do you remember

this jack johnson 'en concert' jam is really good. there are some great collaborations with zach gill and eddie vedder. check out the cool mellow grooves and buy the batch online.

jack johnson (link to five songs)

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tannenbaum blues

i'm generally not a huge fan of holiday music but one exception i have is the classic album, 'a charlie brown christmas'. composed by vince guaraldi, this jazz ensemble is recognized by kids and adults everywhere.


a charlie brown christmas (link to five songs)

best of 2009 part 3

here is part 3 of 3 of what i think are the best tunes of 2009.

artist - song - album:

• rodrigo y gabriela - 11.11.11
• son volt - down to the wire - american central dust
• spoon - got nuffin
• steve earle - lungs - townes
• the avett brothers - head full of doubt, road full of promise - i and love and you
• the dead weather - i cut like a buffalo - horehound
• the felice brothers - chicken wire - yonder is the clock
• tim easton - broke my heart - porcupine
• wilco - one wing - wilco (the album)

link to songs

best of 2009 part 2

here is part 2 of 3 of what i think are the best tunes of 2009.

artist - song - album:

• john frusciante - unreachable - the empyrean
• m. ward - never had nobody like you - hold time
• magnolia electric co. - josephine - josephine
• mark olsen and gary louris - bicycle - ready for the flood
• mike doughty - pleasure on credit - sad man, happy man
• modest mouse - satellite skin
• molina and johnson - all gone all gone - molina and johnson
• monsters of folk - say please - monsters of folk
• pearl jam - just breathe - backspacers
• regina spektor - eet - far
• relentless7 - shimmer and shine - white lies for dark times
  

link to songs

best of 2009 part 1

here is part 1 of 3 of what i think are the best tunes of 2009, in alphabetic order.

artist - song - album:

• aa bondy - when the devil's loose
• ben kweller - on her own - changing horses
• black crowes - a train still makes a lonely sound - before the frost
• blakrok - on the vista - blakroc
• black joe lewis - gunpowder - tell 'em what your name is
• conor oberst - nikorette - outer south
• cracker - sun rise in the land of milk and honey
• dan auerbach - keep it hid
• dave rawlings machine - ruby - a friend of a friend
• death cab for cutie - little bribes - the open door
• eels - prizefighter - hombre lobo
• emily wells - juicy - dirty
• frank turner - poetry of the deed
• g. love and special sauce - soft and sweet - superhero brother
• jenny owen youngs - last person - transmitter failure
  

link to songs

sweet tooth

david rawlings is best known as the longtime musical partner of bluegrass singer-songwriter gillian welch. his debut solo effort blends his standard alt-country with a little kick of good old fashioned rock and roll. try a taste now.

david rawlings machine (link to four songs)

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root down

jimmy smith was a jazz musician who played the hammond b-3 organ and ultimately helped to popularize the instruments use in jazz. his 'root down' album is widely considered one of the essential live jazz albums of the 70's. check out a few funky tracks.

jimmy smith (link to four songs)

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pacific dust

expanding on an earlier post, the mother hips released their new album, 'pacific dust'. they have returned to their california soulful sounds and many fans will notice a new take on "third floor story" from a previously released single. check out the groovy tunes.

the mother hips (link to four songs)

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little bribes

death cab for cutie has released a batch of abandoned tracks from the narrow stairs sessions entitled 'the open door'. these stripped down songs represent some of the best tunes the band has produced. check out a few gems.

death cab for cutie (link to five songs)

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hoochie coo

blakroc is a new mash-up by the black keys and several rappers like mos def, ludacris and rza. the tunes blend traditional black keys reverb soaked rock with hip hop lyrics and hard back beat drums. it's innovative and definitely worth a listen.

blakroc (link to four songs)

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in the dark

the whigs new album drops in early 2010. it's been a while since 'mission control' but they're new release, 'in the dark' should be good based upon the following new tunes.

the whigs (link to two songs)

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year of the dog

m. doughty is back folks and he's got the whole world in his hands. he's just released 'sad man, happy man' and for a limited time, it's only $5 on amazon!

mike doughty (link to four songs)

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little sad eyes

below is a link to a great daytrotter session with magnolia electric company. if you don't know daytrotter yet, check out the archives and you'll find a ton of great in-studio sessions form great indie bands.

magnolia electric company (link to six songs)

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out of the blue

i've been a fan of the strokes since they first hit the scene back in early 2000. j. casablancas' voice is undeniably one of the most recognized in the industry. on his first solo effort he tones it down a bit and appears to strive for a kinder gentler sound. check out a few from ' phrazes for the young'.

julian casablancas (link to four songs)

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you speak my language

morphine has released a two-disk collection of previously unreleased and live songs called, "at your service". mark sandman (rip) would start each show with the words, 'we're morphine and we're at your service'. check out a few gems and buy the complete set.

morphine (link to five songs)

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big sur

ben gibbard and jay farrar riff on kerouac's 'big sur' on 'one fast move or i'm gone: kerouac's big sur. music and words inspired by an amazing stretch of california coastline and is the soundtrack for a film based on keroac's book. check out this soundtrack, check out the film and please visit big sur for the real experience.

gibbard and farrar (link to five songs)

