A flu put the blog on hold for a little while and therefore I haven’t even shared a song that means the world to me. The lead single Carnival Barker from the forthcoming Vanessa Peters album Foxhole Prayers is that song. The song is based on Warren G. Harding’s presidency and how dangerously the history is repeating itself right now. It’s thought-provoking, meaningful and powerful storytelling in form of a beautiful folk rock song. Art like this is so important right now when it often feels like the world has gone mad and even the most basic human decency is at stake. It gives the courage to be resilient and fight for what is right and it gives the hope that no matter how far back the current clown takes us, eventually we will bounce back and go even far further than where we were when this mess began.
The album Foxhole Prayers will be released by Idol Records on the 5th of October. You can pre-order from Bandcamp by hitting the links of the player. Extremely highly recommended. Among the finest albums I’ve heard this year.
A long time favourite Small Houses aka singer-songwriter Jeremy Quentin is getting ready to release a new album I Don’t Know What’s Safe in January 2019. The magnificent lead single I Remember Me surfaced earlier this week with a gorgeous music video. Watch the video that was directed by Phillip Harder below and grap a name-your-price download of the single from his Bandcamp. If the rumours are true and things work out as planned, we might get to see Jeremy in Finland in 2019. Meanwhile let’s keep this beauty on heavy rotation.
I wasn’t very active with the blog in the spring. Busy, lazy, worn out and all the other usual excuses. Anyway, a lot of stuff that I loved and listened to during the time went criminally unmentioned. Hopefully I’ll do a better job this fall. At least it feels less of a struggle at the moment and even though the weekly playlist is sort of an indifferent thing, it has brought some kind of structure and rhythm to the blog. It keeps me going on a weekly basis and that’s a really good thing, because it’s so easy to let things slide and then it’s so hard to start again. This way there won’t be any huge breaks. Anyway, Here’s a quick round up post of three albums that I enjoyed in the spring/early summer.
Let’s begin with Jeffrey Foucault’s magnificent new album Blood Brothers. Jeffrey Foucault is an American singer-songwriter from Wisconsin who has been releasing quality albums for over a decade and a half and therefore probably doesn’t need a whole lot of introduction. I’m very fond of this new album and for me it’s one of the finest in his impressive catalogue. The songwriting is first class and everything sounds endearingly beautiful, gentle and warm. Some might miss the blues rockers that gave some edge to the previous album Salt As Wolves, because that side of his music isn’t present on this new one. I don’t mind at all, because this is even closer to my heart. Here’s my personal favorite Blown that features the great Tift Merritt on backing vocals.
Moving on to fellow Wisconsian although currently Denver-based John Statz. Jeffrey Foucault actually produced an earlier John Statz album Tulsa, so there’s a bit of a connection with these two great singer-songwriters. The new John Statz album Darkness on The San Juans is a broken-hearted, sad and beautiful collection of americana songs that came out on the 11th of May on Why River. It’s got an excellent Sheryl Crow cover Strong Enough, but let’s go with an original Presidential Valet on this little blog entry.
I’ve been following Jeffrey and John for over a decade, but Canadian country/folk singer-songwriter Mariel Buckley is a completely new find for me. Sure she has been releasing music since 2012, so I probably should have found her music way sooner than on May 4, 2018 when the sophomore album Driving in the Dark came out. Well better late than never and all the other cliches. Anyway, Driving in the Dark became an instant favorite around here and I highly recommend it if you want to hear some poignant, moving and beautiful country songs delivered with grit and honesty. Here are a few personal favorites from the album to close up this little blog entry.
The debut solo full-length from Southeast Engine’s frontman Adam Remnant hit the record stores and our hearts on the 17th of August. The album carries the name Sourwood, it was released by Anyway Records and it turned out be just as good as I had hoped for. Which is a lot said considering Southeast Engine’s strong back catalogue and the awesome 2016 solo EP When I Was A Boy.
I don’t have any first hand knowledge of what it is like to live a family life in a small midwestern town, but I suppose it isn’t a whole lot different. The album feels very relatable for anyone who has stepped into the adulthood realities and while still being fairly content and appreciative about it all, also has the longing to pursue additional dreams as long as they don’t break that core that matters the most. It’s a true and honest reflection that comes in a shape of a beautiful folk/rock album that Adam Remnant recorded in his home studio. Extremely highly recommended. Here’s a couple of live videos of songs from the album. The gorgeous album opener She Has A Way of Finding Me Out and the almost hymn-like Carpenter’s Daughter.
