and i told you to be patient, and i told you to be fine, and i told you to be balanced, and i told you to be kind… and if all your love was wasted, well, then, who the hell was i? i’m breaking at the bridges and at the end of all your lines.

Who is Emma? Who is Emma? Where can I find her? I want to meet her. No, I need to meet her and embrace her for having done whatever she did, for having caused so much pain that she made Bon Iver create this album. Harmonies swell over gently strummed guitars, horns bloom occasionally offering tantalising tastes only to disappear. The music literally shimmers over your ears. If stars could sing, they would sing this.

I’d had Bon Iver hidden away on my iPod for a while. It would occasionally appear when I shuffled everything up, but Bon Iver following, say, Aesop Rock never really had the right feel and it would often be skipped over. It took the other night, walking the streets home after a very pleasant evening out, to force me to put it on from the beginning. And it went right through me. I turned the headphones up. I tried to increase the volume further. I wanted the sounds inside me, reverberating around my brain. I wanted to be the music.

Justin Vernon, the creator of this incredible album, apparently disappeared into the mountains of Wisconsin for months to focus his energies. Emerging from this hibernation, he had examined his heart and channelled all the loss, love and heartache into this 9 songs. His lonely falsetto reaches above the simplicity of the music structures. The instrumentation here is minimal but lush. Its music for those grey days, for lying in bed with a beautiful woman, for wishing you were lying in bed with a beautiful woman. Lyrically, it borders between sentimental beauty, to coyness but never comes across as trivial or overstated. It is close to the perfect album.

I toured a light, so many foreign roads, for Emma, forever ago.

Do whatever you can to get this album. Buy it, download it, steal it from a baby.

Neu!Club y El Argonauta os invitan a Música de librería Vol. VII. LA FAMILIA DEL ÁRBOL serán los encargados de cerrar el año con un concierto acústico al que no podéis faltar.

Sábado12 de Diciembre a las 13:15 h. en El Argonauta, la librería de la música. Concierto gratuito – Aforo limitado.

¡Os esperamos!

Música de librería es la propuesta musical gratuita de Neu!Club y El Argonauta.

Well, George and I headed out from Houston about 9:00 this morning. And after a stop at Jack in the Box, piss breaks, ice cream and coffee pit stops I’m proud to say we’ve got this baby in our hands!!!

We got it in the back of the Prius!!!! George and I are on our way back now from picking up in Fort Worth from the awesome guys at Nationwide CD.

I gotta say y’all…. it looks pretty damn good. It sounds pretty damn good, too. We’re listening to it right now and are up to Track 9…. crave. Sounds awesome.

If you’re in the Houston area November 21st, we hope you can make it out to the CD release party.

It’s at one of our favorite places, the JP Hops House. The show starts at 9:00.

Rob

Músicas que irão te acalmar, farão o tempo passar feliz.

Faixas do álbum:

1. Chariot

2. Jesus

3. Dogs

4. Elephant

5. Junkyard

6. Bush

7. Windy

8. Grass

9. Glue

10. Up

11. Finders

12. Trampoline

13. Goodness

14. Feather

LINK – Hello, Dear Wind

Parece com? Pedro The Lion, Sufjan Stevens.

Vídeo com a música Chariot.

Enjoy o/

Jump, Buck! – The Wolves Must Eat As Well

self-released 2008

[tags: indie folk, 2008]

Listen while reading:

___________________________________________________

Belfast/Maine is the home of singer-songwriter and indie folk artist Thomas Dalholt also known under the moniker Jump, Buck! I found him surfing MySpace looking for new bands to feed to all you music sharks out there and I think I landed a good hit this time. The music of Jump, Buck! is not always what you would call acoustic folk, but it is really good all over the time. You’ll find energetic tracks with great drive created by e-guitars and drums (It’s The Blues, I Suppose) along with calm and reflective ballads (Anything They’d Feed Us). Because of these different faces of the record I refer to it as indie folk maybe in the vein of Neutral Milk Hotel but without their affinity for experimentation. You could call the music of Jump, Buck! typical summer music (at least I do so) for it is a great soundtrack to listen to watching the setting of the sun and drinking cool beer and/or beverages of your choice with your friends (and don’t remind me right now that winter is coming closer and closer).

