New Tom Waits

Tom Waits: Bad As Me October 25 on Anti

New Joe Henry

Joe Henry - Odetta by antirecords

Joe Henry is one of the best American songwriters of our generation. From his more experimental jazz albums, to crisp autumnal Americana, to dark brooding songwriting and a litany of A-list production credits - Henry has done it all. We had the privilege of working with him in a professional capacity several years ago, and on top of being the amazing musician he is, he is hands down one of the best and most professional people we've ever worked with. Ok - that all being said - here's his new tune "Odetta" from his forthcoming, all acoustic, Reverie dropping October 11th on Anti.

If This Doesn't Make You Happy, Nothing Will

[mp3] Mavis Staples: "Creep Along Moses"

Had the pleasure of stumbling upon this live the other night -- Mavis Staples and Jeff Tweedy play their cover of Creedence's "Wrote a Song For Everyone" that's on Mavis' excellent new album You Are Not Alone, out now on Anti. Pick it up if you don't have it. Happy Friday ya bastards. See after the jump for a bonus Friday vid -- if THAT doesn't make you happy, you have no soul. "Beautiful..."

Review: Dr. Dog's Shame, Shame

[mp3] Dr. Dog: "Shadow People"

[mp3] Dr. Dog: "Stranger"

I had the pleasure of talking to Zach Miller, pianist for Philadelphia retro-pop act Dr. Dog, last summer just as his band was about to record its sixth full length album in New York's Catskill Mountains.

In our conversation, I asked Miller if the task ahead of the band - to build upon its enormous success in the last five years, which has seen the quintet steadily rise from Philly's best kept secret to national darling - was daunting. What could the band possibly have in store for the follow-up to 2008's Fate, a career breakthrough that combined modern indie sensibilities with the classic pop of yesteryear?

Miller's reply, after hesitating for a moment to find the right word: "Directness."

At the time, I wasn't quite sure what to make of the answer, given my appreciation for the band's subtle sonic and lyrical touches that have come to enhance - if not define altogether - what Dr. Dog is about.

But eight months later, after spending copious time with Shame, Shame, the album Miller and his band mates wound up recording and another exceptional addition to an already sterling discography, I can't begin to think of a better descriptor.

Shame, Shame, released on Tuesday via Anti- Records, is direct in a way Fate, and 2007's We All Belong before it, were not. Its 11 songs speak to us like a friend would, without pretense or distraction, and are transmitted to us not through the funnel of studio wizardry, but right from the band's mouths and amps to our ears.

For the rest of the review, continue reading after the jump:

 
It was easy on past releases to get lost in the words of co-singers Scott McMicken and Toby Leaman, who coated their lyrics with enough ambiguity that they could mean different things to different listeners. But Shame, Shame is the two writers' most outwardly autobiographical album yet, leaving little to interpretation.

Take a song like "Shadow People," McMicken's vivid account of a desperate night in his West Philly neighborhood, an anthem set to Velvet Underground chords.

"The neon lights on Baltimore / every shadow's getting famous / In some backyard, in some plastic chair / Hoping these cigarettes will save us," McMicken sings, as he searches his street and city for any kindred spirits who might feel the same as he does.

In "Jackie Wants a Black Eye," he finds them in Jackie and John, two bar mainstays perpetually stuck in sad situations, and bonds with them over their mutual anguish. In a perverse, but strangely satisfying consolation, McMicken assures his friends they're "…all in this together / as we all fall apart / swapping little pieces / of our broken little hearts."

Joined by the real-life Jackie and John on the song's powerful coda, McMicken preaches those words as if they were the lonely man's gospel. Sure, it might sound uplifting for these souls to be alone together, but at the end of the day, they're ultimately still alone.

In fact, much of Shame, Shame deals with that isolation, a theme Leaman has chalked up to spending too much of his life on the road and the realization that it's primarily been of his own accord. Leaman's songs on the album deal with the pain of leaving his friends and family at home for long stretches of time (the beautiful country ballad "Station") and confronting himself about the person he's turned into on tour, while the rest of the world moves along without him (the sublime and aptly-titled opener "Stranger").

