Baltimore’s Neil Sanzgiri is Soft Cat, a talented folk singer/songwriter that equally caught my ears and eyes with this beautifully water color video for “It Won’t Be Long”, animated by Miranda Pfeiffer,. The song is off Neil’s upcoming new album titled “Wildspace”, which is set for a fall release on Friends Records. Check out a letter from Neil, after the jump.[via Yours Truly]
There are few things in this world that make my brain quiver more appreciatively than news of a new Mark Lanegan album. So let’s all get a -quiverin’, because Hawk is released this week – his latest collaboration with the lady we music cricket types are mysteriously obligated to label “Scottish chanteuse”, Isobel Campbell. That his work with Campbell tends to paddle indifferently around the more insipid depths of Lanegan’ s catalogue matters very little…
Oh, okay, one more. This time, a snippet of something I’m probably going to review sometime this weekend: Kim Taylor’s “Lost and Found”, from her Little Miracle album. It’s a rather pretty thing – dramatic in its own chamber piano pop way, but somber enough to put one in mind of a sort of less sultry Hope Sandoval. Whatever your opinion of it, you can’t argue with the price: the free empeethree can be downloaded…
Album name: It’s All Up To You Artist name: Deborah Crooks Genre: Folk Rock Released: 11 March 2010 Label: Deborah Crooks ZME Rating: 6/10 Website: deborahcrooks.com/ It’s probably my own fault for not having a wide enough frame of reference for this kind of thing, but still: the first comparison that came to mind when listening to Deborah Crooks’ It’s All Up To You EP was the relatively obscure 1992 solo album Izzy Stradlin made…
A matter of weeks ago, I took a short trip to London, during which I was serendipitous enough to catch an Amber Rubarth gig. Although that may be less down to serendipity, and more to the fact that I flew over specifically for it. She was also gracious enough to allow me to pester her with questions and bad jokes for half an hour or so. Now, following some internal complications and day-job-related lethargy and…
A matter of weeks ago, I took a short trip to London, during which I was serendipitous enough to catch an Amber Rubarth gig. Although that may be less down to serendipity, and more to the fact that I flew over specifically for it. She was also gracious enough to allow me to pester her with questions and bad jokes for half an hour or so. Now, following some internal complications and day-job-related lethargy and…
As I busy myself with preparation for an excursion to London for an interview with the lovely Amber Rubarth (here is my itinerary: day one shall be spent getting lost, mugged and settled; day two doing my journalism “thang”; day three missing my flight, and resignedly lying down on the unyielding London streets to await the frosty fingers of death) I chance to receive a text message from old friend Mairéad Kavanagh, informing me that…
Q: What did Scott Adams name the ill-advised cyborg character in his persistent comic strip, Dilbert? A: Ro-Bert! Ha Ha Ha Ha! That’s a pretty good joke, no? Still, that’s not nearly as good as this thing: a Roots-remixed version of Monsters of Folk’s prettiful ode to fairy tales, “Dear God”. Imaginatively titled “Dear God 2.0”, it’ll be appearing on The Roots’ new album How I Got Over, released on June 22. Also, it seems…
Album name: Memories Are Hunting Horns Artist name: Saredren Wells Genre: Folk-indie Released: 11 May 2010 Label: Rinehart Records ZME Rating: 6/10 Website: Myspace SCENE: A post-post-apocalyptic Earth – burgeoning cities arise next to arid wastelands, the human race who had for centuries abandoned this place having returned mere decades ago. As rugged off-road vehicles race along the desert trails, a passenger-carrying space cruiser glides past the screen, a child waving to camera from behind…
Album name: Life Artist name: Uniform Motion Genre: Folk-pop-cartoons Released: 9 February 2010 Label: Aahhh Records ZME Rating: 5/10 Website: uniformmotion.net I’m something of a deliberate philistine when it comes to fine art. Despite spending six years or so studying the subject in one form or another, I never really saw the appeal. I mean, sure I can appreciate it up to a point; I’ll give you your Da Vincis, your Rembrandts, your Dalis -…
Tibi Puiu
Al Byrne