Even though The Wolves Must Eat As Well is almost one year old  now (recorded back in December 2008) it is still fresh and entertaining. Especially tracks like the opener The Narrow Needle Eye show the strength and the potential that lies in the band. The song perfectly combines elements of folk, lo-fi music and what you could call indie sound (and yes, I know, indie is not a genre, but, if you like it or not, it is in common use to refer to some sort of music). If you know me you certainly know that I’m not a fan of experiments at all (first and foremost in folk music) and so you can be sure that I’m sceptical of all music that does not sound like I hope it would sound. And therefore it is most unlikely for me to recommend a record like The Wolves Must Eat As Well. But in this case I shamelessly do so and I hope you have fun with it like I have.

If you are interested in the music, you can buy the Mp3s over at digstation.com. For a hard copy of it you can visit cdbaby.com or mail directly to the band. I talked to Thomas and he told me that he is working on new material right now and that there are plans for a second album but with no exact set date yet. Let’s hope they keep up the good work (and maybe focus a little bit more on calm tracks like Darling, Darling or the above mentioned Anything They’d Feed Us – just for the sake of the blog’s theme…no, just kidding). To check out more music, head over to their MySpace site.

Their Site

Preview

This album is unbelievably mellow.  But it is SOOOOO good.  Midlake is one of my favorite bands, and you can bet that this won’t be the last time you see them on this blog.  Their new CD is due out on February 1st and its currently my most anticipated album.  I promise that the day the new album is out, it’ll be on here, so make sure you check back for it in February.  Midlake successfully blends mellow folk-rock with synthesizers and keyboards and woodwind instruments.  Try this out.  It may not be for everyone, but if you DO like it, you’ll probably love it.

The Avett Brothers
I and Love and You, 2009

I’ve never really paid much attention to bluegrass music but to be fair, I’ve never dislike it as well. But after I first heard “If its the beaches”by the Avett Brothers, I knew that this was not just any typical bluegrass duo. In fact, I soon discovered that famed producer Rick Rubin had put them on the map after discovering them on My Space and has labeled the brothers as his current favorite act.

Their first major label album released in September, called ” I and Love and You”, produced by Rubin, is genuinely a pleasant treat. They bring the banjo picking, southern folky twangs to a whole new level, expanding it to indie-folk-sphere. You can really feel the emotion in Scott and Seth’s voices. Their lyrics are honest and down to earth,which is probably why it resonates with the everyday folks. The title track ” I and Love and You” demonstrates a certain kind of melancholy which is intimate yet joyful to listen. I’m really enjoying this record and am in the midst of exploring some of their past works as they have probably about 9 or 10 albums prior to this release. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I do. Here’s a sample:

The Avett Brothers – If its the beaches

The Avett Brothers – I and Love And You

A new digital EP by Boy Without God (if you are like my mom and cannot figure this out, click on the album cover below for the download link)

this zip contains
• the eight delicate titular olives (the songs)
• eight pieces of art (one cover + one for each song) by painter Ty Williams
• a handy lyrics sheet
• a sweet photo of me yawning

A note on this digital EP:

Eight Delicate Olives Slowly Chewed at Midnight is a collection of home recordings that would in olden days have languished in the vaults. It’s composed of intimately recorded (read: demoed) instrumental one-offs and songs that I wrote and recorded in Copenhagen last fall that don’t quite fit in with the songs selected to go on my forthcoming full-length, God Bless the Hunger, and/or that I have forgotten how to play (numbers 1, 3, 6, 8, and the bridge to number 7, if you’re curious). Instead of leaving them to die with my hard drive, I’ve decided to pass them along to you.

Autumn Joy is mostly about nostalgic memories of touring (only someone who hadn’t been on tour for at least half a year could write this song). Breathe Slow I hated when I wrote it, but now I like it quite a bit. American Guilt makes the strange and probably inappropriate connection between the extermination of Native Americans and then end of a relationship. R. Frank & Son was written about the photographer Robert Frank, cobbled weirdly together out of actual quotes from him, pieces of a great Vanity Fair article on him by Charlie LeDuff, and my own extrapolations. Robert Frank is a brilliant photographer, by the way. If you do not know him you should immediately go look at The Americans, one of the most moving collections of art I have ever seen anywhere ever. It’s at the Met in NYC right now and if you are a New Yorker you owe it to yourself to stop by.

