Patrick Grant & The Flesh Vignettes - Gather All Around You

I worked with a guy called Patrick Grant this summer, working at Kops Records in Toronto. One day as I was rolling into work, he tossed me an EP he made. I gave it a listen that night and loved it! He recorded it at Back Bone Studios, an independent record studio in Toronto. I was really impressed by his thoughtful lyrics and especially by his guitar work! The aching, bending guitar of In The Basement at the Party is similar to J Mascis's (Dinosaur Jr.'s Guitarist/Frontman) solo material or the Magnolia Electric Company. Each song adds something unique to this EP, yet they feel connected through theme and mood. I connect to the EP because I think the songs all generally touch on that early part of adulthood, when you're still finding out who you are and what all these strange events we call life really mean.

Give Pat's EP a listen! here!

http://patrickgrant.bandcamp.com/

1. I Dont Want
2. Hanging in Gold
3. In The Basement At The Party
4. Silhouettes
5. Women

Dan Mangan & Shane Koyczan - Not What You Think It Is / Stop Signs

Dan Mangan is a BC musician who's been making waves over last few years in Canada with three great albums, the most recent of which, earned him the 2012 Juno Award for Best New Artist. All Dan's stuff is worth checking out but I want to highlight his collaboration with a slam poet from Yellowknife named Shane Koyczan. The two have performed on stage together many times, such as this perfomance:

My good friend Robbie showed by the video earlier this summer. I'm in awe at Koyczan's witty, insightful, rhythmic, and profound lyricism. This combined with the rawness of Mangans vocals makes for a thought-provoking experience.

Neil Young - Walk Like A Giant

Neil Young may look like a grumpy old man, but he's still shredding it at 67 years old. He released two albums last year, Americana and Psychedelic Pill. The song Walk Like a Giant from the latter LP is a 16 minute guitar melting tune with an irresistibly catchy whistling melody. I've been delving deeper into this Canadian legend's discography recently, but it will take some time, as Psychedelic Pill is Neil's 35th LP!!! He is still putting out creative and original albums incredibly that explore new styles and sounds. Listen to Walk Like A Giant Below!

Artist Profile - Tallest Man On Earth

Picking favourites has always been difficult for me. Food, movies and especially music. And although the question "who's your favourite band Tim?" often results half-hour conversation with me with no real answer, I can confidently say The Tallest Man On Earth is one of the most important artists in my life. Kirstian Matsson's music has been an every present part of my life ever since a friend told me about him when I was 16. Since then I've had so many amazing memories that have now been attached to his music. Music for me is often about your current emotional state, but it also can bring back memories of other ones. When I hear the Tallest Man on Earth, especially in summer, it conjures the calming feeling of the sun warming my face as I napped on a rock by the lake for a whole day, or exhilaration of driving on a road-trip with friends and being totally free. Those memories are now fused with the sensation of the music. \

The Tallest Man on Earth is an incredibly talented musician. He utilizes a wide variety of open tunings, creating weird and wonderful strumming and finger picking, similar to Joni Mitchell  He is also an fantastic banjo player. The most, lets say... noticeable, feature of Matsson's music is his vocals. Its like a combination of Bob Dylan and Tom Waits and Keith Richard's lungs. To some, its a turn off, but to fans in like beautiful and honest. His lyricism and metaphorical and profound,  and is intimately connected to the natural setting of Matsson's home in Sweden.

The Tallest Man on Earth has three albums, all of which I love, as well as two fantastic EP's. He is an artist that is always mentioned when I am recommending music. Here's some tasty tunes from the tall man himself!

City and Colour - The Hurry and The Harm - June 4 -

Toronto's folk music hero Dallas Green's project City and Colour's 4th LP is set to be released in little over than a week! Dallas has put out 3 great albums in my opinion so far, but the single and other early releases make me concerned about the caliber of this album. Regardless, I am very excited to hear it in its entirety. Hopefully its meets the high standard Mr. Green has set for himself. Check out the early tracks here!

