From Mockingbird Music to You, Merry Christmas

The Tallest Man on Earth

I just posted a little review of Bon Iver's show in Madison this past Friday, but I failed to mention the opener. Kristian Matsson is The Tallest Man on Earth, meaning that he plays guitar and sings under that moniker. Hailing from Dalarna, Sweden, Matsson has an interesting voice in which one can pick out traces of Bob Dylan, but is wholly unique. His guitar playing is fantastic as well. I'd heard one or two of his songs prior to seeing him with Bon Iver, but I was blown away by the songs. "Pistol Dreams" was wonderful, and "Where Do My Bluebird Fly" has a beautiful melody.

Do yourself a favor and check out The Tallest Man on Earth.
Website: http://www.thetallestmanonearth.se/
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/thetallestmanonearth

Bon Iver Show, New EP

I just wanted to update and say that the Bon Iver show the other night was spectacular. Justin Vernon and company put on an absolutely wonderful show and I encourage everyone who likes the record to try to catch them live. For Emma, Forever Ago is stark and intimate, which works well for the recording, but live, the band fill out the sound in a fantastic way, breathing new energy and life into the songs. The first track, "Blood Bank" from the new EP of the same name, is absolutely massive. "Skinny Love" features four people playing drums while Vernon plays guitar and sings. "The Wolves Acts I & II" is one of the best set closers I've seen in a long time.

The changes that are made to the songs in the live set are one of the things that impresses me about Bon Iver. It would be very easy to simply play the songs as they were played on the recording, but Vernon doesn't seem content to do that. He is aware that the record came about under unique circumstances and the recording reflects that, so he simply moves past that and gives the songs a new uniqueness in a live setting. And I'm sure they're more fun to play that way, as well. The group explores more experimental directions in the songs, allowing space for atmospherics and almost-solos, though the band never slips into that dangerous territory.

As a musician myself, I appreciated how connected Vernon was with the rest of his band. During the experimental moments of the songs he often turned to the other musicians onstage to make sure he was with them and they were with him. I've heard people say that they think he should play to the audience more, but I appreciate his devotion to making good music by being a good musician. Vernon has become quite a celebrity to those who know him, but it doesn't appear to have gone to his head. He was genuinely excited to be playing a show in Wisconsin, his home state, and was excited about the fact that members of his extended family were in the audience. He related to us that the song "For Emma" was written after members of this family had visited him at the hunting cabin he wrote the record For Emma in, and proceeded to dedicate the song to them. Remaining humble while in the position Vernon is sure to be a challenge, but it appears that he is handling it well, and I applaud him for it.

The EP will be out on January 2oth, though it was available at the show on Friday. I'm very impressed with the growth. The recording quality is slightly better, and the songs are a little more filled out. The result is that they sound like the next step in Bon Iver's inevitable rise to greatness. Gringo already reported on the details. Check out the post here. I'm excited to hear what the next record sounds like.

Bon Iver:
Website: http://www.boniver.org/
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/boniver

New Record, Tour from William Elliott Whitmore

More news. William Elliott Whitmore is releasing a new record in February. Actually, it’s coming out on the same day as Alela Diane’s new record (February 17^th). Titled Animals in the Dark, it’s sure to be a wonderful set of songs. Whitmore, who is thirty this year, has a voice that sounds like the blues musicians of yore. Whitmore is a storyteller, first and foremost, so expect Animals to have a host of interesting characters.

Whitmore is also on tour all of January. The dates are below.

• 1/9 - The Fillmore - Detroit, Michigan
• 1/10 - Town Ballroom - Buffalo, New York
• 1/11 - Middle East - Cambridge, Massachusetts
• 1/12 - The Bowrey Ballroom - New York City, New York
• 1/13 - The Bowrey Ballroom - New York City, New York
• 1/14 - BlackCat - Washington, D.C.
• 1/15 - Trocadero - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• 1/17 - Rock Island Brewing Company - Rock Island, Illinois
• 1/23 - Varsity Theatre - Minneapolis, Minnesota
• 1/24 - Waiting Room Lounge - Omaha, Nebraska
• 1/25 - Bluebird Theatre - Denver, Colorado
• 1/27 - Slim's - San Fransisco, California
• 1/28 - El Rey - Los Angeles, California

William Elliott Whitmore:
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/williamewhitmore
Website: http://www.williamelliottwhitmore.com

Laura Stevenson: A Record

I only recently found out about Laura Stevenson, but I'm glad I did. Her first record just came out via "the first ever donation based record label," Quote Unquote Records. The record, titled A Record, came out on October 29^th to almost no fanfare. There was a banner on the Quote Unquote Records homepage (there still is, actually) and Stevenson's myspace mentioned it, but that was it as far as promotion, which is a shame because the record is wonderful.

