SXSW 2011, Thursday, Pt. 2
by Brianne Turner
Photography by Nick Chaivarlis and Brianne Turner

Playing one of Thursday’s first scheduled sets, The Deer Tracks opened the Filter Magazine Culture Collide showcase by turning their duo into a quartet, remaining theatrical and false eyelash heavy throughout. Lead vocalist Elin Lindfors played an array of instruments, from the melodica to a crosscut saw, while David Lehnberg stuck to the guitar, allowing The Deer Tracks to add a keyboardist and drummer to their traveling show. Due to a lack of equipment, the band were forced to cancel their first scheduled U.S. show, making the Filter showcase their first actual American gig, and with any luck, this show was a conclusive indication of what to expect from The Deer Tracks in the future.

London band Yuck played a very short set to a completely packed room at the Flamingo Cantina on a stage which was nearly impossible to see if you weren’t at least 6’8″ or in the first two rows. Positioning, however, was of minor consequence due to the fact that Yuck played the set looking primarily at the stage below them and moved around very little. A group of youngsters who are all within arms reach of the U.S. legal drinking age and who have been a functioning band for just over a year, it’s no surprise that Yuck have yet to perfect their stage presence, a fact best compensated by how good they sound live.

Bobby Long played a large handful of South By shows this year, so we (no surprise) made it a point to go see his night set at the Dirty Dog Bar. He played acoustic and alone, dedicating “Who Have You Been Loving” to a male fan in the front row who drunkenly and loudly admitted to having a man crush on Bobby.

In the spirit of following the bands we’ve decided to love, Suuns played a set at Nuvola, a trendy bar with a chandelier and leather couches, whose crowd was far less receptive to the band’s brand of rock than the one at the Red 7, despite a vast improvement in sound quality at the Nuvola show. Suuns, however, didn’t seem to mind or care, playing and sweating just as profusely as they did when they played for three times as many people who were actually enthusiastic about seeing them.

Showing our allegiance to another Audioholic Media favorite, we went to the Tap Room at Six to see SXSW first-timer Tony Lucca put on his typical, kick ass singer-songwriter show. Always the collaborator, Tony brought Keaton Simons on stage for “Death of Me” and Jay Nash and Matt Duke up for “Pretty Things,” ending the set with everyone on stage for a spot-on cover of Stevie Wonder’s “Superstitious.”

Taking the stage at 1 a.m., Owen Pallett and his violin played Emo’s. Due to a sound cord that broke just in time for the festival, the one-man band played some songs entirely acoustic and sans looping, a rare occurrence at a solo Owen Pallett show. Closing out the set and the night with crowd favorite “Lewis Takes Off His Shirt,” Pallett left the stage at around 2 a.m.

Continue reading » Friday: Tony Lucca, Keaton Simons, Savoir Adore

Even better than Bobby Long’s nationally-aired television appearances are his live shows. Catch him in a town near you:

02.05.11 Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress
02.08.11 Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court
02.10.11 Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater
02.11.11 Lawrence, KS @ Bottleneck
02.12.11 St. Louis, MO @ Old Rock House
02.14.11 Madison, WI @ High Noon Saloon
02.15.11 Minneapolis, MN @ Varsity Theater
02.16.11 Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Ballroom
02.17.11 Indianapolis, IN @ Radio Radio
02.18.11 Chicago, IL @ Schuba’s
02.19.11 Columbus, OH @ The Basement
02.21.11 Ann Arbor, MI @ The Ark
02.22.11 Toronto, ON, Canada @ Revival Bar
02.23.11 Montreal, Quebec, Canada @ Divan
02.24.11 Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground
02.25.11 Portland, ME @ Port City Music Hall
02.26.11 Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall
02.28.11 Northampton, MA @ Iron Horse Music Hall
03.03.11 New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
03.04.11 Philadelphia, PA @ World Cafe Live
03.05.11 Vienna, VA @ Jammin’ Java
03.22.11 Charlottesville, PA @ The Southern
03.23.11 Pittsburgh, PA @ Rex Theatre
03.24.11 Cincinnati, OH @ 20th Century Theatre
03.25.11 Knoxville, TN @ Barley’s Tap Room
03.26.11 Louisville, KY @ Headliner’s Music Hall
03.27.11 Nashville, TN @ 3rd & Lindsley Bar and Grill
03.29.11 Raleigh, NC @ Lincoln Theatre
03.31.11 Greensville, SC @ The Handlebar
04.01.11 Atlanta, GA @ Vinyl
04.02.11 Orlando, FL @ The Social
04.03.11 Jacksonville, FL @ Jack Rabbits
04.05.11 Birmingham, AL @ Workplay
04.06.11 Memphis, TN @ Hi-tone
04.08.11 Dallas, TX @ Poor David’s Pub
04.09.11 Austin, TX @ Lambert’s
04.10.11 Houston, TX @ Fitzgerald’s

