Head For the Hills - Potions & Poisons

Band / Artist: Head For the Hills
Year: 2017
Genre: Bluegrass, Country, Indie Folk

My Review:
Here is a nice, well composed album of Chill Bluegrassy music, with that country flair that always makes me think about my Grandfather, and lyrics that have a pleasant amount of wisdom and introspection. I really like that they have earthy voices, and seem to come at their music from a raw perspective.

Here is the description of the album from their website.

Potions and Poisons is the fourth album of original music from Head for the Hills, the Colorado based post-modern bluegrass outfit of Adam Kinghorn, Joe Lessard, Matt Loewen and Sam Parks. There’s no reinvention of the wheel here--no computer programmed banjo rolls or digitally arpeggiated fiddle lines. Instead we find Head for the Hills at the peak of their powers of musical alchemy, building little worlds of sound from the detritus of bluegrass, jazz, hip hop, folk and soul. Potions and Poisons is a look at the darker side of love, lust, and life; an examination of our affinity for and aversion to the things that make us fragile but human. Recorded at home in Colorado with the band’s go-to engineer, Aaron Youngberg (Cahalen and Eli, Martha Scanlan, Grant Gordy and Ross Martin), the record features appearances from Bonnie Paine (Elephant Revival) on vocals and washboard, Erin Youngberg (Uncle Earl, FY5) on vocals, and a lush string section. Potions and Poisons is the most Head for the Hills record yet, and in the great tradition of bluegrass (and soul and folk and old time music), it delivers some bitter pills, but the ten new original songs are more than a survey of the human condition. This is reflective but buoyant music, restorative and full of vibrancy.

Enjoy it
Head For the Hills - Potions & Poisons

Judah & the Lion - Judah & the Lion

Band / Artist: Judah & the Lion
Year: 2017
Genre: Indie Folk, Indie Dance, Folk Pop

My Review:
This has been on steady rotation in the car the last 2 weeks. I've been enjoying the sort of nostalgic southernality of it, in this sense of all the pleasant and good things of the south, but from a more fresh and welcoming perspective than the south seems to have to many.

Its cool how they mix fiddle and banjo and acoustic guitar with drum machine and synthesizer in an odd bluegrass/folk/pop sort of medley. It flows far better than you'd expect at first glance.

Here is their website.

These guys are out of Nashville, TN, which should surprise nobody. I really appreciate their sound. It reminds me of driving in the coastal area of Georgia with my windows down, smelling the marsh air in the sunshine.

Judah & the Lion - Judah & the Lion

(The other Yarn) Yarn - Live at The Willow Tree Coffee House and Music Room (February 8, 2014)

Band / Artist: Yarn
Year: 2014
Genre: Indie Folk, Indie Alternative, Live

My Review:
I decided, fuck it. If I'm gonna search through all this music to find info on one Yarn, may as well go ahead with the other as well. And it was very much enjoyable.

here is a writeup in them

Brooklyn-based Americana/Alt-Rock band Yarn‘s sound owes as much to Gram Parsons and Earl Scruggs as to Jerry Garcia and Exile On Main Street-era Rolling Stones. Following in a fine tradition that includes forward thinking roots bands like The Flying Burrito Brothers and New Riders of The Purple Sage, Yarn weaves roots music idioms into a fresh sound that turns on hipsters and fans of country music alike, with technically impressive song-crafting and universal tales from the road of life.

What I'd say, they have a pleasant "Grateful Dead meets Iron & Wine" kind of thing going on that I was really grooving to. I've been hoping to pick up more stuff that would fit within this point of my life. Alright, more music on the way soon.

Yarn - Live at The Willow Tree Coffee House and Music Room (February 8, 2014)

Old Splendifolia - Utterly Heartbreaking (EP version)

 

Year: 2013
Genre: Acoustic, Indie Folk

My Review:
Despite the name, I can't say anything about this was utterly heartbreaking. It was calm, and maybe a little sad, but I was pleased. This band is a set of musicians under the La bèl netlabel. They are trying to grow and hope for support to build up a larger presence. I figure I'll give a shout out to them, because anything that brings more vibrance to the music scene is good in my book.

Here's the band describing the album.

During live sessions in the summer house, the woods of Brandenburg and the homes of friendly musicians delicate pieces evolved, capturing random environmental noises and exceptional interaction of the artists. 

The chamber music-ish pieces flow moment to moment painting scenes with tones. The Song Poems seek their fortune through poetic views of the world, leap to the Earth's perishable inhabitants' defense, for whom the consistent rational explanations for a world so compelling in its richness, in its confusion, in its complexities impregnable from comprehension give little satisfaction. So, let's cast light on the many small details, sense-nourishing observations, confusion, the fear that tears me, which overwhelmed you as well, and on the comfort that She granted you, so you now could come to my aid. Enter with the ears and not only with the latter, into the micro-extracts from rich litera- and orature, elocuted by the inner desire to keep the amazement and the breath of life, to light the inner warmth, which beards the global one, with filigree vehemence.

Yes.

So, yeah. Enjoy.

