Download: Jill Andrews - A Little Less

Former Everybodyfields singer Jill Andrews is set to release her debut solo album this year. She came out with a self-titled EP last year, which was extremely impressive (better than anything by her previous band, in my opinion). She recorded a live session for HearYa which was posted yesterday, and played a new, unheard song which could be from said upcoming debut record.

Setlist:
A Little Less
Sweetest in the Morning
These Words
Worth Keeping

Download:
Jill Andrews - 'A Little Less'

Full Show/More info:
http://www.hearya.com/2010/06/17/jill-andrews-live-session-73/

Watch 'A Little Less':

Download: Imelda May - Daytrotter Session

Imelda May is the latest artist to record a Daytrotter Session. The Irish chanteuse performed five fantastic songs, which can be downloaded as free mp3s over on the Daytrotter website.

Setlist:
Big Bad Handsome Man
Knock 123
My Baby Left Me
Sneaky Freak
Watcha Gonna Do?

Download:
http://www.daytrotter.com/dt/imelda-may-concert/20031257-37382210.html

Album News: Iron Maiden - The Final Frontier

Not only will Irish fans get the chance to see Iron Maiden live this summer at the O2 on July 30th, but two weeks later can get the chance to hear brand new studio tracks on the band's fifteenth album, The Final Frontier. Better still, the band are giving away one of the album's ten songs, 'El Dorado', as a free mp3 download on their official site from today.

Tracklist:
1. Satellite 15.....The Final Frontier 8:40
2. El Dorado 6:49
3. Mother Of Mercy 5:20
4. Coming Home 5:52
5. The Alchemist 4:29
6. Isle Of Avalon 9:06
7. Starblind 7:48
8. The Talisman 9:03
9. The Man Who Would Be King 8:28
10. When The Wild Wind Blows 10:59

Download 'El Dorado':
http://www.ironmaiden.com/download/index.html

Download: Dave Matthews Band - Summer Tour 2010

Dave Matthews Band are currently on their last Summer Tour before they take a year off in 2011. The 2010 US Summer Tour has seen a lot of old songs coming back like 'Busted Stuff', 'Digging a Ditch', 'So Right', and 'Cry Freedom'. They also played 'Break For It', a new song which had been eagerly anticipated by hardcore fans. Have a listen to some of these tracks and many, many more below. (You can also download them if you so wish). Thanks to all the tapers for recording them. To download full shows of any of the gigs so far, check out the following thread on fan forum These Days Continue:
http://www.thesedayscontinue.org/showthread.php?t=203150

Dave Matthews Band Summer Tour 2010 by SwearImNotPaul

Download: How to Destroy Angels EP

Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails fame has unleashed a new sideproject on the world. His bandmates in How to Destroy Angels are his wife Mariqueen Maandig and Nine Inch Nails producer Atticus Ross. The best part about it all is that the EP is available for free, and you don't even have to click through to anywhere. Download it below as 320kbos mp3s. Excellent. You can also upgrade to a Hi-Def version of the album for two dollars, which includes the video for 'The Space In Between'.

Tracklist:
1. "The Space in Between" 3:35
2. "Parasite" 5:05
3. "Fur-Lined" 4:00
4. "BBB" 3:31
5. "The Believers" 5:36
6. "A Drowning" 7:04

Download: Joe Pug - Bury Me Far From My Uniform

'Bury Me Far From My Uniform' was the standout track on Joe Pug's debut album Messenger, and in time for Memorial Day, he has made it available as a free mp3 download. It's one of the best war songs of recent years, alongside labelmate Jason Isbell's 'Dress Blues'.

Download:
Joe Pug - 'Bury Me Far From My Uniform'

Watch the song performed live:

Download: Dave Matthews Band - Break For It

Dave Matthews Band opened their summer tour in Hartford, CT last night with a very varied set, including a 'JTR' opener and a rare appearance of 'Kit Kat Jam'. The biggest surprise of the night, however, was kept for the encore: the never before played 'Break For It' (previously known as 'Run While We Can'). Have a listen to the song below, or else download the FLAC from Kozmo Kramer's recording. Lyrics transcribed by pkrfan.

Lyrics:
(With a start?)
Woke up, the bang
It's too many ghosts in here
Makes me wonder
Will we find peace anywhere?
When you hold me, girl
It falls all far away
If only if I could
Always feel this way

Can't help but think (that I/about)
Come on lets take a ride
Come on just you and me
Come on

Let's make a
Break for it baby
Let's make a
Place of our own desire
Let's make a
Break for it baby
Let's run while we can
While we, let's run while we can

TV's on, turn it off
Too many lies in there
Makes me wonder
Will we find the truth some day?
But then you talk to me
You are the truth I need
I could walk through any door
If I could always be this sure

Can't help but think (that I/about)
Come on lets take a ride
Come on just you and me...
Come on

Let's make a
Break for it baby
Let's make a
Life of our own desire
Let's make a
Break for it baby
Let's run while we can
Let's run while we can

You got me
You got me

Let's make a
Break for it baby
Let's make a
Life of our own desire
Let's make a
Break for it baby
Let's make a...

Let's make a
Break for it baby
Let's make a
Life of our own desire
Let's make a
Break for it baby
Let's run while we can
My Queen
Let's run while we can
Let's run while we can


Download:
Dave Matthews Band - 'Break For It' (FLAC)
Dave Matthews Band - 'Break for it' (June 7th, 2010) mp3

Stream:

Download: Hoarsebox - Work Party

Dublin four-piece Hoarsebox are currently recording their debut album in the States with producer Dennis Herring (Modest Mouse, Elvis Costello, The Hives, Counting Crows). The album doesn't have a name quite yet, but is due for release sometime around September. However, having Herring on board is getting me amped up for the release, he produced Counting Crows' underrated This Desert Life as well as Modest Mouse's Good News for People Who Love Bad News.

To fill the void between now and then, the band are offering up their double A-side single 'Work Party'/'Inside Out' as a free download - all you need is to enter your email address.

Download:

More info:
http://www.hoarsebox.com/home/

Album News: The Walpurgis Family - Midsummer Party

Midsummer Party is the debut album from the bastard child of Groom, The Walpurgis Family. It's due for release this weekend with a special launch party at Bewley's Cafe Theatre on Friday, the 21st of May. Support for the release party comes from Jonny Fun and The... Hesitations and Mumblin' Deaf Ro.

The Walpurgis Family are made up of 3/5ths of Groom, and make equally melodic songs. Their press release compares them to Wilco and Yo La Tengo, and it's not half wrong. Midsummer Party is a lightning burst of an album, at only 27 minutes, it's full of quick fist-pounding tunes.

They'll also be playing Whelan's on June 19th as part of the Popical Island Collective.