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Find out more about Bobby Long at bobbylong.info.
Photo credit: James Minchin

On the eve of the release of A Winter Tale, Bobby Long took the stage of the Doug Fir in Portland, OR with some new material and his newly-acquired band in tow. The set list included some fresher, fuller versions of old favorites like “The Bounty of Mary Jane” and “Penance Fire Blues” as well as newer songs from A Winter Tale. The most notable portion of the set list was the performance of the LP’s title track, in which Bobby and his band took the opportunity to give the crowd a full-on jam session, which was entirely electric, both musically (see: Bobby’s electric guitar) as well as figuratively.

The addition of a full band to Bobby Long’s live set gives his songs a larger and more-structured sound without overpowering or compromising the singer/songwriter’s trademark rawness and sincerity. Bobby has proven that he can play the part of solo musician as well as front man and that his songs sound just as authentic unplugged as they do through an amp.

See it all here:

Bobby Long will be the musical guest on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno Thursday, February 3rd and confirmed that he will be attending SXSW in March.
A Winter Tale was released today.

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Find out more about Bobby Long at bobbylong.info.

Though Bobby Long‘s first studio-released LP, A Winter Tale (ATO Records), isn’t available officially until tomorrow, you can currently stream the album freely and legally in its entirety via SoundCloud. The streaming version is complete with spoken introductions to each song from Bobby himself.

Having recorded the LP’s initial five tracks in producer Liam Watson’s analog studio, A Winter Tale‘s raw sound isn’t a far cry from Bobby Long’s acoustic, self-released Dirty Pond Songs, which he recorded alone in his bedroom.

For more on the process behind the making of A Winter Tale, watch the 13 minute promo clip on YouTube.

For a great cover of Hank Williams’ “They’ll Never Take Her Love From Me,” click play:

Bobby Long will be playing the Doug Fir tonight in Portland, OR.
See you there.

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Find out more about Bobby Long and A Winter Tale at bobbylong.info.
Pre-order A Winter Tale over here.
Photo credit: James Minchin

As of yesterday, new song “My Darling Bell” became available for download from digital outlets such as iTunes and Amazon. Prior to this release, the track had been featured only on the live collection of highlights from Long’s recent Dangerous Summer tour, which was available exclusively at live shows.

Bobby Long’s debut studio album is nearing completion and a release date has yet to be announced.

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To find a local station that will broadcast NPR’s World Cafe, visit the NPR website.
For more information on Bobby Long, visit myspace.com/musicbobbylong.

SXSW 2010
by Brianne Turner, Photography by Nick Chaivarlis and Brianne Turner

Our second day in Austin took us to the Babelgum lawn party at the French Legation Museum to see The Antlers. Amongst an onslaught of sound problems and broken equipment, the band finished out their set visibly tense about the technical difficulties. Despite the minor shit storm, The Antlers played a decent set and made a strong case for a strong album.

In an incredibly predictable move on our part, we headed to the Hilton Garden Inn to see Audioholic Media favorite, Bobby Long, whose voice sounds better and more seasoned with each performance. Playing solo and acoustic, Bobby took the stage as part of the U.K.-based Bedford lineup and played a solid and passionate set, no surprise.

