Today's Swell Tune: Riptide

Artist: Vance Joy

Album: God Loves You When You're Dancing

From: Melbourne, Australia

Sound: Bon Iver meets Mumford & Sons, but Mumford & Sons has a ukelele instead of a banjo and does not suck; folk pop 

Website: vancejoy.com

Social: facebook

Today's Swell Tune: The Way We Fall

• Artist: Alela Diane
• Album: About Farewell 
• From: Portland, Oregon, USA
• Sound: The way she sings "You never know when it's the last time/
  I didn't know it was the last time," you're going to feel it; folk, pop.
• Website: aleladiane.com
• Social: facebook, twitter

Today's Swell Tune: Winter on the Weekend

Julia Stone - Winter On The Weekend

• Artist: Julia Stone
• Album: The Memory Machine
• From: Sydney, Australia
• Sound: Joanna Newsom on Quaaludes. Also, the track's artwork warns: “This film contains scenes which are shocking. No one should be afraid though as most things in life are shocking and strange, and it is a good way to grow.” There's that; folk, piano pop
• Website: angusandjuliastone.com
• Social: facebook, myspace, twitter

Today's Swell Tune: Orchards

03 Orchards by Anthonygdli

• Band: My First Tooth
• Album: Territories
• From: Northampton, England
• Sound: If you've ever thought Mumford and Sons could use some female vocals this is your lucky day; folk-rock
• Social: facebook; myspace; twitter
• Video: on youtube

Today's Swell Tune: Shift the Sea

Shift the Sea (The Monday Mornings) by MrShuffleupagus

• Band: The Monday Mornings
• Album: Fireweed Parade
• From: Seattle, Washington, United States
• Sound: A track from a long-lost Pixies folk album; indie, folk-rock
• Website: http://www.themondaymornings.com/
• Contact: facebook; myspace

Today's Swell Tune: Bad Day

Darwin Deez - Bad Day by LuckyNumberMusic

• Band: Darwin Deez
• Album: Darwin Deez
• From: New York City, United States
• Sound: You know at least one asshole that will make singing it feel good; indie, folk, rock
• Website: http://darwindeez.com/

Monday Morning Cover: I'll be there

Sun Kil Moon

I'll Be There (Sun Kil Moon Cover) by MrShuffleupagus

The Original

The Jackson 5

Michael - Jackson 5 - I'll be There by acnmovement

Monday Morning Cover: Dancing in the Dark

Amy MacDonald

Amy McDonald - Dancing In The Dark (Acoustic, Live) by Jaime Novoa

The Original:

Bruce Springsteen

Today's Swell Tune: The Mermaid Parade

Phosphorescent - "The Mermaid Parade" by OctopusWindmill

• Band: Phosphorescent
• Album: Here's to Taking It Easy
• From: Brooklyn, New York, United States
• Sound: To quote a friend: "if you can listen to this song without wanting to cry, you have no soul"; indie folk-rock, alt country
• Website: http://www.myspace.com/phosphorescent

Today's Swell Tune: Open Season

High Highs - Open Season by dangervillage

• Band: High Highs
• From: Sydney, Australia
• Sound: Wes Anderson surely has it on his "use in a soundtrack" list; pop-folk
• Website: http://highhighs.com/
• Download Free: from bandcamp

Today's Swell Tune: Wild Thing

• Band: Noah and theWhale
• Album: Last Night on Earth (to be released March 7, 2011)
• From: Twickenham, London, England
• Sound: If Lou Reed's Walk on the Wild Side were a photo, this would be the negative: indie folk
• Download Free: From their website

Dark Music from the Irish? Well I Never...:James Vincent McMorrow

When thinking Irish temperament it tends to be in extremes. On the one hand there's the raucous, life-affirming, fun loving side. On the other is the melancholic, mournful, hard-luck side. And as a musician, Dubliner James Vincent McMorrow has covered both.