Download:
The Walpurgis Family - 'Output One Two'
The Walpurgis Family - 'Lost in Public Transportation'

More info:
http://www.myspace.com/walpurgisfamily

Album News: Made in Iceland 3

Compilation albums are tricky things. Most of the time they're not successful, as one act always shines far above the others. On the flip side, compilation albums are great because you get to hear songs and bands you would have never heard otherwise (unless it's a Now That's What I Call Music record). Made in Iceland 3 features some new(ish) tracks from most of Iceland's best loved musicians. As well as a tune from Sigur Rós's Jonsi ('Boy Lilikoi'), there's excellent songs from Olafur Arnalds and Valgeir Sigurdsson.

Made in Iceland III is out now on Iceland Music Export.

TRACKLISTING:
1. For a Minor Reflection // Dansi Dans
2. Jonsi // Boy Lilikoi
3. Hjaltalin // Suitcase Man
4. Reykjavik! // Repticon
5. Seabear // I'll Build You a Fire
6. Ben Frost // Hibakusja
7. Stafraenn Hakon // Temporality
8. Berndsen // Supertime
9. Kimono // Tomorrow
10. Valgeir Sigurdsson // Past Tundra
11. Benni Hemm Hemm // Retaliate
12. Pondus // Not Again
13. Lay Low // Aukalagid
14. Feldberg // Dreamin'
15. Snorri Helgason // Freeze Out
16. Sam Amidon // How Come That Blood
17. SkakkaManage // Now or Never
18. Sudden Weather Change // St. Peter's Day
19. Emiliana Torrini // Beggar's Prayer
20. Olafur Arnalds // Tunglid

Sample:
Olafur Arnalds - 'Tunglid'
Hjaltalin - 'Suitcase Man'

More info:
www.icelandmusic.is

Watch: Conor Furlong - Are You Going to Sleep Tonight

'Are You Going to Sleep Tonight' is the new single from Conor Furlong, which will be made available as a free download on his website from tomorrow. There will be another song to download too, so you'll get two for the price of one.

More info/Download tomorrow:
www.conorfurlong.com

Watch Conor Furlong - 'Are You Going to Sleep?':

Album News: Wolf Parade - Expo 86

The third album from Spencer Krug's excellent Wolf Parade, Expo 86 is due for release in June, and from the previews of it (i.e. it leaked at the weekend), it's going to be mega. If you want to steer on the legal side of things, have a listen to mp3s of two of the songs below (thanks to Pitchfork).

Tracklist:
1. "Cloud Shadow on the Mountain" - 4:22
2. "Palm Road" - 4:41
3. "What Did My Lover Say? (It Always Had to Go This Way)" - 5:42
4. "Little Golden Age" - 5:00
5. "In the Direction of the Moon" - 5:46
6. "Ghost Pressure" - 5:16
7. "Pobody's Nerfect" - 5:50
8. "Two Men in New Tuxedos" - 3:09
9. "Oh You, Old Thing" - 5:46
10. "Yulia" - 3:47
11. "Cave-o-Sapien" - 6:19

Download:
Wolf Parade - 'Ghost Pressure'
Wolf Parade - 'What Did My Lover Say'

Download: Drive-By Truckers - Ray's Automatic Weapon

Drive-By Truckers pulled out a new song last week during a live show at the Boulder Theater in Boulder, Colorado. It's called 'Ray's Automatic Weapon', and according to frontman Patterson Hood, it has already been recorded in studio for the band's second album of the year, Go Go Boots. Download the song as an mp3 below, and then go have a listen to the full show.

1. Intro (Your Woman Is A Living Thing)
2. The Fourth Night of My Drinking
3. Three Dimes Down
4. Life in the Factory
5. Gravity's Gone
6. Ray's Automatic Weapon
7. Birthday Boy
8. Girls Who Smoke
9. Daddy Needs A Drink
10. A Ghost To Most
11. Home Field Advantage
12. Sink Hole
13. Uncle Frank
14. This Fucking Job
15. Get Downtown
16. (It's Gonna Be) I Told You So
17. Drag The Lake Charlie
18. Zip City
19. Ronnie and Neil
20. Road Cases
21. 72 (this highway's mean)
22. After The Scene Dies
23. Self Destructive Zones
24. Buttholeville > State Trooper
---
25. Encore Intro
26. Marry Me
27. Jay's Circus Intro > The Flying Wallendas
28. Hell No, I Ain't Happy
29. Shut Up and Get On The Plane
30. Let There Be Rock
31. Rockin' In The Free World

Download:
Drive-By Truckers - 'Ray's Automatic Weapon'

Full Show

Album News: Fast Forward - An Indie Music Compilation to World Cup 2010

This is perhaps one of the best ideas I've seen in a very long time. It's a collection of 32 songs - one for each team - about the World Cup, featuring some of Ireland's finest artists. Well it's about as close as we're going to get to the World Cup, especially when you look at the French tune, 'Irlande' from the Very Most. Some of the highlights for me have to be Grand Pocket Orchestra, Pearse McLoughlin, Hunter-Gatherer, and Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin.

There's some wonderful tunes on here, and it's an album you'll keep coming back to. You can stream it in full over at Indiecater Records' website, or else buy the whole damn thing for €5. A measly €5 for 32 songs!

1) Cop On The Edge - Bafana Bafana (RSA)
2) Standard Fare - Vaya Vaya México! (MEX)
3) Showstar - Uruguay! (URU)
4) The Very Most - Irlande (FRA)
5) The Dirty 9s - Ballad of El Diego (ARG)
6) Grand Pocket Orchestra - Nigeria (NGA)
7) Pearse McLoughlin - Jongmyo Shrine (KOR)
8) At Last An Atlas - The Pirate Ship (GRE)
9) Detox Cute - St George's Day (ENG)
10) Echo Orbiter - Game Without A Name (USA)
11) Boca Chica - Wildlife of Algeria (ALG)
12) Lightholler - Slovenia's Dream (SVN)
13) Betty and the Cavalero - Meet Me At The Red Light (GER)
14) Sleep Good - Australia (AUS)
15) Hunter-Gatherer - Serbia (SRB)
16) The Invisible Clock Factory - We Are The Black Stars (GHA)
17) Burning Codes - Wooded Land (NED)
18) Cleemann - Princes of Denmark (DEN)
19) Goatboy - Japanese City Nights (JPN)
20) Spirit Spine - Field Way (Song For Cameroon) (CMR)
21) Le Man Avec Les Lunettes - Don't Get Fooled By The Football
Players' Summery Outfit (ITA)
22) Harry Bird - Pesadilla No.7 (PAR)
23) Adam & Darcie - Aotearoa (NZL)
24) Escape Act - Slovakia (SVK)
25) Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin - Back To You (BRA)
26) Francis Bacon's Ghost - Kim Jung II (PRK)
27) Storkboy Choons - Côte d'Ivoire (CIV)
28) Tap Tap - Dry Dry Land (POR)
29) The Yellow Melodies - Vamos A Ganar El Mundial (ESP)
30) Candy Claws - Alp Sway Snow Team (SUI)
31) My Brother Woody - Carlos Dreams of World Cup Glory (HON)
32) Manwomanchild - Chile La Roja (CHI)

Sample:
Le Man Avec Les Lunettes - Don't Get Fooled By The Football
Players' Summery Outfit (ITA)

More info/Buy:
http://www.indiecater.com/fast-forward-an-indie-music-companion-to-south-africa-2010/

Download: Dave Rawlings Machine - Cedar Cultural Centrer, 9th December 2009

Here's a fantastic bootleg from late last year, just after Dave Rawlings Machine released their excellent debut Friend of a Friend. Before that, Dave Rawlings was best known as being a guitarist with Gillian Welch as well as Ryan Adams. His debut marked him out as a wonderful artist on his own merits. Check out some of the songs on this bootleg, taken from the Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis, MN on the 9th of December 2009. The download is courtesy of dluva, who says "I've been listening to a ton of Dave Rawlings Machine lately. Here's a link to a great show. The sound is excellent, too. Enjoy!"

