Category Archives: Folk

Moor Hound – Love in My Jaws (2010)

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If you’re a fan of  The Avett Brothers or Iron and Wine, I highly recommend checking out Steve Marino’s music. He records independently under the name Moor Hound, and his folksy music is some of the best stuff I’ve heard this year. It all has a really genuine vibe, and if you were bummed after realizing Sufjan’s new album contains exactly zero songs with banjos in it, you’re in luck.

Moor Hound’s debut album, Love In My Jaws, released this month, and you can grab a free copy on MusicFloss or Bandcamp. A few of my favorite tracks on the album include “Virginia,” “Such A Weight,””Love in My Jaws,” “Sleeping in, and “Through A Fence.”

Marino is based out of Orlando, Florida and is only 21 years old. He makes music on the side of working a full-time job as a “computer guy” at a car dealership. I’ll definitely be keeping my eye on him.

Love in My Jaws (2010):

Moor Hound –  Virginia (mp3)

Moor Hound – Sleeping In (mp3)

Site

Diving at Dawn

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Pete Hobbs, of Boy Least Likely To, has started a great solo project called Diving At Dawn. Departing from the indie pop sound that made Boy Least Likely To the most adored band ever, his new solo project is a chance for him to express a more acoustic, lush side.

The first single from Diving At Dawn is called “A Lot Like Love.” It’s a reflective song that Hobbs produced in the wee hours of the night, and eloquently addresses issues we all can relate to: the constant passion of time and frailty of love. Check it out below.

The single is releasing digitally and on limited edition 7″ vinyl on the band’s own label, Too Young To Die Records this month. The vinyl includes the exclusive track “The Spinney.” I’m definitely excited to see where Hobbs’ takes this side project– I’ll keep you posted!

Diving at Dawn – A Lot Like Love (mp3)

Boy Least Likely To – A Fairytale Ending (mp3)

label| myspace

SNOWBABY- Summer, the Banshee EP

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I’ve been meaning to feature the New Brunswick, NJ based band, SNOWBABY, on IndieMuse ever since seeing them play a house show in Washington DC (that Ben Cooper of Radical Face headlined).

If you’ve been following IndieMuse for a while now, you know how much I love xylophone, flute, shakers, triangle, and all those completely underrated instruments.

SNOWBABY is the kind of band that does an amazing job filling those needs! They are lots of fun.  They even have a recorder (which makes them contenders for my band)!

Their music hasn’t really been mastered, as you will hear, but it definitely adds to that lo-fi homemade sound I like so much.

Summer, the Banshee EP:

SNOWBABY- Summer, the Banshee (mp3)

SNOWBABY- Forest Hymm / You’ll be Warned (mp3)

Myspace

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ri1i37WgFlQ&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]

Blaudzun – Seadrift Soundmachine

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So I was thinking… one great thing about folk music is that it can be applied to virtually any season, and serve its intended purpose quite well.

For example, right now I can listen to music outside on a nice summer day and think “man, this is so relaxing.” And I can also listen to that same music in fall, making colorful leaf gazing way less boring. Then, of course, comes Chicago’s shitty winter weather, at which point I’m all like “I am so ***** cold right now, I’m just going to cuddle up near the fireplace, and listen to some Bon Iver-like folk music all day. Harumph.” The only season that is questionable when it comes to folk music is spring because it’s when us mid-westerners start coming out of our hibernation and just want to dance to some Passion Pit (and tend to the farm).

Anyway…

One artist that I’ve been listening to a lot is named Blaudzun. His recent release, Seadrift Soundmachine is gorgeous, and is perfect for summer. I would describe Blaudzun’s sound along the lines of Bowerbirds, Beirut and Devotchka. This is definitely one of the best releases of 2010.

Several of my favorite tracks on Seadrift Soundmachine are “Sunshine Parade,” “Wolf’s behind The Glass,” “Jezebelle,” “February Flare” and “Manhatten Grey/Post No Bill.”