The zip file comes with eight, count em eight, lovely original artworks by Ty Williams (www.typaints.com). Print them out, put them on your walls, curl them under your pillow at night for good dreams, give them to your loved ones, write To Do lists on them, practice kissing on them when no one is looking. You know, all the stuff you usually do with good art.

love,
Gabriel

boywithoutgod(at)gmail
www.boywithoutgod.com
www.myspace.com/boywithoutgod

1. “24-25″ - 3:38
2. “Mrs. Cold” - 3:11
3. “Me in You” – 3:09
4. “Boat Behind” - 3:41
5. “Rule My World” - 3:31
6. “My Ship Isn’t Pretty” - 3:47
7. “Renegade” – 4:16
8. “Power of Not Knowing” - 2:23
9. “Peacetime Resistance” – 2:54
10. “Freedom and its Owner” - 3:24
11. “Riot on an Empty Street” – 3:59
12. “Second to Numb” – 3:40
13. “Scars on Land” – 3:44

[RS] [MU]

Wild Nothing – Shoegazer pop to the tune of My Bloody Valentine meets The Cure with interesting hint of rockabilly at times.

Spinning Leaves – Rustic psychedelic folk led by two people with the help of FIFTY other musicians in Philly

Surprise Me Mr. Davis = The Slip + Nathan Moore – Just good old rock music drawing on blues, soul, folk, and alt-country, sometimes all within the same song, to create a unique style of their own.  Kindred spirits of the The Band.

Ryan Montbleau Band – Soulful folky rock.  This niche is getting crowded these days, but somehow Ryan can forge ahead and make his music his own.

Big Light – What can I say…?  I’m on an folk rock kick.  Definitely check these guys out too.

Do you think you’re band is better than these guys?  Email Me (subject:  5 New Bands) with one song that defines you and a brief one or two sentence description of your sound.

Math the Band Myspace

math Myspace

Preview

If you’ve ever listened to high energy 8-bit electronic one-man-band-with-two-people-in-it Math the Band, you know that off-key vocals as well as too many beats per minute are common, which is why this album is so far-out from normal, but in a good way. Blending the synth-pop techniques that makes Math the Band so great, Kevin Steinhauser, band leader, created this indie-pop/folk masterpiece. Spanning 26 songs, each starting with a letter of the alphabet following the order, the album delivers in pure beauty. Also utilizing acoustic guitars, banjos, baritone ukuleles, horns, random percussion, synths, and many other instruments, Steinhauser truly is a one-man band that is capable of blowing minds.  I guarantee there is at least one song in here that you will enjoy. In all honesty, if you are going to download one album from this blog make it this one. I can only continue to recommend this to fans of music in general.

P.S. I don’t feel like my write-up does this album justice. Curse my inability to describe music well! Take a listen to the preview to get a true feel.

A couple of you may have noticed I did not write this post in the morning as usual, but rather at night. My corporate overlords have decided to “help me” by providing my team with “resources from India”. Part of my job now is to teach them my job, which also means I will be less productive in my job. I am of the belief this is the beginning of the end for my current job but I have no choice. To facilitate this change I will be going to work in the early morning. I am excited about the prospect of seeing sunlight during the winter months by getting to leave work early but it is bittersweet. Perhaps if I am really successful in the transition of knowledge I will be laid off and then be able to see sunlight all day! Or perhaps because of this post I will be laid off much like Dooce and my blog will sustain me. However, given I have earned about $0.24 in referrals to Amazon after 7 months, perhaps I should fill out that application for food stamps now. I am tempted to simply refer to my Indian counter parts as “my replacements” at work in front of my boss and my boss’ boss. Spiteful? Perhaps. Funny. Definitely!

Yum! Food stamps here I come! I do like a plate of beans and rice!

Anyway, you can expect my songs of the day to be coming to you at night instead of during the day for the foreseeable future. I know all my regular readers may be put out by this… all one of you… but be strong, you and I, we will survive! On the plus side I am far more verbose and hopefully quippy in the evenings when I’m all awake fat and happy. (In the mornings I am just fat.) I can’t tell you how many times in the morning I have spent 15 minutes writing 2 sentences and literally said “crap” out loud. As I reread all I have written tonight it does all still have a “blah blah blah” quality to it. I am just not a writer I guess. Perhaps I should quit this blogging thing and go be a real DJ. Would you be sad? Would I be sad? Would my future radio listeners be sad when they hear be blabbing? Inquiring minds want to know!!!

Moving on…

So I’ve been listening to the Fleet Foxes’ album, also named “Fleet Foxes”, over and over this week. At first it just seemed like some nice chill background music, but now I am hooked. I want more, like zombies want more brains to eat. I am saddened that it is the only album, and yet overjoyed that there are additional songs by them I have yet to hear from the extended versions and the singles. The Fleet Foxes are good and I must share them with you. This song is one of the better ones I think, but the album is very solid and likely to appear on my “Must Own Albums” list in the not so distant future. Recent obsessions though… right now!

