The new video for Blitzen Trapper’s Stranger In A Strange Land from their American Goldwing album features landscapes found in Nome, Alaska, where there are no indigenous trees or mountains within plain sight, interspersing footage of the Iditarod finish line, the Bering Sea, and singer Eric Earley with shivery hand-held pans in 20 below zero conditions.
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Our usual round up of the very best of our August posts and some new tracks too. Dip in – every one a winner as they say.
Download The Cabin Dogs – High Falls mp3 (from Midnight Trail)
Invites you to kick off your boots, pour a stiff one and sit on the porch to watch the sun go down – a song for when you’re busy doing nothing as they say.
Download Spectrals – Big Baby mp3 (from Big Baby 7″)
Spritely and upbeat that melds 60s girl group fizz with Elvis Costello in an entirely good way.
Download Waters – O Holy Break Of Day mp3 (from Out In The Light)
Delicate and almost hymn-like indie rock with a sparse, raw feel.
Download Male Bonding – Tame The Sun mp3 (from Endless Now)
Excellent slice of punky power pop.
Download Forest Fire – Future Shadows mp3 (from Staring At The X)
First taster from specialists in weirded out country folk and blues doesn’t disappoint.
Download The Coasts – Handshakers mp3 (from The Coasts)
Quirky anthem that’s equal parts gritty rockabilly and punching pop.
Download Peggy Sue – Cut My Teeth mp3 (from Acrobats)
A six minute, slow brooding burn with a heavier, more viscous feel than previously.
Download Howling Owls featuring WoolfCubb – Spirits To Lift My Spirits mp3 (from Purple On Purple EP)
MM faves return with slightly more upbeat track. And we stress the slightly…
Download Blitzen Trapper – Love The Way You Walk Away mp3 (from American Goldwing)
Another top-notch slice of loose, countrified rock.
Download Beirut – The Rip Tide mp3 (from The Rip Tide)
Superb title track from new album.
Download Ganglians – Drop The Act mp3 (from Still Living)
Smoother than usual garage-psych.
Download Little Gold – Sisters & Friends mp3 (from Weird Freedom)
Easy-breezy basslines, washed-out harmonies, and powerfully mellow drumming.
Download Amen Dunes – Bedroom Drum mp3 (from Through Donkey Jaw)
Another taste of the ominous, malevolent, unique folk stylings from new album.
Download The Ettes – The Pendulum mp3 (from Wicked Will)
Beat-punk and garage sleaze with a healthy dose back porch blues swagger and fuzzed up reverb.
Download Sick Figures – Graveyard Swagger mp3 (from Two Ghosts)
Raucous, saloonish type of rock and roll evoking a dark, eerie mood.
Download The Witch And The Robot – Houdini mp3 (from Fear Of Mountains)
Wonderful blend of peculiarly British pysch-pop and acid folk accompanied by appropriately surreal lyrics.
Download Deer Tick – Miss K. mp3 (from Divine Providence)
Classic slice of bluesy, bar-room Americana from forthcoming album.
Download Ducktails – Sit Around With Ya mp3 (from Killin The Vibe 12″)
Immerse yourself in a mellow hypnotic haze.
Download Luke Temple – Ophelia mp3 (from Don’t Act Like You Don’t Care)
Chugging twang, upbeat and cajun tinged.
Download The Fresh & Onlys – I Would Not Know The Devil mp3 (from I Would Not Know The Devil 7″)
A crackerjack of garage rumble, surf harmonies and guitar jangle.
Download Colossal Gospel – I Have A Heart, I Have A Heart mp3 (from Circles)
Sublime nine minutes of fragile folk beauty that reminded us of Lambchop at their best.
Download Guadalupe Plata – Pollo Podrio mp3 (from Guadalupe Plata)
Think of the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion duelling with The Dirtbombs in the Castilla La Mancha…and, er, you’ll not even be close.
Download Beak> – Welcome To The Machine mp3 (from Wish You Were Here Again)
Rigid, pulsating version of Pink Floyd classic.
Download Hypocrite in a Hippy Crypt – The Town Crazies mp3 (from Tweaker In The Park)
Personal, whimsical sometimes, slyly sinister at others, lyrically sharp lo-fi folk.
