Music Monday-9/1/2014 Gillian Welch

Aleathia says:

I am always behind the 8-ball on music.  I have the artists I like and I pretty much stick to those, but every now and then I wander around the music store and look at names and album covers that sound cool, write down their names, and check them out.  It isn't always a bed of roses for sure, but sometimes I find music that is right up my alley.

I was listening to some songs from today's musician and it was a casual listen for sure.  Michael chided me about my "30 second review", but we are different in that way.  I know what I like when I hear it straight away.  I don't need to sit and dissect every instrument and how lines move and when the guitars come in.  It just sounds good so I listen to it.  I learn a lot from Michael's investigations on music, but to me it has always been about making me feel something.

So having said that I would like you to check out Gillian Welsh's album The Harrow & The Harvest. She has been plopped in the Alt. Country genre of music.  She has that sweet drawl cadence like Lucinda Williams, but with less gravel in the tone.  She plays with David Rawlings and the two of them make nice somber music.  Here are a few of my "30 second reviews" aka check these out:

"Tennessee"

"Dark Turn of Mind"

"The Way It Goes"

Music Monday-6/30/2014 Neko Case

Aleathia says:

Ok.  So I am dreadfully behind on the times when it comes to new music.  I can be a creature of habit.  I will listen to the same 10 bands for a long time or make mixes of my favorite songs and be content, so from time to time I like to branch out and see what else is going on in the world.  I try to be hip. Pffft.

I went to the library this week and they usually get "new" CD's in fairly often.  This time around I found an album from Neko Case called Middle Cyclone.  I thought it was new and it turns out it is from 2009. Ha. I'm still behind the times.

From what I have read about Neko Case she is an Indie darling and labeled in the "Alt Country" area of music.  I listened to songs from this whole album, both studio and live, and couldn't find the country part of that label anywhere.  The studio versions fall flat on their face and were particularly unmemorable.  She has a lovely voice, this much is true, but the mixing of this album leaves it feeling pretty two dimensional.  I was feeling like I wasn't going to be able to say one damn nice thing about this album, but then I found some live clips of her singing these songs.  Oddly enough, the best song was one she had nothing to do with. She covers Harry Nilsson's Don't Forget Me:

This song is called Vengeance is Sleeping and it is from a live performance from a Bumbershoot Concert:

The quality of sound on this one isn't the best, but it is from a live show in Toronto and it is called Polar Nettles:

And lastly, I sort of dug this studio version of The Pharaohs:

I am pretty sure I won't be uploading this studio album after listening to it, but I would definitely see her live. Her sound is much better when it isn't over worked in the studio.  Maybe some of you will enjoy this sound. Have fun!