Skip Zone – Black Country EP

skipzone

Skip Zone is a fairly new folk rock band from Helsinki. They released their self-titled debut album last year and it was a very good effort. During the past six months, I’ve returned to their soundcloud several times and spent a carefree moment in the company of their beautiful folk songs. The album has been on my list of things to write about for months. It’s kind of ridicilous that these days I’m mostly writing about folk music and country music and still have failed to mention great Finnish bands like Skip Zone and Statues Made Of Matchsticks.

My incredible slowness has led to a state that there’s new music from the band even before I’ve written about the previous material. This time I try to make amends and write a few words instantly after the release date. Skip Zone released their new studio live EP titled Black Country 1st of march and it definitely sounds like this thing is just getting better all the time. I’m loving both male and female vocals a lot and they are capable of writing excellent folk rock songs. A small CD edition of 100 copies will be available later, but at the moment you can listen to the whole thing on their soundcloud. This is the title track Black Country.

[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/81256563″ params=”” width=” 100%” height=”100″ iframe=”true” /]

Skip Zone at Facebook
Skip Zone at Soundcloud

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Woodpigeon – Thumbtacks + Glue

woodpigeonnew

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

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New album from Beacon Street Radiants

beacon

Beacon Street Radiants was a really good Turku-based americana / folk rock group that released fine little releases some years ago. Before quitting in 2010 or thereabouts, the band recorded a full-length album that never saw the light of the day back then. Thankfully a brand new local label One Clean Sound thought that the album is just too good to remain criminally unreleased and released Beacon Street Radiants self-titled album on 1st of march 2013. After listening to the album a few times, I can fully agree with them. This (almost lost) album is pretty damn good and definitely worthy of an official release.

You can order the album directly from the label. Visit their facebook for more information. Also the local 8raita record store has the album in stock. This is the excellent Your Heart from the album.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqJQ0eEvHd4]

Beacon Street Radiants at Facebook
One Clean Sound at Facebook

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Video of the Day #119: Small Houses

smallhouses2013

The new album by Small Houses came out today on Yer Bird Records and therefore a perfect video of the day is the latest Small Houses video Our Sweet. It’s one of my own favorites from the excellent album Exactly Where You Wanted to Be. You can also now stream and buy the whole beautiful album at http://yerbirdrecords.bandcamp.com.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbHA_4mg3nU]

Small Houses Website

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