SON VOLT-ACOUSTIC RARITIES

Some exceedingly high quality acoustic Son Volt tunes, from c.1995 – 1996. One of the greatest alt-country bands around.

A few tastes and a zip. Nuff said.

01. Ten Second News

02. Windfall

03. She’s More To Be Pitied

04. Loose String

05. Tear Stained Eye

06. Drown

07. Back Into Your World

08. Creosote

09. No More Parades

10. Been Set Free

11. Way Down Watson

12. Lilli Schull

13. Out Of The Picture

14. Looking At The World Through A Windshield

15. Rex’s Blues

16. Too Early

17. San Antone

ZIP FILE

LINK FIXED!

VOXTROT-April 9, 2006

This bootleg is just to remind you all that Voxtrot released one of the best albums this year and you should buy it. Now.

A few tastes, and a zip, as usual.

Unrecorded Song
Raised By Wolves
Mothers Sisters Daughters and Wives
Rise Up in the Dirt
Monday
Wrecking Force
Long Haul
New Song
Chivalry
Fast Asleep
Twee
Soft and Warm
Monday
Start of Something
Missing Pieces

RUBY LAMENT-“Circulation”

A long long time ago, before the unspeakably disappointing band/album “The Good, The Bad, and The Queen” there was a very interesting, albeit extremely mainstream, hip hop/trancey band called The Gorillaz. I’m sure you remember them. Well, if you were a fan, you might want to check out Ruby Lament.

Hailing from Brooklyn, New York, Matt Ruby (vox, keys, guitar, bass, beats) and Matt Lament (guitar, keys, beats, sampler, backing vox) make, in their own words, “dark, dirty, and dancey” music that falls somewhere in the space occupied by Gary Numan and Brian Eno and, yes, The Gorillaz. Only grimier–less slick, less top 40, less club ready.

The album is a little hit or miss—there’s some tracks that just don’t work—but others show real potential. These two Matts did everything themselves on this release, and cuts like “Hollow Body Soul” show real potential, and made me wonder what they’d sound like in the hands of an experienced producer. Take, for example, the fascinating cover of “The Drugs Don’t Work” by The Verve. There’s enough of the original here that the source material is obvious, but Mr. Ruby’s vocals add a rougher quality that augment the desperate lyrics. Definitely the best track on the record. They also do a fun cover of “So Alive” (Love and Rockets), and the icing on the cake is “Nuclear Night,” an 8+ minute crawl through a jungle of Gorillaz-like beats and blips—you know, a kind of raw, electronica blues anthem with Verve-style vocals. I tend to shy away from songs that hit the five-minute mark, but this one is worth hanging on. By about halfway through, I
found myself entranced.

Check out these standout tracks, or download the whole thing, free and legal, as a zip file!

Hollow Body Soul

So Alive (Love and Rockets cover)

The Drugs Don’t Work (Verve cover)

Nuclear Night

QUOTE OF THE DAY and PICTURE OF THE DAY

The worst thing about Mr. Gore, from the conservative point of view, is that he keeps being right.

-Paul Krugman, today in the New York Times.

10 MORE REASONS TO COVER THE ROLLING STONES

1. Before They Make Me Run-Steve Earle. Probably my favorite Kieth tune (yeah, including Happy).

2. Dead Flowers-the eels

3. Jumping Jack Flash-Leon Russell

Jumping Jack Flash-Guns and Roses (acoustic)

4. Divorce Song/Emotional Rescue-Liz Phair

5. Stray Cat Blues-Soundgarden

6. Let It Bleed-Black Crowes

7. My least favorite tune from Exile on Main Street: Rip This Joint-Afghan Whigs

And my favorite tune from Exile: Shine a Light-Alejandro Escovedo.

8. Moonlight Mile-Jason Isbell. I guess lots of folks were disappointed by his solo album, but I wasn’t. I love it. Love it!

9. It’s All Over Now-Social Distortion

10. I’m closing out with two unknown bands who do what I think are some pretty wild takes on these exceedingly overplayed Stones tunes. I think they’re really cool. What do you all think? (That’s not rhetorical–tell me!)

Sympathy-The Trews

YCAGWYW-The Disco Biscuits

THE DEADSTRING BROTHERS-“Silver Mountain”/SOULSAVERS- It’s Not How Far You Fall, It’s The Way You Land

It’s a banner year for country rock, and here’s two reasons why.

SOULSAVERS- It’s Not How Far You Fall, It’s The Way You Land

I’ve never heard of them before, but apparently Rich Machin and Ian Glover are a well-known production
team from England who call themselves The Soulsavers. Whatever the original reason for the moniker, they earn it with, It’s Not How Far You Fall, It’s The Way You Land. Mark Lanegan (Screaming Trees, Queens Of The Stone Age), who in my view has never quite found the perfect project to highlight his spooky, haggard vocals, signs on as the lead singer for this truly incredible album. It’s so good, I’m making an exception to my no-majors rule (it’s on Columbia Records). Lanegan co-wrote five of the tracks (one is a remake of his “Kingdoms of Rain” tune), and sings on covers like “Through My Sails” by Neil Young and an eight-minute “No Expectations” (Rolling Stones) that is nothing short of revelatory. Other great numbers include “Ghosts of You And Me,” a haunting lament, reminiscent of Nick Cave and Johnny Cash but with a little more energy; and “Paper Money,” which is gospel-rock’s answer to crunk: A creeping beat, lots of yelling and moaning, lyrics about bling (“Got paper money, give it you easy;” “Who’s your daddy?”) . . . I truly wish Lil’ Wayne would do a remix verse. And notwithstanding its similarity to “Knocking On Heaven’s Door,” “Revival” is a powerful single. “Blues Run the Game” makes better use of Lanegan’s talents than just about anything I’ve ever heard . . . Every track here is a winner.

There’s no reason to miss Robbie Robertson and The Band anymore: Soulsavers are just as stirring, in a 21st Century kind of way.

No Expectations (Stones cover)-Soulsavers

THE DEADSTRING BROTHERS:

“Silver Mountain”

Now we turn to Silver Mountain, the new Deadstring Brothers record on Bloodshot. True cornerboysNgals will recall that I’ve mentioned this band many times over the years. Their first two albums are examples of how great this genre can be. Silver Mountain finds the band taking a right turn at Nashville, finding a much more country sound than before, and the change is a welcome one. Rather than trying to appease indie rock fans, the DBs have crafted a rootsier, gutsier project. As always, every song is a keeper, but I thought I’d mention one in particular. “Some Kind of User” is a long, bluesy grind somewhat like what you might expect from The
Black Keys, only with the Deadstring’s trademark excellent, passioned vocals, and a remarkable keyboard
line that weaves and tucks between the mournful guitar work at the long, crushing fadeout. Astounding.

Tour dates below. I’ll be there on the 21st, if anyone wants to say hi.

Silver Mountain. This song breaks me.

Heavy Load

DEADSTRING BROTHERS FALL TOUR!

OCT 18 / Knoxville, TN / Barley’s Taproom
OCT 19 / Raleigh, NC / Hideaway BBQ
OCT 20 / Richmond, VA / Capital Ale House
OCT 21 / Arlington, VA / Iota Club and Café
OCT 25 / Morgantown, WV / 123 Pleasant Street