Setlist:
1. Monkey And The Engineer
2. Elvis Presley Blues
3. Hot Corn, Cold Corn
4. I Hear Them All > This Land Is Your Land > I Hear Them All
5. Ruby
6. I'm On My Way Back To The Old Home
7. Copper Kettle
8. Throw Me A Rope
9. Sweet Tooth
10. C.C. Rider
11. It's Too Easy
12. Spodeeodee
13. No One Knows My Name
14. Look at Miss Ohio
15. Method Acting > Cortez the Killer
16. Field Of Opportunity
17. Bells of Harlem
18. Queen Jane Approximately
Encore
19. How's About You
20. Red Clay Halo
21. To Be Young (Is To Be Sad, Is To Be High)
22. The Weight

Dave Rawlings: Vocal/Guitar/Banjo
Gillian Welch: Guitar/Vocal/Banjo/Harmonica
Ketch Secor: Fiddle/Harmonica/Bass Vocal
Willie Watson: Guitar/Vocal/2nd Fiddle on "It's Too Easy"
Morgan Jahnig: Bass

Download:
Full Show

Album News: Seth Lakeman - Hearts and Minds

Seth Lakeman's second and third albums Kitty Jay and Freedom Fields were two of the finest folk records of the past decade, thus I'm excited to hear that he has a new album (his fifth) on the way.

Hearts and Minds is due on June 14th, and one of the tracks can be downloaded now from his official website (via twitter or facebook).

Possible tracks:
- Circle Grows
- Preachers Ghost
- Fire & Dirt
- Stepping Over You
- The Watchman
- Signed and Sealed

Download:
Seth Lakeman - 'Hard Working Man'

Making of Video:

Download: Mumford and Sons - Oxford Arts Centre, Sydney Bootleg

Mumford and Sons played a few shows in Australia to support their debut album Sigh No More, including this one at the Oxford Arts Centre in Sydney.

Thanks to JJJ for the show.

Setlist:
1. Sigh No More
2. Awake My Soul
3. Timshel
4. White Blank Page
5. Little Lion Man
6. The Cave
7. I Gave You All
8. Roll Away Your Stone
9. Dust Bowl Dance

Download:
Full Show

Watch 'Roll Away Your Stone':

Album News: Bill Coleman - Black and Green EP (False North)

Bill Coleman has unleashed the latest part of his EP series, following on from Black and Red, he's released Black and Green, also called False North due to the EP's opening track. It can be downloaded for any price you choose (click the link below), but before you do have a sample of the track 'False North' as an mp3 below. You can download the EP in a variety of flavours, mp3, FLAC, whatever you want. Black and Blue is due later this month.

Tracklist:
1. False North
2. Church of Second Chances
3. She Moved Through the Fair
4. I Want You to Know (C:\ Driver Bray Pride Mix)

Download:
Bill Coleman - 'False North'

Download:
Full EP

Download: 202s - Virtual 7 Inch #1

I might be looking for trouble by titling a post "virtual seven inch", but how and ever. Irish rock band 202s (who released their self-titled debut last year) have announced the first in their series of remix singles. Thus the title 'Virtual 7 Inch #1'.

The first release features remixes from Strands as well as St. Catherine's Home for Lazy Infants. Strands is the new project of Stephen Shannon from Halfset, while SCHFLI were another act to release a debut album in 2009. Theirs was called Old Ghosts.

Tracklist:
1. 'A Little At A Time' (Strands remix)
2. 'Repeat' (SCHFLI remix)

Download:
http://202s.bandcamp.com/album/202s-virtual-7-inch-1

More info:
http://202s.blogspot.com/

Download: Mumford and Sons - Dance, Dance, Dance

Everybody's favourite new folk band Mumford and Sons played a special intimate session for the wonderful Song by Toad at the weekend. They played four songs before rushing off for a headline gig, including 'White Blank Page' and 'Awake My Soul' from their fantastic debut album Sigh No More. In addition to this, they played 'Untitled', and a cover of Neil Young's 'Dance Dance Dance'. This was the highlight for me. You can download it below, and have a listen to the video. When you're done, head over to Song By Toad to download and listen to the rest.

Download:
Mumford and Sons - 'Dance, Dance, Dance'

More:
http://songbytoad.com/2010/04/toadcast-117-mumford-sons-toad-session/

Watch Mumford and Sons - 'Dance, Dance, Dance':

Download: The Hold Steady - April 3rd, 2010 Bootleg

The Hold Steady played some material from new album Heaven is Whenever (due May 4th) at Toad's Place in North Haven, CT on Saturday night, and you can download the full show in mp3 bootleg form below. The new songs are track 1 'Rock Problems', 13 'Soft in the Center', 15 'Hurricane J', 16 'We Can Get Together', 18 'The Weekenders', and 20 'A Slight Discomfort'. Enjoy!

Setlist:
1. Rock Problems
2. Magazines
3. You Can Make Him Like You
4. Hot Soft Light
5. Constructive Summer
6. Navy Sheets
7. Chips Ahoy!
8. Chicago Seemed Tired Last Night
9. The Swish
10. Party Pit
11. Massive Nights
12. Banging Camp
13. Soft in the Center
14. Sequestered in Memphis
15. Hurricane J
16. We Can Get Together
17. Your Little Hoodrat Friend
18. The Weekenders
19. Stuck Between Stations
20. A Slight Discomfort

(encore)
21. Hornets! Hornets!
22. Stay Positive
23. Killer Parties

Download:
Full Show

Download: Tallest Man on Earth - Burden of Tomorrow

Many of you may already have downloaded 'King of Spain' from the new Tallest Man on Earth album The Wild Hunt, but now I'm giving you the chance to hear another one of the album's ten tracks - all for the astonishing price of free. You can download the mp3 of 'Burden of Tomorrow' below, and whet your appetite even more for The Wild Hunt, which is due on April 9th in Ireland on Dead Oceans. He will also be playing Ireland this summer to promote the record - at Whelan's on June 10th.