But don't think Shame, Shame is all gloom and doom. Far from it. The album carries on stylistically right where Fate left off: an exciting, at times euphoric, blend of 1960s and '70s pop with a current spin.

The band has been, ahem, dogged in the past for sometimes wearing its influences too heavily on its sleeve. It's near impossible to read a Dr. Dog review without seeing at least one of three musical benchmarks mentioned: The Beatles, The Beach Boys and The Band.

That's not without reason. It's true: Dr. Dog sounds a lot like those bands. But does it matter when it pays tribute to them - and then expands on their sound - so well?

Go ahead. Spot the references. There are Brian Wilson's California harmonies lurking in the background on nearly every song, John Lennon's spirit and guitar tones on "Later" and a constant energy from the entire ensemble making Shame, Shame sound like a studio version of The Band's famed Last Waltz concert.

But Dr. Dog, under the tutelage of producer Rob Schnapf (Beck, Elliott Smith) also adds new weapons to its arsenal: a Motown backbeat on "Unbearable Why," a sly R&B groove on the title track and a fractured guitar breakdown at the end of "I Only Wear Blue," to name a few.

Few bands are able to take cues from the past and translate them to the present so effortlessly. Shame, Shame is the document of Dr. Dog continuing to do just that, while managing to shift its lyrical and aural focus from careful to candid at the same time.

Dr. Dog is in the midst of a national headlining tour. The band will come home to Philadelphia on May 13, when it plays the Electric Factory at 8 p.m.

Finally! New Dr. Dog Mp3: "Shadow People"

[mp3] Dr. Dog: "Shadow People" 

via Stereogum

There's no use sugarcoating it: I love Dr. Dog, and the Philadelphia group's forthcoming Shame, Shame is my most anticipated album of 2010. We've all been looking forward to it since we first broke the news last July that the band had signed to Anti- Records and would soon record its next full length with uber-producer Rob Schnapf. Right before they trekked up to the Catskills to record, organist Zach Miller (far right) had this to say about the early stages of Shame: 

"Well, the initial concept is more of directness, I would say. It’s more song-serving arrangements, and maybe not as much orchestration as Fate. There are definitely fewer layers. The more direct approach is what we’ve been talking about lately. But anything could happen. It’s going to be a new experience for us, so there’s a lot of ideas going around."

From the sounds of it, I'd say those ideas must have been pretty great. "Shadow People," the first single from Shame, is something special from start to finish. For starters, it's the most outwardly autobiographical song the band has ever written, culled from lead singer Scott McMicken's experiences in his West Philly neighborhood. (Read his description over at Stereogum.) The song itself has an unmistakable feel of significance to it; for the first time, it sounds like McMicken and the rest of the band are aware of their roles as storytellers. There are still the same patented harmonies and warmth in fidelity, but there's something about the linear progression of the song and its anthem-like structure that hasn't really been present in the band's music thus far. 

"Shadow People" is love at first listen, and the best appetizer for Shame, Shame (out 4/6 on Anti-) I could have possibly hoped for.

Two More Reasons to Be Excited

So it's all been building up to this after Andrew scored the exclusive scoop that Dr. Dog had signed to Anti Records months and months ago. Shame Shame comes out April 6th with a 10 week tour to follow (after the jump). The press release promises that:

The stylistic reference points of Dr. Dog remain on Shame, Shame but with a darker tone. It's an album whose themes of doubt, confusion and unanswered questions are soothed by bright harmonies, taut guitar riffs and soaring melodies.