Tallest Man On Earth - Live from the 9:30 Club

For anyone who loves the poetry and beauty of The Tallest Man On Earth's music, his set at the 9:30 club in Washington DC in 2010 is a must listen. Kristian Matsson performs alone with his guitar, yet holds your attention like few other performers can. Every second of this concert is wonderful, from Matsson's humble dialogues to his between song tunings. Recorded and made available by NPR, you can listen to the whole concert by clicking the link below.

http://www.npr.org/player/v2/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=130217980&m=130364935

The Lone Bellow

Hey Guys,
Nearly done exams here so will be able to post more frequently next week! In the mean time, I got a sweet folk band for you, THE LONE BELLOW.

Selective Study Sounds

http://choctawcounty.al.cch.schoolinsites.com/

Hey yall,
In the midst of another long stint at the library and I thought I would quickly post a playlist of some of the tracks I've been studying too. Pretty much all quite folk music here, I hope you enjoy some of these as much I do!

The Oh Hello's

Hey Gang,

I'm heading into the climax of my exams this week, so I will do my best to post things! I have brother-sister duo for you today, hailing from Texas, THE OH HELLO's. Found these guys through a song in an 8-tracks  playlist, they have a fantastic album out called THROUGH THE DEEP, DARK VALLEY. Anyone who's a fan of Mumford & Sons, Of Monsters and Men or the Lumineers will enjoy this upbeat band. They have some beautiful vocal arrangements and diverse instrumentals. I'd really suggest getting their album!

Noah and the Whale - Heart of Nowhere

http://www.hivemag.com/

Hey guys,

Just found out that a new NOAH AND THE WHALE album is imminent! The album is called Heart of Nowhere and it should be coming out May 6th. I've loved this band since their first LP and loved their other two just as much. It's been really cool to see this band develop and change over time. Their first album was vary indie-folk and upbeat, their second was a heartbreaking account of lead singer Charlie Fink's break up with ex-band member Laura Marling and their third was back to the upbeat nature of the band but a little more electronic and 'pop-y'. Their new album sounds like the band is fusing the styles from all their previous works. They are also releasing a film in tandem with the album, like they did for FIRST DAY OF SPRING. At the bottom is a song from the new album and a sweet remix of an older song for kicks.

Bowerbirds - The Clearing

Hi everyone, got another folk group for people to check out, the North Carolina band BOWERBIDS. These guys are a great trio, with a gorgeous pairing of male and female vocals, over top of a diverse instrumentals and song writing styles. The band has three LP's out, with their most recent album, THE CLEARING coming out last year. They are record with the fantastic DEAD OCEANS record label, which has some great indie-folk artists like TALLEST MAN ON EARTH and PHOSPHORESCENT. Check out this band if you want to chill out or get some studying done!

Hey Marseilles - To Travel and Trunks

http://www.soundonthesound.com/

Good Morning Crew,

Another sweet folk album to check out this morning coming out of Seattle, the band HEY MARSEILLES. This was another album that has gotten a lot of personal airplay recently, their 2008 debut album TO TRAVEL AND TRUNKS. This a beautiful LP that transports you to a modernist depiction of France, with warm string sections and Parisian accordions. I have no idea why a Washington band is able to make such lovely and convincing songs about life and love in France, but they do! There are a few notable singles on the album including RIO, TRAVEL AND TRUNKS and CANNONBALLS, but it is best appreciated as a full album. Allow the collection of orchestral instrument blend with the honest vocals of Matt Bishop to take you away from whatever it is your doing this Tuesday morning, and put you on a garden terrace, watching the sun set over Versailles.

River City Extension - The Unmistakable Man

Happy Monday Everybody,

I know everyone is not-really awake and still preparing themselves for the weeks ahead, so to help make that week better, I have an album for you! RIVER CITY EXTENSION is a New Jersey band with some gorgeous music. I listened to their most recent album, THE UNMISTAKABLE MAN, at least five times all the way through this weekend. The lead singer, Joe Michelini, is a beautiful lyricist. Many of the lyrics in this album really resonated with me! He uses some beautiful metaphors and creates an intimate connection with the listener. The song structures are unique too, with songs having many different verses, bridges, builds and breakdowns. If you're having tough week, this album might be able to cheer you up!

Folk Fridays

Add caption

Happy Friday Yall,

More folk music for you to enjoy! Some great songs here. Starting off with an awesome band, RIVER CITY EXTENSION. There's a bunch of different styles in here, but all are pretty relaxed and light. Enjoy!

