Bright Eyes: "At the Bottom of Everything" Video
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Bonnie "Prince" Billy and Matt Sweeney: "I Give You"
This video from two great indie songwriters is among the best indie music videos of 2005. The song is from the duo's album "Superwolf," released on Drag City.
My friend gave me a tarot card reading over the phone one night as I was watching TV with a guitar in my lap. "I've drawn a mountain," she said. "I'm a mountain," I said. So begins a song that became the title track of my new record. Most of these songs have been milling about in my mind for a while now. Some I started writing back when I put down the electric guitar and ding-digga-dinged my way through summer on the back porch. All of them live in the same wide frame and seem to belong together. "I am Aglow," "The Ring," and "I'm a Mountain," are tunes inspired by country music and bluegrass bands, singing for the joy of it, and telling new versions of old stories in song. "The Phoenix" builds on the themes of courage and regeneration and the inspirational "How Deep in the Valley" came from somewhere deep in the hymnbook of my memory. Down low in the picture frame (under a log) is "Salamandre," a children's song written by my friends Kate Fenner and Chris Brown. I am thrilled this modern classic can be part of this collection as it expresses my own love for the magical and precious amphibian and the time-honored relationship between nature and imagination. "Luther's Got the Blues" is my old pal Luther Wright's enduring, scruffy sidewalk lament, and Dolly Parton's "Will He Be Waiting For Me" lives in the world of lost love and yearning that I, too, know something about. I wrote "Goin' Out for an AIDS Vigil," and I am so happy to have my dad singing it with me. He also lends his warm and wise timbre to "Oleander." And finally, casting its glow over the entire record is the new folk song "Escarpment Blues," which tells the story of a current land-use conflict in Southern Ontario on the Niagara Escarpment, a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve. I grew up on the escarpment on the farm where my family still lives, within a long green corridor prized for its fresh water resources, its endangered species habitats, its prime agricultural soils, and its wetlands and forests. These lands are under serious threat from the aggregate (sand, gravel, and shale) industry. The problem is large multinational companies want to open new quarries on top of the escarpment and extract the rock below these ecosystems, thereby removing and destroying them. So, after writing the song, I got the idea for the "I Love the Escarpment" Tour and set out in June 2005 with some of my best musical mates to hike the escarpment and make music along the way. Julie Fader (vocals, keys), Jason Euringer (vocals, stand-up bass), Spencer Evans (clarinet, accordion), Joey Wright (mandolin, guitar), and I hit the Bruce Trail (the continuous hiking trail that goes from one end of the escarpment to the other) and spent two weeks rock climbing, caving, hiking, and performing in theaters and community halls along Southern Ontario's spine. All proceeds of the tour went to help finance the research and advocacy work of Protecting Escarpment Rural Land (PERL), a volunteer organization I helped form last winter when the new quarry proposal came to light in my old stomping grounds of North Burlington. After a wonderful tour we put away our hiking boots and went into Reaction Studio in Toronto to capture these songs, all wrapped in up our camaraderie. This record was made for everyone, everywhere. Like the smiles we had on our faces when we made it, we hope it spreads far and wide.
The record, the second long player by Swedish octet The Concretes, is very aptly entitled "In Colour." Although previously and persistently described as making some kind of European glacial pop, "In Colour" sees the band painting their musical canvass with a full rainbow palette. Whereas the eponymously titled debut album was "The Ronettes" lit only by the Northern Lights, "In Colour" makes the leap into glorious widescreen. Recorded in Stockholm and Omaha with Nebraskan producer Mike Mogis, "In Colour" is classic Americana and Southern Soul rerouted via Northern Europe. Evocative of a line of records that veers between Dusty in Memphis and Fleetwood Mac's "Rumours" through to Cat Power's "The Greatest" and Bright Eyes' "I'm Wide Awake It's Morning," The Concretes have effortlessly become one of the most unique and beautiful pop groups in the world, a Swedish national treasure.
Jose Gonzalez: "Down the Line"
With his crystal-clear singing voice and vibrant, classically-inspired playing, Jos? Gonz?lez is one of today’s most remarkable artists – testament to the irrefutable power of one man and a guitar. His debut album 'Veneer' captured his magical sound in its purest state, simply beautiful and beautifully simple. Touching on a remarkable array of influences, from folk to classic pop to a dazzling spectrum of world music, 'Veneer' touched audiences across the globe. Originally released in Sweden on Imperial Recordings in 2003 and on Hidden Agenda in North America in 2005, 'Veneer' was re-issued in the US on Mute Records in 2006. In September 2007 Gonz?lez will release his sophomore album, the highly anticipated 'In Our Nature' (released in the US on Mute). 'In Our Nature' sees Gonz?lez coming into his own as a songwriter – with songs that are as instantly accessible as they are brimming with darkness and brooding intensity.
Dead Meadow: "What Needs Must Be"
Check out the video for Dead Meadow's "What Needs Must Be" directed by Eric Cheevers. The song is off their forthcoming record Old Growth to be released on February 5th on Matador Records.
Song performed by indie Cebu reggae band, Herbs. The music video is directed by Jerome Brua as a student project under the International Academy of Film and Television. www.study-film.com
The song is performed by indie rock band, Cattski. The music video is directed by Tessa Villegas as a student project under the International Academy of Film and Television. www.study-film.com
Debbie Nunn: "Always in my Heart"
A button bright pop country offering to prove that this young lady can compete on the international country music scene. A fine debut album from this very talented young lady. Beautiful, sweet, strong, sensitive singing from Debbie who puts her heart and soul into the songs.
Eddiebangs: "Trouble Concentrating"
The first video release from Eddiebangs. The next video will be for the song Brown Boxes.
Sinead O'Connor: "Nothing Compares to You" live
This is one track from the DVD, "Sinead O'Connor -- Goodnight, thank you, you've been a lovely audience", which features all her favorite songs in a quiet live setting.
