“I been pulling thread doing all kinds of evil, I know you hate me baby but don’t break the needle”
I’d imagine that for some, moving from Chattanooga to Baltimore would steal a little of the “Southern” from your sound. Trust me, J Roddy Walston made the move with his twang in tact. Backed by The Business, Walston absolutely kills it on their new self-titled album. This album is relentless, in the very best sense of the word. Every song is a raucous sing-a-long and each track somehow becomes even more infectious with each listen. Walston’s raspy vocals on songs like Don’t Break the Needle make me think this dude might just sweat whiskey. The rumor is that their live show is really what gains them new fans, and I’ll admit, if it’s anything like their studio release, count me in.
Used To Did
Don’t Get Old
This week, I wanted so badly to get my hands on the Tired Pony CD, that I honestly couldn’t write about anything else. I thoroughly enjoy writing about and (maybe) introducing you to new bands, but I feel like I am missing something. A close friend asked me to make him some themed playlists and while that’s interesting, I don’t want to bog the MiG readers down with huge chunks of songs. I’d rather keep it in threes (or less). So that said, I thought about maybe writing a weekly section called “The Threes.” The idea would be that a reader throw out a topic (saddest songs, windows down-singalongs, favorite songs about North Carolina etc) and I’d throw out my favorites.
I guess the question is, if you’re reading, do you only want to read about lesser known bands or do you want me to change it up a bit? Another idea from a friend was to do a weekly category called “The Vault” (or something like that.) I’d basically press shuffle on the iPod and see what happens.
So, let’s hear your ideas. If I do “the threes,” I’ll need you guys to help out with ideas. I know you’ll all email me with your thoughts, but feel free to leave them in the comments section too. It just might spark some ideas. Or you know, I could shut up and keep doing what I’m doing.
You can also reach me via email – bfhendricks@gmail.com or twitter @benhendricks
“I can’t call you a friend – ’cause when you left me here you left me here to die.” Your Sweet Voice – The Reindeer Section
I’ve long been a Snow Patrol fan. “Final Straw” is one of my favorite albums and Chocolate is a killer song that I’d add to any “desert island playlist.” Snow Patrol’s lead singer Gary Lightbody is much busier than your average lead singer though. Lightbody recorded two albums a few years back with members of Belle and Sebastian, Mogwai and Teenage Fanclub. The sum of those parts became an Irish supergroup known as The Reindeer Section. They released two great albums, toured a bit then went back to their primary bands. Lightbody is at it again with a new side project, Tired Pony, and the recent release “The Place We Ran From.” The entire CD has the Snow Patrol feel you’d expect from Lightbody, but his bandmates leave their fingerprints all over this one. One of my favorites, I am a Landslide, features REM’s Peter Buck on banjo and one of my favorite unknown artists, Iain Archer on vocals. Other songs feature Tom Smith (Editors), M Ward and Zooey Deschanel (She & Him) and Richard Colburn (Belle & Sebastian). The new CD comes out in the US September 28th, but if you like what you hear, grab it off Amazon.uk. It’s well worth the extra few bucks.
Cartwheels – The Reindeer Section
Dead American Writers – Tired Pony
I realize that some of you are jonesing for a mixtape. I do. I just assume that if you take all the posts here, along with posts like this, then you can piece together a nice little mix. There are tons of bands I want to blog about but never seem to get around to. For those bands, I am going to start to throwing together little 4-6 song “Mini Mixtapes.” So here you go. Here’s your July Mini Mixtape.
Make It Right- Seth Philpott
My good friend Jarrad recently introduced me to Seth’s EP Good Hearts. It took a life changing event for Jarrad to become a huge music fan, and now he’s the one sharing gems like this with me.
Everything I Want – Matthew Puckett
Puckett is basically THE ENTIRE soundtrack of ABC’s summer show, BostonMed. He’s got a slew of CDs out, but the most recent, Red Flowers, is by far my favorite.
Down the Drain – Will Dailey
Will Dailey was on a Krissie Mix a while back, and I became addicted. Will’s a Boston staple so I hear a lot about him these days.
Lisztomania (acoustic) – Phoenix
Yes. I finally gave in and picked up a copy of Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix. Given all the hipster hype, I tried to avoid it all costs, but it was too much for me to take. I. LOVE. THIS. ALBUM. And yes, I know I am WAYYYYY late to the game. But here it is, listen to it anyway.
Tokyo – The Modern Society
This album is the story of my musical life. I hear a song, it’s nowhere to be found, then I go to the end of the Earth looking for it. After searching for weeks, I finally found someone who sold me his promotional copy of The Modern Society’s CD, The Beat Goes On. This song is also on their 2005 CD, Friends and Enemies though. And you can find that one on iTunes.
