MING DONKEY ONE MAN BAND is pretty much just how it sounds – a one man band from Mississippi. Other than that, there’s really not much other information out there to be found. Hopefully we can attempt to change that with this post. Continue reading “Ming Donkey One Man Band – Georgia Line 7″”
I wonder if they wanted to release the album on 4/20 on purpose? Something inside tells me that’s not as far-fetched as it sounds. This is the debut full length from NATURAL CHILD, and it follows along perfectly with their motto, “Let the good times roll.” Continue reading “Natural Child – 1971”
Here’s one you could say came out of nowhere. I’m not even sure exactly what label released it. Was it Rough Trade or maybe even Toyota? In the long run it doesn’t really even matter, because now we get a brand new song apiece from both NATURAL CHILD and THE STRANGE BOYS. Continue reading “The Strange Boys/ Natural Child – Scion Split 7″”
Officially being released on January 18th is HANDS AND KNEES third full-length album “Wholesome”. Hailing from Boston, these guys come from right in the middle of all the musical goodness that’s been pouring out of the area. It’s like the epicenter of garage rock up there right now… Continue reading “Hands and Knees – Wholesome”
What’s up people. Now that the weekend’s over it’s time for another new week in music, so let’s start it off with a bang.
This weekend was a cold one (at least where I’m from, anyway), and I spent a greater portion of it driving around my hometown delivering pizza’s from the comfort of my cars stereo. Being the delivery guy always gives me ample time to check out various new musics, but sometimes I get a little sidetracked if something new and special presents itself. In other words, what I meant was I had a good deal of stuff to check out, but only ended up listening to one thing. Was it because of the cold and how absolutely perfect the music complements the weather for this time of year? Was it because of my undying love for John K. Samson and The Weakerthans? Would you have guessed that a band like Jim Bryson & The Weakerthans would even be on this blog? For some reason my guess is “probably not.”
Jim Bryson and The Weakerthans toured together in the Fall of 2007 (for the Weakerthans “Reunion Tour” album), and I’m not sure if that’s when this whole project began to take place, but it sounds like a good starting point, right? Before this album, that was the Weakerthans last studio effort, while Brysons was 2007’s “Where the Bungalows Roam”. With that being said, it’s about time that both of these acts got back in the studio to lay down some new tracks. There’s just one issue – they didn’t record in a studio. They spent this past January in a cabin in the middle of a -40C winter on Falcon Lake in Manitoba, and the results are quite stunning. To see for yourself where I just got all that information, follow this link to the Jim Bryson website and scroll down to his posts from the beginning months of 2010.
I had never really thought to check out Jim Bryson (even after he opened for the Weakerthans in 2007), but I can tell you right now that I’ll be looking into his stuff after hearing this new album. These Canadian musical masterminds are obviously doing something right, and they certainly deserve a little praise for this record here. Coming from a Weakerthans dominated musical diet (and not so much Bryson), I have to say this – it’s like a Weakerthans album with the country-esque twangy guitar and laid-back approach, but with the addition of Bryson the music gains a little more energy at times than a Weakerthans album normally would have (like in tracks “Wild Folk”, “Up All Night”, “Kissing Cousins”, and “Decidedly”). If you’re familiar with the Weakerthans song “Watermark”, pretend they transplanted the raw energy from that song and spread it out around “The Falcon Lake Incident”. The result would be this album we have here.
One of the songs that first comes to mind that has that natural energy is the fourth track “Wild Folk”. A truly glorious song when driving down the highway, leaving all the other cars in your dust behind you. There’s a constantly pulsing vibe you can grasp in this song, as you can feel the pure energy rush through your veins. There’s even a feeling of comfort worked into the song, which just says that “everything’s going to be okay”. Maybe it’s the blissful “ba-ba-ba-ba” chants from Bryson, or just the reassuring lyrics about staying back at home, which seems like the only place worth being in this song. Coming around within the final minute, the song peaks off as they rock a single guitar chord into the end as the song slowly winds down with a mysterious vibe.
Please guys, don’t sleep on this stuff. There’s something worth smiling about around every corner of this heartwarming album, whether it’s the homely feel or just the way it seems to fight off the cold weather. Jim Bryson and the Weakerthans gang put together quite a project here, and I’m more than happy to be sharing it with you guys today. Listen to the songs below, smile, and enjoy.
PS – Why would you ever grow leaves just to watch them fall off again?
Metal Girls –
Fell of the Dock –
Wild Folk –
Decidedly –
My Rating: 8.6/10
Genre/ Tags: Folk Rock, Alt-Country, Indie Rock
The Falcon Lake Incident: Tracklist:
1.) Raised All Wrong
2.) Metal Girls
3.) Fell Off the Dock
4.) Wild Folk
5.) Constellation
6.) Freeways in the Frontyard
7.) Up All Night
8.) Kissing Cousins
9.) Decidedly
10.) Anything and All
Jim Bryson – Official Website
The Weakerthans – Official Website
BUY the album directly from Kelp Records (LP)
or BUY directly from MapleMusic (CD)
In relation – an older Drone post about John K. Samson
Look – it’s the new Real Estate 7″. I saw this gem in the record store yesterday, and I didn’t really think twice after seeing it – naturally it suddenly ended up in my hands. After that I brought it back home and put in on my record player. Then I ripped the songs, and now I’m here sharing it with you lovely people out there on the interweb. Funny how that works out. So in case you weren’t already aware, this is the new 7″ from Real Estate, complete with two fresh songs called “Out of Tune” and “Reservoir”. Not sure if this one is a limited pressing or anything like that, but it comes from the True Panther Sounds label, and you should probably get this one sooner than later – if it’s like other Real Estate singles, it won’t be around forever.
First song up is the crystal-clear “Out of Tune”, and this one also goes great with the weather and feel for this time of year. Joyous, delightful guitars change back and forth, going from clean cut to swirling and intoxicating, all while the bass line continues to punch through, keeping the song in line from beginning to end. There’s a slight psychedelic/ folky tone mixed into the song, but it doesn’t overshadow the poppy/ indie vibes. Lead singer Martin Courtney sings about watching the cars pass by on I-95, which is a major highway spanning the whole East coast, also passing through our fine city of Philadelphia. Now flip that shit for the B-side “Reservoir”.
Another crystal-clear track, this was a song Real Estate played on one of their more recent visits to Philadelphia. If you can remember back to April, this was that ‘new song’ that Real Estate played back @ the Barbary. At that point in time, the song was still unnamed, and it was only their third time playing it live, but they did say it would be out soon enough on a new 7″, so at least they kept their promise! Six months later it finally saw a physical release, and I’ve got it here for you all today. Check out the songs below, and if yr bored, check out Real Estate live in Philadelphia.
Out of Tune –
Reservoir –
My Rating: 7.2/10
Genre/ Tags: Indie Rock, Alt-Country, Pop
Out of Tune 7″: Tracklist:
1.) Out of Tune
2.) Reservoir
Real Estate on Myspace !
BUY the 7″ directly from Insound
Watch Real Estate & Family Portrait do their thing live in Philadelphia
Also related: Alex Bleeker & the Freaks 12″ from Underwater Peoples
Styrofoam Drone 