[mp3] Plants and Animals: "Tom Cruz"

Plants and Animals have announced their new album La La Land, which Secret City will release on April 20th. Their first track "Tom Cruz" is available above. We saw Plants and Animals open for Blitzen Trapper, and honestly, it wasn't the best show. Yet, this is a band with much promise and talent, so we are excited to hear what their music sounds like now they are a bit older. The press release reports a larger rock sound that is more mature and focused, yet still original and eclectic. Sounds good to us.

DR. DOG TOUR DATES (more to be announced):

January 27 Revolution Hall Troy, NY *
January 28 Higher Ground Burlington, VT *
January 29 Lupo's Providence, RI *
January 30 Westcott Theatre Syracuse, NY *
February 1 Mohawk Place Buffalo, NY *
February 3 The Pike Room Pontiac, MI *
February 4 Turner Hall Milwaukee, WI *
February 5 High Noon Saloon Madison, WI *
February 6 The Mill Iowa City, IA *
February 8 Waiting Room Omaha, NE *
February 9 Rock Island Brewing Co. Rock Island, IL *
February 10 Case Western University Cleveland, OH *
February 11 Video Saloon Bloomington, IN *
February 12 Newport Music Hall Columbus, OH *
February 13 State Theatre State College, PA *
April 14 Lee's Place Toronto, ON
April 15 Blind Pig Ann Arbor, MI
April 16 Metro Chicago, IL
April 17 Fine Line Minneapolis, MN
April 19 Belly Up Aspen, CO
April 20 Gothic Theatre Denver, CO
April 22 Neuroluz Boise, ID
April 23 Wonder Ballroom Portland, OR
April 24 Great American Music Hall San Francisco, CA
April 25 Great American Music Hall San Francisco, CA **
April 27 Henry Fonda Los Angeles, CA **
April 29 Santa Fe Brewing Company Santa Fe, NM **
April 30 The Loft Dallas, TX **
May 1 Emo's Outside Austin, TX **
May 2 Warehouse Live Studio Houston, TX **
May 3 Majestic Fayetteville, AR **
May 5 Workplay Birmingham, AL **
May 6 Cannery Ballroom Nashville, TN **
May 7 Headliners Louisville, KY **
May 11 Paradise Boston, MA **
May 12 Paradise Boston, MA **
May 13 Electric Factory Philadelphia, PA **
May 14 9:30 Club Washington, DC **
May 15 Terminal 5 New York, NY **

* With The Growlers
** With Deertick

International Tour Dates:

May 23 Magnet Berlin, Germany
May 24 Blue Shell Koln, Germany
May 25 Paradiso Amsterdam, Netherlands
May 26 Tabernacle London, UK
May 27 Nouveau Casino Paris, FR
May 29 Primavera Sound Barcelona, Spain

New Islands' Video: "No You Don't"

Michael Cera has a bad trip in this brand new video from Island's excellent Anti album Vapours. Sure. Why not?
Via

New Joe Henry

Joe Henry: "The Man I Keep Hid"

Joe Henry doesn't get enough love on this site. That stops now. Not only are we huge fans of his music, we've had the pleasure to work with him in a professional capacity, and there really isn't a nicer more humble musician out there these days. This post could easily be feature length, touching on his early highlights (Short Man's Room) mid-career gems (Scar), recent highlights (Civilians) and now his new record Blood From The Stars (8/18 Anti). That's not even mentioning his production work for amazing artists such as Mary Gauthier and Betty Lavette. He is renowned by critics and held in the highest regards by fellow musicians. We haven't heard more than snippets from his newest record, but what we heard has more than whett our appitte for his most recent effort. Can't wait. Here is a track from that record "The Man I Keep Hid" (via Magnet).

Dr. Dog Enjoying the Ride

STARK vs. DR. DOG

An interview with Zach Miller of Dr. Dog
By Andrew Daniels

It isn’t appropriate - or the slighest bit accurate - to call Dr. Dog Philadelphia’s best kept secret anymore. Not after the last couple of years they’ve had. The classic pop quintet has seen itself skyrocket from the Philly underground to the national conscious at a staggering rate, beginning with the release of Easy Beat in 2005 to last year’s breakthrough, Fate. The band’s accomplishments? Spreads in magazines like Rolling Stone, playing major festivals like Coachella and becoming the go-to band in late night television, to name just a few.

