles, accordions, and mandolins are juxtaposed (well, integrated nicely with, perhaps) with a traditional punk rhythm section and rough but not gruff vocals with the occasional female vocal as well.

It’s a fun album that (for at least a moment) can make you forget where you and your sorrows are. It’s the perfect accompaniment for a pint of Guinness or perhaps some Jameson or Redbreast whiskey. While much of Keep Your Head Held High is fast-paced and a raucous good time, there are a good number of songs that will keep you glued to your barstool reflecting on what a mess your life has become. On a few songs I even find almost ska-sounding upstroked guitars creeping in as well. It’s all well and good though as Keep Your Head Held High is another solid and thoroughly enjoyable album from these guys. Besides, who doesn’t love drinking songs and a band that name checks Social Distortion and the Bouncing Souls in their lyrics? Exactly. RIYL: Dropkick Murphys, Flogging Molly, The Pogues, etc…

MP3 | The Swaggerin’ Growlers – Keep Your Head Held High Keep Your Head Held High
MP3 | The Swaggerin’ Growlers – Heaven Can Wait Keep Your Head Held High

Looking forward to…

The Last Day On Earth Lyrics Kate Miller-Heidke	Shut The City Down Lyrics Mae
At The Bottom Lyrics Brand New	Move Lyrics The Lox
Headboard Lyrics Mario	Film Lyrics Nas
Welcome Back To The Trap Lyrics T.I.	My Friend Conscious Lyrics K Young
I Don’t Care Lyrics Ne-Yo	Me N My Lyrics Eve

Get your own here.

Bombadil – Tarpits And Canyonlands

Eric — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 03:14:57 +0000

The new Bombadil album, Tarpits And Canyonlands is a brilliant follow up to A Buzz, A Buzz (which is also very good). Really, the music speaks for itself here, so I’ll be brief. You should read Tart’s excellent review of it at Love Shack, Baby or just take my word that it is great. If that’s not enough, I’ll say it’s obtuse but melodic indie-folk-pop with a flair for the fantastic. It’s really quite a thing considering I usually don’t really like this sort of stuff. Bombadil (however) have managed to make quirky sound sincere and make playful feel substantial. They’ve made me a believer in their folksy Inter-Southern-national indie pop. The record will be out July 7th on Ramseur Records.

MP3 | Bombadil – Honeymoon Tarpits And Canyonlands
MP3 | Bombadil – Sad Birthday Tarpits And Canyonlands