Song Recommendations

If you like this song, I also suggest:

• The Decemberists
• Grizzly Bear
• Iron & Wine

I also suggest the music genre:

• Baroque Pop

Click here for more info on Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes – “Your Protector”.

The MP3 may be purchased here:

Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes

Graphic As A Star is the sixth solo album proper from Psych-folker Josephine Foster.

The Colorado born balladeer is seemingly a graduate of the Robert Pollard school of song writing, as most compositions on this 26 track album clock in at a mere one or two minutes. Much of this sprawling acoustic opus succeeds, seducing the listener with Le Volume Courbe-esque minimalist plucking and strumming. Minimalist is definitely the key word here, on Your Thoughts Don’t Have Words Everyday and What Shall I Do – It Whimpers So, her vocal is backed only by a distant budgerigar. Foster has a trembling soprano voice that haunts and bewitches in equal measures. Sounding like a 1940s forces sweetheart, she conjures up images of families gathered round the wireless on winter wartime evenings. On one of the strongest (and longest) tracks, On My Life Stood – A Loaded Gun, the wistful melody and hazy harmonica evokes Ron Sexsmith. Despite their brevity, some tracks here do sail perilously close to the territory of nothing-music occupied by the likes of Norah Jones. But, this comparison is perhaps a little unfair, as the few moments where this album fails to engage are down to Foster’s largely diction free delivery rather than the songs themselves.

Family Of The Year – Where’s The Sun EP
free EP (download) self released 2009

[tags: indie folk, free ep, 2009]

Listen while reading:

___________________________________________________

I just read something about Family Of The Year on twitter and I checked out their free EP Where’s The Sun. Although I’m not completely happy with it because I don’t like the electronic vibes in Psyche Or Like Scope, it is a nice little indie folk EP you may like. Summer Girl is a great track and the EP is worth a listen. Their first full length, Songbook, will hit the road 11/17…and in the meantime you can donate some bucks to them or buy a physical copy of the EP. Visit Family Of The Year’s MySpace and their personal homepage.

Harto de etiquetas, comparaciones y prejuicios, él ha vuelto.

Pero, no sin antes proponernos que le veamos y sobretodo, le escuchemos de otra manera. A nuestro Devendra le llovieron las malas criticas por todos los costados con su “Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon” y en palabras de el propio autor del trabajo, se considera una persona muy sensible a las criticas, pero es infinitamente persistente en los que cree, lo que hace que a su reducido numero de incondicionales (servidor) esperemos este disco con buena esperanza.

Devendra siempre tan poético, enigmático y muy neo-hippie, se recluye una vez más en su estudio en las montañas del sur de California, donde encuentra su punto de inspiración habitual para alimentar esa melancolía y paz que desprende “What We Will Be” nuevo disco de Devendra Banhart.

Este chico va siempre en evolución, unos dicen que ha peor, pero no hay ningún camino marcado para su estilo, de hecho Devendra es un estilo de música en si mismo, nadie hace nada parecido a lo que hace el, en su día grupos como Cat Stevens y el surrealista- glam T.Rex, abrieron el camino a lo que Devendra desarrolla, un sonido folk totalmente basado en la naturaleza de la guitarra acústica con golpes rock y pop.

Si en sus dos primeros discos se vio la clara influencia (sobre todo en Cripple Crow (mi favorito)) de Lou Reed y en melodías a Nick Drake, sin duda Devendra ha estado escuchando demasiado a Cat Stevens para la producción de “What We Will Be”

Cogiendo su caracteristica melancolía y haciendo alusiones a amores pasados y trenes perdidos, Devendra se reivindica como trovador Neo-hippie en canciones como “Wililamdzi” y “Angelika”.

Devendra esta triste y responde a sus duras criticas anteriores, con posibles mensajes subliminales en “Chin Chin & Muck Muck”. Canciones para sentirse bien en términos generales, cosa que ciertos días de la semana, hace más falta que escuchar cualquier otro tipo de música.

Well, the title of the post and the above image pretty much say it all… if you’re in the Detroit area, don’t miss these shows! These three fine players, formerly known as Jennie & The Sure Shots, were in Pittsburgh just a couple of weeks ago, and I was able to get this video of their song “Leave That Country”.

That’s the amazing Nick Schillace back there on the resonator guitar! If you’re a fan of solo acoustic guitar, I can also highly recommend Nick’s two solo albums : Box Canyon and Landscape and People.

