Man alive, you bastards owe me. i so should be home resting right now, watching hockey, but NOOOOO, i drag my sorry carcass into the office to work and make sure that y'all get your Free Music Friday fix. Seriously, my canonization better be imminent, i swear to Black Dynamite.This one has been sitting in the inbox for a few weeks, but i kept forgetting to post it. It's a shame because this duet with Josh Ritter and Dawn Landes covering the folk classic "500 Miles" is pretty damn money. It's bittersweet, touching and all those good things you expect from acoustic folk tunes. Oh well, you've got it now.
Sometimes, following labels pays dividends. i joined One Little Indian's mailing list due to sate my Bjork infatuation, but it's since lead me to the dulcet, bluesy tones of Dan Sartain. The latest newsletter continues the trend with the two from the man himself, one from the archive and a little taster from the new record too. The first track is a dark and dangerous boogie woogie stomper, and the latter has a touch more of a pissed off Elvis Costello vibe. Dig 'em.
Jason Collett is getting ready to drop Pony Tricks, a reworked acoustic collection of 11 songs, including two never-before released tracks, on October 12. You know how much we love our Canadian brethren, so it was a no brainer we'd be posting the first single, a somber, slow burner. Check it out.
What began as a one-off split-45 by songwriters Greg Cartwright and Coco Hames first got together for a one-off, split-45, but the two apparently dug one another enough to form their own band, The Parting Gifts. The duo will release their debut full-length album this fall on In The Red Records. Of particular interest to me, expect performances by Dan Auerbach, as well as Patrick Keeler, Jem Cohen, Poni Silver and Dave Amels.
Maintaining our place as in bloggerdom as purveyors of world rock, here's a track by The Radio Dept., written for the recent Swedish elections. As if the title didn't give it away, the lyrics make it pretty clear that the boys in the band don't think too highly of the current government. As my knowledge of Sweden begins with their hockey team and ends with the Chef, i'll take their word on it.
And to send you on your merry way, a rocker from local DC-talent, Mara Levi. In addition to teaching music and participating in Girls Rock! DC, Levi found time to drop her third CD, We Listen to Fools. The album (no CDs to keep things green) "processes the end of a five-year relationship, takes on a music industry that values conformity over individuality, smacks down the injustice of a capitalist system that rewards selfishness, and (of course) chronicles the search for new love." Oh, and it rocks. For the local kiddies, check out the release party at Phase 1 on Capitol Hill on October 15. Mention that you read about the party at LET and be met with blank stares on non-comprehension.
