WILLIAM FITZSIMMONS
You Still Hurt Me
DOWNLOAD: You Still Hurt Me
William Fitzsimmons dropped ‘Live from the Downtown Studios’ a couple of weeks back…an EP of seven live versions of songs taken from his most recent release, “The Sparrow and the Crow”, an album of hurt and pain that promotes the heartache of longing that I’ve come to expect from him. Let the guitar flourishes carry you along on ‘You Still Hurt Me’, then head over to MySpace to listen to a bit more.
LIGHTNING DUST
I Knew
DOWNLOAD: I Knew
Lightning Dust is side project cobbled together by Amber Webber and Joshua Wells, both members of the Vancouver band Black Mountain. Now, I like Black Mountain, but what Amber and Josh are doing here has nothing to do with the psychedelic rock they put out with the other guys…..‘I Knew’, a frantic love song just leaked off of their second album, is more like fast-paced electro-folk and the way it’s driven along with that synthy, pulsating beat and Amber’s trilling vocal harmonies, it’s kinda reminiscent of the Cocteau Twins. ‘Infinite Light’ drops August 4th, but until then you can check ’em out over on MySpace
SEAN BONES
Dancehall
DOWNLOAD: Dancehall
One of my most-played albums from last years was ‘Heavenly Bender’ from Brooklyn’s Sam Champion, so this morning when I found out their guitar player, Sean Sullivan, has a little side project going, I just had to check it out. As Sean Bones, he’s kicking out Ska and Reggae-infused party-pop with a refreshing soulful feel. His debut album, Rings, is set to drop July 21st and you can check him out on MySpace
BONUS
I’m feelin’ generous, so here’s a previous Song of the Day off of Heavenly Bender…
SAM CHAMPION
Be Mine Everyone
DOWNLOAD: Be Mine Everyone
*Click on any image for full-size*
For the second week in a row, I have a feature in BusinessWeek, a story on the new marketing strategy at Coach, featuring Lew Frankfort, the CEO, and Jerry Stritzke, the COO. The story looks great and the best thing was that I got to break out the mosaic-tiling technique I’ve been doing lately…..
THE CAVE SINGERS
Beach House
DOWNLOAD: Beach House
Yesterday it was a ‘Cabin Song’…today it’s a ‘Beach House’…am I on the cutting edge of a new indie music/home improvement trend?!! Seattle’s Cave Singers are set to drop their second album, Welcome Joy, in August and Pete Quirk’s scratchy, nasaly Arlo Guthrie-like vocals are intertwined beautifully among the simple, atmospheric folkie harmonies layed down by Derek Fudesco and Marty Lund…it all sounds so familiar, but in a peculiar way…like a story you had long forgotten…his voice brings it all back into focus. Give ’em a look on their MySpace page
T. NILE
Cabin Song
DOWNLOAD: Cabin Song
With the pedal steel guitar, country twang and mournful storytelling that dominates “Cabin Song”, it’s probably hard to tell that Vancouver’s Tamara Nile, or T. Nile when she’s on stage, has a musical style that falls a lot closer to Sheryl Crow than full-on Nashville, but on her just released “The Cabin Song EP”, the blend of country, folk, world beats and even electronica really showcases this young singer/songwriter who grew up up in…yes…a cabin on a small Island off the coast of British Columbia. Give her a look on MySpace or at her website
THE RAVEONETTES
Last Dance
DOWNLOAD: Last Dance
It’s stuff like this that makes the Song of the Day worth it…you come in find a demo leaked off of an album that is probably a year away…and you didn’t hafta work to get it or nuthin’! The Raveonettes are back in Copenhagen recording a new record and they want your input…if you head over to Viceland.com you can download other demo’s a they come available and even get into live chats with Sharin and Sune to let ’em know what you think! Of course, if ‘Tweets’ are more your style, you can also follow them on Twitter but my favorite is still the tried & tested MySpace Page
This week’s Edition of Barron’s once again features my shots of the Barron’s Roundtable members…the ten smartest folks in the room when it comes to what’s gonna happen with the world Markets in the months to come……
*Click on any image for full-size*
I have quite a few stories in the magazine pipeline, but in this weeks edition of BusinessWeek are the portraits I did of Dr. Daniel Vasella, the CEO of pharmaceutical giant, Novartis…..
And major props must go to Andrew Horton, BusinessWeek’s Design Director, for his elegant layout.
So here is the checklist of Flu symptoms on the TamiFlu website…..
1. Fever is usually present with the flu in up to 80% of all flu cases. A temperature of 100°F or higher for 3 to 4 days is associated with the flu.
CHECK
2. A non-productive (non-mucus producing) cough is usually present with the flu (sometimes referred to as dry cough).
CHECK
3. Severe aches and pains are common with the flu.
CHECK
4. Stuffy nose is not commonly present with the flu.
CHECK
5. 60% of people who have the flu experience chills.