As soon as the guys finish their set at Musikfest in Bethlehem, Pa. on Aug. 3, they’ll travel to New York to record their sixth studio album with producer Rob Schnapf for new label Anti- Records. As organist Zach Miller reveals, things are looking brighter than ever for Dr. Dog.

What are you doing right now? Just taking some time off before heading back out to tour?

Well actually, we’re gonna be recording next. That’s our next big endeavor. We’re going up to Dreamland Studios up in the Catskill Mountains all of August. I think we’re actually heading up there the day after the Musikfest show.

Let’s get to recording in a second, but I kind of wanted to you to start off by talking about the band’s year so far. We’re a little more than halfway through 2009, and it seems that now more than ever, things are at a whirlwind for the band. I wanted to congratulate you on “My Friend” being in the trailer for Funny People. That’s huge.

Thanks, yep, I’ve been seeing a lot of stuff on television about that, and it also looks like a really good movie. I’m psyched about that. I’m not sure how they picked it, but I know that Jonah Hill is a big fan of ours. Obviously he’s in that movie, but I don’t know if he had anything to do with it. They kind of came to us and said, “hey, want to be in the trailer?” And we said sure. [Laughs.] I think there was some money involved, but I don’t really remember how much. It’s kind of weird how subtle the use of the song is. You have to listen for it to hear it. Not to complain or anything, but I’d be surprised if somebody heard that and said, “wow, I have to check that song out.”

For much more with Zach, including details about the new album, the deal with Anti- and which band's break up was "one of the great tragedies of all time," continue reading after the jump.

What else has been going on this year?

Well, we started off in Australia, which was really exciting. Having a summer new year was pretty interesting. We were on tour two days until Christmas until the 11th in Australia with the Black Keys. We played this festival outside of Melbourne called Pyramid Rock on New Year’s Eve. We were actually on stage with the Black Keys for the big countdown. There are only two guys in that band, so they wanted to make it look more like a party. That was kind of an exciting way to ring in the New Year. After that, we did a tour in April, we did the Jimmy Fallon show, which nobody had really done yet. That was the first week of his show, and it was really cool. We followed that up with some pretty good festivals, including Coachella, where I saw Paul McCartney and Ariel Pink, and they were both really awesome. Since then, we’ve just kind of been jetting around. Oh, we actually did a festival in Spain called the Azkena in May. We saw the Zombies, Alice Cooper, Dan from the Black Keys. That was a cool festival because it was only two stages, and nobody was playing while anybody else was playing. Everyone would be down at one end watching a band and then when they were done would turn around and walk down to the other side.

Has all the success that you guys have built up in the last three or four years on a national scale - late night television, spreads in major magazines, playing big festivals - ever overwhelmed or surprised you?

Well, I don’t really feel like our lives have changed that much because of it. We’re not living like rock stars, let’s put it that way. We just work really hard, so it kind of just feels normal to us now. But then when I take a step back and think about what we’ve done, it’s actually pretty incredible. Like, I watch Dave Letterman at night and think, “we were on this show.” So yeah, it’s funny to step outside yourself and look at the whole thing. I don’t know if I feel surprised. I always knew the music was great, from the first time I saw Dr. Dog play before I was in the band to the day I joined. We just put a lot of hard work into it, and a lot of people do know Dr. Dog and will hopefully know us in the future.

I was talking to Sean from Hoots and Hellmouth a few days ago, and he was talking about how the rise of Dr. Dog has significantly contributed to a sort of boom in the Philly scene. There’s now a spotlight on some of the bands and things going on in the city because of your band’s success. Do you agree with that? Are you honored?