Tracklist:
01 The Wild Hunt
02 Burden of Tomorrow
03 Troubles Will be Gone
04 You're Going Back
05 The Drying of the Lawns
06 King of Spain
07 Love Is All
08 Thousand Ways
09 A Lion's Heart
10 Kids on the Run


Download:
The Tallest Man on Earth - 'Burden of Tomorrow'
The Tallest Man on Earth - 'King of Spain'

Download: Patterson Hood - Darkness on the Edge of Town Bootleg

Patterson Hood and a bunch of others covered some of their favourite songs back in 2007 (the 1st of December to be exact) as part of Underneath the Covers 2 - an AIDS Athens benefit night. Patterson Hood chose some songs from Bruce Springsteen's Darkness on the Edge of Town, and enlisted John Neff, David Barbe, Brad Morgan, and Jay Gonzalez.

Tracklist:
1 – Badlands
2 – Something In The Night
3 – Candy’s Room
4 – Racing In The Street
5 – Adam Raised A Cain
6 – Darkness On The Edge Of Town

Sample:
Patterson Hood - 'Badlands'
Patterson Hood - 'Adam Raised a Cain'

Download:
Full Show

(Bootleg taped by Sloan Simpson)

Download: Burning Codes - Speaking in Code

'Speaking in Code' is the new tune from Belfast's wonderful Burning in Codes. They're led by Paul Archer (brother of the fantastic songwriter Iain), and have improved majestically since their debut album. Burning Codes 2 is released via Indiecater Records, and can be streamed in full over at the Indiecater site. Oh and if you like it as much as I did after hearing 'Speaking in Code', you can also buy it for €4. That's right. Less than the price of a chicken fillet roll!

Download:
Burning Codes - 'Speaking in Code'

More info/Buy/Stream:
http://www.indiecater.com/burning-codes-burning-codes-2/

Download: Alcest - Escailles de Lune [Part I]

The new Alcest album, and follow-up to the wonderful Souvenirs d'un Autre Monde, Écailles de Lune will be released on April 20th, and in anticipation, their record label has released part one of the title track to stream and download. Have a listen to it below.

Tracklist:
01. Écailles De Lune (Part I)
02. Écailles De Lune (Part II)
03. Percées De Lumière
04. Abysses
05. Solar Song
06. Sur L'Océan Couleur De Fer

Download:
Alcest - 'Escailles de Lune [Part I]'

Album Review: Holy Roman Army - Desecrations EP

The Holy Roman Army - Desecrations EP

On Saturday, the Guardian had a feature in its weekly Guide supplement entitled "Is it time for your rubbish covers album?" which was highly entertaining, and very pertinent in an era where everyone seems to release a covers album due to sheer laziness or else to make money.

Luckily, the Holy Roman Army don't fit into either of these categories. Desecration is a free EP, where each of the five songs covered have been reinterpreted into the Holy Roman Army's own style, and fit in perfectly with their already established tunes.

So let's follow the Guardian flowchart for the Holy Roman Army?

1. Are you a pop musician?
Not necessarily pop, but definitely music. So we'll go for "Yes".

2. Do you think you are better than Marvin Gaye, Roy Orbison or Public Enemy, or indeed all of them?
Well I can't speak for the band, but I'm going to go with "No" on this one. I'd like to think they're humble enough.

4. Have you have any hits this past decade?
Well, they've only been around a few years, and last year's debut album How the Light Gets In was met to much critical acclaim. So "Yes".

7. How have you spent most of this last decade?
Not sure about the "cocaine" answer, and it's not the money one, so I'm plumping with "Consistently releasing perfectly serviceable, very successful albums"

11. Don't bother releasing an album of cover versions. It's the last dice-roll of a desperate act. Unless you're Johnny Cash. And to be fair, it's unlikely you're reading this if you are.

So perhaps not the best time for Holy Roman Army to release a covers album. It's good for us that they only released half an album then. There are some interesting choices of covers here. It opens with the Pixies 'Wave of Mutilation' which has been beautifully mutilated into something they can call their own. Rollerskate Skinny's 'Speed to my Side' is an inspired choice, and is given a whole new dimension here.

The songs which work the best are Pavement's 'Here' and Bon Iver's 'Skinny Love'. The latter is almost unrecognisable from the original, with only the lyrics left to connect the dots. Holy Roman Army haven't desecrated anything, but rather redrawn and refined in their own fashionable way. A great little EP, and a nice stopgap until the next proper album comes along. Take that Guardian!

Download the album in a variety of formats from ogg to mp3 to flac here:
http://theholyromanarmy.bandcamp.com/album/desecrations

Or alternatively, have a listen here:

Download: Justin Townes Earle - Atlantic City

Justin Townes Earle brought out a special guest to perform during the encore at his gig at the Arts Center in Carrboro, North Carolina on Tuesday night. Joe Pug came out to duet on a fantastic cover of Bruce Springsteen's 'Atlantic City'. You can download the song, as well as the full show below.

Disc 1 - (48:50)

1. Poor Fool
2. They Killed John Henry
3. Halfway To Jackson
4. I Don't Care
5. What Do You Do When You're Lonesome
6. Mamas Eyes
7. Boy Keep Movin'
8. What I Mean To You
9. Someday I'll Be Forgiven For This
10. Ain't Waitin'
11. A Wanderin'
12. chatter - Mance Lipscomb
13. So Different Blues (Mance Lipscomb)
14. chatter - Lightning Hopkins
15. Starter Won't Start (Lightning Hopkins)

Disc 2 - (46:46)

1. chatter - The Door Had Healthcare
2. Hard Livin'
3. Ain't Glad I'm Leavin'
4. Lone Pine Hill
5. Workin' For The MTA
6. Mama I'm Coming Home
7. Can't Hardly Wait (For Chris Feinstein) (Replacements)
8. Midnight At The Movies
9. encore
10. Yuma
11. chatter - Joe Pug intro
12. Atlantic City* (Bruce Springsteen)
13. Close Up The Honky Tonks (Buck Owens)

*=with Joe Pug

Sample:
Justin Townes Earle - 'Atlantic City' (ft. Joe Pug)

Download:
Full Show

Download: The Rolling Stones - 17-10-1973 Brussels Bootleg

Here's a wonderful bootleg from the Rolling Stones, recorded the 17th of October, 1973 in Brussels, Belgium. Plenty of classic tunes on here, but the highlights are a fantastic 'Midnight Rambler', and the closer 'Street Fighting Man'. Sounds nothing like the studio versions. A recommended download.

Setlist:
1. Brown Sugar
2. Gimme Shelter
3. Happy
4. Tumbling Dice
5. Dancing with Mr. D
6. Angie
7. You Can't Always Get What You Want
8. Midnight Rambler
9. Honky-Tonk Women
10. All Down The Line
11. Rip This Joint
12. Jumping Jack Flash
13. Street Fighting Man

Download:
Full Show

Download: Drive-By Truckers - The Big To-Do Live

The new Drive-By Truckers album is less than a month away. The Big To-Do comes out on March 16th on ATO Records, and to tease you as to its contents, I'm putting up downloads of all the available live recordings of the new songs. Click on the dates below the song names to download that particular version.