CHECK
6. Tiredness is moderate to severe with the flu.
CHECK
7. Sneezing is not common with the flu.
CHECK
8. The flu has a rapid onset within 3-6 hours. The flu hits hard and includes sudden symptoms like high fever, aches and pains.
CHECK
9. A headache is very common with the flu, present in 80% of flu cases.
CHECK
10. Sore throat is not commonly present with the flu.
CHECK
11. Chest discomfort is often severe with the flu.
CHECK
Wow…eleven outta eleven…do I get a Gold Star?!!
WYE OAK
Take It In
DOWNLOAD: Take It In
Jenn Wasner of the Baltimore-based duo Wye Oak spins a beautifully bittersweet tale as she whispers, moans and floats through this song, surrounded by a clanging caucaphony of guitars and drums and the pulsing heartbeat of an incessant bassline. “We are both the same…..Unwell…”…since I seem to have the picked up a case of the Swine Flu, this just sort of hit home today! ‘The Knot’ drops on July 21st and is a stunning follow-up to their first album, If Children. Give ’em a look over on MySpace
…and no, I don’t think I’m kidding!
UPDATE:
MOS DEF
Quiet Dog
DOWNLOAD: Quiet Dog
We don’t get much hip-hop here on The List, but I saw Mos Def rockin’ a killer version of ‘Quiet Dog’ on Letterman the other night and just had to pass it along. It was really somthin’ to see him on stage hammering away on two timpani drums, backed up with just a DJ and another drummer…I’m sure you can YouTube it if you’re interested. Anyway, this is off of his new album, The Ecstatic, that dropped this week and if the rest of the album is this cool I just might find myself buying a Mos Def record.
CARBON LEAF
Lake of Silver Bells
DOWNLOAD: Lake of Silver Bells
Carbon Leaf, a five-piece based outta Richmond VA, proves that you don’t gotta be young to be indie. They’ve been together since 1992 and over the years have gone from playing backyard parties, mixers, frat and sorority parties to being a mainstay opening act for bigger names like The Dave Matthews Band, O.A.R., Jason Mraz, Blues Traveler and Big Head Todd and the Monsters, all the while putting out amazing music, yet remaining completely off the mainstream radar! Well, they just released their seventh studio album, Nothing Rhymes with Woman, and once again seemed poised to crack outta that opening-act mold and headline for a change. I hate to cop out and immediately draw comparisons to other groups, but on “Lake of Silver Bells”, lead singer Barry Privett’s vocal pacing and the way he hits the high register brings Chris Martin to mind and Terry Clark’s howling guitar can get dangerously close to that of The Edge, but it all just makes the whole thing seem comfortingly familiar. If this gets you going, please…head on over to their MySpace page and give ’em a further look.
REED KD
Winding Roads
DOWNLOAD: Winding Roads
The gently rambling, Simon & Garfunkel-esque fingerpicking acoustic guitars and beautiful vocal harmonizing folkie Reed Dahlmeier has goin’ on in this song is raising goosebumps on my arms! The slight falsetto in his vocal style and the thoughtful, introspective and poetic lyrics will surely have people thinking of Elliott Smith as well, but without all the dark, tortured drama. His new album, “In Case The Comet Comes”, is a record born out of his adventures traveling across the country while living out of the back of a VW Microbus for the past couple of years and will be released June 9th. Give him a look over on his MySpace page or the Reed KD website
WHEAT
Half Of The Time
DOWNLOAD: Half Of The Time
As soon as I heard Scott Levesque chant “…Half of the time I feel I’m clever and half of the time I just haven’t a clue…” I was on board…what a great, honest lyric! The pride of Taunton Mass. have just completed their latest album, White Ink, Black Ink, due out next month…and I see from their MySpace page, they’ll be playing the Mercury Lounge June 27th…I just might hafta venture downtown to check ’em out! If you like what you hear, head on over to their very cool website…lotsa buttons to push (and more songs you can stream, too).
MAGNETIC MORNING
Indian Summer
DOWNLOAD: Indian Summer
I’m a big fan of both Swervedriver and Interpol, so I was kinda surprised that the news of the side project Adam Franklin (the Capo di tutti Capi of Swervedriver) and Sam Fogarino (Interpol’s drummer) slipped by me earlier this year without any notice! Magnetic Morning is the band and ‘A.M.’ is the album…it’s a fuzzy, drowsy, drone-filled collection of layered guitars on top of pianos on top of strings on top of even more guitars, plodding drums and walls of reverb that delivers some of the most depressing damned songs I’ve heard in ages! I spent the morning listening to the entire album and I think this is the only one I can send out that won’t make you take a header off of the roof! But if you’re into this kinda thing, you can check it out further over on their MySpace page…..
Damn Ugly Photography 