Mad Mackerel Recommends…Drunken Prayer

On February 7, next year, Fluff & Gravy Records will release Drunken Prayer’s sophomore full-length, Into the Missionfield, an eleven track collection of dark tales and darker melodies.  A journey down a path less travelled, but always more rewarding. Call it what you will – alt. country, Americana, folk-rock, or a number of other genres, Drunken Prayer makes an honest tune, an unflinching narrative of the harsh and beautiful harmonies … Continue reading Mad Mackerel Recommends…Drunken Prayer

Video Round Up

Here are a few more videos that we’ve enjoyed recently. First up is a welcome return for Goldheart Assembly and a song called Linnaeus that comes from their second album due out in spring next year. Also keeping it pretty mellow is Kathleen Edwards with the video for her forthcoming single, Change The Sheets. a The Inspired And The Sleep offer up some sunburnt lo-fi … Continue reading Video Round Up

Ohioan – Balls Deep In Babylon

We have posted about Ryne Warner’s band Ohioan a couple of times in the lifetime of Mad Mackerel and so it was good news indeed to receive an e-mail from him with news of an album provocatively titled Balls Deep In Babylon. Having listened to it a few times, it is one of those records that slowly but surely grips you and then begins to … Continue reading Ohioan – Balls Deep In Babylon

Mrs Mackerel’s TFI Saturday (10th December)

It’s been a long, tiring and sad week. Death is all around, so it seems. And even when you’re viewing it in the third person, it’s hard to watch. It settles over you with a deft hand, weighting its heaviness into your head and inevitably your heart. Yet still the world continues to turn; life does go on for the rest of us, so it … Continue reading Mrs Mackerel’s TFI Saturday (10th December)

Christmas Post 8: Evil Hand

One thing you realise as the end of the year approaches and “best of” lists from everywhere start appearing is – despite every effort to the contrary – just how much you’ve missed out on during 2011. Evil Hand is a case in point – the comments on Song By Toad’s post of Friday led me to search out his album Huldra (free download here) … Continue reading Christmas Post 8: Evil Hand

Mad Mackerel Recommends…The Lost Brothers

The Lost Brothers hail from Ireland and have just released their album So Long John Fante on Bird Dog Records. Boasting one of the sleeves of the year, it is a follow up to debut Trails of the Lonely. Tipping a hat to their literary hero (and one of ours), John Fante, this is an album which effortlessly, and brilliantly, wallows in a gumbo melting … Continue reading Mad Mackerel Recommends…The Lost Brothers

Christmas Post 7: Paul Hawkins & The Bleak Midwinters

Paul Hawkins & The Bleak Midwinters are Paul Hawkins of Paul Hawkins & The Awkward Silences, his bandmate Ian Button and Mary Boeker, who usually sings with the Empty Gestures & the Count of Chateau Noir. Tonight I Will Be Santa involves a man breaking into a woman’s house on Christmas Eve and claiming to be Santa: “How did you get in here? I climb … Continue reading Christmas Post 7: Paul Hawkins & The Bleak Midwinters

Christmas Post 6: Damien Jurado

Only recently we posted the lovely taster track from Damien Jurado’s forthcoming album Maraqopa. He isn’t relaxing though, because now he too has recorded a reverent and devoted cover of Christmas Time Is Here, the Vince Guaraldi classic from A Charlie Brown Christmas. So grab it below, enjoy and compare with the the version we posted by Woods just a few days ago here. Download … Continue reading Christmas Post 6: Damien Jurado

Insound’s Free December Mix

The latest Insound free digital mix for December is up – this time it requires a click through on their Facebook Like button to grab yourself eleven of the latest tracks from Bon Iver, Bowerbirds, Sharon Van Etten, A Place To Bury Strangers and plenty more. As usual, you can grab a couple of our favourites below or click here to go get the whole … Continue reading Insound’s Free December Mix