After (regrettably) missing Lemonade, we did catch the Delorean set at Cheer Up Charlie’s, which held no shortage of dancing, crowd surfing and astonishment. There was even a smoke machine! With their trancelike conglomeration of beats and instruments overlapping occasional lyric integration, Delorean are a tough band to resist. Maybe it’s the Spanish charm. Maybe it was the smoke machine. Or maybe it was the purple haze hanging in the atmosphere. (Not that I’m pointing any fingers…)

Here’s the rundown, via pictures:

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Continue reading » Day 3: Toro Y Moi, Freelance Whales, Local Natives, Solid Gold, Tanlines, Delorean, WhoMadeWho, Cymbals Eat Guitars, The Trews, The Very Best

SXSW 2010
by Brianne Turner, Photography by Nick Chaivarlis and Brianne Turner

All good things must come to an end, and like the best of things, SXSW’s finale is leaving us feeling a small void these last few days. The social networks (for the most part) have stopped crawling with ridiculous hash tags and concert updates, and you don’t have to read about how much fun your friends (or the people you envy) are having in Austin without you on a minute-by-minute basis.

We may not have had time to see your favorite band last week in the midst of all the musical chaos, but it’s an absolute certainty that we covered some bands who could definitely become some of your newest favorites. We know this because they became ours. Here is our SXSW coverage, broken down by day:

Day 1: Brazos, Body Language, Visqueen, Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings, The Walkmen, Broken Bells, Spoon

Day 2: The Antlers, Bobby Long, Delorean

Day 3: Toro Y Moi, Freelance Whales, Local Natives, Solid Gold, Tanlines, Delorean, WhoMadeWho, Cymbals Eat Guitars, The Trews, The Very Best

Day 4: The Morning Benders, Wye Oak, Ben Gibbard, Titus Andronicus, Here We Go Magic, Pictureplane, The Very Best, Sleigh Bells

With the most gluttonous of holidays behind us and the last month of 2009 in the throes of its annual death rattle, we’re using this time to leave you with our requisite year-end, “best of” list. There was a lot of music that slipped through the cracks in 2009, but we dug deep and gathered a substantial amount of albums which we believe to be the best that the last official year of the decade had to offer. Though, due to technological constraints, we weren’t able to include every artist, we have provided a playlist of highlights from the majority of the albums in our list!

As an independent music website run by a collection of music fans, we really appreciate every possible shred of support you send our way, so thank you for everything you’ve done to help contribute to the growth of Audioholic Media over the past year. Hi-fives for everyone, and happy New Year!

Audioholic Media‘s Favorite Albums of 2009
In alphabetical order, so as to not play favorites amongst our favorites:

Air
Love 2
12 tracks, Astralwerks — Caroline
Coming back around from their last foray into experimental music for experimenting’s sake, this stylish French duo turn in an album full of brilliant, accessible melodies and delightfully dense textures. Face it, these guys are freakin’ geniuses with all the grooves and tones they can pull out of those keyboard layers, and the driving, almost spy-like themes on some of these tracks take them in a whole new direction. Despite having a cover that looks more like an Air Supply album, the songs are dynamic and well-conducted, pared down in instrumentation but fleshed out in arrangement. Hip, stylish, catchy, and synth-y – coolness = maintained.

The Antlers
Hospice
10 tracks, Frenchkiss
This album shows us that we can have a dark side and be compassionate all at the same time. The haunting and melodic tunes of Hospice bring an unconventional feeling to easy listening. Make sure to listen to this album from beginning to end (no shuffle option, either!) because the whole story unfolds that way.

Antony and the Johnsons
The Crying Light
10 tracks, Secretly Canadian
The Crying Light is a quiet, polished and slightly left-of-center album either best or worst listened to while on psychedelics. The third studio release from the band, Antony Hegarty and his Johnsons created something that feels almost uncomfortably personal, with Hegarty’s unusual and slightly eerie voice and lyrics lingering over each melody. The album creates a sense of mystery and is a little haunting in an unearthly sort of way.

Bat For Lashes
Two Suns
11 tracks, Astralwerks — Caroline
If there’s an artist that combines modern heartache and yearning with mystical, mythical imagery more seamlessly than Natasha Khan, they’re in hiding. Her pure, crystalline voice delivers her heart’s longings cased within tales of knights in crystal armor and siren songs, evoking a palpable mystique which is both enchanting and jaw-dropping, turning from concert-hall tours-de-force to intimate piano missives without missing a step. Breathtaking in so many ways, this album amply demonstrates Khan’s place as a too-rare artist who keeps magic and melodrama dancing together brilliantly.

