Brett and Rennie Sparks are The Handsome Family. They are also a staple of the musical diet in the Mackerel household. Pioneers of modern gothic country, we’ve been fans ever since we heard such classics as After We Shot The Grizzly, Weightless Again, In The Air, right through to more recent tracks like Darling My Darling and a host of others. With a sly black humour ever … Continue reading Scattered – new album from The Handsome Family
E’ville Fuzz arrives two-and-a-half years after 6 Day Bender’s self-titled debut. The title references the farmhouse in Earlysville, Virginia, where the band crafted the album’s thirteen songs, as well as the ‘fuzzier,’ more blues-oriented dimension the album explores. The band recorded the new project between bouts of touring, bankrolling the studio sessions with proceeds from the road. The result is a high-octane rock record with … Continue reading Mad Mackerel Recommends…6 Day Bender
John Velghe is a notorious scammer, a charlatan; one of those musicians with a guitar case filled with pretty songs performed by a man of ugly intent. Over the years of performing he’s ruined his character and his body in service to rock ‘n roll. All the while leaving a trail of acrimony wrapped in shimmering chords and the snare drum’s crack. So what could … Continue reading Introducing…John Velghe
During time away from his other bands (Blackout Party, John Meeks), Brian Holwerda has recorded a collection of mostly-acoustic songs in his bedroom. The result is a 7 track EP called Witchteeth. Most of the recordings are spare, quiet acoustic versions, but they are presented in a way that retains a rawness and honesty that sets them apart from the usual fare on offer. The … Continue reading Introducing…Brian Holwerda
Yo Soybean is an alternative folk band from Athens, GA that just finished recording their new album, Manifest Blasphemy. The record will be released in January, and will be available on both Bandcamp and iTunes. Yo Soybean follow in the traditions of Dylan and Oberst, offering insidiously honest lyrics, which the band surrounds with edgy americana and newgrass. The songs are modern tales wrapped in … Continue reading Introducing…Yo Soybean
As anyone who reads this blog with any regularity will know, Howling Owls are one of our favourite discoveries of 2010. They take menacing, insistent, under-stated indie/folk matched with some of the best lyrical wordplay we’ve heard in a long while. The songs pick away at the edges of domestic strife and family troubles, gleefully revealing a queasy, black-hearted underbelly that remind us of those … Continue reading More from Howling Owls
Alternative folkies, and MM faves, Wye Oak have a new album coming out in March 2011, titled Civilian. It will be released on Merge Records. Here is the duo’s very promising title track via Stereogum. Visit their MySpace here. Download Wye Oak – Civilian mp3 (from Civilian) Continue reading New from Wye Oak
A couple of years ago we became big fans of a band called Eulogies, their self-titled album received a lot of play time and in Life Boat they had one of our favourite tracks of the year. They’ve been quiet for a while, and so we were delighted to hear of a new album, Tear The Fences Down and to get a taster in the … Continue reading Eulogies Return
We gave you Grass House’s new single recently and they have followed this up with a new EP titled Ant Giant Ant. It is out on Holiday Club Recordings and for a limited time you can get the whole thing digitally for free here or can buy lovely 10″ vinyl here. The previously featured single Lazy Bones is on it, together with three more songs. We … Continue reading Grass House Release new EP
We got this via Not So Popular, it is an excellent short story called To The Boat by up and coming young writer James Walsh. It was inspired by a song by J. Tillman. We would urge you to click through and read the story – it’s certainly not one for the faint hearted, but it is excellently written and is certainly one of the … Continue reading J.Tillman inspires short story
The Mad Mackerel 