Dear New Friends

Just some recent songs I took a bit of a fancy to. Siskiyou travels to Bonnie Billy country, Haroula Rose does the folky duet thing very well, and High On Stress sure digs the Mats a lot. Widowspeak dreams back to the indie eighties, Wounded Lion plays barbwire pop with a delightful chorus ("LVXLCDM" anyone?), while Centro-matic fondly remembers the Mary Chain. Broaden that musical horizon why don't you, pop kids.

Siskiyou - Dear Old Friends

Haroula Rose - Free To Be Me

High On Stress - Figure Eights

Widowspeak - Gun Shy

Wounded Lion - Roman Values

Centro-matic - Only In My Double Mind

Wonder Show

It´s a dirty job, but somebody´s gotta do it... So without further ado, here´s the one and only For The Sake Of The Song end of year list. Accept no substitutes, baby. Ten albums that were in heavy rotation during 2010, and that´s what counts in the end. Check! Buy the whole wonder show why don´t you.

1. Gil Scott-Heron - I´m New Here

Unexpected comeback of the year, by one of HipHop´s true forefathers.

Gil Scott-Heron - I´ll Take Care Of You MP3

2. Bonnie Prince Billy & The Cairo Gang - The Wonder Show Of The World

Will Oldham met guitarist Emmett Kelly, which lifted the fog on many a dreary day.

3. Charlie Parr - When The Devil Goes Blind

Intense and authentic pre-war blues, anno 2010. No, I´m not kidding.

Charlie Parr- 1890 MP3

4. Neil Young - Le Noise

Teaming up with producer Daniel Lanois was an excellent idea, sonically speaking.

5. First Aid Kit - The Big Black And The Blue

A lovely Swedish girl duo provided no-frills acoustic bliss. Jag älskar dig.

First Aid Kit - Sailor Song MP3

6. Phosphorescent - Here´s To Taking It Easy

Matthew Houck´s take on Americana compared to slipping into a warm bath.

7. Wounded Lion - Wounded Lion

Growling barb wire pop from smoggy LA. Debut of the year I´m sure.

Wounded Lion - Pony People MP3

8. Tunng - ...And Then We Saw Land

Not as adventurous as previous outings, but still the finest freakfolkers around.

9. Isobell Campbell & Mark Lanegan - Hawk

That marriage between a Belle and a Screaming Tree surely was made in heaven.

Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan - You Won´t Let Me Down Again MP3

10. Bill Callahan - Rough Travel For A Rare Thing

The former Smog foreman impressed once more, this time in an intimate live setting.

Bubbling under: Sun Kil Moon, Grinderman, Joanna Newsom, Drive-By Truckers, Pearly Gate Music, Off!, the Black Keys, Alasdair Roberts, Roky Erickson with Okkervil River, and the Graham Nash tribute Be Yourself.

Some old stuff released this year that I really enjoyed: Johnny Cash´s epitaph American VI: Ain´t No Grave, Dylan´s Witmark Demos and Live At Brandeis University, Complete Mythology by Syl Johnson, Satan´s A Waitin´ by Sonny Burns, and the Legacy Edition of Raw Power by Iggy & the Stooges. Music books of the year: Bob Dylan In America by Sean Wilentz, and We Never Learn - The Gunk Punk Undergut 1988-2001 by Eric Davidson.

Wishing you a bopping new year, dear readers. I´m off on a short break, see ya sometime early 2011.

Wild Weekend Vol. 19

It´s a Wild Weekend yet again and I guess you all know what that means by now... Here´s another diverse bunch of goldies, with special thanks to the magic of the iPod shuffle. Hey ho.

We´re off to a rather furious start with bassless Detroit garage trio the Gories and their highly inflammable John Lee Hooker cover Let Your Daddy Ride. Production: that late Memphis man Alex Chilton of course. Lower down your chariot, baby, and buy their glorious I Know You Be Houserockin´ cd forthwith. Meanwhile in Jamaica, the golden-voiced Meditations face an obvious truth: Life Is Not Easy. But when Lee ´Scratch´ Perry gets behind his Black Ark mixing board he manages to skank their troubles away ever so smoothly.

The Gories - Let Your Daddy Ride MP3

The Meditations - Life Is Not Easy MP3

If you like the Harry Smith Anthology as much as I do, you´re bound to dig a little deeper in that musical vernacular. In that case, you should try Prayers From Hell: White Gospel & Sinner Blues 1927-1940, an excellent compilation of near-ancient folk, blues and country. The weary but optimistic Worried Man Blues by Rodgers & Nicholson is only one gem out of many. And here´s another duo: the peculiar combination of Neil Hagerty (vocals and guitar) and Jennifer Herrema (vocals and looks). Which means we´re talking Royal Trux, we´re talking experimental Stones junkie sleaze and blossoming blood flowers in the morning. From their much recommended, untitled third album (´92).

Rodgers & Nicholson - Worried Man Blues MP3

Royal Trux - Blood Flowers MP3

One HipHop cd I can never get enough of is the spooky Liquid Swords by Genius/GZA, he of the Wu-Tang conglomerate. The sparse Shadowboxin´ is a prime example of its perfect flow. Oh man! And for the last song in this week´s sixpack, we move to smoggy L.A. and a new band I´m much enamored of at the moment. Wounded Lion is the name of the game, all dressed up like a Pavement from hell. Their fuzzy debut is out now on the small and always classy In The Red label, which provides an excellent mail order service as well. So what are you waiting for?

Genius/GZA - Shadowboxin´ MP3

Wounded Lion - Creatures In The Cave MP3