We just felt obliged to show everyone these great bands in Philly. For a while there, literally all my favorite bands were bands my friends were in. I did step back and asked myself objectively, “are these bands really just this good or do I just like them because I like the people that are in them?” But no, these bands are amazing. Even if I didn’t know these guys, I’d still think so. When we first got signed to Park The Van, they put out Easy Beat. Toby and Scott had toured with Chris, the owner of the label, before with their first project, Raccoon. Chris was tour managing Racoon as he was starting the label, and he said, “do you know any other bands?” And we gave him a handful of great bands in Philly that are all our favorite bands in the world, like The Teeth, The National Eye and The Capitol Years. It was amazing that none of these bands were on labels or doing anything, so Chris signed them and we quickly became an even more integrated family of bands. Not only are we from the same city, but now also on the same label, which Philly didn’t really have.

Park The Van is based in New Orleans, right? But a lot of the bands are in Philly.

Yeah, well not too long after we signed with them, Chris got flooded out in Katrina. So for 4 or 5 months, he was essentially just kind of wandering around, literally homeless. He had Dr. Dog and The Teeth on his label, and the only thing he had going on was in Philly. At first he got placed in a hotel up here until he found housing, and eventually he found a place in Schwenksville. Last year, he moved back to New Orleans once everything calmed down a bit.

You had mentioned The Teeth, who were pretty beloved around here before they broke up a year or so ago. Two of those guys actually lived in Bethlehem, which I never really appreciated until I realized how great that band was. Do you know what they’re up to now?

One of the great tragedies of all time. Those guys were so, so good and I think they’d just been a band so long and played so many shows. Things were really starting to happen for them, like playing Bonnaroo and all these great opening slots on big tours. For a multitude of reasons, they broke up. I know Peter and Brian had started this band called The Purples. They had some songs up online, but that was a while ago, I’m not sure what they’ve done recently. Someone was talking about bringing them out on the road as their band, I can’t remember who. I hope it doesn’t end with The Teeth. I hope they’ll continue producing music again.

Today is the one year anniversary of the release of Fate. I saw you guys in Rittenhouse Square either during the release week or the week after, and your live set was almost if not all of that record. Clearly you were pretty psyched on the record at the time. Are you still pushing that record as hard on these upcoming dates, or are you gonna focus on new stuff on the fall tour?

We haven’t really played any new songs, except for one that’s actually kind of old. We still play all the Fate tracks except for “Uncovering the Old,” which is one we’ve never really quite mastered live. Everything else we still play every show. Those songs feel more like where we are as a band right now, and I think we play them a lot better than some of the songs we’ve been playing for years and years. So there’s a lot of incentive for us to play those songs.

Let’s get to the new record, then. You’re trekking to the Catskills for this one?

Yep, I think it’s the day after we play up there in Bethlehem. We’re going to Dreamland with Rob Schnapf.

Get out, really? That’s big. How’d you hook up with him?

We were talking about working with a producer in some capacity for this record, and he was one of the names that came up between our manager and a number of people we work with whose opinions we trust. They gave us a list of names and he had reached out to us before as a known fan of the band. He goes to see us every time we’re in L.A. We’d never met him before but during that tour in April, we just went around and met with what must’ve been 8-10 different producers and engineers and he was one of the guys we felt most comfortable with. He felt like one of the guys, super laid back and he knew our songs and was obviously familiar with us. Just seemed like a great guy for the job, and we’re all super psyched about it. I’m really looking forward to it.

This is the first time you guys have used a producer on a record.

Yeah, we wanted to focus on musicality a lot more, because our role right now is we pretty much do everything. We share the studio with Bill Moriarty, who helps us out a lot with mixing and just setting everything up and making sure it’s all working together. But tracking is something we mostly do on our own, and it just gets a little hectic sometimes when you have to go back and forth from your instrument to the board to figure out why it’s not sounding good. You have to have the technical knowledge and then try to put yourself back into the song musically. So I think we all realized that we wanted to focus more on the musicality, and do some more live tracking which we don’t usually do. Ninety percent of our records are just overdubbed. We wanted to have a little more fidelity, too. I think we’ve really come along way from Easy Beat to Fate...there’s a pretty notable gap between those two. Obviously Rob will be running the show from a technical side of things, but it should be more of a collaborative process. We’ve been really used to tracking ourselves, and it’ll be interesting to see how everything plays out.