Farewell to Jason Molina

Jason Molina was an Ohio born artists who died last week from alcohol related organ failure. I hadn't heard about Jason, who also performed under the the name Magnolia Electric Co., until people started posting obituaries and messages about his death. I listened to some of his work after and was blown away! Falling somewhere between Neil Young and Elliott Smith, Molina's songs are chalked with intimate emotions, personal confessions and observations of human nature. An incredibly talented guitarist, his songs often go into long, rolling solos and riffs which add to the atmosphere of the music. Obviously a very tortured soul, he is able to cut straight to the heart of the listener and express himself clearly and intelligently. I have only scratched the surface of Jason's discography, but be assured I am going to explore this weird and wonderful artist throughly. I just wanted to pay some respects to a man who dedicated his life to making music. I would suggest everyone take some time to listen to some of Jason's music. For more on him, check out the Drowned in Sound link below!




Drowned In Sound Article: http://drownedinsound.com/in_depth/4132494-where-to-start-with-jason-molina-songs--ohia-and-magnolia-electric-co

Alexi Murdoch

www.last.fm

A Wondrous Wednesday to everybody,

I have an older one for you today, one of my favorite acoustic/folk singers out there today, ALEXI MURDOCH. Hailing from Scotland, Murdoch has put out two smashing LP's in 2006 an 2011. His music was used as the soundtrack to the movie AWAY WE GO, staring John Krasinski (Jim from the Office). MURDOCH has a beautiful baratone voice, paired with his intricate fingerpicking and open-tuning guitar playing, the result is a rich and full sound which can pull on the heartstrings of anyone! Murdoch is playing in Toronto on June 30 at the Great Hall (check the link below for details). I'll post a couple songs below as well!

PS. 19 views until Moose-sick reaches 1000!





Concert In Toronto ---> https://www.facebook.com/events/228210343949494/ 

The Grey Kingdom

Hey guys,

Heres another local singer/songwriter for everybody to check out, Spencer Burton's alias, GREY KINGDOM. A split Ontario and British Columbia native, Burton has a rising musician in the Canadian folk scene. Signed with the amazing record company, DINE ALONE RECORDS, he has put out four releases since 2010. A simple and  honest artist, GREY KINGDOM's music is perfect for the more intimate moments of life, his melon-collie and somber confessions were able to strike a chord with me. Look out for his new album, which came out in January,  LIGHT, I'LL CALL YOUR NAME OUT "DARKNES"and his older EP, The WEEPING SUNS in the links below!

Phosphorescent - Muchacho

http://www.twentyfourbit.com/

Happy day after St. Patricks day!

I hope everyone feels well reseted and eager to take on the new week! New music for you all from PHOSPHORESCENT, with his new album MUCHACHO. Brooklyn based singer/songwriter Mathew Houck is a seasoned veteran in the music scene  with this being his sixth album release in the last decade. I was lucky enough to get this album early at CFRC and have been listening to it all week! This is a beautiful album, combining Houck's folky Alabama roots with the creativity and experimentation of his Brooklyn home. My highlight of the album would have to be the seven minute song THE QUOTIDIAN BEAST. The albums been getting great reviews, with an 8.8 on PITCHFORK and four stars on allmusic.com. Check out SONG FOR ZULA below!

Folk Fridays

scoutmagazine.com

Congradulations!

You made it through another long week of work! Why not lean back, chill out and listen to a FRIDAY FOLK playlist! Got a bunch of amazing artists in this, including lots of Canadian beauties! No more talk, just music, enjoy!

William Fitzsimmons

http://www.eartothegroundmusic.co/

Hello Internet,

For all you plaid shirt wearing, scuffy beard sporting, tweed pant adorning hipsters out there, Illinois based WILLIAM FITZSIMMONS should be your hero. I found this guy using LAST.FM, something new I've been playing with. Definitely a quality find, he is already an established artists with five albums to date and a well developed sound. He is an intimate songwriter, similar to IRON AND WINE and JON FOREMAN. WILLIAM FITZSIMMONS is certainly someone worth listening too.

Here's a collection of his tracks!