Tagged as: Blues

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Yeah yeah, we posted about these guys recently, but shut up. There is never a time when you don’t need some dirty blues in your life, so I am merely filling a lifestyle obligation. You’re welcome.

This one’s a little more upbeat than Shotgun Preacher, but it still contains the great sound of whiskey-powered husky vocals and deliciously crunchy guitars. Mmm, delicious.

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Heck yeah, dirty blues! Sometimes, I need a break from all the delicate, sentimental indie music I listen to. At those times, I turn to tunes that I can put on my shades to, wind down a window and play quite loudly. Possibly while giving everyone the finger too, because I’m just rude like that.

This is a suitably bitchin’ tune, with vocals that sound like the unholy love child of Mark Lanegan and Billy Gibbons. Pure, unadultered, rockin’ bliss.

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Certain versions of songs throughout history end up becoming the ‘definitive’ version: no matter how many illustrious artists cover it, there’s still only one version that trumps them all. I’ve heard countless versions of this song, and none of them match the sheer brilliance of the Animals version. Oddly enough, no one really knows where this song came from: it’s a traditional song but it doesn’t have an entirely concrete history.

The House of the Rising Sun by The Animals on Grooveshark

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I haven’t been a fan of The Black Keys as long as the rest of the world’s hipsters, but that’s okay – I’ve usually been a late bloomer. I’m pretty sure this is the second of their songs that I heard, the title being what lured me in. Then the amazing bluesy guitar kicked in, and the lyrics about my ex-girlfriends (zing!) and it was about all I could comprehend. Just a hecka good blues rock song.

Psychotic Girl by The Black Keys on Grooveshark

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It is not always a good thing when artists flirt with a wagon full of various genres: jack of all trades, master of none, as they say! Though there are times when said artist is insanely talented enough to pull it off, which brings me nicely to ILUKA. Bizarre name aside, ILUKA moves from country-flavoured pop to stuff like Eyes Closed, a wonderfully playful blues tune. It’s all united by her rather versatile voice as well: apparently, Nancy Sinatra and Janis Joplin are influences, so if you ever wanted to see what would happen if they were to make music together, then hello!

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When I first heard this tune, I (smugly) thought it was a track by The Heavy, a similarly blues/roots outfitted group. How wrong I was! Turns out it was Ash Grunwald, an Australian blues/roots artist. From my (currently limited) research, the album this tune comes from features a more punchy, electronically influenced sound than that of his previous ones. Point is, I like it: it’s thumpin’ and rockin’, and a great way of pushing the envelope of what people consider to be blues and roots. What’s more, he’s on Bandcamp: Cheap tunes for all!

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If you are a fan of The Decemberists, then you will also be a fan of The Builders & The Butchers. They are one of the best contemporary bands that plays traditional-style folk music that I’ve ever heard. If that is too many qualifiers for you, then they are one of the best bands to drop in my inbox this year. You might even say this band was all it took for me to get working on this blog again, and you might not even be a filthy liar when you say it.

Downloads

From Loch Lomond/Builders Split
Vampire Lake – (MP3, 9.5 MB)

From The Builders & The Butchers
Bottom Of The Lake – (MP3, 9.3 MB)

From Salvation Is A Deep Dark Well
Golden And Green – (MP3, 5.5 MB)