2-1-12 - "Fog In The Valley" ~ Good Night, States

Every time I post a song that involves an Echo Chamber session from the Draw Us Lines crew, I'm reminded of a line in The Rescuers Down Under (you know you loved that movie as a kid)... "We're gonna have to make connections with a bigger bird." (said by Wilbur of Albatross Air, when asked whether it's a non-stop flight to Australia...)  They do such a good job over there at DUL, and capture some truly amazing songs stripped down to the roots in the EC sessions.  Not to mention, some of the songs are as yet unreleased (this one is from Good Night, States' upcoming "Country / Static" release - due 4.5.12), and the EC videos are the only versions available for me to post.

Good Night, States are yet another gem formed in the coal valleys of the Steel City... but they throw in some Jersey attitude for good measure.  Given their long-distance relationship, they're more than slightly elusive as far as live concert performances go, and I've yet to see them.  But I can guarantee I'll be at their next PGH gig, good Lord willin' and the creek don't rise.

This song will blow you away.  At least, it blew me away; I'll try not to oversell it since not everyone's musical tastes are identical.  But if you like the folksy feel and lush harmonies of The Head And The Heart or Fleet Foxes; or haunting, love/heartbreak songs like "Liar" or "Poison and Wine", I'll wager you'll like this song too:

"Fog In The Valley" ~ Good Night, States (from Vimeo.com, Draw Us Lines Echo Chamber Session)

"what i want more than silver

what i know i'm gonna wish i had

what i'd die and i'd kill for

some intimation that i make you glad..."

PS - props to percussionist Dan Harding for the awesome Where The Wild Things Are t-shirt (and the ridiculous glockenspiel breakdown), and to the venue for this EC session, which is a gorgeous local church - Eastminster Presbyterian.

12-11-11 - "Roosevelt Room" ~ Conor Oberst & The Mystic Valley Band

Do you ever get fed up and frustrated with the world?  Happens to me on a fairly regular basis, and it's probably no surprise that it often happens at this time of year.  November means elections, and then Thanksgiving, and then of course comes Christmas (although given that the TV commercials and department stores start on Christmas in October these days, maybe I have the order wrong.)  These annual events bring to a focus the things that make me sick to my stomach - corruption in politics, gluttonous consumerism, and the disparity between the American populace and that of numerous other countries.


This year, Occupy Wall Street has added fuel to that fire.  Do I agree 100% with the OWS movement?  Probably not, although to be honest I haven't read up enough to know all the details.  But do they have a point that the government and big corporations have been pulling a fast one on the "99%"...?  Conversely, if you take the American "99%" and compare their wealth to that of the rest of the world's population... who's the 1% now?  I'm not going into more detail because this blog is ultimately about the music, but these are things that grind my gears, when I let my mind ponder them.


This song is pretty clearly the result of Conor Oberst ruminating on the state of the world today.  Again - I'm not trying to promote any political views, and I probably don't agree with everything Oberst thinks about the government, but clearly there are things broken in the system and if people don't stand for their beliefs, nothing's going to change.


You'll certainly feel the emotion behind the lyrics and the angry guitar riffs in the song, and hopefully it will inspire you to evaluate your life and the world around you, decide what's important, and make sure you're fighting for it.


Live at Battery Park, Manhattan, Independence Day 2009:

Studio Recording:

"You give death as a consolation

you know only hate and rage

you paid a dowry for your child's rights

now she's living like a slave..."

11-29-11 - "Hope You Know" ~ Megafaun

So apparently these dudes used to play music with Justin Vernon (a.k.a. Bon Iver).  So that basically makes them awesome.  Wikipedia classifies Megafaun as "psych-folk", which only adds to the potential for awesomeness.  Can I build them up any more before you listen to the track?


Hyperbole aside, this is just a chill track with simple piano over a restrained drum and bass foundation, washed over by a gently blended harmonic wave.

"close your eyes
and kiss goodbye..."

11-21-11 - "If You See My Boyfriend" ~ Donora

So a while back I mentioned how New Shouts and Casey from Donora combined to perform an as-yet-unreleased track from Donora's new album.  Now that the disc has been out a while, I think it's high time we feature the song.


It's pure sonic joy, filled with sass and a weighty lesson for us guys - treat your lady right, or she'll find someone else who will.

"If you see my boyfriend,
tell him I left him for a man."