Bobby Long
Dirty Pond Songs
10 tracks, Bobby Long
When Bobby Long isn’t being attacked by girls who dream of being ravaged by a blockbuster vampire, he’s making really good music for girls who dream of being ravaged by a blockbuster vampire… and for the rest of us. Dirty Pond Songs is an honest album with so much depth you would think the kid is just hitting his mid-life crisis. This album is consistent the whole way through and is a pleasant reminder that music can still be solid without losing its sincerity. It isn’t packing any fancy tricks, it’s simply a beautiful album from beginning to end. Long clearly takes his craftsmanship seriously and it can be heard in every lyric of every track, particularly in songs like “Left to Lie” and “Dead and Done.”
» Read our interview with Bobby Long here.

Brandi Carlile
Give Up the Ghost
11 tracks, Columbia
In her third studio release, Pacific Northwesterner Brandi Carlile brings her trademark powerful, sometimes rugged vocals to some softer, more personal lyrics than she’s released in the past. Produced by Rick Rubin, Give Up the Ghost features a less guarded, more cerebral side to Carlile as a vocalist and occasional lyricist. “Caroline” even offers an almost-unrecognizable Elton John collaboration! They grow up so fast…

Coconut Records
Davy
10 tracks, Young Baby Records
Davy is a collection of songs built for sunny days, even when the second track, “Drummer,” begins with a lyric as honest and blunt as, At fourteen, I lost my dad, it’s true. Each track on the album is a welcome reminder that the words “fun” and “catchy” aren’t (always) synonymous with “obnoxious.” With each track lasting only about three minutes, every song on Davy has its own short story to tell, and as it turns out, Jason Schwartzman has some worthwhile things to say.
» Read the full review here.

Cymbals Eat Guitars
Why There Are Mountains
9 tracks, Sister’s Den Records
This album is a great reminder that indie rock isn’t dead (or hiding behind some really cool sunglasses). Why There Are Mountains is a great debut and steps up to the plate where other albums in this genre usually hit this standard somewhere right around their sophomore release. “Some Trees” and “Wild Phoenix” showcase the band’s ability to take songs on a musical ride. There is so much texture to these tracks, it’s almost rough to listen to at times. The joy behind it all is that you can actually anticipate the unexpected and find yourself hearing the next twist or turn that the song is about to take. If you’re looking for melodic hooks embedded into one hell of a bumpy ride, then Why There Are Mountains might be the right dose of chaos you’ve been looking for.

The Dead Weather
Horehound
11 tracks, Warner Bros.
This super-ish-group is the first creative project on which Jack White doesn’t take the spotlight (despite the fact that every headline about them has his name bigger than the band name), instead manning the drum kit and handling backing vox. This does not detract, however, and the music is trademark raw, bone-crunching psychedelic blues-rock, the kind for which Mr. Gillis is known and solely capable of producing. Alison Mosshart’s vocals do the right job, and Pat Keeler and Dean Fertita unleash this band’s melodic gunfighter-style bare-bones melodies with full barrels of dynamics and sticks of reverb dynamite. It’s undeniable — even with JW on the skins and the rushed story of the band — that this album is highly worth checking out.

Dirty Projectors
Bitte Orca
9 tracks, Domino Recording Co.
Admittedly a bit obtuse by popular standards, by musical standards no other album this year even approaches this excellent work. Long at odds with creating music anything short of eclectic and almost pretentious, DP’s veritable mastermind David Longstreth finally made some concessions and composed tunes that could almost be described as accessible and even catchy on this LP, adding yet another vocalist and solidifying their unit into a tight-as-nails full band. Wisely yielding the spotlight to his other vocalists for a few tracks also produced one of the year’s most interesting crossover tracks in “Stillness Is the Move,” with vocalist/guitarist Amber Coffman waxing soul-diva with a hook that keeps climbing to an amazing peak (SITM was recently covered by Solange and is now a legitimate hit in the R&B world as well. Variety!).
» You can see a full review of the compositional, musical, and vocal grandeur that is this wonderful piece of work here.

Ernie Halter
Ernie Halter Live
11 tracks, Rock Ridge Music
This is an excellent live album which showcases both Halter’s raw talent and his genuine affability. Ernie Halter Live is a felicitous representation of the level of fun and musicianship that can be expected at a typical Ernie Halter show. If you find yourself constantly searching YouTube to get a live fix of Ernie Halter, this should save you the trouble of sorting through all of those user-uploaded covers of “Whisper.”
» Read our interview with Ernie Halter here.

