Kat Edmonson, Way Down Low

How a singer with a single album could get so under my skin might be a mystery, if I was talking about someone other than Kat Edmonson. 

Back in 2010, Edmonson, with her beautiful voice, enchanted with her debut album Take To The Sky. On that album she took classic standards and contemporary songs and reworked them just enough to build bridges between songs that spanned decades. It was a very special album in part because of her voice and because of her song choices and arrangements. It quickly became one of my favorite albums of the year and Edmonson, one of my favorite artists. 

Now, finally, Kat is back with her follow up album Way Down Low. To say that I am excited about this album is an understatement. Having said this, in full disclosure, I will admit that Edmonson could be singing the dictionary and I would be excited. Her voice is that good. 

On Way Down Low, Edmonson takes a bit of a departure from her first album. Gone are the reworked standards and contemporary songs, like the Cure's Just Like Heaven. Instead a perfect blend of Edmonson's self-written and purposefully chosen songs meld together to produce what she has described as a kind of 'breakup record.' Having this central theme, based on a breakdown in a relationship and her move from Austin to NYC, gives the album a more immediate purpose than her first album and it provides the listener with a direction and journey to follow through her songs.

As on Take To The Sky, Kat's voice shines like no contemporary female artist of her  generation. There is a timeless quality to her voice. As she weaves her stories and songs of love and loss, Edmondson's vocal style can sound at once like it fits in quite nicely with a bevy of mid-century female recording artists, and contemporaries who have the best of today's pop sensibilities. 

What Else Can I Do   

Mostly, Kat has just an amazing natural gift for filling the musical space that her voice occupies with warmth, grace, restraint, and subtlety. It create an emotional tie to her songs and lyrics that grabs a hold of the listener and simply won't let go. While this is not a completely lost art today, there are simply fewer and fewer artists that transcend today's musical trends and styles and own their own unique space. Edmonson is certain one of them and one of my favorites. I absolutely love Way Down Low and I am once again glad to be bewitched by her. 


Lucky

ON ROTATION

M. Ward, A Wasteland Companion
I almost forgot that M. Ward had a solo career, which seems absurd considering that A Wasteland Companion is his ninth outing. But that happens when an artist has had so many successful collaborations over the past few years. Now Ward is back in his own space and I found his new songs to be very absorbing. Striking a nice balance between quieter moments, which occupy most of the album, and a few upbeat sing-alongs, Ward narrates these songs and stories about life's moments and time's passing with a gentle touch.   
The First Time I Ran Away  

Heartless Bastards, Arrow

Last year I fell hard for Drive-By Trucker's Go-Go Boots. As a pick of the week, I wrote "Sometimes I don't want a high concept album.....I just want to hear great straight-forward songs with great songwriting." Heartless Bastards' fourth album, Arrow, fits that need to a tee. With Erika Wennerstrom's great skills as a singer, songwriter, and guitar player, the band lays down ten solid songs that combined to make a winning album. Just don't get too caught up with thinking all the songs are going to sound the same. They don't. This is an eclectic mix of songs, but each one is so good that you'll be happy for the many change ups that show up throughout Arrow.
Parted Ways   

Of Monsters And Men, My Head Is An Animal
Last year I became very interested in Of Mosters And Men when KEXP broadcast from Iceland and featured the band. At the time they were just releasing this debut album in their home country. They sounded great live and had an wonderful energy, one that I was not sure could be translated well in a studio recording. So I waited. Now, finally, the album is making its debut here and I am so glad that the album captures the essence of their live performances. My Head Is An Animal is a fun and lively album. I love the interplay between Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir and Ragnar Þórhallsson who share vocals. You can tell that they, along with the rest of the band, had a good time making
                                                        this album. And you will have a great time listening to it.
                                                        Little Talks  

Lee Fields, Faithful Man
While I can't say that I have followed Lee Fields' career very closely, I am certainly familiar with him as recording artist who has been singing his brand of soul and funk music for forty years. That kind of longevity is rare these days and hard to maintain. But Lee Fields does it, and he does it with power, grace, style, and maturity. It makes an album, like Faithful Man, something out of the ordinary. There is a lot of living in these songs. Fields' with his band, The Expressions, have it all going on, all through this album, and it was a joy to experience.
Your The Kinda Girl 

Miike Snow, Happy To You

Back in 2009, I often frequented My Space's Transmissions. Transmissions was a great series of studio sessions by various bands. Unfortunately, Transmissions is no longer being produced. One great discovery for me through those sessions was my introduction to the Swedish band Miike Snow. At the time, Miike Snow had just released their self titled debut album. It was a great album, but one that I really appreciated after watching them perform live.

