I picked up Vacilando Territory Blues months ago, gave it a few listens and lazily let it slip to the bottom of a growing playlist. It stayed there until last week, when I heard Tillman’s breathtaking Daytrotter Session, recorded in Austin during this year’s South by Southwest music conference.

The session’s four songs highlight what I like best about Tillman’s songwriting: his patience. He lets the right amount of space into his music, allowing his clear voice and emotive lyrics to do their work. On the Daytrotter Sessions, those spaces also let in the sounds of the room: a creaking chair and a singing bird outside the window. Serendipitous sounds that don’t distract, but in fact, give life to these recordings.

The session includes the alt-gospel “Master’s House”–for me, the highlight of Vacilando Territory Blues. It contains some of Tillman’s most potent lyrics, including the line “How easily the heart of man is tamed.” Indeed.

J Tillman – “Master’s House”

Daytrotter is a goldmine. You can download J. Tillman’s session and many, many others here.

Vacilando Territory Blues is out now on Western Vinyl.

Delta Spirit, Zurich, Switzerland, 4-9-09… from Andrew spearman blake on Vimeo.

It started off at the bar in the hotel. I was having a beer when the band began to roll in one by one, each ordering the only beer the bar offered. Shortly after we had all gathered, we roamed the streets of Zurich, Switzerland, until we reached a whiskey bar that we talked about earlier. Through ritzy glass doors across glimmering polished tiles, down stairs and through doors, we finally arrived at a hidden gem in Zurich. The menu held over 450 types of whiskey… we indulged. The night rolled along gracefully while each person engaged in sporadic conversation from one to another. Brandon and I talked for awhile about the state of music today and “making the hits,” and all that that entailed. We spoke of bands and how their albums were produced, mixed and reviewed. What I took from each member is that none of them are willing to sell out on any aspect of their music solely to get a “hit.”  How their album is mixed and mastered and the style and quality of their songs, must be true to what they believe.

Each man looked tired from being on the road since January. Matt, Kelly, Brandon, Sean, Jon… even Olly, their epic European tour manager, were all ready for home.  Most of them had girls back home just waiting for them to return from the road. Most of them kept their iPhones close by in case their girls called or sent a text. The road can be a lonely place, they say.

I caught Delta Spirit in San Luis Obispo two years ago when they were pushing their first EP. April 9th was the first time I had heard them play live since then. I can confidently say two years of touring and one album later, the band has only became tighter, both personally and on stage.  Brandon said, “As trite as it sounds, we really are a band of brothers,” giving praise to each of his band mates.

The tour ends in a day or two. They are all looking forward to a month off. Each person will fly back to America and drift to their respective homes to recover from a whirlwind of work, life, and dream. Once recuperated, they will record their new album. Matt says it is time. He says they have played these songs for so long, in so many places, for so many people… it’s time to share what life has showed them these past two years.

Delta Spirit… a new age band in a new age. Check ‘em out.

Delta Spirit’s latest album, Ode to Sunshine, is out now on Rounder.

Before braving the hipster throngs and 24-hour industry parties of South by Southwest, M. Ward played an intimate show at the Dallas Museum of Art. No badges required.

Ward took the Horchow Auditorium’s empty stage with just his acoustic guitar– he didn’t need much more to impress. After burning through “Duet for Guitars, No. 3,” (on one guitar, mind you) Ward settled into a satisfying list of familiar favorites and Hold Time stand-outs.

“I don’t normally play in museums,” Ward confessed between songs, in one of his few asides to the audience. “But, I guess there’s a first time for everything.”

Songs such as “Never Had Nobody Like You” and “Magic Trick,” whose album versions move with full pop arrangements were stripped bare and slowed– suggesting what these songs might have sounded like when Ward first heard them himself as he was writing them. Ward’s hushed folk songs, such as “I’ll Be Yr Bird” and “Fuel for Fire,” carried in the silent auditorium, with not a clinking beer bottle or cell phone conversation in their way.

Ward kept the show simple– moving between his acoustic guitar and the hulking grand piano that sat in the rear of the stage– but pulled one trick from his bag. On “Oh Lonesome Me,” he used a guitar effects pedal to loop the rhythm chords as he played the sleepy slide lead over the top. The song took on a long interlude when he let the loop play, shot the audience a “Be right back” look, left the stage and returned after a few moments with a drink.

Ward ended his set with “Story of an Artist,” Daniel Johnston’s lament to a life of being misunderstood and unappreciated– an interesting choice for an artist who had just proven himself in front of a room of true believers.