Download Woodsman – In Circles mp3 (from Mystic Places EP)
Swirling, spacey guitars, reverb washes, tribal drum patterns, vocal delays and ominous repetition mix into a mesmerising, pulsating whole.
Download The Barr Brothers – Beggar In The Morning mp3 (from The Barr Brothers)
Folky, harmony filled and gorgeous.
Download Blessed Feathers – Stinging Nettle, Honeysuckle mp3 (from From The Mouths Of The Middle Class)
A bitterly beautiful reminder of winter’s immediacy in the Midwest.
Download Something Men – Birdy Roof mp3 (from Something Men 7″)
Effortlessly channeling early Velvets rumble and the simple, but effective chord sequences of the Kingsmen into a classic garage sound.
Download Wavves – I Wanna Meet Dave Grohl mp3 (from Life Sux EP)
More lo-fi, slacker punk goodness.
And to finish off we have new tracks for you too – a chaotic, hook ridden pop gem from Oberhofer, an unsettling six minutes of astral pop from Atlas Sound, attractive indie jangle from Sweden’s Youngfuck, and the infectious pulsing rhythms and quirky imagery of Big Tree.
Download Atlas Sound – Terra Incognita mp3 (from Parallax)
Download Oberhofer – Gotta Go mp3 (from Gotta Go)
Download Youngfuck – Black Tulips mp3 (from Youngfuck 7″)
Download Big Tree – This Fall mp3 (from This New Year)
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Just like London buses, you wait for one and then get a plethora of arrivals all together. So it is with some of our favourite bands who are releasing tracks into the blogosphere at much the same time. You may have some/all of these already, but if not every one is worth having.
First up is Blitzen Trapper and Love The Way You Walk Away from forthcoming album American Goldwing. We love the band’s mix of loose, countrified rock and surreal first-person folk stories. This is one of our most anticipated albums for the rest of 2011. Pre-order here.
Download Blitzen Trapper – Love The Way You Walk Away mp3 (from American Goldwing)
Next is Beirut, the taster tracks from latest album The Rip Tide, have grown on us like a bad case of hives. We’re looking forward immensely to his headline set at the End of the Road festival in a few weeks. This is the title track from the album and is a beauty. Pre-order here.
Download Beirut – The Rip Tide mp3 (from The Rip Tide)
Keeping up the folk theme, we have another track from the excellent Peter Wolf Crier. This comes from new album Garden Of Arms. Pre-order here.
Download Peter Wolf Crier – Settling It Off mp3 (from Garden of Arms)
Swedish songwriter Jens Lekman has a new EP via Secretly Canadian. This is the title track and leans more towards tropically tinged sunshine pop than orchestral strings. Pre-order the EP here.
Download Jens Lekman – An Argument With Myself mp3 (from An Argument With Myself EP)
And finally another track of smoother than usual garage-psych from the Ganglians – the third to come from new album Still Living. Pre-order here.
Download Ganglians – Drop The Act mp3 (from Still Living)
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Sub Pop have announced a new album from MM faves Blitzen Trapper entitled American Goldwing. Set for a September 13th release, American Goldwing is full of the introspective and striking storytelling that countless fans and critics have fallen in love with.
With subjects ranging from falling in love to drug running good old boys and the final high school dance, American Goldwing is a freewheeling collection that balances the roughness of rock ‘n’ roll with fateful heartfelt loss. Heavy guitar riffs and blasting drum fills live side-by-side with plucking banjos, wailing harmonicas and muddy slide guitars.
You can get a first glimpse of American Goldwing with this new promo video from Sub Pop Records, and if you are yet to acquaint yourself with the band grab a couple of older songs below too.
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Download Blitzen Trapper – Heaven & Earth mp3 (from Destroyer Of The Void)
Download Blitzen Trapper – Black River Killer mp3 (from Furr)
Download Blitzen Trapper – Furr mp3 (from Furr)
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Here at MM we share, chat, argue, bury and praise music on a pretty regular basis…like daily. So throughout the year, the Mackerel crew (Mrs Mackerel, Barry-Sean, Christy-Popper, Dr Roddy, Polly Pocket, Starbar, MM and others) keep their own ever-changing top tens ready for publication at the climax of the festive season.
