The new Woodpigeon album Thumbtacks + Glue came out on 25th of february on Fierce Panda (UK) and Boompa (US/Canada). Woodpigeon aka Mark Andrew Hamilton is a wonderful Canadian songwriter who nowadays live in Vienna, Austria. I’ve been getting myself prepared for the new album by spending several work days with Songbook, Treasure Library Canada and Die Stadt Muzikanten as my company (it’s a crime against good music that I don’t own Balladeer and Diamonds). These three are all so beautiful, sensitive and amazing albums on every possible level. After streaming the new album a couple of times, it feels like the new Woodpigeon is at least equally magnificent. The copy I ordered to the local 8raita record store should arrive on tuesday, so I try not listen to this too much before that. Even though I love all the previewing and streaming choices that the net provides, there’s always a lot of magic involved in buying an album from a store, coming home and listening to it properly for the first time. Therefore I try not learn the albums by heart before I actually hold them in my hands. It’s hard to resist Thumbtacks + Glue though. Just listen to this great song Sufferin’ Suckatash and you will understand.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14oL4PFBIQ8]

Woodpigeon Website

The new Red Jacket Mine album Someone Else’s Cake is due out 19th of february on Fin Records. I’ve had the pleasure to listen to it for the past month or so and I really like it. I suppose it’s no wonder, because if I look at the favorites list on their website, I can’t be entirely sure I haven’t hacked the site in my dreams and written a major part of the list myself (Big Star, Elvis Costello, Nick Lowe, Sparklehorse, Sloan, Lee Hazlewood etc).

The third Red Jacket Mine album contains a lot of that power pop thing that I love so dearly. For example Ron Nasty is such a great melodic pop song. Power pop influences are just one side of the story though. The frontman Lincoln Barr grew up in Memphis and therefore it’s not a surprise that soul music is very dear to him. Someone Else’s Cake holds a lot of soul inside. That might well be the reason why Red Jacket Mine often sounds very refreshing. I mean I’ve spent my whole adulthood listening to bands influenced by Nick Lowe and Elvis Costello and while I still love that kind of bands, Red Jacket Mine offers something new by wrapping that melodic pop inside soul sounds.

Oh. And one of my biggest musical heroes, Ken Stringfellow sings backing vocals on three songs. This opening track Amy isn’t one of them though. They also have a new video for the title track, which you can find by clicking this.

Red Jacket Mine Website