Miike Snow, the self described "Three Headed Band with the One Man name," has said that the studio is their home. On their first album, you could certainly tell that this was the case. As a band with a strong electo-pop, dance music sound, the songs felt more constructed than created. While they were very successful and engaging, they sounded fairly sterile and lacked what I can only describe as a heartbeat or warmth. Then I saw the band perform a handful of their songs on their Transmissions' session. Same songs, very different feel. In this live session, the songs popped, and took on a completely different life. I was hooked. That was two years ago.

Now after more than a year in the studio, the band is back with their second album, Happy To You. From the opening moments of the first track, Enter The Jokers Lair, one gets the sense that this is going to be a very different album from their debut. The band had said that writing and recording their debut album had come in fits and starts. Lead singer Andrew Wyatt said "Nobody really had any expectations with the first album, We knew we wanted to make a record but we didn’t know anything beyond that." In order to ensure that their second album was not simply an "accidental album," the band moved to Stockholm and into their own studio to focus on the creative process. 

Once in the studio the band said that the songs came thick and fast as they worked together, and alone, and in rotation. Band member Christian Karlsson said "We passed the torch in a different way this time. We were working on more than one song at a time, and working together on everything. I liked that – then you’re able to experiment when no one else is around. I’d get there in the morning and Andrew had been there all night, and I could continue. Then when I leave he comes back… It definitely changed the dynamic of the songs and the songwriting.” 

Another change in both the songwriting and recording process was the inclusion of an arsenal of instruments and musicians, including string, brass, and woodwinds. The result of experimenting with new sounds and instruments created what the band called a "ceaseless sense of adventure" to the album. "Organic meets electronic, whistling meets raving, and no guitars allowed." 

 Enter The Jokers Lair   

Getting back to the band's Transmissions' session....what I loved about that session can be felt throughout this new album....there is warmth...and depth. Happy To You is a fully realized creative achievement for the band with songs that are big, bold, playful, and sonically expansive. It not only makes for a wonderful listening experience, it make me really exciting to see what the band will do next. This is definitely one of my favorite albums of the year to date.

 

ON ROTATION

The Shins, Port Of Morrow
It has been five years since The Shins released their last album. During these years, James Mercer, the driving force behind the band, has been quite busy with a number of projects including Broken Bells, his collaboration with Danger Mouse. Back with a new band line up, Mercer's music has never sounded more poppy or his lyrics so understandable (if that is possible). The combination makes these songs catchy and some of the band's most approachable. While I thought that the band's last album, Wincing The Night Away, was the pinnacle of the band's efforts to date, Port Of Morrow, is a welcome addition to their collection and should not be missed. 
 Simple Song  

The Lumineers, The Lumineers

With the help of band's such as Fleetfoxes, Neo-Folk Rock has found a wide audience over the past few years and it has become incredibly popular. I for one could not be happier about it. It has allowed a band like The Lumineers to get some well deserved attention. This trio from Denver, CO is set to release their self titled, debut album on April 3rd. While I hate using comparisons when talking about a band's music, one cannot help but hear a little bit of The Head And The Heart and The Tallest Man On Earth when listening to The Lumineers....and that is not a bad thing. Like those bands, there is such life and warmth to this band and this collection of songs. They just crackle with a wonderful energy.
                                                        Dead Sea   

Tanlines, Mixed Emotions
When Tanlines' album Mixed Emotions was featured on NPR's All Songs Considered, I will admit that I paid it little attention. Why? I can't say. Perhaps I was just distracted at the time. But then I listened to the album a week or so later, not realizing that it was the same band and album. And a funny thing happened. I really enjoyed it from start to finish. Electro pop with a wink to the '80's seems to be everywhere these days. Some of it is good, take last year's album Zonoscope by Cut/Copy. A lot of it is problematic for me for many reasons. Jesse Cohen and Eric Emm, the duo behind Tanlines, fall into the first category. The two really know how to craft great songs that are both smart and fun to listen to. 
                                                       Brothers 