Blaudzun hails from Utercht (Netherlands), and is the brainchild of Johannes Sigmond. The somewhat hard to pronounce name, Bluadzun, comes from a Danish cyclist, so if that’s ever a question on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, you’re set. When you have your Slumdog-esque reflection that leads you to the correct answer (D), you can thank IndieMuse :)

Seadrift Soundmachine (2010)

(mp3) Blaudzun – Sunshine Parade

(mp3) Blaudzun – Wolf’s Behind The Glass

Site | iTunes|  Myspace

Jenny and Johnny – “Scissor Runner”

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It’s a special week for rock-pop aficionados. Jenny and Johnny, a spankin’ new music group formed by Jenny Lewis and her Scottish boyfriend, Jonathan Rice, just released their first single, “Scissor Runner,” as a free download. The song, a deliciously fun anthem just in time for summer, will be on the group’s forthcoming debut, I’m Having Fun Now.

Yet don’t think every Jenny and Johnny track will match the cutesy lyrics of “Scissor Runner.”

As their site states, “The exuberance of love songs like ‘Scissor Runner’ mask some of the record’s darkness, with Lewis chronicling the economic demise of her beloved California in ‘Big Wave,’ Rice’s haunting vocal on ‘Animal,’ and both songwriters raising a middle-finger kiss off in the acerbic ‘My Pet Snakes.’ The overall result is genuine and original pop music for Right Now.”

Lewis, of Rilo Kiley fame and also a pair of solo albums, met Rice about five years ago while working on her solo debut, Rabbit Fur Coat. The pair struck up a creative friendship and lent help to each others’ respective recordings. Rice has actually performed with Lewis for every live show of her solo career to date.

Touring for the album, which may drop as early as August 31st, kicks off September 1st at the Rio Theater in Santa Cruz, CA. The full list of cities and venues is available here.

Noticeably missing from the tour are stops in Arizona. Due to the state’s new immigration policy, which Jenny and Johnny say “legalizes and sanctions racial profiling,” the group refuses to play there.

“To all our rad southwestern peeps, we’re sorry that the brutes are running the show and we hope they get voted out of office.”

I’m Having Fun Now (2010)

(mp3) Jenny and Johnny – Scissor Runner

site | myspace

Ugly Casanova – 180 South Soundtrack

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this is an old picture. add on 8 years.

I am so happy right now. In fact, I don’t think I’ve been this happy for 8 years. As you probably suspected, this is because new material from Isaac Brock’s side project, Ugly Casanova, released today. Ugly Casanova’s 2002 solo release, Sharpen Your Teeth, is still one of my favorite albums, and I’m not even mad that it’s taken him this long to release something new for the project, as I’m still absorbing the genius of that album.

The 9 new tracks were created for 180° South, a documentary that “retraces Yvon Chouinard’s and Doug Tompkins’ epic 1968 journey to Patagonia through the eyes of adventurer Jeff Johnson.” (Currently available on Netflix instant stream). Other contributors to the 180 South soundtrack include Mason Jennings, The Shins’ James Mercer,  Jack Johnson, and Love as Laughter…all great musicians. The soundtrack releases today on Brushfire Records.

I’m definitely going to be listening to the second track, “Here’s to Now,” for a very long time. A few other Ugly Casanova favorites include “Lay Me Down” and the rendition of  “Hotcha Girls” (my favorite track on Sharpen your Teeth).

Brock’s must read interview with Pitchfork answers the question you are like asking right about now.

Pitchfork: What made you decide to bring back your Ugly Casanova project?

IB: Well, the nitty roots of that is that it would have been a problem legally if I’d called it Modest Mouse. I don’t much like things to go by somebody’s name, like the Bob Jones Group Jam Band. I figured, since it was more than writing, it’d just be easier to consider it as another Ugly Casanova project.

Happy Ugly Casanova day!

180 South OST (2010):

(mp3) Ugly Casanova – Here’s to Now

(mp3) Ugly Casanova – Lay Me Down

180 south | brushfire | amazon (only 7.99) |iTunes

Fionn Regan

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If you’re a fan of Bob Dylan, Nick Drake, Ben Kweller, or Sondre Lerche, you should check out Irish singer/songwriter, Fionn Regan. He’s a lively musician who places a lot of emphasis on his lyrics, continually balancing his quirky and dark sides.

In 2006, Fionn released his self-produced debut album, The End of History. He compares the album to opening a “lemonade stand,” saying that “no one really had any expectations, and then it took off.” Since then, he’s been doing quite a bit of touring, and just released his follow-up album, The Shadow of an Empire. It’s notably different than his debut, containing darker lyrics and a new instrumental approach, riding more along the lines of folk/punk, than his previous lush, folk melodies.