Downloads:

1. Daddy Learned to Fly
January 16, 2010
January 29, 2010
February 11, 2010
February 12, 2010
February 13, 2010

2. The Fourth Night of My Drinking
January 15, 2010
January 16, 2010
February 11, 2010
February 13, 2010

3. Birthday Boy
January 15, 2010
January 16, 2010
January 29, 2010
January 30, 2010
February 11, 2010
February 12, 2010
February 14, 2010

4. Drag the Lake Charlie
January 14, 2010
January 16, 2010
February 12, 2010

5. The Wig He Made Her Wear
January 14, 2010
January 16, 2010
February 12, 2010

6. You Got Another
January 14, 2010
January 15, 2010
January 16, 2010
February 12, 2010

7. This Fucking Job
January 14, 2010
January 29, 2010
January 30, 2010
February 11, 2010
February 12, 2010
February 13, 2010
February 14, 2010

8. Get Downtown
January 15, 2010
January 16, 2010
January 30, 2010
February 11, 2010
February 12, 2010
February 14, 2010

9. After the Scene Dies
January 15, 2010
January 16, 2010
February 11, 2010

10. (It's Gonna Be) I Told You So
January 15, 2010
January 16, 2010
January 30, 2010
February 11, 2010
February 12, 2010
February 13, 2010
February 14, 2010

11. Santa Fe
January 15, 2010
January 30, 2010
February 12, 2010
February 14, 2010

12. The Flying Wallendas
January 14, 2010
January 15, 2010
January 16, 2010
January 30, 2010
February 11, 2010
February 12, 2010
February 13, 2010
February 14, 2010

13. Eyes Like Glue
Has not been played live. Guess you'll have to wait for the album...

Live: Innercity Pirates Irish Tour

Innercity Pirates are an Irish-Welsh band, and are due to release their debut album Cutting Noses, Chasing Tales later this year. It's produced by Pedro Ferreira (The Darkness), and promises to be a great rock record. One of its singles 'Dedication', has already featured in a Guinness advert!

To give you a sneak peak of what you may hear, the band's singer, Russell, has given me two of the tracks from the album as free mp3 downloads.

I know many of us are trying to scrimp together the pennies to afford Oxegen tickets, so the best news about their Irish tour is that it's free entry! They'll be supported by the Laurel Collective on their entire UK & Ireland tour.

Irish Dates:
March 3rd Cyprus Avenue, Cork
March 4th Roisin Dubh, Galway
March 5th Academy, Dublin (Phantom’s First Fridays)
March 6th Belfast Spring and Airbrake

Download:
Innercity Pirates - 'Loves Over'
Innercity Pirates - 'Seen It All Before'

More info:
www.myspace.com/innercitypirates

Album News: Broken Social Scene - Forgiveness Rock Record

The new Broken Social Scene album, Forgiveness Rock Record, will be released on May 4th. It'll be out on Arts& Crafts in the US, and will be out May 1st in Ireland. Hopefully it's every bit as good as the classic You Forgot It In People. They're giving away one of the album's tracks, 'World Sick' for the price of an email address - just fill it in below.

Download:

Download: Chris Singleton - Twisted City

Chris Singleton will be releasing his new album, Lady Gasoline in the summer on IRL, and has released a podcast preview for it. In addition to this, he has made his last album, Twisted City, available as a free download - all for the price of an email address. That's the cover for the new album above - as you can see it was recorded with his new full band, The Distractions - it promises to be great.

Download:
http://www.singletonmusic.com/freealbum/register.htm?newsletter-feb-2010

Download: Small Black - Despicable Dogs

Small Black is the latest addition to the Jagjaguwar stable, and are set to release an extended version of their 2009 breakout Small Black EP. There's two new tracks on the EP, 'Kings of Animals' and 'Baby Bird Pt. 2', but the real hit is still the excellent 'Despicable Dogs'. The remastered EP comes out April 27th.

Tracklist:
1. Despicable Dogs
2. Weird Machines
3. Bad Lover
4. Pleasant Experience
5. Lady in the Wires
6. Kings of Animals
7. Baby Bird, Pt. 2

Download:
Small Black - 'Despicable Dogs'

Download: Josh Ritter - Change of Time

'Change of Time' is the first single from Josh Ritter's new album So Runs the World Away. It'll be released in Ireland on April 23rd ahead of his nationwide tour, but the US and other countries will have to wait until May to hear it. You can download the song by entering your email below, and also have a listen to the title track.

Irish dates:
April 24 - Radisson SAS, Galway
April 25 - Dolan's, Limerick
April 27 - Grand Canal Theatre, Dublin
April 30 - Kilkenny Rhythym and Roots Festival

Download 'Change of Time':

Stream 'So Runs the World Away':

Download: Fulton Read - Synchronize EP

Some bands have terrible names - the Buttless Chaps is probably the worst I have ever come across - but Fulton Read is probably my favourite. They played SXSW last March, and are generating a bit of hype. Great news is that they've made their new EP, Synchronize freely available to download from their website. In case you don't know what the name is about, he played #44 for the District 5 PeeWee hockey team. Google it!

Download:
www.fultonread.com

Download: Los Campesinos - Romance is Boring

'Romance is Boring' is the title track from the new Los Campesinos album, and they've made it available for free download. The album came out last Friday in Ireland and earlier this week in the UK and US. It's easily as upbeat and poppy as their first two, so if you liked either of those, you should definitely check it out.

Tracklist:
1."In Medias Res" 4:42
2. "There Are Listed Buildings" 2:54
3. "Romance Is Boring" 2:35
4. "We’ve Got Your Back (Documented Minor Emotional Breakdown #2)" 4:29
5. "Plan A" 2:02
6. "200-102" 0:53
7. "Straight in at 101" 3:55
8. "Who Fell Asleep In" 4:11
9. "I Warned You: Do Not Make an Enemy of Me" 2:47
10. "Heart Swells/100-1" 0:46
11. "I Just Sighed. I Just Sighed, Just So You Know" 4:38
12. "A Heat Rash in the Shape of the Show Me State; or, Letters from Me to Charlotte" 3:43
13. "The Sea Is a Good Place to Think of the Future" 4:24
14. "This Is a Flag. There Is No Wind" 3:28
15. "Coda: A Burn Scar in the Shape of the Sooner State*" 2:52

Download:
Los Campesinos - 'Romance is Boring'

Download: Joe Pug - The Sharpest Crown

Joe Pug has been fairly busy. He put out two EPs last year, recorded his full-length debut, and has been touring heavily with luminaries such as Justin Townes Earle and Josh Ritter (oh, and Justin's dad, Steve). The full album, Messenger comes out February 16th, but as a little treat, you can download an mp3 of 'The Sharpest Crown' below.