So here are MM’s ten favourite tunes from 2010 – no claims on them being the best, but for many different reasons, these are the tracks that most struck a chord (no pun intended).
10 Phosphorescent – The Mermaid Parade (Download Here)
Phosphorescent just seem to get better and better. A wonderful album provided this superb tale of failed love told in a resigned, accepting way and accompanied by mournful pedal steel and piano.
9 Red Clay River – Rattlesnake Mountain (Download here)
Always loved a good dose of black hearted, downbeat, gothic country and Red Clay River deliver in spades with this skeletal gem.
8 Strand Of Oaks – Alex Kona
“Alex Kona was 12 feet tall, his mother was killed by a bowling ball“, how could you not want to know the rest of the story? A standout track from a wonderful album of sparse fingerpicked folk and occasional psychedelic wigouts…Fast forward to track 5 below, or just stream the whole wonderful record.
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7 Local Natives - World News (Download here)
While others in the Mackerel shoal may have been seduced by Airplanes, it was the propulsive, upbeat rhythms and effortlessly catchy chorus of World News that claimed my ears.
6 Stornoway – I Saw You Blink
The runaway feel good hit of the summer. Catchy, uplifting and a perfect soundtrack to the setting sun at the Truck Festival.
5 No Age – Fever Dreaming (Download here)
This song steamed out of the traps like it had just been released from the punk heydey of 1977 – and there is no higher praise in my book. Turn up loud and abuse the neighbours – especially if they’re like some of ours. Wankers.
4 Blitzen Trapper – The Man Who Would Speak True
On a par with their classic Black River Killer – a wonderfully surreal and compelling story of murder, trains, truth and gardening. Exceptional.
3 Howling Owls – Family Tree (Download here)
My favourite new band discovery of the year. One after another they sent songs MM’s way and all could have been top ten contenders. In the end it was this majestically malevolent ode to a dysfunctional family life where nothing is at it seems, or as it should be, that won out.
2 Wooden Wand – Uncle Bill (Download here)
A wonderfully poignant and nostalgic paean to a relative who is casting a knowing eye over his nephew’s mistakes and while he knows, he doesn’t tell. With lyrics that cut to the chase and tell a story that is as warm as it is personal. In a different day and age Wooden Wand would be a household name.
1 Black Mountain – Let Spirits Ride
Who cares if the riff is nicked from another song, or if it sounds like 1972. I don’t when it as good as this. Probably the one song in 2010 that I never ever skipped, that I always turned up to 11, and which, seen live at the End of the Road cemented its place as my number one.
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Bubbling Under
1. Dr Dog – Later
2. Lumerians – Burning Mirrors
3.Tweak Bird – A Sun Ahh Ahh
4. Paleo – The King James Fakebook
5. Mathew Sawyer & The Ghosts – Revenge Of The Extra From Zulu
Best Songs First Heard in 2010, but not 2010
1. Joe Pug – Hymn 35
2.The Willard Grant Conspiracy – Drunkard’s Prayer
3.Knife In The Water – Young Blood In The River
Guilty Pleasure
I’m with Dr Roddy. Pure Eurovision perfection…Lena Mayer and Satellite.
The old day job has provided less joy than usual recently, and it was with much sadness that we waved goodbye to the lovely Polly Pocket this week. The occasion was marked by a visit to the local farm café. It was a shame the red-faced old buzzard was circling but next to the organic turkeys, you’d barely notice the difference. In skin tone and intelligence anyway.
Speaking of creatures, there’s nothing I like to see more than a person dressed up as a giant furry animal. The critical success factor being that it’s played straight. An early Christmas bonus was offered this week in the shape of a white werewolf, looking bored and annoyed, hanging out with the other street artists on the South Bank in London. If you look closely at the photo you will see that he really has lost the crowd to the performer situated behind him. In fact, only my brother and I stopped in high amusement, put some money in his box, and walked on. Apparently, MM says this makes me a ‘furrvert’; I think he made that up.