ON ROTATION

Andrew Bird, Break It Yourself
I have been an admirer and fan of Andrew Bird for years. With each new release, Bird, a mult-instrumentalist who is classically trained, mesmerizes with his intricately built songs and music. Layering violins, guitars, whistles, and vocals, Bird creates wonderful and whimsical symphonic landscapes that cross musical boundaries to create his own unique space. Sometimes, I admire Bird from afar, appreciating what he is creating, but not quite able to get 100% behind what he is doing. Other times, like with his latest release, Break It Yourself, Bird captivates me, and I can only sit back and  give him my undivided attention. I just love this release and think that it is one of his best albums to date.  
                                                        Danse Caribe  

Carolina Chocolate Drops, Leaving Eden

How does a band top a Grammy award winning album (Genuine Negro Jig) that was a darling of critics and listeners alike? For the Carolina Chocolate Drops, they continue to do what they have been doing so well since 2005, which is paying and playing their respects to old time string music. On their latest release, Leaving Eden, the band once again shines with a new collection of original and cover songs. While there is quite a bit that I can say about the new album, I  thought that I would let the band's Rhiannon Giddens and Dom Flemons do the talking. Here is a great interview they did with NPR's Scott Simon last week.
Country Girl   

Bowerbirds, The Clearing
I know that Bowerbirds are technically categorized as a folk band. But on their latest release, The Clearing, the duo of Philip Moore and Beth Tacular have moved their music beyond a plain where it can be easily categorized.....and this is a great thing. Always wonderful storytellers, Moore and Tacular embrace bigger and more adventurous arrangements on The Clearing which not only enhances their songs, but helps bring a new level of narration to their stories. I had read that The Clearing reflects the best and most important moments of Moore and Tacular's lives after some significant challenges. Listening to it, you can feel and sense their journey to reach these moments and it makes for an absorbing listening experience.
                                                        Tuck The Darkness In  

White Rabbits, Milk Famous
White Rabbit's last album, It's Frightening, was one of the more memorable releases of 2009. Produced by Spoon's Britt Daniel, it was a heavy percussion ladened effort that paid dividends for the development of the band's sound. Back with Milk Famous, White Rabbits does not so much dial back on the percussions, as they take what the learned on their last effort, and use it to color and texture this new collection of songs. It makes for a more subtle usage of percussions, resulting in music that feels more relaxed and sophisticated. I think that Milk Famous is a great follow up album and I am glad that the band did not try to repeat what they did on It's Frightening.
                                                       Heavy Metal 

ON ROTATION

Damien Jurado, Maraqopa
The Seattle Times recently named Damien Jurado Seattle's folk-boom godfather. This title is a bit lofty, but well deserved. Since the mid 90's, Jurado has been enchanting the city and independent music circles with his wonderful lo-fi and hi-fi recordings. On his tenth album, Maraqupa, Jurado once again does not disappoint. Picking up musically where he left off on his last album Saint Barlett, Jurado moves to a darker space with a subtle but noticeable edge. This slightly altered space lends some additional weight to Jurado's lyrics and creates a different kind of emotional connection between his music and the listener than what I have experienced on past recordings. While Working Titles, maybe my favorite song on the album, Nothing Is The 
                                                        News, cannot be missed.
                                                        Nothing Is The News 

Yellow Ostrich, Strange Land
In December of 2010 I stumbled upon Yellow Ostrich's first album, The Mistress. A truely independent effort by Alex Schaaf, I was mesmerized by his complex vocal arrangements and the minimal and spatially interesting music. By the time I had an opportunity to interview him, he was already altering his sound with the addition of musicians Michael Tapper and Jon Natchez. Now, after a big year of touring and national exposure, the band is back with a new release, Strange Land. Once again, minimalism and space are esencial elements of their music. What has changed is that this minimalism has been applied to vocal layering that dominated The Mistress. This lack of layering of Schaaf's vocals allows the music to behave differently than it did on 
                                                       The Mistress. It makes for some wonderful interplay between the music
                                                        and vocals and proves that sometimes less is more. 
                                                        Daughter  

Josh Ritter, Bringing In The Darlings

I had written quite a bit about Josh Ritter's new six song EP, Bringing In The Darlings, and then decided to delete it all. If you are familiar with Josh Ritter, then you know that he is one of the most gifted songwriters of his generation. From one album to the next, Ritter's words and music reminded us of his talent and thoughtfulness. Bringing In The Darlings is simply a stunning collection of songs that is a must have for anyone who has every enjoyed his music...frankly this is a must have for anyone who enjoys....music.
Why