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If I Could Only Remember My Name
Ah…If I Could Only Remember My Name. A record that has travelled the roads and decades of my life burned into my heart and mind since I bought my first copy in some crumbling cardboard box marked $1 LPs all those years ago. The majesty of this album is in the artist’s ability to elevate the unfinished idea, to let it run in its rawest form completely unbound, the seed…
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River Zzyzx : Playlist
Another Saturday mix for you, again from my Bandcamp collection, a little more experimental this time around. Got some some elements of Indian classical, some new age-y, jazzy business, culminating in all of the pedal steel and bottleneck guitar of my dreams I’ve been really into instrumentals lately, particularly when I’m writing. I feel guilty about not paying attention to lyrics while I’m focused on other words, and I’m really…
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Leslie Mendelson – People’s Parties
Early last year, Leslie Mendelson released an excellent, highly-anticipated solo record that was unfortunately eclipsed in the news by the pandemic. When planned tours were relegated into bedroom live-streams, Leslie had to rethink how to perform her rock and roll songs on her own. The result was a sweet EP of acoustic versions of songs from If You Can’t Say Anything Nice, showcasing Leslie’s songwriting talent and proving that the…
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Deniz Cuylan – Flaneurs In Hakone : Listen
Film composer Deniz Cuylan has taken time away from scoring Netflix productions to compose a gorgeous record of classical instrumental guitar tunes. Hear the immersing, captivating first single here. The memory is distant but distinct: Deniz Cuylan, five years old, early 1980s, at home in Istanbul, Turkey, listening to Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony on his parents’ turntable. Those regal opening notes arise from nowhere and the music is instantly as real…
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Jeffrey Silverstein – Rivers Running By
Portland-based musician Jeffrey Silverstein has announced Torii Gates, an EP out 4/16 via Arrohawk Records. Hear the stunning first single, “Rivers Running By” here. Torii Gates by Jeffrey Silverstein The EP is a natural segue from Silverstein’s 2020 album, You Become the Mountain, a continuity that stems from Jeffrey’s previous signature pure and cleansing tones; with a heavy dose of some serious fuzzed out guitar bliss. Once again joined by…
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Fretwork and Filigree : Playlist
I love guitar music more than almost anything and it seems that we’re in something of a heyday for it. Here are a handful of my favorites, some new, some from a few years ago now, all thoughtfully sequenced. Whether it’s the rich, full warmth of solo guitar songs, or electrified, cranial improvisational jams; cinematic and sweeping or simple and sweet, it never gets old for me. Things start out…
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Elkhorn announces “Southern Star”
WarHen has announced a cassette release of Southern Star from cerebral psych duo Elkhorn announces Southern Star. Today you can hear the first track, recorded at the Montauk Salt Cave in the East Village of New York, a magical, intimate spot where attendees can breathe in therapeutic Himalayan salt while reclining in zero-gravity chairs. Let the track transport you: WH050: Southern Star by Elkhorn The collection includes six songs recorded…
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Fruit Bats – The Balcony : Listen
Eric D. Johnson, aka Fruit Bats, has shared the second single and the absolutely delightful accompanying video from upcoming album The Pet Parade. Johnson says the video, co-directed by wife Annie Beedy, was “inspired by Cabaret (the film version) mixed with the Star Wars cantina scene and a dash of The Mighty Boosh, with a storyline inspired by Dirty Dancing and Steve McQueen’s ‘Lovers Rock.’” “The Balcony” follows the album’s debut single, “Holy Rose“, and proves that Johnson’s…
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Nashville Ambient Ensemble – Conversion : Listen
This is not your mama’s Nashville sound. The elements are there – unmistakably hypnotic vocals, haunting pedal steel, and the spirit of collaboration and community. But this talented collective has arranged the parts in an experimental, genre-defying manner, and the results are glorious. Cerulean by Nashville Ambient Ensemble Organized and led by electronic composer Michael Hix who plays synth, the group also includes Luke Schneider on pedal steel guitar, Kim…