Anyway, I’ve been searching for a tenuous reason to justify posting the image. His fur is white which at least makes him festive. A bit.
Jingle bells, top ten time is nearly here.
Mrs Mackerel
Well, where do you think I’m going with this … download Furr by Blitzen Trapper, a long-time Mad Mackerel fave. This is a fine, fine song.
Download Blitzen Trapper – Furr mp3 (from Furr)
Here at MM we share, chat, argue, bury and praise music on a pretty regular basis…like daily. So throughout the year, the Mackerel crew (Mrs Mackerel, Barry-Sean, Christy-Popper, Dr Roddy, Polly Pocket, Starbar, MM and others) keep their own ever-changing top tens ready for publication at the climax of the festive season.
This year, to start the ball rolling we have, the already much missed Polly Pocket’s entry. At least she’ll remain a MM contributor if nothing else.
10. Dan Le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip – Snob
Words from the wise. Lyrical genius.
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9. Kurran and the Wolfnotes – Your Four Limbs (download here)
Everytime I listen to this I hear something different. Brilliant tune, love the words.
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8. Brandon Flowers – Crossfire
Pop song of the year. Does exactly what it should – belting tune, sounding best turned up loud whilst singing along.
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7. Warpaint – Undertow
Reminds me of being 15 and somewhat disappointed with the world. Fab. Listen here:
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6. The XX – VCR
If I was in a band I would want to sound just like this!
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5. Blitzen Trapper – The Man Who Would Speak True
A late entry for me, but my top ten is all the richer for it. Listen here.
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4. Josh Ritter – The Curse
Haunting piano, all nostalgic and laid back. (Watch the brilliant puppeteering video)
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3. Local Natives – Airplanes (download here)
Brilliant song. Heartbreaking lyrics. Listen here:
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2. Bear Bones – Oil and Lacquer (Download here)
Perfect winter song. I shut my eyes and am sitting in a comfy chair in a country pub with an open fire, good friends and a cracking pint of ale. ”If I’m getting old then I hope that you’re coming with me” and I really do.
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1. The National – Bloodbuzz Ohio
This hit the number one spot months ago and has stayed there ever since. A truly great tune.
So after much deliberation, head scratching, discussion, and more head scratching, we have MM’s favourite albums of 2010. And we choose our words very carefully here, because we would not presume them to be the best, only those that have given us the most pleasure and enjoyment, records that we have returned to again and again, and for whatever reason have captured a moment or special place in our hearts.
And while we have limited our selection to 25 albums there were many, many more that could have, and maybe should have, featured. But there that’s the beauty of music, entirely subjective and based on individual opinions not fact.
So without further ado, here are our 25 favourite albums of 2010.
25 Sharon Van Etten – Epic
Haunting, ethereal and stunning album from a modern day siren. Sad prairie folk music indeed.
Download Sharon Van Etten – Love More mp3
24 Haunted Windchimes – Honey Moonshine
Traditional, old-timey backwoods, backporch music that burrowed its way into your head and then refused to budge.
Download The Haunted Windchimes – Don’t Take My Baby Away (Baby Back) mp3
23 The Streets On Fire – This Is Fancy
High voltage, good time, bad boy rock ‘n’ roll that was as good and as unashamedly fun as it was simple. Garage rock reclaimed.
Download The Streets On Fire – That’s Hard To Find mp3
22 Justin Townes Earle – Harlem River Blues
The son of the peerless Steve Earle comes of age with a perfectly judged set of tales that in their honesty and unashamed frankness are worthy of Townes himself.
Listen to Harlem River Blues.
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21 Titus Andronicus – The Monitor
With repeated listens the sheer power and passion of The Monitor becomes overwhelming. So what if it is a concept album about the American Civil War, its ambitious, rebellious, and rousing. Just play it loud!
Download Titus Andronicus – A More Perfect Union mp3
20 Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan – Hawk
Another perfectly judged record from the perfectly matched duo. Campbell’s lovely whispering tones offset by Mr Lanagan’s threatening growl.
Listen to Snake Song.
