Friday, May 24, 2013

imnotsleeping - a playlist

Weekend - Texture Like Sun
Australian band Texture Like Sun has a beauty in this song, with Jeff Buckley- esque vocals and guitar that allow the lyrics to remain front and center, making for a track that vibrates, but with simplicity.




Mojo Pin - Jeff Buckley
Seeing Natalie Maines and Ben Harper perform Lover, You Should Have Come Over at a small, intimate showcase last week made me revisit Grace. Always stunning.




Shallows - Daughter
Oh Daughter...where have you been all my life...this is one of those albums that kind of crept up and has seeped into my consciousness so that each week I become incapable of not listening to a particular track. This week it "Shallows", with its haunting guitar and slow burn softness. There's a delicate deliciousness to it, a fragility that keeps feeling like its going to explode and break, but instead it holds on, leaving you on the edge throughout.




Perfectly Aligned - Milo Greene
Milo Green is a band that has nailed that Laurel Canyon- Southern California vibe, but this song takes a different turn with a focus on an echoed sound and female vocals.  This is combined with an Explosions In The Sky-style guitar and lofty instrumentation, leaving me wishing Friday Night Lights was still on TV.




Dear Prudence - The Beatles
New music is great and all, but there is just something about coming back to an old favorite, especially if you haven't heard it in awhile.  You're suddenly reminded of the beautiful lyrics and melody that made you fall in love with it in the first place. (Only available on Spotify playlist here)




Things Will Change - Treetop Flyers
Treetop Flyers are another band who have managed to capture the 70's So Cal sound, made a bit more interesting by the fact that they are a band out of England who, despite their old school throwback lo-fi sound, only released their first effort in 2011.




Gallup, NM - The Shouting Matches
As Justin Vernon's latest project, The Shouting Matches latest effort Grownass Man offers up this nothing-like-Bon-Iver track that appeals to a different side of Vernon's musicality- gone are the sparse songs and falsetto, with this track instead giving way to a lush sound. Its completely different than anything Vernon did as Bon Iver, but showcases his obvious multi-talents. As if we didn't already know he had many.




Gold - Wake Owl
Their Bandcamp page labels them as 'alternative, folk, indie', but I think you could just remove the commas and call them alternative folk.  They've got the 'folk' part covered with the acoustic guitar strumming, but their sound adds more layers with a captivating group-style vocal.  They're also playing this weekend at Sasquatch and this summer at Lolla.




Ben Harper - Amen Omen
Last week I saw an intimate showcase of Natalie Maines performing songs from her new album Mother  along with Ben Harper.  Aside from being one of the hardest working musicians out there (he is also out supporting his album  Get Up! with Charlie Musselwhite), seeing Ben Harper so close up also reminded me of how prolific his own career has been, which naturally brought me back to some of his works.  "Amen Omen" is a track that is full of mournful poetic lyrics and a longing tone in the music, a solid reminder of how talented Ben Harper is. (Only available on Spotify playlist here)




Old Friend - Sea Wolf
Sea Wolf's 2012 album Old World Romance has some gems on it, one of them being this slower yet vibrant tune with a solid percussiveness that sort of betrays the bittersweetness in the lyrics.




I Was Wrong - The Oh Hello's
Brother sister folk duo The Oh Hello's released their first full album in 2012 which is full of robust, toe- tapping, knee slapping, "ho-heying' folky goodness, in the vein of The Last Bison but with a unique sound all their own. I triple dog dare you to sit still while listening to this.



(Bonus) Eddie Berman - Paper Thin
This one is off the Spotify and iTunes playlists below because his music is not on either service. As you may recall, last week our ears were graced with the insanely amazing  duet of Laura Marling and Eddie singing "Dancin in The Dark" where Eddie's lower register paired exquisitely with Laura's angelic voice- but it was Eddie's voice I haven't been able to get out of my head.  His guitar plucking is complex, and gives way to a soft sound that when paired with his deeper vocals amounts to a permeating sound. Holy smokes, keep an eye on this guy.



Click here for the full playlist on Spotify.


Full playlist on iTunes:


On Amazon:

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