Setlist:
1. Duet for Guitars, No. 3
2. Fuel for Fire
3. Never Had Nobody Like You
4. One Hundred Million Years
5. Oh Lonesome Me
6. I’ll Be Yr Bird
7. Chinese Translation
8. Hold Time
9. Vincent O’Brien
10. Sad, Sad Song

Encore:
11. Magic Trick
12. Poison Cup
13. Here Comes the Sun Again
14. Story of an Artist (Daniel Johnston cover)

Photo courtesy Texwurld.

Like Oprah and the Coen Brothers, Lucero’s Ben Nichols is a fan of Cormac McCarthy. The Last Pale Light in the West, his first solo record, is inspired by McCarthy’s 1985 novel Blood Meridian, the tale of murderous gang in the pre-civil war American Southwest. And, Nichols is a good man to tell the tale. His gritty voice and driving acoustic guitar are backed by subdued accordian and shimmering pedal steel that paint a bleak but captivating picture of the books desert setting.

The songs–all but one named for the book’s charachters– touch on lost love and redemption, but center around the gang’s brutal work. The theme of The Last Pale Light in the West is summed up on “The Kid”: “We killed in the desert, we killed in the streets/ We showed what shall and what shall not be/ We stood with pistols, fought back to back/ Now you stood your ground, what ground is that?”

But, it’s a short ablum for such an epic story. At just seven songs (one is an instrumental) the album clocks in at just 27 minutes. Last Pale Light in the West is out now on RCRD LBL.

Ben Nichols – “Toadvine”

Listen to Nichols read an excerpt from Blood Meridian at Daytrotter.

Ben Nichols and Lucero are on tour now.

Next week Phosphorescent, also known as Matthew Houck, releases his love letter to Willie Nelson. No, you won’t find “On the Road Again” here – To Willie looks deep into Nelson’s catalog for its 14 tracks. Houck’s melancholy delivery gets the point across on “Reason’s to Quit,” and should fit nicely with the rest of To Willie’s songs about drinking, heartache and regret. To Willie is out on Feb. 3.

Phosphorescent – “Reasons to Quit”

Next month, Phosphorescent takes To Willie on the road. He’ll perform the album in its entirety at special shows in Brooklyn, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, and at SXSW.

Conor Oberst – Conor Oberst
To record this album, Conor Oberst set up a temporary studio in a mountain villa in Tepoztlán, Morales, Mexico–the perfect location for an album that champions the freedoms and friendships found on the open road. Much like on Bright Eyes’ Cassadega, Oberst employs magical realism in his lyrics, backed by sometimes-hushed, sometimes-spirited folk-rock to tell stories of escape and mortality.
Stream the entire album.

Blitzen Trapper - Furr
On their MySpace page Blitzen Trapper categorize their music as indie/country/electro. All are fair descriptors, but still don’t sum up the Portland band’s expansive sound. Furr, their fourth album, comprises sparse piano, country strumming, adventurous indie rock and even a funky synthesizer-driven instrumental. Though its personalities may seem scattered, Furr is more focused than anything I’ve heard from Blitzen Trapper.
Stream songs from Furr.

Bob Dylan – Tell Tale Signs
What can you say about Bob Dylan. The latest in his bootleg series is a collection of rare and unreleased songs from 1989 to 2006 and it’s just as captivating as anything Dylan has done. Many of these alternate takes, including a haunting acoustic rendition of “Mississippi” from Love and Theft, are stronger than the album versions. Tell  Tale Signs is further proof of the significance of Bob Dylan’s later works.
Stream songs from Tell Tale Signs.

The Gaslight Anthem – The ‘59 Sound
The ‘59 Sound is the Born to Run-inspired album that so many other bands have tried to pull off over the past few years. But even though The Gaslight Anthem wear their influences on their sleeves, they have their own youthful spirit. Their songs are full of energy and catchy as hell. Despite the almost tiresome lyrical references to everyone from Counting Crows to Miles Davis, The ‘59 Sound has held my attention.
Stream songs from The ‘59 Sound.

With the new year upon us, here’s a look at my hasty list of favorites from 2008. I’m looking forward to more great music in 2009.

