New music: Dr. Dog "Nobody Knows Who You Are"

One of our favorite bands, Dr. Dog, is giving away another free track (here's the last).  The song, which features a foot-tapping beat, plenty of harmonica and a great refrain "I must have lost a lot of blood" feels like it could have fit on their last excellent LP Shame, Shame.

Check it out here, and watch for some exclusive live Dr. Dog video + interview coming soon!

Dr. Dog - Nobody Knows Who You Are

The Wooden Sky - "If I Don't Come Home You'll Know I'm Gone"

There is a long tradition of Canadian bands that make music we often refer to as Americana.  Neil Young and The Band anchor the list, of course, but there are plenty of more recent examples too, including Wooden Sky.  I have to admit that I wasn't familiar with the band until their recent Daytrotter session - but I immediately picked up their most recent release If I Don't Come Home You'll Know I'm Gone and haven't stopped listening since. 

Gavin Gardiner's simple folk songs form the centerpiece of the album, but the band adds varied and evocative sounds to fills in the gaps.  The instrumentation suits each song perfectly - at times subtle pedal steel and banjo add texture, other times distorted guitars and electric piano carry the melody.  I often find that folk music is what I reach for most during the fall, and I expect this record to be my go-to for the next few weeks, especially for those long weekend drives through the country.

The Wooden Sky - Something Hiding For Us In The Night

The Wooden Sky is at The Rosebud in Somerville on October 21 (update:  and this Saturday Oct 16 at The 201 in Providence with Joe Fletcher & The Wrong Reasons -- check this out if you're down Providence way!).

Bruce Springsteen - "Darkness On The Edge Of Town (2009)"

By Seth Mitchell

Bruce Springsteen's first three records, culminating with Born To Run, showcased the songs of an idealistic, romantic young man.  The songs were lyrically complex - Springsteen was a scruffy street poet, singing songs of friendship and dreams.  The arrangements were as ambitious as the stories the songs told - first dense and jazzy, and later epic with massive crescendos and Phil Spector-inspired production.  Springsteen and his E Street Band rode a huge wave of hype after the release of Born To Run an album that introduced his music to a much wider audience outside of the I-95 corridor, but with it brought expectations and pressure.  And then there was the lawsuit that kept Springsteen out of the studio, and also cast a shadow of doubt over his future recording career.  Rather than make concessions over the rights to his songs, Springsteen dug in for battle - a process than changed his outlook on life, and forever changed the way he approached music.

The roughly 3 years between the release of Born To Run and Darkness On The Edge Of Town saw Springsteen turn away from the hopeful and outward-looking songs of Born To Run, and instead turned the focus towards darker, more mature themes - loneliness, uncertainty and responsibility.  During that time Springsteen also started listening to punk and country music, which undoubtedly influenced his writing and vision for the album.  All of this contributed as much to the sound of Darkness, as much as the lyrics.

The new documentary "The Promise:  The Making of Darkness On The Edge Of Town" leads viewers through the rigorous and trying process of recording the album.  Archival footage shows Springsteen and the band in the studio, sessions that were long, exhausting and trying.  Springsteen talks at length about the sound he was looking for - stark, stripped-down, raw - and the trouble he had actually getting that sound on tape.  A sterile, "dead"-sounding studio.  Weeks spent getting the snare sound right.  The inability, until Chuck Plotkin became involved, to get a mix that wasn't muddy.

In the years since Darkness On The Edge Of Town was released, Springsteen has been quoted as saying that he wasn't happy with the way the record sounded.  If he has any regrets, it isn't for lack of work and determination.  In putting together the upcoming "Promise" box set Springsteen got the band together for another shot at recording the record.  After 30+ years of playing and living with these songs, the band played the entire album, in order, to an empty theater and filmed it.  Without a live audience to play to, the band could focus on the performance and the sound - this was their chance to finally correct the flaws they hear in the original.  While the DVD of the full performance will not be available until the box set is released November 16, listen to a rip of Darkness On The Edge Of Town from the documentary - the passion and intensity with which the song is performed is incredible:

Bruce Springsteen - Darkness On The Edge Of Town (2009)  (fixed)

New music: Old Abram Brown "Tides"

Boston's Old Abram Brown is set to release their sophomore album Restless Ghosts on October 19.  If you're like me and missed their debut, I recommend checking this out - especially for fans of moody, melodic, piano-driven indie rock.  The band's CD release show is Friday October 22 at Lily Pad.

Preview a track from the new album below:

Old Abram Brown - Tides

The Gaslight Anthem: Nor'easter Festival 2010

 

The Gaslight Anthem brought their breed of Jersey-bred, gutter-punk anthems to the Nor'easter Festival in Lincoln NH, drawing the largest crowd of the weekend for their headlining set.  While the records are great - capturing an authentic, youthful romanticsm that I've forgotten - this is a band that needs to be experienced live to really "get it".  The Springsteen comparisons are undeniable - Brian Fallon's ragged voice recalls the Jersey legend as he hoarsely barks lyrics and engages the crowd with stories and banter between songs.  However, after seeing the band live I'm convinced there's as much Joe Strummer and The Clash in their sound as Springsteen.  When it comes down to it, they write heartfelt songs filled with gritty imagery, fist-pumping choruses and relatable stories -- what's not to like?

Their entire set is available below for stream / download.  Like the Walkmen set from earlier that night, the sound is very good (though maybe not quite as clear as The Walkmen).  In the coming days we will also have some fantastic HD live video from their set, and an exclusive interview with the band -- including some fascinating comments about their experience playing onstage with Bruce Springsteen at Glastonbury.  Enjoy!

The Gaslight Anthem
Nor'easter Festival - Lincoln, NH
September 25, 2010

High Lonesome
Boxer
We Came To Dance
The Diamond Church Street Choir
Old White Lincoln
Even Cowgirls Get The Blues
American Slang
The '59 Sound
Bring It On
Miles Davis And The Cool
Wherefore Art Thou, Elvis?
The Queen Of Lower Chelsea
Orphans
Film Noir
I'da Called You Woody, Joe
Great Expectations
Say I Won't (Recognize)
Here's Looking At You, Kid
The Backseat

Lossless zip available upon request

UPDATE:  Check out some live video from The Gaslight Anthem's set at Nor'easter...

The '59 Sound

Bring It On