Freelance Whales
Weathervanes
13 tracks, Freelance Whales
It’s hard to make assumptions about a new band that is thrown into a scene where there are endless numbers of competitors. Freelance Whales make their mark with Weathervanes and do so in a way that saves them the trouble of trying to show off. They’re not getting lost in their sound only to polish up their mishaps the following year on a sophomore album to show us how much they’ve learned, they’re simply showing us that this is what they know, and that they will be the best at it. The layering in “Generator ^ First Floor” and “Starring” take songs with simple lyrics and turn them into more complex situations that are easy to listen to. Sometimes the depth in their songs can be dismissed for quirkiness, but in all respect, that’s part of the total package of Weathervanes.

fun.
Aim & Ignite
10 tracks, Nettwerk
Forming a modern day supergroup, Nate Ruess (formerly of The Format), Andrew Dost (formerly of Anathallo), and Jack Antonoff (of Steel Train) fuse their various talents to create a band with a name that couldn’t more appropriately define their sound. Aim and Ignite establishes a lighthearted and cheerful tone on first listen, but in true Nate Ruess form, a song’s lyrics can sometimes contradict its melody. In “Be Calm,” a full orchestra swells in an aggregation of emphatic melodies and uplifting chords behind Ruess’s catchy vocals while he sings about talking himself off a ledge. The last 60 seconds of “At Least I’m Not As Sad (As I Used to Be)” bear an honesty not often explored by most artists. Despite the song’s breezy overtone, Ruess delivers an eloquent and emotionally apathetic gut punch in the song’s final lyrics when he states, “I’m not a prophet, but I’m here to profit” after proclaiming that he doesn’t fall in love, he just fakes it.

Ouch.

» Read the full review here.

Future of Forestry
Travel EP I & II
2 discs, 12 tracks, Credential Recordings
With Eric Owyoung’s breathy tenor and dynamic guitar textures mixing brilliantly with his rotating band’s masterful rhythmic and production dynamics, Future of Forestry promises to be a delightful band. These releases up the bar with some surprisingly deft world percussion flavors, skilled lyrical concept connectivity (the EPs cover themes of air, sea, and land — land being the subject of a third EP on the way in 2010), and wave after wave of huge, catchy chorus hooks. Surprises at every turn, and a solid and innovative follow-up to their 2007 debut. Top job all around.

Grizzly Bear
Veckatimest
12 tracks, Warp Records
Once the hype settled over this flagship indie hipster band’s new album (even their announcement of its title got more press than most other bands combined on the hipsterweb circuit), a careful listen revealed a wonderful album out of time, combining lush mini-orchestral arrangements, sunny harmonies, subtle production flourishes, a boys’ choir, and Ed Droste’s and Daniel Rossen’s singularly unique lead vocals leading the charge. These four guys have a lot of musical acumen under their belt, and they brought all their toys to the table here, ultimately living up to the hype this album generated, if only in retrospect.

Ice Palace
Wonder Subtly Crushing Us
10 tracks, Rebel Group
Wonder Subtly Crushing Us hints at being a folk-rock album then covers that idea with layers of grunge- and indie-rock, creating a comprehensive collection of tracks which utilize a multitude of concepts and introspective lyrics to construct Ice Palace’s second official studio release. Because the album draws from a plethora of genres and influences, critics have been hard-pressed to find a category in which to place the album — which is the album’s primary selling point as well as its (most impressive) pitfall.

Julian Casablancas
Phrazes For the Young
8 tracks, RCA
Coming in last of all the solo Strokes’ work in the ’00s, the style-idol frontman’s output really surprised on many levels. Digging and twiddling for “hip” keyboards, Casablancas hit the mother lode in sweet sounds, and used the whole payload on these eight tracks. His gift for wry, sardonic lyrics has not diminished, nor has his signature dry, disaffected delivery, but it’s the music here — both in composition and arrangement — that’s leaps and bounds beyond his work with his bandmates. Great cover art as well — a great bonus out of left field.

