Apricots & Roses

All aboard for a new seventies outlaw country collection called Outlaws & Armadillos, which accompanies a current exhibition at Nashville's Country Music Hall Of Fame. Now here's a compiler who knows his stuff, as this double disc set not only features choice cuts from the obvious stars of the genre (Waylon, Willie, Kris, et al) but doesn't forget the likes of relative outsiders like Mickey Newbury, Townes van Zand, Guy Clark, and Sir Doug Sahm. An excellent primer, which also includes these two fine ditties.

Tompall Glaser - I Ain't Looking For The Answers Anymore
Jessi Colter - Why You Been Gone So Long

Fair Warning

The holy grail for Gene Clark lovers everywhere, as the tracks on Sings For You were until now only known as rare acetate recordings, some recorded specifically for a rather obscure band called The Rose Garden to use. Rough diamonds, committed to tape when Clark had just left the Byrds back in '67. "I can't forget to know what I have found..."

Gene Clark - Till Today

Ebony & Ivory

Santa brings you da funk, inna Côte d'Ivoire stylee. Get down.

Santa Nguessan - Manny Nia

Troubled Waters

In 2011, Josh T. Pearson's stark and fragile Last Of The Country Gentlemen appeared seemingly out of nowhere to become one of the albums of that year. Recording a follow-up, to put it mildly, took a while. And now the much rockier, and rather bombastic The Straight Hits! is finally among us, I'm not really sure if it was worth the wait. Typical case of beard gone, inspiration gone? Answers on a postcard please.

Josh T. Pearson - A Love Song (Set Me Straight)

Is This Love?

Got some jingly jangly Robyn for you today. Always a treat. In a better world, this man wouldn't be a cult hero, he'd be a bona fide star.

Robyn Hitchcock - Madonna Of The Wasps

Treat You Kind

This one just in from a decent but not really remarkable new Townes tribute. Cue fellow Texas legend Terry Allen, still very much alive and kicking, who tries to steal away your mind.

Terry Allen - White Freightliner Blues

Straight Life

Babylon a-wicked, so better face the judgement day, my brethren. Now dub it. To the top.

The Aggrovators - Straight To Babylon Boy's Head
King Tubby - Straight To The Capitalist Head

Matter Of Survival

"Won't somebody hand me a bible, won't you give me that number to call..." Have to admit I'm not too well-versed in late-era Van, as I kinda stopped paying attention since the fine A Sense Of Wonder from '85. This gem from the late nineties sure is up there with his classic stuff though. Honking sax a bonus. Not too original a choice admittedly, as Greil Marcus - love him or hate him, I never really can decide - named a whole book on Van the Man after it. Oh well, here goes. Take that ride.

Van Morrison - Rough God Goes Riding

Cymraeg Primitive

A very young, female disciple of the Takoma school of picking? From Cardiff, Wales, to boot? Check! Presenting Gwenifer Raymond, whose debut, You Were Never Much Of A Dancer, will be released later this month on the renowned Tompkins Square label. Here's a fresh little taste.

Gwen Raymond - Bleeding Finger Blues

I Love Her

For some reason it's Laura day today, all milk-heavy and pollen-eyed. Here goes, my amigos da musica. Buzz buzz.

Laura Smith - I'm Gonna Kill Myself
Laura Rivers - That's Alright
Laura Lee Perkins - I Just Don't Like This Kind Of Living
Laura Lee - Separation Line
Laura Cantrell - Bees
Laura Gibson - Milk-Heavy, Pollen-Eyed

Boppin' bonus tracks:

Coleman Hawkins - Laura
Don Byas - Laura

Beating Hearts

If you like Hiss Golden Messenger, here's two new releases that may pique your interest. First up is Durham's Phil Cook with his second longplayer People Are My Drug, on which the current HGM guitarist and organist takes another soulful, often New Orleans-inspired trip. Modern gospel by MC Taylor's main man.

Phil Cook - Another Mother's Son

Next stop Asheville to meet the Dead Tongues, brainchild of former HGM guitar slinger Ryan Gustafson. If you like your Americana a tad more subtle, Unsung Passage is a must-have release. Bonus points for the lovely album cover, which takes one back to them dear private press albums of the early seventies.

The Dead Tongues - Won't Be Long

All Aboard

V for vibes? Most definitely. The Shjips never sounded so warm as on their new fifth record, a modern California trip full of hypnotic guitar riffs and sizzling synths. "Sitting alone, staring at the sun..." V for victory.

Wooden Shjips - Staring At The Sun

But Of Course

Yesterday's Guardian featured a heartwarming feature on Irmin Schmidt, at 81 the last man standing of krautrockers supreme Can. Wonderful anecdote: "By all accounts a brilliant musician from an early age, he was already a professional classical pianist when he signed up to study under Stockhausen at Cologne’s Rheinische Musikschule. Czukay was a fellow pupil, and Schmidt is rather proud of the fact that, when Stockhausen was later played a selection of experimental German rock tracks, he dismissed all of them except Can’s 1971 track Aumgn. When he found out who had made it, he said: ‘Well, of course it’s good – these were my students.’”

Can - Aumgn