The lead track, "Baby Bones," sounds like something that Alela Diane would write (see previous post for more on Diane), but with a clearer voice. When the trumpets and percussion kick in, however, I can't help but be reminded of a female-fronted Neutral Milk Hotel. That influence is especially strong in the track "Landslide Song/The Dig." Beginning with a quick count off, the song is a low-fi burst that wouldn’t sound out of place on NMH's In the Aeroplane Over the Sea.

Stevenson's strength, though, is the softer song. "The Pretty One," "Nervous Rex" and "A Shine to It" are by far the strongest songs on the record, and "A Shine to It" is easily one of the best songs I've heard all year. Stevenson's voice and guitar work complement the words and the melody perfectly. The harmonies on all three of the songs listed above stand out as being a strong aspect of Stevenson's recorded sound. She's clearly a talented songwriter with fantastic instincts.

My only complaint is that there are only eight tracks on the record, leading me to believe that An EP would be a better title than A Record. Regardless, this is a fantastic set of songs and I encourage you to check them out. I also encourage you to donate to the label so more artists like Stevenson can release music with them.

http://www.quoteunquoterecords.com
http://www.myspace.com/laurastevenson

New Record, Shows from Alela Diane

A few years ago a friend of mine turned me on to a singer/songwriter by the name of Alela Diane. At first, all of the music I had from her consisted of four tracks that are still available for download from Daytrotter.com and one or two stray tracks. Since then, Diane has recorded four more tracks for Daytrotter, and I acquired her album The Pirate's Gospel. Diane's voice and music remind me of the romantic stories I've heard about the old west. Washing clothes by hand, drawing water from a well, chopping firewood... Songs like "The Pirate's Gospel," "Can You Blame the Sky?" and "Pieces of String" are haunting and beautiful. I can only hope that some of the Daytrotter songs, especially "Age Old Blue" made it onto the new record (I haven't been able to find a track listing).

I mention all of this because Diane has a new record coming out on February 17th called To Be Still. Diane has said that on the new record she experimented much more with instrumentation and percussion. Judging by the tracks Diane has on her myspace, the added instrumentation is a good thing. Check out the Daytrotter version of "White As Diamonds" and then listen to the version on myspace: the differences are striking, but wonderful. You can preorder the album on either CD or vinyl from Beggars Group USA, here.

In addition to all of this, Diane will be on tour starting February and going through mid-April. The US and Canadian dates are below. For the European dates, see her myspace page. Note that her first show after the release of the record is right here in Minneapolis!

• 2/18 - Cedar Cultural Centre - Minneapolis, Minnesota
• 2/19 - Empty Bottle - Chicago, Illinois
  
• 2/20 - Magic Stick - Detroit, Michigan
  
• 2/21 - Horseshoe Tavern - Toronto, Canada
  
• 2/22 - La Sala Rosa - Montreal
  
• 2/24 - Bug Jar - Rochester, New York
• 2/25 - Pearl Street Nightclub - Northampton, Massachusetts
• 2/26 - Paradise - Boston, Massachusetts
• 2/27 - Bowery Ballroom - New York City, New York
• 2/28 - Music Hall of Williamsburg - Brooklyn, New York
• 3/1 - First Unitarian Church - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• 3/2 - Black Cat - Washington, D.C.
• 3/4 - 40 Watt Club - Athens, Georgia
• 3/5 - Orange Peel - Ashville, North Carolina
• 3/6 - Mercy Lounge - Nashville, Tennessee
  
• 3/7 - The Bottle Tree - Birmingham, Alabama
  
• 3/8 - Hi-Tone Cafe - Memphis, Tennessee
  
• 3/9 - The Opolis - Norman, Oklahoma
  
• 3/10 - The Jackpot Saloon - Lawrence, Kansas
• 3/12 - Hi Dive - Denver, Colorado
• 3/13 - Kilby Court - Salt Lake City, Utah

Alela Diane:
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/alelamusic
Website: http://www.aleladiane.com/
Blog: http://aleladiane.blogspot.com/

Free Mash-Up Album

Nerdy New York City rap duo (and Sage Francis' Strage Famous Records signees) Metermaids have released a mash-up of their debut album Nightlife with indie darling Sufjan Stevens' quintessential Illinoise as a holiday treat. You can download the album, cleverly dubbed Nightlife in Illinoise, here.

For a taste of their style, check out the video for "Funk Terrorist" below.