Julie Peel
Near the Sun
12 tracks, American Laundromat
Julie Peel is an understated singer/songwriter of French-Canadian descent with a subtle gift for expressing the most complicated of emotions with effortless grace and melancholy frankness.  Most of her songs are so film-scene worthy it’s ridiculous, and the deceptively simple arrangements lend a sort of faded classic feel to every track. Worthy of much more notice than she’s received so far, but we hear one of her tracks is featured on that Mercy show on NBC so maybe better things are a-comin’…

Neko Case
Middle Cyclone
15 tracks, Anti/Epitaph
That voice is unmistakable, big and broad-shouldered while subtle and vulnerable, usually weaving a tale of some myriad shade of dysfunctional relationship — romantic or otherwise — past the point of repair. Neko Case’s work over her last two albums has been a perfect confluence of folk Americana and gritty roots rock with a splash of traditional country, and her lyrical ability just keeps getting better. Add to that a band which has been honed to a razor-sharp edge and that waxes and wanes in flow and power with mechanic precision to every curve, every hairpin turn in Case’s masterful songwriting. Worthy of all the multiple “best of” year-end lists on which it has found itself.

Noah and the Whale
The First Days of Spring
11 tracks, Interscope
We get it. You’re really really sad and this break up is so different than any other one we’ve heard about. You’re in pain. If you’re apathetic to the pain of a struggling artist, we don’t really blame you. There are indie films for that. The First Days of Spring not only becomes its own film, it wraps up every cliche you could imagine in a little over 40 minutes. Is that bad? It’s not necessarily something to boast about, but it’s apparent that the band members weren’t trying to accomplish anything beyond that. This album is packed full of light strings, percussion and piano, making it a very calm and peaceful experience regardless of its thematic tone. “The First Days of Spring” and “My Door Is Always Open” are two standout tracks which reflect the liveliest parts of the album as well as the parts that barely have a heartbeat.

Person L
The Positives
12 tracks, Academy Fight Song
Having a soft spot for the punk-rock movement, it’s expected that an artist like Kenny Vasoli would want something more than what’s being dished out lately. Vasoli told us in an interview that he’s waiting for someone to do something dangerous. The Positives seems to be his “dangerous” something. It’s not a flawless album by any means, but it’s an album that isn’t afraid to try different things. Person L had a habit of taking songs to a certain peak but never really exceeding expectations. This album finally makes it over that hump and brings to the table tracks like “Changed Man,” making it an unpredictable piece of work. These stylistic surprises happen from track to track, but songs like “Loudmouth” and “Goodness Gracious” are specific reminders that this band has roots firmly planted in its punk-rock influences.
» Read our interview with Person L here.

Phoenix
Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
10 tracks, Glassnote
Giving the French quartet the attention they’ve deserved for years, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix presents Phoenix as a band that the whole of the public can enjoy (as proven by this year’s late night talk show tour, showcasing the band on basically every American evening-based talk show). Still as poetic-yet-confusing as ever, the lyrics are no easier to understand upon first listen than they were on the band’s previous albums, but the songs are heavy on the dance vibe. Though “1901″ and “Lisztomania” were likely the most well-received tracks, “Rome” is the standout dark horse of the album.
Finding their footing as a band who are willing to experiment without being too experimental, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix is left-of-center without being too esoteric for, say, basic cable.

St. Vincent
Actor
11 tracks, 4AD
In her second studio album as a solo artist, Annie Clark pairs her quiet vocals with some hard-ass guitar jams and creates the 11 ethereal, catchy, and sometimes haunting tracks which make up Actor. The lyrics on “Marrow” bear the most infectious cry for help of the year while the chorus of “The Bed” is little more than a serene-yet-severe threat which demands for you to stop right where you stand and put your hands in the air. The only real disappointment on the album is that “Actor Out of Work” is entirely too short, clocking in at a mere two minutes and 15 seconds of hard beats and pedal fuzz, but whatever. If your intention is to leave everyone wanting more, you have hit the nail on the head, St. Vincent.

The Swell Season
Strict Joy
12 tracks, Anti/Epitaph
This is the album Glen Hansard has been chasing his entire 2+ decade-long career. All his work with his veteran band The Frames, most of whom are present here, has been honing his songcraft for this moment, and all it took was Marketa Irglova’s fragile harmonies, perfect piano counterpoint, and lost love to cement it all in. These are songs which look achingly back through a bumpy relationship tunnel with honest self-deprecation and wide-smiling appreciation, played by a band who fills in the sonic corners with skill and tact and sung by Hansard and Irglova with complete transparency. Special props to the subtle strings played by violinist Colm MacIomaire, adding just the right shades of cloudy sky or warm sunbeams whenever necessary.
» Read the full review here.