Cutting his teeth on hardcore punk, McMorrow credits Crosby, Stills and Nash for turning him folk. He now makes slow-moving, heartbreaking albums with faintly tragic guitar-picked melodies and high-pitched vocals (not unlike Bon Iver, actually). Meanwhile, his lyrical inspiration comes from the likes of  John Steinbeck, F Scott Fitzgerald and Roald Dahl, writers Mc Morrow looks to for "the darker, less spoken-about aspects of life, solitude and disillusionment." 


In terms of the good vs. the hard luck of the Irish, McMorrow's music may fall in the latter category. But we're all the luckier for it.


His new album will be available January 25 in the Canada/US, and March 7 in Europe. For now, you can get his self-titled EP from Faction Records.

James Vincent McMorrow EP by partisanpr

Monday Morning Cover: Drain You

Horse Feathers

Horse Feathers - Drain You by GardenGrassCrap

The Original:

Nirvana

Nirvana - Drain You by Paulo Sergio

Today's Swell Tune: Shutter Speed

Shutter Speed (Little Light) by MrShuffleupagus

• Artist: Little Light
• Album: The Winter (EP)
• From: Chicago, United States
• Sound: Aw---So pretty. Even my cold, black heart melted a little; indie-folk 
• Website: http://www.myspace.com/littlelightmusic

Today's Swell Tune: The Wanderer

• Artist: Jil is Lucky
• Album: Jil is Lucky (via Roy Music February 2011)
• From: Paris, France
• Sound: gypsy + hipster= gypster ; pop-folk
• Websites: http://www.jilislucky.fr/ ;  myspace

Today's Swell Tune: Strangers

• Band: The Fling
• Album: When the Madhouses Appear (from bandcamp) 
• From: Long Beach, California, United States
• Sound: The most heartbreaking heartbreak song you've heard in awhile. Didn't Angela and Jordan Catalano break up to this?; indie folk-rock
• Website: http://www.thefling.us/

The Tallest Man on Earth: "Sometimes the Blues are Just a Passing Bird "



Photo by Kyle Dean Reinford


Every period in your life has a soundtrack of sorts. This summer, The Tallest Man on Earth was on mine. I had a lot of time off--rich person amounts of time off--and more than a few afternoons were spent lying around listening to The Wild Hunt, and doing little else. I mean, after a hard day of volunteering, obviously. For, like, the kids in the wheelchairs... with the...illnesses. So sad. 

So yeah, while I was totally about those wheelie kids, I also spent a lot of time enjoying Kristian Matsson's work. The intimate, deep-south inspired pop-folk album was perfect for lazy, sunny afternoons. Expecting a followup, I was excited for the new EP.

My enthusiasm waned for just a moment when I learned that the album is going by Sometimes the Blues are Just a Passing Bird because...well, dammit, that is a terrible title. It is an awkward mouthful and impossible to remember. It is a bad date title. Thankfully the album itself has a lot more grace and charm. Though it really can't be said to be a follow up album to The Wild Hunt. Matsson's trademark raw, Dylanesque vocals are as vulnerable and hopeful as ever, but there is definitely a darker, more caged feeling to Sometimes. While the last album was deep, it was also upbeat, uplifting. This time around there are no pick-me-ups. To be honest, despite its beauty I was glad it clocked in at just 17 and a half minutes and five songs. With lyrics like: “I said oh my Lord, why am I not strong? Like a branch that keeps, hangmen hanging on, like a branch that will take me home” it's some emotionally dense stuff and some days that's all you can take.  Admirably, it manages to never cross the line to dreary, but there is definitely something more wistful, more brooding, and more wounded this time around.

This isn't a warm summer album. This is one is colder for the winter months and darker days. Seems appropriate enough and I'll be listening to it.  

After I do my work for the sick kids in the skichairs, of course.


01 Little River by Mr. Shuffleupagus


03 Like the Wheel by Mr. Shuffleupagus