Track listing:
1. Messenger
2. How Good You Are
3. Not So Sure
4. The Sharpest Crown
5. The Door Was Always Open
6. The First Time I Saw You
7. Unsophisticated Heart
8. Disguised as Someone Else
9. Bury Me Far (From My Uniform)
10. Speak Plainly, Diana



Download:
Joe Pug - 'The Sharpest Crown'

Download: French Horn Rebellion - Free EP

For the price of an email address, you can download a free EP from French Horn Rebellion. If you haven't heard of them yet, you probably will soon, as they're due to support Little Boots. The EP is called The Chart (of Plancus City), and is a nice slice of NYC Disco/dance-pop. The next Hot Chip perhaps?

Tracklist:
1. What I want (demo edit)
2. Up All Night (Might Five Remix)
3. Ancient Lover – Tiger City (French Horn Rebellion remix)
4. The Quatrain

Download:
http://fan.musicglue.com/sale/promoproducts.aspx?ProductId=A8A0C01E-1F6D-46CE-9E61-359938946A1B

Download: Drive-By Truckers - This Fucking Job

'This Fucking Job' is one of the many Patterson Hood-penned tracks on the upcoming Drive-By Truckers album The Big To Do, and the band have made it available as a free download. They're also unveiling the album cover for the record, which is due March 16th on ATO Records.

This is what they had to say about the cover: "This is the seventh DBT album that has featured original artwork by Wes Freed. The band has a very special relationship with Wes, they never tell him what to draw and often give him no input at all, yet he always seems to find some subtext, often one they didn’t know was there, that he brings out and runs with. That relationship has hit a new level on this album, as he basically illustrated every song. He honed in on the circus allusions of The Rock Show and how it all could be tied together in The Big To-Do. Look for more pieces to be unveiled in the weeks prior to release date."

Download:
Drive-By Truckers - 'This Fucking Job'

Album News: The Tallest Man on Earth - The Wild Hunt

The first Tallest Man on Earth album, Shallow Grave was absolutely fantastic, and he's signed to US label Dead Oceans to release the follow-up The Wild Hunt. He'll be releasing it on April 13th, and has made lead single 'The King of Spain' a free mp3 download.

Tracklist:
01 The Wild Hunt
02 Burden of Tomorrow
03 Troubles Will be Gone
04 You're Going Back
05 The Drying of the Lawns
06 King of Spain
07 Love Is All
08 Thousand Ways
09 A Lion's Heart
10 Kids on the Run

Download:
The Tallest Man on Earth - 'The King of Spain'

Download: Joanna Newsom - Melbourne, Jan 20 Bootleg

Joanna Newsom played some new material at Melbourne's Forum Theatre last Wednesday, Faster Louder was in attendance and had this to say: (Download the bootleg at the bottom, below the review. Plenty of songs from upcoming triple LP Have One on Me were played.)

There’s no doubt that Joanna Newsom is somewhat of acquired taste. Her unique voice holds a chiLd-like beauty to some whilst jarring to others. For many, she sits at the pinnacle of the indie-folk world; 2006’s Y’s in particular regarded as one of the genre’s finest of the past decade. Yet, for all the skinny black-jeans and thick-rimmed glasses that were on show, Newsom’s set leant far more on her classical groundings. Before an adoring audience, she and her band treated the Forum to a delicate and carefully crafted evening’s entertainment.

In front of a crowd who seemed more interested in talking than in his music, Ned Collette was extremely comfortable. Too much so. A regular support act for bigger drawcards, he appeared quite content to meander through his catalogue and let it wash over whoever was listening. Dedicating All The Signs to the Tote and the Arthouse did garner some appreciation yet, other than a searching instrumental at the close of his set with backing band Wild Orca, there was no earnestness and little to be inspired about.

Joanna Newsom strode out to her harp, positively beaming at her audience. “Hello everyone. I’m going to be playing a lot of new songs tonight. I hope that’s okay.” The rapturous applause that met that statement suggested it would be. The first of these was a gentle, playful love song; one that could have comfortably taken its place on 2004’s Milk-Eyed Mender.

Newsom’s six-piece band was then welcomed to the stage, bringing with them a trumpet, trombone, drums, two violins, a guitar and a mandolin. Bridges and Balloons followed, receiving very subtle assistance from Neil Morgan on drums and occasional strumming from guitarist Ryan Francesconi. Having thanked Francesconi for arranging her latest material to suit a live setting, Newsom pushed through two more new songs; the second possibly titled Ribbon Bows. It emphasised Newsom’s poetic tendencies and was set against warm, intermittent sounds from her string section.

“It’s going to be a bit loosey-goosey with the tuning,” Newsom told the crowd, fussing for a minute over her harp which, it should be said, completely dwarfed her on stage. She begun another new song, tentatively titled In California by the internet community, before stopping dead two minutes in. “Sorry, we need help. Someone fell.” Looking genuinely concerned, Newsom waited several minutes before a girl, who passed out, was carried from the congested front row. It was somewhat strange given the context, especially as the crowd had been, to this point, completely silent and exceptionally well mannered.

Starting once more from the top (at the audience’s behest), Newsom plucked her way through a slightly softer version of the song; with her drummer only imposing himself towards its conclusion.

Switching to piano gave a slightly darker overtone to yet another new and unnamed song, with heavier full-bodied accompaniment from the horn section. This, however, was off-set by the bouncing tempo of Inflammatory Writ which followed; aided by the backing vocals of both Morgan and Francesconi.

After thanking Ned Collette for supporting her, Newsom requested another minute or so to once again tune her harp. The particulars of her sound were clearly quite important. The opening notes to Emily were then greeted with a large cheer; Newsom’s voice rising and falling with more power than on-record. It marked a transition into older material, with The Book of Right On and Peach, Plum, Pear thrilling the Forum.

Closing with a solo encore performance of Esame, Newsom proved a couple of things. She is certainly capable of commanding a large audience on her own; the song’s gentle lyrics matched well against her soft harp. Yet, one felt the night may have suffered had she not been supported by a backing band, with many of her new songs driven by their classical arrangements.

Despite having not released anything for a few years, Joanna Newsom is still clearly held in the highest regard by so very many. The glimpses offered into her new and soon to be released album suggest a slightly fuller, bolder sound going forward. On her performance at the Forum, it seems evident that her new material will be every bit as revered as her past, much-loved work.



Setlist:
1. Jack Rabbits
2. Bridges and Balloons
3. Have One on Me
4. Ribbon Bows
5. In California
6. Easy
7. Inflammatory Writ
8. Soft as Chalk
9. Autumn
10. Emily
11. No Provenance
12. The Book of Right-On
13. Peach, Plum, Pear
14. Occident
---
15. Esme

Download:
Full Show

Download: She & Him - In the Sun

'In the Sun' is the first single from She & Him's upcoming Volume Two. She & Him is a collaboration between M Ward and Zooey Deschanel and their first album was a lovely album of beautiful harmonies. Hopefully the second one will be just as good, if not better. This song, 'In the Sun' features guest vocals from Tilly and the Wall. The album itself comes out February 23rd.