Is there a particular direction that the songs are going in?

Well, the initial concept is more of directness, I would say. It’s more song-serving arrangements, and maybe not as much orchestration as Fate. There are definitely fewer layers. The more direct approach is what we’ve been talking about lately. But anything could happen. It’s going to be a new experience for us, so there’s a lot of ideas going around.

What kind of timetable are you looking at? An early 2010 release?

Yeah, that’s the plan. We just signed to Anti- Records. We knew that Fate was going to be the last record with Park The Van. They’re a really small label, and I think they’ve done a good job and we’ve been very fortunate to have all the opportunities we’ve had, and we’ve really come a long way on an extremely small label. I mean, they have three people on staff. I think a new label will raise our profile a lot and get the songs out to more people, obviously.

I don’t know how familiar you are with the Lehigh Valley or Musikfest.

My cousins live up there in Allentown, but I know nothing about Musikfest.

It’s an annual 10-day festival spread across several stages in downtown Bethlehem that draws almost a million people a year. You guys are playing on Amerikaplatz, which might be the biggest free stage at the festival, so there will be virtually every kind of music fan in the audience. How do you approach playing shows like these with such diverse crowds?

[Laughs] You’re making me nervous.

Maybe I shouldn’t hype it up like that, but it’s definitely something special.

We don’t normally try and tailor our set to who we think is out there. We just go up there and do what we do, plain and simple, and try to have a good time. If people respond to it, that’s great, but if not, there’s not much else we can do. I do feel like we have pretty wide appeal. We get people who are in their 60s, and then like, toddlers are into it as well. So it’s always nice to hear from somebody who maybe you wouldn’t expect to be a fan come up and say that they liked the show. It feels good to have that cross-cultural appeal.

This might be kind of hard to answer, but is there one song from the Dr. Dog repertoire that best represents the band? Obviously your sound has significantly evolved over the last decade. If I had someone who wanted to check out the Musikfest show and was curious to what you guys sound like, what’s that one song I could go tell them to illegally download?

That’s a really tough one. It would have to be something from Fate. I think maybe “My Friend” would be a good example. It’s got both Toby and Scott singing lead on it, it’s got the harmonies, and it’s got the ambition that we always try to put into the songs. Know what I mean?

Totally. It’s got the two really distinct parts to it, and the ending kind of encapsulates the whole record. That’s a good pick.

Nice, I got the right answer!

Last question. Every review I’ve ever read of the last couple records have gone something like, “Dr. Dog sounds like The Beatles, The Band and The Beach Boys.” It’s all true, and I’m sure that’s flattering to be linked with those giants, but to be honest, those comparisons get boring to read over and over. Who are some lesser known influences that have creeped into your music over the years? Maybe even for the upcoming record?

A very obscure one would be R. Stevie Moore, who’s sort of been a pretty prominent influence in the tastes that we’ve developed. Tom Waits is obviously really awesome. He doesn’t come up a lot as far as a direct reference point. Well, some of Toby’s songs kind of get Tom Waitsy on them. But in terms of guitar sounds, Marc Ribot’s been a huge influence on Scott for years. Recently we’ve been talking about the whole directness angle, which has led us to referencing the Rolling Stones albums a lot, and old soul music, and just in how seemingly simple yet colorful the songs were. If you listen to a Rolling Stones song, it’s guitar, bass and drums, and then one little color instrument. Like the marimba on “Under My Thumb.” That’s definitely going to be an influence on the new one.

You were mentioning some of the bands in Philly as your favorite bands. Have you felt their influence?

