On our way to and from the coast last weekend we listened to a bunch of new music. The stand-outs were I Can Wonder What You Did With Your Day, the new album from Julie Doiron (pictured above), and two other albums I picked up by a group from Texas called Balmorhea: Rivers Arms, released in February 2008, and All Is Wild, All Is Silent, which came out a couple weeks ago.
I have mentioned Julie Doiron previously and have been a fan for quite awhile, but this new album is maybe my favorite of hers. Here's a video for "Heavy Snow."She has a really strong command of when to make a song quiet and when to make it loud, which I like a lot. Check out juliedoiron.com for more info and a bunch of downloads from past albums. No Seattle tour dates are listed but she's playing at good ol' Union Hall in Brooklyn on April 25 if you're there. (And it looks like the Cave Singers are there tonight, fyi.)
Balmorhea was playing in Bimbo's the other day and I asked the multi-talented person behind the bar what it was. It's perfect music for a gray-weather drive on the coast – the songs all meld together and become a kind of lush environment. Turns out it's also perfect for walking through yet another freak snowstorm; I listened to this song twice on the way to the office this morning:Balmorhea The Summer mp3 (from Rivers Arms)
It's all kind of like that, I love it. Get more info and buy Balmorhea records here.
I'm always looking for recommendations on new stuff so let me know what you're listening to lately too.
1 comment:
Thanks for the tips. Here's some stuff I've been enjoying (you asked) --
Stuff you might not know:
--Blitzen Trapper
--Mozart piano sonatas played by Mitsuko Uchida
--The Thermals
--The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
--Some of a new record called "Soul in the Hole" by Shawn Lee
--I downloaded the new Dan Deacon (called Bromst) and am hoping to like it (haven't had a chance to listen yet)
--And two duets off of recent indie-rock compilations: "Yeah! Oh Yeah!" by Tracey Thorn & Jens Lekman (off "Score," Merge's 20th anniv. record); and "I Was Young When I Left Home" by Antony & Bryce Dessner (off "Dark Was the Night," the new Red Hot compilation).
And in terms of stuff you already know:
Damien Jurado, in particular I Break Chairs and On My Way to Absence, the whole albums, but even more in particular "Paperwings" and "Sucker."
Also, things you gave me: "I'm Sober Now" (O'Keefe) and "I'll Leave You Girl" (Fisher). So, thanks.
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