Lac La Belle on Myspace
Nick Schillace on Myspace

I can’t believe we let the ol’ blog slip into the void for so long without an update or anything.  Sorry folks.

We thought we had things finished in July but summer came along, the band did its usual summer hiatus, a CD release got canceled and some polishing was done to the recordings we had thought we had completely done.

Needless to say, the times posted in the previous post aren’t exactly accurate but the songlist and it’s order are still going to be that way.

The big news is the CD is being pressed as I type and George and I are headed up to Fort Worth to go pick them up in a couple of weeks.  Hopefully John can go, too but we’re not sure and Jen is almost certain she can’t go.  If we can swing it, we might try to hit an open mic somewhere in Big D to push the CD.

If anyone in the Dallas/Ft Worth area knows of a place let us know.  You can email us at: paperwindows [at]gmail [dot] com

Also, we have a date set for the CD release party!  Our good friends Jim and Pam over at the JP Hops House are hosting the shin dig at their pub and we wouldn’t have it any other way.

Hope you can make it to the show.  It’s gonna be mucho fun time.  Our friends and spouses are cooking up some mean groceries and Jim and Pam will have plenty o’ drink to fill your glass.

How could you pass it up?  There’s no cover and free food!

Also visit us on our website at: http://paperwindowsmusic.com OR add us on to your Facebook page.  Do a search for Paper Windows… you’ll find us.

Scottish guitarist Ben Reynolds is getting ready to embark on a quick US tour. We reviewed his Tompkins Square debut How Day Earnt Its Night not too long ago, and have since been spinning his Strange Attractors album Two Wings, which is equally good! We’re going to try to take some video at the Pittsburgh performance, so keep an eye out for that… and visit Reynolds’ Myspace page for updates on the TBA dates.

11/10 – Zebulon w/ Eric Carbonara, Mike Wexler, David Copenhafer
258 Wythe Ave, Brooklyn NY

11/11 - The Outpost w/ Eric Carbonara, Concord Ballet Orchestra Players, Mike Tamburo
186 1/2 Hampshire St, Cambridge MA

11/12 – The Appohadion w/ Mike Tamburo, Tom Kovacevic, Prisma
107 Hanover St, Portland ME

11/13 – The Spotty Dog w/ Mike Tamburo, Alex Turnquist
440 Warren St, Hudson NY

11/14 – TBA w/ Mike Tamburo
Providence, RI

11/15 - BAR w/ Mike Tamburo
254 Crown St, New Haven CT

11/16 – Issue Project Room w/ Mike Tamburo
At The Old American Can Factory, 232 3rd Street, 3rd Floor, Brooklyn NY

11/17 – House show w/ Mike Tamburo, Eric Carbonara
4500 kingsessing Ave, Philadelphia PA

11/18 – Schlow Memorial Library w/ Mike Tamburo + others TBA
211 S. Allen St, State College PA

11/19 – Morning Glory Coffeehouse w/ Mike Tamburo
1806 Chislet St, Pittsburgh PA

11/20 – TBA w/ Mike Tamburo, Nick Schillace
Detroit MI

11/21 – Skylab w/ Mike Tamburo
57 E Gay St, Columbus OH

11/22 – Hop Hop w/ Mike Tamburo, Keenan Lawler
800 N. Limestone St, Lexington, KY

11/23 – Little Hamilton w/ Mike Tamburo, Keenan Lawler, The Paper Hats
1318 Little Hamilton Ave, Nashville TN

11/24 – Swan Dive w/ Mike Tamburo, Keenan Lawler, Nathan Salsburg
921 Swan St, Louisville KY

11/25 – Heaven Gallery w/ Mike Tamburo
1550 N. Milwaukee Ave, 2nd Floor, Chicago IL

by Raymond Morin

Alasdair Roberts has earned his reputation as a respectful interpreter, having adopted and re-imagined many well-known British Isles ballads (see his excellent “Lord Ronald”, from 2005’s No Earthly Man). The Scottish singer/guitarist has deep roots in traditional music, but in the US, he is equally associated with modern indie-rock. Roberts has toured and recorded with many top performers from both worlds, and his own music is something of a hybrid, a blending of those sensibilities. He usually sings in a taut yet gentle tenor, not unlike that of American contemporary and label-mate Will Oldham (Palace, Bonnie Prince Billy). While Roberts and Oldham share certain undeniable similarities in cadence and timbre, it would be a good idea to end the comparisons there… Roberts is on his own path, and through his long association with the Drag City label, has built one of the most consistently satisfying catalogs in indie-folk. The trend continues with The Wyrd Meme, a mini-album that follows on the heels of this year’s full-length Spoils.