Like with The Teeth, they haven’t neccessarily influenced the music but definitely the live show. Just with touring them so much, we had the unenviable task of following them on most shows, and I mean, they were just an incredible live band. I feel like that energy in the room when they were playing was really palpable. You can definitely see the influence when we put more energy into the live show, because they just raised the bar.

Thanks to Zach for talking forever! Catch the band live on its fall tour. Dates are up on Myspace.

Coming Attractions!

We are making a big end of the week push and wanted to alert you to some of our upcoming Taster's Choice Moments of Inquisition... a.k.a., we will be posting a new interview every day until the week's end.

Today: We speak with Dr. Dog organist Zach Miller about the band's recent signing to Anti- and hiring producer Rob Schnapf to helm its new album. We recently posted exclusive news about the Anti- deal HERE.

Thursday: We speak with The Very Best frontman Esau Mwamawaya about the upcoming release, Warm Heart of Africa, his recent NYC performance at Le Poisson Rouge, and more. See NYC show review HERE.

Friday: We speak with acclaimed singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright about his new opera, Prima Donna, and his work on a new record.

Stay tuned folks!

EXCLUSIVE: Dr. Dog Signs to Anti-, Set to Record with Rob Schnapf

They grow up so fast! We are proud to exclusively announce that our little Dr. Dog has just signed to Anti- Records. They leave tiny Park The Van, where they released their last three records, including 2008's excellent Fate, which saw them reap huge national exposure in the form of late night appearances (Conan, Fallon) and spreads in major magazines (Rolling Stone, Spin.) Keyboardist Zach Miller also reveals that the band will record its sixth studio album with uber-producer Rob Schnapf (Beck, Foo Fighters, Elliott Smith) beginning in August. Congratulations to Philly's finest!

In the meantime, we'll have an in-depth interview with Miller next week. In the meantime, if you haven't yet, now would be a good time to jump on the Dr. Dog bandwagon.

Alec Ounsworth Goes Solo

It's not clear what this move spells for his band Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, but Pitchfork announced today the release of fellow CHA Alum Alec Ounsworth's first solo record which comes out October 20th on Anti. We say congrats to another local Philly friend, a solid guy and a great songwriter. Details:

With Clap Your Hands Say Yeah on a break, frontman Alec Ounsworth has set out on his own. On October 20, Anti- Records will release Ounsworth's solo debut, Mo Beauty. It was recorded in New Orleans with a murderer's row of Big Easy veterans backing him up: George Porter, Jr. of the Meters, Stanton Moore of Galactic, Robert Walter of Greyboy Allstars, and R&B institution Al "Carnival Time" Johnson, among many others.

The Field - The More That I Do - mp3

[MP3]
The Field: The More That I Do

We've been waiting a bit now for an mp3 premiere from the new Field record Yesterday and Today, and today Pitchfork debuted "The More That I Do." The track is an undulating mash of vocal samples, electronic beats and repeated rhythms; yet, as always, there is a tinge of melancholy underneath that makes it truly individual and great. Yesterday and Today comes out May 19 via Anti and Kompakt. Can't wait for more.

New Music from Jason Lytle - mp3

Jason Lytle "Brand New Sun" mp3 (via Stereogum)

Jason Lytle "Birds Encouraged Him" (via NPR SXSW Preview)

Jason Lytle used to front a great little band called Grandaddy, who's electro-soaked acoustic tunes fit nicely on the shelf next to Sparklehorse and the Flaming Lips. Lytle is now recording under his own name and his first effort, Yours Truly, the Commuter, comes out May 19 on Anti.

Today, we get to hear two tracks from that album. "Brand New Sun" is the kind of laid back pop that made Grandaddy so enjoyable. The easy flow of the vocals and subtle bursts in the chorus are more infectious with every listen. A perfect track as we head into spring.