Download:
She & Him - 'In the Sun'

Download: Doctor Leaves - Doctor Leaves EP

Reading Doctor Leaves' bio is a heartwarming experience, I'm not sure if it's the effort they put into it (it's a well-thought out extensive story of their musical lives so far), or if it's the line that begins "Between them they also have a grasp over the flute". Intentional or not, it's fun. Just like their debut EP which was released in September of 2009.

I'm only getting around to hearing it now, but it is well worth your time downloading. It was recorded last summer and has a definite summer feel. There's only two official band members: Ben Shorten and Dara Munnis, but Dara has been lending his drumsticks to many other artists for a while now, and the EP features a fine selection of the Irish Musical Who's Who. There's Ciaran and Turlough of The Chapters and Graham from the Coronas on board as well as many other names. The backing vocals of Niamh Farrell and Bairbre Munnis are gorgeous too. Just check out 'Seven Year Itch' to see what I mean (to make it handy for you, I put the video below). The catchy closing track also has one of the best titles I've heard in a long time: 'Small Fish, Small Pond'. Brilliant.

You can stream the EP in full at their MySpace (as well as other online areas), or alternatively download it for the bargain price of zero cent at their official website here. I cannot wait for a full length album from these guys.

Tracklist:
No Step Forward
When Darkness Turns to Light
Seven Year Itch
Small Fish, Small Pond

Watch 'Seven Year Itch':


More info:
MySpace
Official Website

Download: JJ - Let Go (from JJ No 3)

JJ No. 3 is the second album from Swedish indie-pop band jj and will be released on Secretly Canadian on March 9th. It's the follow-up to their excellent debut jj no 2, which I must say I confused with our own JJ72 more than once! (If you're wondering whatever happened to jj no. 1, it was the name of their first single.) They've made the first single 'let go', a free download, and you can grab the mp3 below.

Tracklist:
1. "my life"
2. "and now"
3. "let go"
4. "into the light"
5. "light"
6. "voi parlate, io gioco"
7. "golden virginia"
8. "you know"
9. "i know" *
10. "no escapin' this"


Download:
JJ - 'Let Go'

Download: Peter Gabriel - Scratch My Back Podcast

Great news Gabriel fans, Peter has launched the first podcast for his new album Scratch My Back, which features introductions as well as clips from all the songs on the album. You can stream it on his website, or download the mp3 file (Right Click "Save Target As...").

Tracklist:
01 Heroes (David Bowie)
02 The Boy in the Bubble (Paul Simon)
03 Mirrorball (Elbow)
04 Flume (Bon Iver)
05 Listening Wind (Talking Heads)
06 The Power of the Heart (Lou Reed)
07 My Body is a Cage (Arcade Fire)
08 The Book of Love (The Magnetic Fields)
09 I Think it’s Going to Rain Today (Randy Newman)
10 Après Moi (Regina Spektor)
11 Philadelphia (Neil Young)
12 Street Spirit (Fade Out) (Radiohead)

Stream/Download:
http://www.petergabriel.com

Download: Ryan Adams - Olympia Theatre 27 November 2002 Bootleg

One of Ryan Adams' finest live performances in Ireland, this one is from the Olympia Theatre, Dublin in 2002 and even has Jesse Malin guesting in the encore. There are many, many highlights including an alternative take on Bryan Adams' 'Summer of 69', so it's a must-download for all Ryan Adams fans.

Disc One

01 Intro
02 Sweet Lil Gal (23rd/1st)
03 Oh My Sweet Carolina
04 Firecracker
05 To Be Young (Is To Be Sad Is To Be High)
06 Shadowlands
07 Touch, Feel & Lose
08 Tomorrow
09 The Rescue Blues
10 Damn, Sam (I Love A Woman That Rains)
11 Bartering Lines

Disc Two

01 Chat
02 SYLVIA PLATH
03 My Winding Wheel
04 Summer Of '69 Parody
05 La Cienega Just Smiled
06 Dear Chicago

Encore 1
07 Desire
08 You Will Always Be The Same
09 Sweetest Decline
10 Nobody Girl

Encore 2
11 Solitaire (w/ Jesse Malin)

Sample:
Ryan Adams - 'Summer of 69'
Ryan Adams - 'La Cienega Just Smiled'

Download:
Full Show

Download: The Besnard Lakes - Albatross

The Besnard Lakes release their new album The Besnard Lakes Are the Roaring Night, and have made first single 'Albatross' available for download as an mp3 from their label Jagjaguwar/Secretly Canadian's website. The album itself comes out on March 9th, and they'll be playing CrawDaddy two weeks after on the 25th of March.

Tracklist:
1. Like The Ocean, Like The Innocent; Pt. 1: The Ocean
2. Like The Ocean, Like The Innocent; Pt. 2: The Innocent
3. Chicago Train
4. Albatross
5. Glass Printer
6. Land of Living Skies; Pt. 1: The Land
7. Land of Living Skies; Pt. 2: The Living Skies
8. And This is What We Call Progress
9. Light Up The Night
10. The Lonely Moan

Download:
The Besnard Lakes - 'Albatross'

Download: Tallest Man on Earth - A Field of Birds

'A Field of Birds' is the theme tune for the Yellow Bird Project and is written and performed by the excellent Tallest Man on Earth. There are loads of other great acts involved (like the National, Grizzly Bear, Bloc Party), but here's what YBP had to say about this gorgeous tune:
"We wanted Kristian to create something which would embody the Yellow Bird Project, something which is in any way inspired by YBP - whether that be lyrically, melodically, or thematically... So, in true DIY fashion, we contacted him and we asked nicely... And in true DIY fashion he wrote, and recorded a song - just for us. Two demos later, here we are."

Stream:


Download:
http://soundcloud.com/stayloose/tallest-man-on-earth-a-field-of-birds-yellow-bird-project-theme

More info:
http://www.yellowbirdproject.com/

Album News: Laura Marling - I Speak Because I Can

Laura Marling's second album I Speak Because I Can will be released on Virgin on the 2nd of March 2010. It'll be produced by uber-producer Ethan Johns and will be a more rootsy album than her debut.

Lead single 'Goodbye England (Covered in Snow)' came out last week and gives a hint of what to expect. Have a listen below.

Download:
Laura Marling - 'Goodbye England'

Watch:

Download: Ryan Adams - Exit Inn Bootleg with Gillian Welch

Fantastic early Ryan Adams solo show which has Gillian Welch on guitar and vocals in the latter half. Recorded October 28, 1999 at the Exit/In, Nashville, Tennessee.