Like many of his fans, I probably prefer The End of History. But  I think both albums are great, and I can’t wait to see what Fionn has in store for his next album. I think it’s really cool that he stays true to his music, regardless of where it steers him, and that he still handles all the creative aspects of his music. He says, “if you work with a producer, it seems all the time is spent telling them what you want to do. I suppose until I meet someone with that Lennon and McCartney thing, who just gets it, I’ll do it myself.”

Fionn Regan is based out of Wicklow, Ireland. I read a few interviews with him, and am pretty fascinated by all the imagery he uses when he talks. He throws around quirky metaphors like it’s no one’s business. Such as the above example with comparing himself to a lemonade stand, or when asked why he became a musician: “You make a pact with something invisible. After that you can trip and fall into a river, or you can follow a lot of crayon maps drawn by demented people, but you still have to do it, because you’d suffer if you didn’t.” I couldn’t have put it better myself!

The End of History (2006)

(mp3) Fionn Regan – Put a Penny in the Slot

(mp3) Fionn Regan – Be Good or Be Gone

The Shadow of an Empire (2010)

(mp3)  Fionn Regan – Lord Help My Poor Soul

itunes | myspace

This video for “Be Good or Be Gone” is wonderful.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UyE3m2uj7g[/youtube]

Little Joy – “Don’t Watch Me Dancing”

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The LA band, Little Joy, has some really great songs that bring to mind one of my very favorite bands, The Velvet Underground. In particular, Binki Shapiro sings the lead vocals on the second to last track, “Don’t Watch Me Dancing,” and has a striking resemblance to Nico. It’s a beautiful song. And it only helps matters that they both have super weird names.

Rodrigo Amarante sings main vocals on most of the tracks, and reminds me quite a bit of another musician I like as well, Willy Mason.  Some songs that I enjoy in particular on the band’s 2008 self-titled debut include “Play The Part,””The Next Time Around,” and “Unattainable.”.  Seriously–I can’t get enough of Binki’s voice. Perfect for a Saturday.

S/T (2008):

(mp3) Little Joy – Don’t Watch Me Dancing

(mp3) Little Joy – The Next Time Around

myspace | itunes

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qs6WFMJGxE8&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]

Nathaniel Rateliff – “Boil & Fight”

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Photo Credit: Jesus Christ

A few months back, Alie featured Nathaniel Rateliff on the site. His debut album, In Memory and Loss, is gorgeous. You should definitely check it out  (preferably while looking at the above photo) if you’re into that country-folk sound. I heard Nathaniel puts on a great live show, and I’m really bummed that I’m missing his tour this go around.

Nathaniel is currently based out of Denver, and I found this interview with the Denver Post to be pretty fascinating. Basically, Nathaniel had two bands, Nathaniel Rateliff and The Wheel (who we are currently featuring) and Born in the Flood. The record label Roadrunner (home to Nickelback), offered to sign Born in the Flood and essentially wanted to turn them into the next Nickleback. Rateliff, realizing just how much Nickelback sucks, knew that he wouldn’t be happy going that route, even if it brought him great fame and fortune. Therefore, he signed his other band to the more modest Rounder records–a 39-year-old folky label that is home to the Woody Guthrie archives, Nanci Griffith, and Delta Spirit.

Our friends at Yours Truly recently filmed  a live session with Nathaniel Rateliff, where he played “Boil & Fight.” It’s an intimate recording that took place on a back porch near Austin. Check it out!

[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/11039579?[/vimeo]

In Memory and Loss (2010):

(mp3) Nathaniel Rateliff – Boil & Fight

Site | Buy | MySpace

Scott Avett covers Bombadil

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Bombadil is a favorite over at IndieMuse–their album Tarpits and Canyonlands was on my Top 10 list last year. Simply put, they are a band worthy of everyone’s ears. It’s criminal that more people haven’t heard their music.

Instead of listening to a nobody like me though–consider this! Avett brother, Scott, recently did a video cover of Bombadil’s song “Marriage.”  Last time I checked, The Avett Brovers don’t cover just anybody.

I still can’t decide what I like more: the band’s music or their photos. As you can see below, their CD travels the world asking friendly strangers to capture his adventures. Everytime it comes home to the band they share the photos with the world to see.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eew-NyU-H3Y[/youtube]

(mp3) Bombadil – Honeymoon

(mp3) Bombadil – Marriage

Site | Store | iTunes | Myspace

see more photos on Bombadil’s Facebook fan page.