"Birds Encouraged Him" is a little less exciting musically, but creates nice imagery lyrically (fans of Iron & Wine should appreciate this one). Both are encouraging signs for the full length. If you don't want to wait until May, check out Grandaddy's, The Sophtware Slump - one of my favorite records of 2000 and a perfect way to get ramped up for the new album.

-Mike Bailey Stark Contributing Writer

New Music from The Field

The Field's From Here We Go Sublime was our soundtrack to last winter. It was amazing (still is) and pretty much dominated our listening for a long time. So, we're excited to announce their follow up, Yesterday and Today which hits on May 19th via Axel Willner's own Kompakt label who has teamed up with Anti for this release. The press release promises the same attention to Willner's amazing sampling talents while drawing more heavily on the rhythmic side of the spectrum. This is evidenced by the fact that Willner features Battles' genius drummer John Stanier on the ten minute title track. Keep your eye on the various leading music blogs for exclusive tunes which will surely pop up in the next week or so. No cover art, but track list is after the jump.


THE FIELD
YESTERDAY AND TODAY

I Have The Moon, You Have The Internet - 8:02

Everybody's Got To Learn Sometime - 6:51

Leave It - 11:37

Yesterday & Today (feat. John Stanier) - 10:08

The More That I Do - 8:36

Sequenced - 15:40

New Neko Case Album "Middle Cyclone", Due March 3 on Anti

Besides wanting to marry her, we also happen to really love Neko Case's records. It's been awhile -- three years to be exact, since her last outing, the magnificent Fox Confessor Brings the Flood. Although we gotta say that Furnace Room Lullaby is our favorite, Fox Confessor is still pretty excellent. We can't really blame her for the long delay; she's been out making records with the New Pornographers and going on subsequent tours with the Pornos and her own band.

BUT, today, we got news that she will be putting out a new record, Middle Cyclone, March 3 for Anti-. Good news indeed. We haven't heard any music yet, but will be sure to let you know when we do. See after the jump for the track listing and more info on the record.


Track listing for Middle Cyclone
1. This Tornado Loves You 2. The Next Time You Say Forever
3. People Got A Lotta Nerve
4. Polar Nettles
5. Vengeance Is Sleeping
6. Never Turn Your Back On Mother Earth 7. Middle Cyclone
8. Fever
9. Magpie To The Morning
10. I'm An Animal
11. Prison Girls
12. Don't Forget Me 13. The Pharaohs
14. Red Tide
15. Marais La Nuit

From the press release from our friends at Shore Fire...

'Middle Cyclone' was produced by Case with Darryl Neudorf and recorded in Tucson, Brooklyn, Toronto, and Vermont. It features Case backed by her core band - guitarist Paul Rigby, bassist Tom V. Ray, backing vocalist Kelly Hogan, multi-instrumentalist Jon Rauhouse, and drummer Barry Mirochnick - along with numerous guests including M. Ward, Garth Hudson, Sarah Harmer, and members of The New Pornographers, Los Lobos, Calexico, The Sadies, Visqueen, The Lilys, and Giant Sand, among others. In addition to twelve new songs written by Case, 'Middle Cyclone' includes covers of "Never Turn Your Back on Mother Earth" by Sparks, and "Don't Forget Me" by Harry Nilsson.

William Elliott Whitmore Signs to Anti - "Old Devils"- mp3

William Elliott Whitmore - "Old Devils" - mp3

It's surprising that William Elliott Whitmore isn't more well known. He's a 30-something, tattooed, banjo-playing horse farmer that sounds like a 90-year-old man from the Appalachian Mountains. Part Tom Waits, part Roscoe Holcomb, Whitmore is able to straddle the line between the ancient and the modern, and the young and old. Ok, so maybe it's not surprising that he's isn't more well known, but we think he should be.

Either way, Whitmore's anonymity may be short lived as he just inked a deal with indie-titan Anti Records, who will release his new record Animals in the Dark on February 17. Below is a fantastic new track from that record, "Old Devils." Enjoy, and add him to your growing list of those to watch in '09.