Given that I am partial to the allure of somewhat dark country music, I am most surprised that I have not given the music of Ms. Welch a thorough looking at. Or hearing at. Then again, perhaps I shouldn’t be surprised: I am not a good music writer!

Anyway, here is a track off her recent album, The Harrow and the Harvest. It’s pretty sparse in its instrumentation and composition, but boy, it is a magnificently toe-tapping good time. Those harmonies get me every darn time!

So, it turns out this album is an utter delight. I’m still listening to My Silver Lining like the plane’s going down, but this song is also getting some significant airplay in my mind’s radio station. If I thought I was getting Neko Case vibes in My Silver Lining, then it’s off the charts in this one. Completely sublime. Well done, you incomparable pair of Swedes!

You know what we’ve never had on either/or? Alternative country! Ah, wait, wait. Damnit. Ok, you know what we’ve never had on either/or? MORE ALTERNATIVE COUNTRY!

I’m surprised I hadn’t posted this song already, because I rather like it – simple, but with very catchy hooks, and eminently hummable. I’m now wondering why the hell I haven’t checked out more stuff from these folks, but I’m assuming it’s the same reason as any other time: because I am a pillock.

Boy howdy, I haven’t written about Neko Case in ages. Well, to be fair, I haven’t written anything about anyone in ages. I beg for clemency, oh humble reader! Seeing as it is most definitely a tragedy to not fill pages with prose about how gosh-danged brilliant Ms. Case is, I shall attempt to avert such a disaster.

City Swans heralds from her most recent album, The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You (isn’t that just the most bittersweet album title ever?), and is completely drenched in her effortlessly lovely country stylings. If you’ve liked ol’ Neko’s sound in the past, then you’re bound to like this. And if you haven’t heard any of her output before? Shame on you.

Hey, remember those times where I would post daily? Those were the days! Yes, I am a monumental idiot, but do you have any idea how difficult it is to write 2 barely coherent sentences about a single song every day? It’s just ridiculous! It’s literally up there with the difficulty I have in tying my own shoe laces and ensuring I walk out of the house with pants on.

But enough of that. Onto the music, and cor, this is some rippin’ alternative country! It is, perhaps, a little more skewed toward pure country than what I usually tolerate, but there’s something beautifully alluring about it. It’s simple and dreamy, and it’ll send you right over to that mystical desert at night that I am quite fond of.

I’d like to think that I know enough about music to recognise the 12 bar blues pattern. Everyone who listens to music has probably heard it at some point: between it and the four-chord progression, you’re looking at the basis for quite a large collection of tunes. The trick is to take those oft-repeated structures and make them hella interesting, to which Graveyard Train has done with this song. And rather admirably!

A spirited, dark country twang mixed with some quietly gruff singing and simple lyrics makes this song compulsively listenable. Man, look at me throwing all these fancy words around! All you really need to know is that it is totally rad and that you should totally listen to it right now.

Good gracious me, I do love some alternative country. If my MP3 copy of Farewell Transmission had the same lifespan as that of a vinyl record, I’d have etched a hole straight through the darn thing by now, on account of how many times it’s been replayed. As such, it’s always a joy to hear more amazing alternative country that I can add to my collection.

Introducing First Aid Kit, a Swedish folk/pop duo, who (at least, in this song) sound a bit like Neko Case. That is certifiably a darn good thing, so I’ll certainly be perusing their back catalogue for any more gold. For now, enjoy My Silver Lining, which will be available on their new album, Stay Gold, due out next month.

Alright everyone. Monday. Start of the working week. As such, what we need is a suitable kick up the bum to get us out of bed and into the wild world. Some real working class, hard-edged country rock.

Thankfully, Tom Petty delivers with this simply composed but completely cracking tune. It joins the collection of classic road tripping songs, and should hopefully get you through Monday. If it doesn’t, then you may need a career change. Just sayin’!

So, it’s Sunday night, which means another working week starts tomorrow. I’m not sure if that warranted a depressing song or something happier to lift the mood, so I tossed a coin. It came up happy, so here is a song from Paul Williams’ appearance on the Muppet Show back in 1976. Hot dang, that is a long time ago. Anyway, Williams actually did a fair bit with the Muppets: after his appearance on the show, he co-wrote the soundtrack for the first Muppet film (notably Rainbow Connection).

There’s something about the verses of this song that I love, and Williams performs it with some adorable Muppet doppelgängers. What’s not to love? I mean, the only thing that could sour the mood of this song is if you had to go to work the next day and-oh, damnit!

Many moons again, I briefly mentioned the Brit punk stylings that Black Rebel Motorcycle Club exuded, despite their American origins. Well, here is a song that upends that trend by sounding more like ZZ Top! Yeah! Go America!

Fortunately, it seems that whatever style the Club dabbles in, something pretty danged amazing will materialise: it is another bit of crunchy rock/roots that I’ve been quite digging lately.

Oh, and best be careful with the embed below: it’s a tad bit not safe for work, for numerous reasons.