Daniel Martin Moore – Sign Of Life

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I want to end this blog week with something everlastingly beautiful. This song Sign Of Life by Daniel Martin Moore was my favourite music-related moment during this past week. I don’t really use Spotify much at home, because here I listen to records that I’ve bought. However, I do subscribe to Spotify because every time I get home from work I try to think of a new record that I haven’t heard yet and listen to it in the car on my way home. Last Thursday I remembered that I haven’t heard the new Daniel Martin Moore record, which is a crime against good music. So I started driving home listening to Golden Age. I was hooked from the start and the song Anyway already moved me deeply. However, the real magical moment happened when I was close to home waiting in the traffic lights when the opening lines of Sign of Life fell into my heart. A moment of true beauty. I nearly cried and almost forgot to start driving again when the light turned green. I parked the car and listened to it again before I walked home. Perhaps just simple words wrapped in a beautiful melody, but nothing could have moved me more that night. This is Daniel Martin Moore and Sign Of Life.

Daniel Martin Moore Website

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Nap Eyes & The Rollstons

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The new Nap Eyes album Whine Of The Mystic has been a bit of a surprise favourite during the last few weeks. Surprise for me because I was a bit blind (well deaf I guess) and didn’t notice the greatness of this Canadian group earlier in the year even though they are on labels that I love (Paradise Of Bachelors and You’ve Changed). Just hearing bits and pieces didn’t hook me. Thankfully things changed when I got the whole album. I completely saw the light after spinning it a couple of times in its entirety. It’s that kind of blissfully twisted and literate indie rock / guitar pop that is rather unique and inspiring. If you want some reference points it occasionally reminds me of The Modern Lovers and the great Finnish band The Rollstons. Extremely highly recommended stuff. There’s also a new one ready to hit your heart in early 2016, but let’s get into that one after the new year. This is Dreaming Solo from Whine Of The Mystic.

Nap Eyes at Facebook

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I also have to use this opportunity to post a song or two from The latest The Rollstons album Swiss Time. It’s definitely on my top 10 when it’s time to make that Finnish albums of the year list. Here are Hospital Property and I Am Asparagus from the latest album.

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And here’s an all-time classic So Real.

The Rollstons at Facebook

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Julie Rhodes & Jeffrey Foucault

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I’ve been enjoying this a whole lot lately. In Your Garden is the first outtake from Julie Rhodes’ forthcoming album Bound To Meet The Devil that’s due out in Feb’16. She is a new americana/soul/blues artist that has a damn fine and impressive voice. Obviously nothing wrong with the song either. Sort of reminds me of Brown Bird in a few places and I count that as a mighty good thing. I’m really looking forward to the debut album.

Julie Rhodes at Facebook

foucault

Julie Rhodes is someone that I didn’t know a week ago. Jeffrey Foucault on the other hand is a long time hero of mine. He has written and released several gorgeous albums during the past ten years or so. Besides that he has also produced some amazing albums (like the latest ones by John Statz and Hayward Williams). His new one carries a title Salt As Wolves and it has been on heavy rotation during the past few months. This is a live version of Rico from the new album.

[youtube=http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CAoaxbDsT84]

Jeffrey Foucault Website

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Todd Beene, John Calvin Abney & Friendship

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Todd Beene is working on a solo album called I Can’t Be Serious and will write, record and release a song every ten days or so until the album is finished. If the name doesn’t ring a bell, he is the pedal steel wizard that you have seen or heard on Glossary, Lucero, Chuck Ragan albums/concerts. All great ones and Glossary obviously among the very best there has been during the past ten years or so. Based on this first outtake We Miss You, Todd Beene is capable of doing his own thing in an equally amazing fashion.

Todd Beene at Bandcamp

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John Calvin Abney is a prolific tunesmith. After releasing a really good album Better Luck early in the year, he is returning on December 5th with a new EP Vice Versa Suite. The first outtake Daisy and Clover is a stunning song. A lot like Elliot Smith, but that’s never a bad thing in my world.

John Calvin Abney at Facebook

friendship

Burst & Bloom Records is a small-ish label from Portsmouth, New Hampshire whose taste I’ve grown to trust. They release pretty much only great albums. Guy Capecelatro III, Hello Shark and Cape Snow are some of my earlier favourites. The latest to grab my attention is You’re Going To Have To Trust Me by Friendship. I haven’t really focused on the whole thing yet, because I always get stuck on this gorgeous opener Responsible for an hour or two. Such a great song. This is Responsible.

Friendship at Facebook

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