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19 Lower Dens – Twin Hand Movement
An album of dreamy, unsettling rock melded with freak-folk to provide one of the year’s most unusual and most rewarding listens. At times it sounds like an evil Beach House and at others spare and caustic where hope is slowly, but firmly drowned in a swirling, atmospheric mix of twinkling guitars and alluring voices.
Download Lower Dens – Hospice Gates mp3
18 The Tallest Man On Earth – The Wild Hunt
A fine follow up to the outstanding Shallow Grave, the trademark Dylanesque vocals allied to a set of cracking tales from the bible to bullfighting.
Download The Tallest Man On Earth – The King Of Spain mp3
17 The Migrant – Travels In Lowland
With its dreamlike journey into psych-indie, the debut album from The Migrant was one of the most surprising and engaging folk records of the year.
Download The Migrant – The Organ Grinder mp3
16 Tweak Bird – Tweak Bird
In the vein of the much lauded and genuinely good Tame Impala, Tweak Bird were louder, faster, and simply rocked harder. A superb mix of motorcycle rock riffs with dirty fingernail blues and even a hint of jazz. This was stoner rock for the 21st century and it was brilliant.
Download Tweak Bird – A Sun Ahh Ahh mp3
15 Deer Tick – The Black Dirt Sessions
In Christ Jesus from the Black Dirt Sessions, Deer Tick delivered one of the truly primal and affecting moments of musical recording in 2010, and the rest of the album wasn’t half bad either.
Download Deer Tick – Twenty Miles mp3
14 Delta Spirit – History From Below
Indie rock with a country inflection, Delta Spirit packed History From Below full of dusty, rural Americana and bar room blues boogie. With the impassioned and distinctive voice of Matt Vasquez backed by a rumbling juggernaut of percussion and rhythms, the album was a welcome addition to the long tradition of classic American rock.
Download Delta Spirit – Bushwick Blues mp3
13 Arcade Fire – The Suburbs
Indie gods manage to live up to, and then surpass the hype with The Suburbs, an album full of outstanding tracks that demand they be listened to as a whole – a proper music album.
Watch Ready To Start.
12 Band Of Horses – Infinite Arms
Despite some occasional iffy AOR moments, Infinite Arms was like the girl with the curl, and when it was good (which it mostly was), it was brilliant.
Watch Laredo.
11 Black Keys – Brothers
Authentic blues duo cranked out their best yet and in tracks like Sinister Kid and Howlin’ For You added some more classic cuts to their catalogue.
Watch Tighten Up.
10 Laura Marling – I Speak Because I Can
Showcasing her incredible natural talent despite such tender years, I Speak Because I Can truly marked Laura Marling out as a worthy heiress to Joni, Emmy Lou and the like. Darker, stronger, and more confident than her debut, she is surely poised for great things.
Watch Rambling Man.
9 Liars – Sisterworld
A brilliant collection of crushing guitars, machine gun percussion and soaring vocals that retained its experimental art-noise edge but became much more accessible and much more listenable – welcome to the big league time?
Listen to the superb Proud Evolution.
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8 The National – High Violet
Overcoming the music blogger’s ‘big band’ prejudice with ease, High Violet was bigger, better and more affecting than anything the National have done to date.
Listen to Conversation 16.
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7 Strand Of Oaks – Pope Killdragon
Having caught our attention with their wonderful Springsteen cover on Hear Ya, Strand of Oaks more than lived up to our expectations with Pope Killdragon. Sparse folk tunes mixed with occasional and abstract guitar wigouts and also showcased Tim Showalter’s ability to grab the attention with some of the best lyrical couplets of the year. Stand out track Alex Kona a case in point, starting “Alex Kona was twelve feet tall, his mother was killed by a bowling ball” – what’s not to like?
Download Strand of Oaks – Bonfire mp3
6 Mathew Sawyer & The Ghosts – How Snakes Eat
Spare, beautiful, mournful and melancholic, the fragile folk of Mathew Sawyer hid whiplash lyrics and biting black humour that revealed and revelled in a bittersweet world where daydreams and nightmares fought to the death for supremacy.