This four song set possesses all the hallmarks of the singer’s unique style: flowery, borderline archaic language, traditional or traditional-derived melodies, varied and refreshing arrangements, and clever turns of phrase never in short supply. On opener “The Hallucinator and the King of the Silver Ship of Time”, Roberts paints a detailed portrait of the curious Hallucinator, and her visit from the King of Time, at the bottom of the ocean. Both the narrator’s point of view and the purpose of the meeting are nebulous, yet the imagery is so vivid that it’s hard not to get drawn in.

While that fantastical setting of “Hallucinator…” sounds something akin to a fable, second track “The Yarn Unraveller” seems to describe an imminent separation of the common human variety, one person leaving on a journey while the other is left behind. The song finds precedent in the Child Ballad “The Trooper and the Maid”, which has a similar premise and melodic arc, but as with many of Roberts’ re-castings, there is an appreciable immediacy and warmth that keeps things from sounding dated.

Alasdair Roberts – “The Yarn Unraveller”

Though the collection has it’s share of achingly sad and beautiful moments, there is also a welcome thread of levity woven into the songs. Closer “Coral and Tar” takes the form of a lullaby, and contains some real gems of wordplay, as Roberts mixes up self-deprecating humor, modern asides and naturalistic themes. Alliteration-rich lines such as “I’m no pine, I’m a man in my prime and I’m pining” and the twisting “…to join with the pine and to join with the oak in their blood oath to choke up the garden” are classic Roberts… seemingly world-weary, but with a wink.

The Wyrd Meme is a short yet worthy addition to Alasdair Roberts’ healthy discography. Existing fans won’t find any real surprises, but they will most certainly not be disappointed, and for the uninitiated, Meme would be a fine starting point.

Buy the 12″ or CD from Drag City
Buy the 12″ or CD from Insound
Alasdair Roberts’ Website
Alasdair Roberts’ on Myspace

Fleet Foxes

A folk revival within the indie-rock music space has been in the works for almost a decade now. Bands like My Morning Jacket and Bright Eyes have incorporated many of the sounds and sensibilities of traditional American folk music into their songs. More recently, though, indie-folk is getting more attention from the media and thus is starting to make waves in charts.

Fleet Foxes, for example, has emerged as the face of this movement. Their self titled album was the Billboard’s Critic’s Choice Album of the Year and their more recent ep, Sun Giant, has also received rave reviews. This has sparked interest in other indie-folk artists such as M. Ward, Beach House, Devandra Banhart and less recently Iron and Wine. Several artists including Jim Jones from My Morning Jacket, M. Ward, and Conner Oberst from Bright Eyes, have collaborated and released an album under the band name “Monsters of Folk”. The album, as expected, has received excellent reviews.

Fleet Foxes – Mykonos

Why have music reviewers and bloggers alike taken such an interest in these bands? I believe the interest in “indie-folk” is a response to two different discourses taking place in society, one relating to music and art specifically, the other relating to mass culture in general.

The first discourse that seems to be taking place involves the authenticity of new music. In an era where musicians are trading in instruments for pro-tools software and pop artists are auto-tuning every note they sing, many seem to be wondering whether new music can even be looked at as art. This debate hit the mainstream this summer when Jay-Z released the song “D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune).” I believe this particular movement has played a role in the transition of indie-folk into the mainstream. In a time when people are rejecting music because it is inauthentic, it makes sense that music that mainly features just acoustic guitar and natural vocal talents would be popular.

Jay-Z – Death of Auto-Tune

The second discourse involves the general disillusionment with the culture of excess and greed people seemed to have in the wake of the economic crisis. While rap and rock can be associated with much of the booming culture of the past few decades, folk is quite different. If you take one look at the lead singer of Fleet Foxes, you will immediately take notice of his long grizzly beard and his shabby clothing. The folk culture, which de-emphasizes material possessions and the consumer lifestyle, sends a message that is easily tied in with many of the emotions being felt by the masses.

Gordon Blank

Free mp3: Postcards From Italy by Beirut

From wikipedia

Beirut is an American band. It began as the solo musical project of 23-year-old Santa Fe, New Mexico native Zachary Francis Condon, and later evolved into a band led by Condon. Their first performances were in May 2006, to support the release of their debut album, Gulag Orkestar.^[1][2] The music combines elements of Eastern European folk with Western pop music.