Them Crooked Vultures
Them Crooked Vultures
13 tracks, DGC/Interscope
Does anything else need to be said other than Josh Homme, Dave Grohl, and John Paul Jones? This is way beyond a supergroup — these three rock icons came together over their love of each other’s music and rock ‘n’ roll as a force; the result wasn’t commercial, but is unstoppable, full of face-rocking riffs and pinpoint-precise rhythm section interplay. Every track on this album has something memorable and is noteworthy for far more than the pedigree of the musicians creating it. Them Crooked Vultures is rock for rock’s sake, crafted and released into an over-commercialized world by skilled tradesmen who know their way around the crushing power of well-played rock and roll. They’re already talking album #2, and rock fans in the know are mopping up their saliva, with good reason.

The Trews
Acoustic- Friends and Total Strangers
15 tracks, Bumstead Productions Ltd.
Whether The Trews find the most joy on the stage or in the studio, their songs seem to shine best when played to a live crowd and Acoustic — Friends & Total Strangers showcases exactly that. Opening the album with solid harmonies on “Poor Ol’ Broken Hearted Me” and ending just as strongly an hour later with Colin MacDonald’s seemingly unaffected and unwavering vocals powering through “Hold Me In Your Arms,” the album is consistent throughout all 15 of its tracks. As difficult to skip songs as it is to choose a favorite amongst them, Friends & Total Strangers is a kick ass, acoustic rock show just as much as it’s one more excuse to get off your ass and go see The Trews live.

WHY?
Eskimo Snow
10 tracks, anticon
There isn’t as much alternative rap in Eskimo Snow as you might have hoped for, but that isn’t necessarily the only magic behind frontman Yoni Wolf’s talent. There’s no need to worry — his poetic license is still stapled to every single track throughout the album. The joy behind the majority of this album is the constant wit, charm, humor and raw truth behind every single word. “January Twenty Something” isn’t a long track but it holds enough momentum to feel like a pretty substantial ride. Other tracks like “Against Me” build momentum solely on a lyrical level but couple well with the calm nature of the melodies, balancing the layers of each song. At times, the content can be cryptic and unsettling, but Eskimo Snow still finds a weird way of being comfortable.

Will Hoge
The Wreckage
11 tracks, Rykodisc
Born from the accident that landed him in intensive care last year, The Wreckage features Will Hoge’s strongest studio work to date. Highlighting some of his most earnest lyrics without sacrificing the trademark rock ‘n’ roll sound he has built his reputation around, this album ties all of Hoge’s previous work together while also coming closest to exemplifying the sweaty charm of his live shows. “Even If It Breaks Your Heart” delivers the album’s biggest gut punch in the lyric Keep on dreamin’, even if it breaks your heart, broaching the eternal conundrum of every starving artist: Get rich or die tryin’.

Various Artists
Ciao, My Shining Star
3 discs, 41 tracks, Shout! Factory
A stirring and stellar (and amazingly prolific) tribute to a little-known singer/songwriter, all for a heartwrenching and heartwarming cause. Although Marc Mulcahy, and his bands Miracle Legion and Polaris, aren’t household names, luckily the list of people that had heard of him included a veritable who’s who of rock music from all genres. So, when tragedy struck his family and he lost his wife, the mother of their 2 daughters, it evoked an outpouring of support from the likes of Thom Yorke, Michael Stipe, Frank Black, and many, many others in the form of this album, a collection of Mulcahy’s songs re-interpreted by these artists and more, in order to provide him a means to support his remaining family. A noble gesture of course, but for the rest of us it is also a very satisfying piece of work — not only are these songs smart and intricate in their own right, the guest list’s renderings of them are spot-on and really incredible. Worth checking out for the charity, but more so for the incomparably great music.