Download Mathew Sawyer & The Ghosts – Mynah Birds Call mp3
5 Black Mountain – Wilderness Heart
Backwards-looking it maybe, but that’s to miss the point of Black Mountain. This was an album bursting with rock riffs that were so good you thought they must have been invented in the classic age of rock, and in Let Spirits Ride, the band provided the headbanging anthem of the year.
Download Black Mountain – Old Fangs mp3
4 Dr Dog – Shame, Shame
Another wonderful record of rousing, country infused tunes. Each listen revealed more of its anthemic charms and spirited, rugged rock on an album full of top notch tunes from start to finish.
Watch Shadow People.
3 Blitzen Trapper – Destroyer Of The Void
A brilliant and worthy follow-up to the exceptional Furr, and in songs like The Man Who Would Speak True, Blitzen Trapper showed they had worthy successors to classics like Black River Killer and the like. Full of prog-folk, dusty rural ballads, sci-fi synths and more, Destroyer of the Void was a stunning record.
Download Blitzen Trapper – Heaven And Earth mp3
2 Phosphorescent – Here’s To Taking It Easy
After the sublime To Willie tribute last year came the originals. From the loose, ramshackle rock of It’s Hard to Be Humble (When You’re From Alabama) to cowboy ballads, transcendental homages, and the climactic, Neil Young like, epic album closer L.A.
Download Phosphorescent – The Mermaid Parade mp3
1 Wooden Wand – Wither Thou Goest, Cretin
Despite Wither Thous Goest, Cretin only receiving an initially limited release, and despite it being overshadowed by the subsequent release of (the also excellent) The Death Seat on Michael Gira’s label, Wooden Wand delivered an album of stunning simplicity, in equal parts poignant, heartbreaking, and redemptive.
With lyrics that are the match of any songwriter we know (“He had just enough rope in his trunk to make her nervous”) allied to sparse, plucked folk on the one hand and footstomping barnyard rhythms on the other, there is not a wasted moment, nor a false step on the entire album.
Download Wooden Wand – The Fly mp3
The rather awesome Blitzen Trapper have just completed their fifth Daytrotter session – a record apparently.
The four songs include a version of The Tree, one of the many) standout tracks from recent album Destroyer of the Void.
Download it below or get the whole session for free from Daytrotter here.
Buy the album from Amazon here.
Visit Blitzen Trapper’s MySpace here.
Download Blitzen Trapper – The Tree mp3 from (Daytrotter Session)
The intimate (that means slightly cramped) Borderline was the host for last night’s gig by Blitzen Trapper supported by The Dutchess & The Duke.
The latter gave us 35 minutes of beautifully crafted folk harmonies and the occasional arsenic tinged lyric. The hushed, attentive crowd and easy going banter from the band made it feel like a 60s coffee house in Greenwich Village and so charmingly uncommercial were they that, following a climactic Armageddon Song, the crowd had to remind them at the end to play their best known song, the brilliant Reservoir Park.
And so the stage was set for Blitzen Trapper who immediately entranced the crowd by opening with one of the standouts from Furr, the mesmerising Black River Killer. From then on they varied the tempo considerably, mixing new tracks from Destroyer Of The Void with old favourites and there were plenty of highlights to savour. From crowd favourite and singalong Furr to a and wholly acoustic The Man Who Would Speak True. Other standouts were a ramshackle Jericho, a pulsing Evening Star, a captivating Heaven And Earth, and finishing the main set with a full on wigout version of Wild Mountain Nation.
A three song encore completed 90 minutes of old and new material, melding Byrdsian country rock and rambling backporch folk with a modern day twist that was nigh on perfect.
Buy Blitzen Trapper here. Buy The Dutchess & The Duke here.
Visit Blitzen Trapper’s MySpace here. Visit The Dutchess & The Duke MySpace here.
Download The Dutchess & The Duke – Reservoir Park mp3 (from She’s The Dutchess, He’s The Duke)
Download Blitzen Trapper – Heaven & Earth mp3 (from Destroyer Of The Void)
Download Blitzen Trapper – Black River Killer mp3 (from Furr)
Download Blitzen Trapper – Furr mp3 (from Furr)