Best New Music:
Bon Iver – For Emma, Forever Ago
Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes
Dr. Dog – Fate
The Hold Steady – Stay Positive
Okkervil River – The Stand Ins
Joe Pug – Nation of Heat EP (review)
The Tallest Man on Earth – Shallow Grave (review)
The Walkmen – You & Me
Death Cab for Cutie – Narrow Stairs
Centro-Matic/South San Gabriel – Dual Hawks

Best Shows:
Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band - American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
Bob Dylan – House of Blues, Dallas, Texas
Okkervil River and Black Joe Lewis – Granada Theater, Dallas, Texas
Fleet Foxes and Frank Fairfield – Lola’s Saloon, Fort Worth, Texas

Joe, our designer and contributor, adds these shows as his favorites from 2008:
Ryan Adams – Arlington Theater, Santa Babara, Calif.
Flobots – Downtown Brew, San Luis Obispo, Calif.
Leon Russell – Downtown Brew, San Luis Obispo, Calif.

Lost Highway

How come the bands that kill it on stage have so much trouble in the studio?  Bottom line, the latest release by Ryan Adams and the Cardinals is “OK.”  A couple stand out songs, but overall a bit of a letdown.

The album opens with “Born Into A Light” a hum drum opener with a catchy little guitar riff and things do not get much better until the rock parody “Magick” wraps up and the opening chords of “Cobwebs” begin to sing.  The first person lyrics on “Cobwebs” are the kind of lyrics only Ryan can get away with and not come off as pretentious (it is expected from Ryan…).  The next 3 tracks (”Let Us Down Easy”, “Crossed Out Name” and “Natural Ghost”) sort of meander along not offending but not impressing either.  ”Sink Ships” is saved by the prowess of John Graboff on the Pedal Steel but the tune never crosses over into anything memorable.  ”Evergreen” shows the boys starting to put things together and is maybe the “best” song on the album.  The pedal steel, guitar and soft drumming seem to come together on this number.  With hopes elevated the listener is brought down once again by “Like Yesterday” with some rays of hope shining through on the final “Adamsesque” piano ballad “Stop” which is a beautiful number that closes Cardinology.

Don’t underestimate these studio versions.  Live, some of the numbers are already amazing.  ”Fix It” lets Ryan open up his vocals while the rest of the band hammer along (with Neal Casal making it work with his harmonies and guitar) and “Crossed Out Name” slowly builds into a rollicking number that is worth the ride.

Because of their prowess on the stage and their devotion to their fan base “The Cardinals” remain one of the most revered live bands around currently.  The inability to put together a great album tosses their studio efforts to date onto the pile along with the Grateful Dead.  Some great album tunes here and there, but save your energy for the live shows because nobody does it better than the Cards right now!

Cardinology is worth picking up and adding to your collection so you will know the tunes when they kill it live on stage, but as a stand alone product Cardinology leaves the listener a bit confused and searching for something more…

Bless the crew at RAA for giving us the more in their librabry of live shows:

Fix It – 2008-11-17, Birmingham, England

Crossed Out Name – 2008-09-30 Palace Theatre, Cleveland, OH

The Tallest Man On Earth is Kristian Matsson, a young Swede with more aptitude for American-style folk music than most Americans. He released his debut full-length album, Shallow Grave, in March to much critical acclaim.

Shallow Grave is a low-fi fury. Rapid-fire finger-picked acoustic guitar and vivid lyrics delivered in a cracked staccato provide an urgency that sets Matsson apart from many of his neo-folk counterparts. Shallow Grave’s recording feels live and raw, with many blemishes left in the mix, like it was recorded in some attic or barn or cabin on the quick.

Following the folk tradition, the lyrics play the lead role in these songs and Matsson proves his strength as a songwriter. This is evident on “The Gardner,” a twisted love song whose hero turns to murder to hide his inadequacies from his lover (”I know the runner’s going to tell you/There ain’t no cowboy in my hat/So now he’s buried by the daisies/So I can stay the tallest man in your eyes, Babe”).

But Shallow Grave’s highlights don’t end there, and despite the tendency to compare Matsson to Bob Dylan or any number of his folk forefathers, it deserves it’s own distinction. Shallow Grave has definitely made it’s way onto my list of favorites for 2008.

For more of The Tallest Man On Earth, check out the great videos over at Shoot the Player. The Tallest Man On Earth is opening for Bon Iver this month.

The Tallest Man On Earth – “I Won’t Be Found”

Portland’s Blitzen Trapper played “Furr” last night on Late Night with Conan O’Brien. After watching this for the eighth time in a row I can safely say that this is a great song. I never really got into last year’s Wild Mountain Nation, but Blitzen Trapper is definitely growing on me.

And as a bonus this episode of Conan also featured Snoop Dogg.

Blitzen Trapper’s latest release Furr (the album) has been out since September on Sub Pop. The band is on tour now.