Transfer & Mastered by Joel Swaney (ryanadamsarchive@gmail.com)
Lineage: SBD > DAT(clone) > M1(Digital Out) > Adobe Audition 1.5(T-Racks) > WAV > FLAC

[Disc I]
01. Born Yesterday
02. Funny How I'm Losing You
03. Memories Of You
04. Oh My Sweet Valentine
05. To Be The One
06. Hey There, Mrs. Lovely
07. In My Time Of Need
08. Onslow County
09. Folklore

[Disc II]
01. Revelator*
02. Dancing With The Women At The Bar*

1st Encore:
03. Helpless*
04. Return Of The Grievous Angel*
05. 16 Days*

2nd Encore:
06. Nighttime Gals
07. Statuettes With Wounds
08. Avenues

Ryan Adams (Vocals / Guitar / Harmonica)
Gillian Welch (Vocals / Guitar)*

Sample:
Ryan Adams - 'Return of the Grievous Angel'
Ryan Adams - 'Hey There, Mrs Lovely'

Download:
Full Show

Download: Fight Like Apes - Live at Eurosonic

Today is MayKay's Birthday (got to love Christmas Birthdays), so Fight Like Apes have released their Live at Eurosonic via Soundcloud for free download. So we're getting a present for her birthday. Excellent.

Tracklist:
You Are The Hat
Do You Karate?
Digifucker
Jake Summers
I'm Beginning To Think You Prefer Beverly Hills 90210 To Me
Knucklehead
Lend Me Your Face
Lumpy Dough
Tie Me Up With Jackets
Canhead
Battlestations

Download:
Full Show

More info:
http://www.fightlikeapesmusic.com/

Download: David Geraghty - Thank God It's Christmas

David Geraghty's Victory Dance was my favourite Irish album of 2009, filled with gorgeous melodies. As a special thanks to all his fans who bought the record, he has covered Queen's 'Thank God It's Christmas'. It's a fantastic cover, which I recommend you download!

Download:
David Geraghty - 'Thank God It's Christmas'

Album News: Sam Amidon - I See the Sign

Some artists start off good and then hit a rough patch, however Sam Amidon is the exception to most rules, he gets better and better with each album. I See the Sign will be his fourth album, and comes out on March 1st, 2010. It's an album of traditional folkie tunes, and even includes a duet with Neko Case. Nice! You can also sample an mp3 of the opener 'How Come that Blood' below.

Tracklist:
01 How Come That Blood
02 Way Go Lily
03 You Better Mind
04 I See the Sign
05 Johanna the Row-di
06 Pretty Fair Damsel
07 Kedron
08 Rain and Snow
09 Climbing High Mountains
10 Relief
11 Red

Download:
Sam Amidon - 'How Come that Blood'

Download: Drive-By Truckers - two live songs from The Big To Do

You've probably read the tracklist for the new Drive-By Truckers album The Big To Do, what you may not know is that they have already played some of these new songs live. On the 29th of August 2009, they played two new tunes at the Visulite Theatre in Charlotte on their two-night stand there. The first 'Get Downtown' is a Mike Cooley penned song, and is track 8 on the new album. The second, 'I Told You So', or '(It's Gotta Be) I Told You So' is one of the songs bassist Shonna Tucker takes the lead vocal on, and is track 10. You can get them both here as mp3s, or else go over and get the entire bootleg in a zip file as mp3, flac, or ogg, whichever you wish!

Download:
The Drive-By Truckers - 'Get Downtown'
The Drive-By Truckers - '(It's Gotta Be) I Told You So'

Full Show

Download: Jonsi - Boy Lilikoi

Sigur Rós band leader is taking yet more time off from his main band. He released the Riceboy Sleeps with his other half Alex album this year, and is set to release a solo album in Spring 2010. Jónsi is currently working on a new solo album that will feature predominantly acoustic music and string arrangements from classical composer Nico Muhly. The album will be produced by Peter Katis (Interpol, The National, Tokyo Police Club). More details when I find out, but as for now, you can download 'Boy Lilikoi' from the album as an mp3 below.

Download:
Jonsi - 'Boy Lilikoi'

Download: John Mayer - Edge of Desire live

'Edge of Desire' is one of the standout tracks from John Mayer's recent album Battle Studies (Uncut gave it 4 stars, you know!) As a way of thanking all his fans for buying it (and sending it to #1 in the States), John has recorded a live version of the song in his apartment, complete with his phone going off in the background. It's a lovely version of the song, and can be downloaded from his blog, one forty plus.

Download:
John Mayer - 'Edge of Desire' live

Album Cover: Shearwater - The Golden Archipelago

More news about Shearwater's upcoming album The Golden Archipelago. We now have a full tracklist as well as another fantastic cover. If you haven't heard their last album, Rook, I recommend you do. It came out last year and was very rocky. Much more than Will Sheff's other project, Okkervil River. They're playing Europe in February, but no Irish date, alas. You can download lead single 'Castaways' as an mp3 below.

Tracklist:
01 Meridian
02 Black Eyes
03 Landscape at Speed
04 Hidden Lakes
05 Corridors
06 God Made Me
07 Runners of the Sun
08 Castaways
09 An Insular Life
10 Uniforms
11 Missing Islands

Download:
Shearwater - 'Castaways'

Album News: Joe Pug - Messenger

Joe Pug will be releasing the follow-up to his fantastic Nation of Heat EP. Messenger will be a full length album, and will be released on February 16th, 2010. It's coming out on Lightning Rod records which is the home of Jason Isbell, and is currently touring with Justin Townes Earle. You can see now why I'm so excited!

Track listing:
1. Messenger
2. How Good You Are
3. Not So Sure
4. The Sharpest Crown
5. The Door Was Always Open
6. The First Time I Saw You
7. Unsophisticated Heart
8. Disguised as Someone Else
9. Bury Me Far (From My Uniform)
10. Speak Plainly, Diana

You can join his mailing list and get a free EP here:

Album News: Ted Leo - The Brutalist Bricks

Ted Leo and the Pharmacist's new album, The Brutalist Bricks is due for release on March 9th, 2010, but already you can download a song from it.

Download:
Ted Leo - 'Even Heroes Have to Die'

Watch another new song here:

Download: Warren Zevon - 1999-11-22 Bootleg

This show is taken from the late, great Warren Zevon's 1999 tour. This is from the Barrymore Theatre, Madison, Wisconsin on November 22nd. It's a fantastic performance, and a reminder why Warren was such a fantastic musician.

Setlist:
Lawyers, Guns and Money
I Was In the House When the House Burned Down
Mr. Bad Example
The Factory
Boom Boom Mancini
Carmelita
Poor, Poor Pitiful Me
Hostage
Back in the High Life Again
My Shit's Fucked Up
Excitable Boy
Seminole Bingo
Accidentally Like a Martyr
Play it All Night Long
For My Next Trick
Let Us Be Together Tonight
Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner
Things To Do In Denver When You're Dead
Werewolves of London

Sample:
Warren Zevon - 'Excitable Boy'
Warren Zevon - 'Roland the Thompson Gunner'
Warren Zevon - 'Werewolves of London'

Download:
Full Show