Posted in: March 2009

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You weren’t expecting me to write another post so soon, were you, curious visitor? Hah! As luck would have it, I’ve made the mistake of telling a few bands that I’d write about their music. The Happy Hollows aren’t one of these, but that’s OK. They are basically a somewhat crazy indie-rock band from Los Angeles, with a crazy lady for a singer. I recently noticed yesterday that nary a band with a male singer has been posted on this site since December, so I also figured I’d keep the streak going strong. Anyway, I’m quite certain you indie-rock hipsters out there will love their song Lieutenant, and while Tambourine isn’t as noisy or crazy, it’s still damned good. And if you like what you hear, you can grab the rest of the EP from their website for free if you sign up to their mailing list. I think it’s pretty well worth it!

And it has come to my attention that the guy who provides our hosting, well, it’s his birthday. So happy 21st birthday kol, may there be much whiskey and many wenches in your immediate future.

Downloads

From Imaginary EP
Lieutenant – (MP3, 4.6 MB)
Tambourine – (MP3, 3.7 MB)/em

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I wasn’t planning on writing anything on here, not so much from lack of music worth writing about as, well, laziness. However, listening to Alela Diane’s new album, To Be Still, I felt compelled to get on here and ramble a bit about it. I’d quickly become a fan of hers after her first album on a label, The Pirate’s Gospel, so I was happy just to learn she had another album to get. After listening to White As Diamonds, one of the standouts on her new album, I was also happy to learn that the album was good. If her folksiness and fantastic singing wasn’t enough for me, the violin playing (and that she lives in Portland now) is a sweet bonus. I’m not sure if I like her new one better than The Pirate’s Gospel, but it is a worthy successor.

Downloads

From To Be Still
White As Diamonds – (MP3, 5.1 MB)

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Leerone is another lady I’ve posted about before, but she’s easily one of the nicest people I’ve met through this accursed blog so hey, why not write about her again? To quote from what I said back then:

She’s from California and mixes her slightly unpredictable piano ballads with her lovely voice. That voice will help for those among you who don’t like or can’t get into songs that surprise you with the musical turns that they make. For instance, her song Care For Some Whiskey? has the catchy pop vibes that would make it on mainstream radio, but it is nowhere near formulaic enough.

She’s going to be at SXSW this year, and is performing tomorrow, so in case you’re down at SXSW and reading this from your laptop, you can go see her too. Here’s the details for her show:

Friday, March 20th @ 5pm
Vintage Lounge
504 B Trinity
Austin, TX 78701

If you haven’t heard any of her songs, I’ve posted one of my favorites, and her new video as well. Now go see her, and tell her Hugh sent you, damnit!

Downloads

From Imaginary Biographies
Care For Some Whiskey? – (MP3, 3.4 MB)

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While I’ve written about Rykarda Parasol before, that was just a little over two years ago, so hey, why not write about her again? To summarize what I wrote about her back then, 1) her name is incredibly easy to Google, and 2) unlike many folk musicians, both her voice and the music she creates are dynamic. I’m posting a song of hers I didn’t post back then, She’s Like Heroin. It’s really two songs in one, since it’s got a hidden track as well. Also, she says her new album will be recorded by May of this year, with a release sometime this year. So until then, enjoy the free music, you slackers!

Downloads

From Our Hearts First Meet
Hannah Leah – (MP3, 4.6 MB)
Lullaby For Blacktail – (MP3, 3.4 MB)

From Here She Comes
She’s Like Heroin – (MP3, 7.9 MB)

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Jeez, it’s been five days since I’ve written on here already. No wonder I have such a hard time keeping up. St. Vincent is a gal I’ve been meaning to talk about for a while, but haven’t, until now. Oooh! I’m not really sure what to say about her, but if writing a music blog has been any indication, people don’t really read this anyway. Paris Is Burning is a great song with a bit of a cabaret vibe to it, and that is all the description necessary. The Strangers is from her new album, Actor, that’s out in May, so keep your eyes peeled if you like it.

Downloads

From Actor
The Strangers – (MP3, 5.8 MB)

From Marry Me
Paris Is Burning – (MP3, 4 MB)

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Inertia really seems to control my blogging, and since it turns out I have not blogged since freakin’ December, happy 2009, hope you’ve had a good one so far. I realize I haven’t posted my best of ’08 list still, but at least I know what artists will be on it, so how about them apples? Hopefully the inertia will stay in high gear for at least a few more posts, eh?

First up for ’09 is Lex Land, who you may have heard on Grey’s Anatomy a few months back. She’s only got about 11k plays on last.fm, though, so she has not taken off yet, as it were. On Could’ve Had Me she sounds much like Beth Ditto (from The Gossip) or whatever that girl’s name is from The Duke Spirit. In other words, sexy and soulful. As Much As You Lead is, well, just a good song. The inertia hasn’t made me good at blogging again yet. In either case, enjoy the songs!

Downloads

From Orange Days On Lemon Street
Could’ve Had Me – (MP3, 4.8 MB)
As Much As You Lead – (MP3, 6.4 MB)