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white falcon fuzz

the mother hips are set to release their new album, 'pacific dust'. from the sound of their first single, 'white falcon fuzz' they have returned to their california soulful sounds. check it.

the mother hips (link to two songs)

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west side soul

magic sam was an influential american blues musician. known for his tremolo guitar playing, he produced two of the best electric blues albums of the late sixties. here are a few tunes off of 'west side soul'.

magic sam (link to five songs)

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been a long time

the black crowes new album, 'before the frost . . . until the freeze' is a welcome surprise. after the first listen, you can tell they're back to their rocking roots of their earlier material. recorded live in levon helm's studio and features luther dickenson on lead guitar. hot damn!

black crowes (link to six songs)

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the pines are dancing

former verbena frontman a.a. bondy is back with his second solo album, 'when the devil's loose'. it's some good old sparse indie-folk music. have a listen to a few tunes.

a.a. bondy (link to five songs)

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black eyed susan

paul westerberg is back with a 6-song ep for download. it's called "pw & the ghost gloves cat wing joy boys".

paul westerberg (link to six songs)

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hora zero

rodrigo y gabriela are back and their new release is another amazing piece of guitar mastery. the flamenco picking and unbelievably fast chord progressions are simply stunning. listen to a few tracks and buy 11:11.

rodrigo y gabriela (link to five songs)

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bombs bursting

just stumbled on to the rural alberta advantage and i'm glad i did. they're a folksy indie band that conjures the spirit of neutral milk hotel and clem snide. the drumming is excellent as are the two part harmonies. check out a few tracks from their album 'hometown'.

the rural alberta advantage (link to four songs)

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whiskey and rags

emily wells 'dirty' ep is the most interesting mix of classical symphonics and gangsta rap that i've heard all year (amazing, i know!). she blends silky strings and phat beats in a manner both seamless and sincere. check out a few tunes and you'll likely be surprised.

emily wells (link to four songs)

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big love explosion

the boys of wilco have joined in on neil finn's (crowded house) latest effort to assist oxfam. 7 worlds collide is a stellar bill of musicians that have come together to produce a very good album of original songs. check out a few and support the cause.

7 world collide (link to four songs)

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our lady of the campfire

i wrote about frank turner a while back and as luck would have it, he's released another great album. 'poetry of the deed' drops soon and is another collection of passionate and rollicking hymns. check out a few tunes and buy the record.


frank turner (link to four songs)

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tremolo blues

the pines mix folk and blues styles blended with a touch of indie-rock and americana sounds (there, is that enough hip music genre references to get you interested). their new album 'tremolo' is a dusty gem. check ou a few samples.

the pines (link to five songs)

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rocking horse

jack white has yet another band called 'the dead weather and it features members of the 'kills' and 'queens of the stone age'. the music is in the same genre as jack's other projects but has a more haunting bluesy vibe. have a listen and buy their album, 'horehound'.

the dead weather (link to five songs)

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half asleep

dig me out

correct me if i'm wrong but there's not much new music being released this august. thus, i'm reaching back into the archives and posting some good old sleater-kinney chick-rock. here are some tunes off of 'the hot rock'.

sleater-kinney (link to five songs)

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sweet black angel

'exile on main street' is the tenth studio album by the rolling stones and my personal favorite. it was released as a double lp in 1972 and mixed rock & roll, blues, country and soul. have a listen to a few tracks.

rolling stones (link to five songs)

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lost pilgrim

bad religion is a seminal punk rock band from southern california. they have produced some of the best and most imitated punk rock anthems and continue to release great politically and socially themed songs. here are some unplugged tunes form 'new maps of hell'.

bad religion (link to six songs)

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more mouse

modest mouse is back, kind of, with 'no one's first and you're next', a collection of newly recorded songs from the 'we were dead before the ship even sank' and 'good news for people who love bad news' sessions. here are a couple tracks for your listening pleasure.

modest mouse (link to four songs)

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milk and honey

i wish cracker could regain their mojo but alas, their last two releases have left me pining for the olden days, when cracker rocked. their new release, "sunrise in the land of milk and honey" has a few good tunes but in my humble opinion, misses the mark more often than not. check out a few keepers.

cracker (link to four songs)

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i'll take you home

here are a few live tracks from tim easton at the berkely cafe in raleigh, north carolina (5/12/09).

time easton (link to five songs)

tweakers

spoon, that crazy indie rock band from austin, tx has a new one out called 'got nuffin'. the little ep marks the first newly recorded music from the band since 2007's 'ga ga ga ga ga'. enjoy a few tunes.

spoon (link to four songs)

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waiting for the sun

the jayhawks formed in minneapolis in 1985 around the songwriting duo of mark olson and gary louris (my guitar hero). they have recently released an anthology entitled; 'music from the north country'. it's a good showcase of their studio releases as well as some unreleased gems. here are a few tracks.

the jayhawks (link to four songs)

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smash it up

the damned have been around since the mid-70's and continue to this day to embody the punk ethic. one of the most famous punk groups of all times, they produced some of the best punk rock anthems like 'smash it up', 'stab your back' and 'love song', just to name a few. so, nevermind the sex pistols, here's the damned.

the damned (link to four songs)

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