An unusual mix

kiya@evpl — Wed, 27 May 2009 15:22:00 GMT

I’ve been going through the CDs at Red Bank lately, trying to figure out how to fit more in, and have come across a couple I’ve enjoyed listening to.

The first is Low Strung, which has 11 rock classics arranged for and performed by master cellists who got a little tired of always playing the harmony line… I love the sound of the cello anyway, and these were very pleasing to listen to. I went to the band’s website, and found that they have a new CD due out soon. I also learned that they performed in Evansville a little over a year ago – they provided a link to the great review Roger McBain wrote for the C&P about the show. You can listen to a couple of the songs on their MySpace page.

· Low Strung’s website

· Low Strung’s MySpace page

(Please visit the site to view this media)

I also found a singer from my past – J. D. Souther. I had a couple of his albums on vinyl, and loved them. I particularly remember “The Moon Just Turned Blue” and “‘Til the Bars Burn Down” from my grad school years. (My neighbors from that time might recall them, too. I used to crank the volume when cleaning house.) Somehow, when everything changed over to CD, I never got around to replacing Souther's, and sort of forgot about him. EVPL owns two of his CDs (and his new one will soon be here), and now JD is back in my life. The bonus? While writing this blog post, I discovered he’s also the narrator on the downloadable audiobook of Jimmy Buffet’s A Salty Piece of Land. I’m loading it onto my mp3 player now – this should be interesting!

· J D Souther’s website

· J D Souther’s MySpace page

(Please visit the site to view this media)

Blitzen Trapper - "Furr"

HoodooVoodoo@evpl — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 20:04:00 GMT

Portland, OR group, Blitzen Trapper, recently released their album, Furr (2008), on Sub-Pop after receiving nationwide acclaim for their last album, Wild Mountain Nation (2007). While their last album seemed to be a little disjointed at times, Furr on the hand, is melodic masterpiece that evokes wild mountain sounds and lo-fi psychedelic indie rock that will have you bobbing to the beats long after you turn the music off.

It's hard to describe Blitzen Trapper's sound. They list bands like Pavement and artists like Neil Young as influences on their sound (and you can definitely tell), but you can also hear shades of Beck, The Kinks, and New Riders of the Purple Sage. Furr has more of an alt-country sound and quite a few slow numbers than its predecessor, but the sonic squalls and feedback are still there, just not as heavy. This drop in the mix has produced a very good album and one that I highly recommend. You may not have heard of Blitzen Trapper before, but remember the name, because you hear it a lot in the future.

Reserve your copy today!

Blitzen Trapper's Homepage

Blitzen Trapper's MySpace Page

Sorry, the group doesn't have any videos out for the new record, but here's the video for "Wild Mountain Nation" of their last album with the same title. Most of the rocking tracks off "Furr" sound a lot like this.

(Please visit the site to view this media)

Music Blog : alt-country

An unusual mix

Blitzen Trapper - "Furr"