Various Artists
Dark Was the Night
2 discs, 29 tracks, 4AD
A compilation for the Red Hot charity for AIDS research, somehow this double album turned into a summit of any and every big-name indie talent across the spectrum. Produced by Bryce and Aaron Dessner out of The National, this project pulled in the top-shelf tracks from anyone who’s anyone on the indie blog circuit: Arcade Fire? Check. Yeasayer? Check. Dirty Projectors? They did one with David Byrne. Feist, Grizzly Bear, and Bon Iver each appear twice, either on their own or with the likes of St. Vincent, Ben Gibbard, or each other. Sufjan Stevens even took a few moments away from his 50 States project and BQE orchestral suite to toss off a brilliant 10+ minute electronic work of staggering genius for the album. The only track that didn’t really make an impression was Kronos Quartet’s head-scratchingly dissonant title cut. All-in-all, this is 31 tracks of mind-altering brilliance — and for a good cause. You get great music, and up your hipster cred, and that’s what a great album is all about. WIN.

With the year coming to a close, I’d feel safe in assuming that 2009 was probably the best year of Bobby Long’s life thus far. Beginning as a co-writer for a song on the Twilight soundtrack (omg vampirez!!1) and ending the year in the midst of a worldwide tour with only his manager and his new guitar in tow, the kid is living the dream as a legitimate musician.

Performing at Portland’s Tonic Lounge, Bobby Long played his set sans an opener to a sea comprised primarily of females who knew every lyric to every song. (Of the two guys in the venue, one was our photographer.) He threw a few curve balls by playing a new song here and there, but most of the audience kept up impressively well, just as devoted to and intoxicated by Bobby (and vodka) as ever. (No judgment — we get it. Bobby Long is so talented and dreamy!)

Oh. And to the girl who asked me to ask Bobby about his red shoelaces: The shoes are secondhand and they came with no laces. He’s sorry that the story isn’t more exciting.

The currently untitled EP is set to be at least five tracks in length, and all five of those tracks are complete and in the mixing process.

No word yet on when these new songs will be available, so be sure to catch Bobby Long on his extensive autumn/winter U.S. tour in the meantime:

10.22.09 New York, NY @ The Canal Room
10.24.09 New York, NY @ The Bitter End
10.25.09 New York, NY @ Arlene’s Grocery
10.27.09 Los Angeles, CA @ The Hotel Cafe
10.28.09 Los Angeles, CA @ The Hotel Cafe
10.29.09 San Diego, CA @ The Loft
10.31.09 Memphis, TN @ Neil’s Music Room
11.01.09 Nashville, TN @ 3rd & Lindsley
11.02.09 Nashville, TN @ 3rd & Lindsley
11.04.09 Tuscaloosa, AL @ Rhythm and Brews
11.05.09 Atlanta, GA @ Andrews Upstairs
11.07.09 Tampa, FL @ Dunedin Brewery
11.10.09 Vienna, VA @ Jammin’ Java
11.12.09 Columbus, OH @ Rumba Cafe
11.14.09 Minneapolis, MN @ The Nomad Bar
11.15.09 Kansas City, MO @ recordBar
11.16.09 St. Louis, MO @ Firebird
11.17.09 Boulder, CO @ The B-Side Lounge
11.18.09 Denver, CO @ Hi-Dive
11.19.09 Seattle, WA @ El Corazon
11.27.09 San Francisco, CA @ Elbo Room
11.28.09 Los Angeles, CA @ The Hotel Cafe
11.29.09 Hermosa Beach, CA @ Saint Rocke
12.01.09 Los Angeles, CA @ The Hotel Cafe
12.03.09 Los Angeles, CA @ The Mint
12.05.09 Portland, OR @ Tonic Lounge
12.07.09 Oklahoma City, OK @ The Conservatory
12.08.09 Dallas, TX @ Poor David’s Pub
12.09.09 Austin, TX @ Stubb’s
12.11.09 Houston, TX @ Hideaway on Dunvale
12.12.09 New Orleans, LA @ One Eyed Jack’s
12.13.09 Vicksburg, MS @ The Loft
12.14.09 Louisville, KY @ The 930 Art Center
12.15.09 Chicago, Illinois @ Double Door
12.16.09 Detroit, MI @ Small’s Bar
12.17.09 Pittsburgh, PA @ Hard Rock Café
12.19.09 New York, NY @ Mercury Lounge

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For more information on Bobby Long and his Dangerous Summer Tour, visit myspace.com/musicbobbylong.