Old Splendifolia - Utterly Heartbreaking (EP version)

The Hippie & The Punk - The Hippie & The Punk Split

Band / Artist: The Hippie & The Punk
Year: 2013
Genre: Acoustic, Indie Folk, Folk Punk

My Review:
There is a guy named Phoenix. At this moment, he is on his way, hitchiking from Savannah, GA, to Montana. Funnily enough, there were plenty of times where he and I argued for hours, and there were plenty of days where I grumbled about how he can't manage to PUT HIS DAMNED DISHES IN THE DISHWASHER AND STOP TALKING ABOUT JOHNNY FLYNN.

Either way, I've been remembering that house, and all the brotherhood I had with the 4 other guys there. We called it the Jam House, and I even made a Tumblr account for it, that never really went anywhere aside from looking kinda pretty. We all worked on art & music, and would generally drink beer, smoke cigarettes, and make music or play video games most every night. I'm sad that we all had to move on from that point in our lives.

He and a friend Josh are both traveling, and recording together under the name The Hippie and The Punk. They released this album right before they started off on their trip, and started up this Tumblr account to chronicle their events.

 http://thehippieandthepunk.tumblr.com/

They both have very different styles in the same genre, and it feels like the tracks play off each other in a pretty nice way. Here is a live recording of one of the tracks.



Well, there you go. A great free album of acoustic, down to earth music from a couple of lost 20 somethings with bitterness and hope bubbling over in their hearts, and an idealism enough to make my heart ache to be back in the place where they are.

Phoenix, I love you man. Be safe out there looking for whatever you need.

The Hippie & The Punk Split

Giraffe - ...There is no devil

Band / Artist: Giraffe
Year: 2010
Genre: Indie Folk, Acoustic, Indie Pop, Folk Rock,

My Review:

The mix of instruments here leave you with expectations that get flipped on you. Acoustic guitar, organ synth, simple drums, and tambourine makes for the sort of softer sound that you expect of folky pop americana of the sort that you hear in almost every episode of sons of anarchy. That is not exactly what you're going to get.

Giraffe is mainly Berlin based composer James Gardner, who has been working with record label 12rec. for at least a few years and a few different releases.

I had saved this for a future post, and replayed it again recently. I'm really liking it. This album plays with a subdued, brooding darkness that you can get really comfortable in. Its the soft folksy album for people who don't really like folk, maybe more industrial rock, or goth rock. That isn't to say that a fan of folk wont enjoy it, in fact I think that it would add to a good folk collection nicely.

Giraffe - ...There Is No Devil

Dudley Whitemud - Dudley Whitemud Sings Selections From Aqua's Aquarium

Band / Artist: Dudley Whitemud
Year: 2012
Genre: Acoustic, Indie Folk, Alternative Pop

My Review:
An acoustic album... of Aqua covers. Yep. I played this for a friend that really likes folksy acoustic stuff, and she was really enjoying it without expecting what it was, until he said "I'm a barbie girl". She laughed, said "OHHHH", paused, and then said "This is pretty awesome though."

Thats a good sentiment for it. The same goofy subjects from that 90's goofball pop album, but taken to a different context, with a very pleasant outcome. The songs come off as sort of reverent in some ways, while working well as a fairly non-intrusive background music for when you really just need something playing, and you get the benefit of eliciting a chuckle from a friend who just happens to catch on to the lyrics.

Unfortunately I don't know a whole lot else about the guy/band. I looked for a while but I wasn't getting much more than a dead link to the record label that originally did the recording. Well, I did find SOMETHING, but I'm gonna be a dickish lad and not share it just yet. Don't fret though, you'll see what it is soon.

I did find the artist that made the cover though. Here's his blog.
http://pearlymoustache.tumblr.com/

So all in all, I rated this as one of my top 10 finds of last year, which sounds dumb as hell before you listen to it. Hopefully you agree that it was worth the listen. I like listening while I mow the neighbors lawn.

Dudley Whitemud - Dudley Whitemud Sings Selections From Aqua's Aquarium

Marcus Doo & the Secret Family - Memorials

Band / Artist: Marcus Doo & the Secret Family
Year: 2012
Genre: Alternative, Indie Folk

My Review:
My friend from high school is involved in this band, somehow. Her name is Rocio. She's pretty. Anyway, I wasn't sure what the quality would be for this, but I ended up enjoying it quite a bit.

They are an acoustic-ish multinational band coming out of Madrid, Spain. I could easily see them playing live on an eclectic radio station in California. Its a shame that Morning Becomes Eclectic stopped broadcasting a while ago. Maybe I should make Jumbly into its own version of that.

Marcus Doo & the Secret Family – Memorials

Random posts - Ivan and Alyosha - The Cabin Sessions Demos

I just got contacted by a viewer to the blog suggesting this demo set. So thanks a bunch! Here we go...

Band / Artist: Ivan & Alyosha
Year: 2012
Genre: Folk, Indie Folk, Folk Pop

My Review:
They are a northwest indie band with that folksy, acoustic sound that indie bands love so well, but with just a bit of that country hometown band sound, and their photo collection with instagram, like these;

 

Tons of good shots for album covers.. Anyhow, here is their site if you want to see more of their stuff.

http://www.ivanandalyosha.com/

They just signed with dualtone records, which hopefully means they are set for a few years to grow and evolve, and hopefully build up a big fanbase. They are absolutely your thing if you like Mumford & Sons or Johnny Flynn.

Ivan and Alyosha - The Cabin Sessions