OCTA Weekly Playlist Episode #32

Another week, another weekly playlist.

Maybe not the coolest thing to post a Spotify playlist after that bullshit appeal action they did earlier in the week. Makes that note at the bottom of this weekly playlist even more important. Support the artists that matter to you and buy their records. Still it’s not the customers’ fault that the current streaming royalty payout model is fucked up. The big music addicts like yours truly will always keep on buying records, but I think we’ve reached a point where we can’t convince the masses to buy physical records anymore. So paying a monthly fee is definitely a positive contribution to the world of music. We just need to put pressure on the tech companies and music business to spread that money in a more fairly manner. I hope someday they go with the user-centric model instead of the current pro-rata model. I’m a simple guy, so I feel like if I listen to only The Weather Station during a month, she should get everything from my monthly fee after Spotify’s own cut. I would be happy to pay a bigger monthly fee, if the money would go to the artist that I actually listen to instead of the major label acts. Hopefully there will be a some kind of resolution to the problem soon. It might not be easy, but I’m sure it’s possible for both the tech companies and the songwriters to thrive in the streaming world.

Anyway, on with the weekly playlist. Lots of great albums again. Norwegian I Was A King released their wonderful pop album Slow Century (produced by Norman Blake) and Clara Baker her folk treasure Things To Burn. I don’t usually include the reissues and compilations on this playlist, but surely I have to make an exception with the previously unreleased Townes Van Zandt recordings. There’s also a song from the great new albums by The Wild Reeds, Rosie Tucker, Caleb Elliot, The Boys With the Perpetual Nervousness, Howe Gelb, Joybird, Ryan Tanner, Rachel Toups, Nick Waterhouse, Stella Donnelly, Helado Negro and Danny Schmidt. My big favourites from a week ago, Katie Spencer and The Fire Harvest are here with another song, because I love these albums.

The lone Finnish entry this week is the gorgeous new single from Antti Autio. I’m sure there had to be more, so sorry if I missed something important.

On the international charts, we got the debut singles from Logan Ledger who is a name to keep an ear on. There’s two of them, so check out the other one too. There were also parade-worthy new singles from Christian Lee Hutson, Bart, Jacob Miller, Bedouine, Roseanne Reid and Caroline Spence. Again I could just as well namedrop them all, because I really like all of these songs and again had to drop some out because I didn’t want to expand this further than 40 songs. This includes the big ones like The Black Keys and The National, because I’m sure you’ve heard them elsewhere and I’m sure they are not too upset that they didn’t get on onechord.net’s weekly playlist haha. Anyway, that’s it for this week. Love you.

OCTA Weekly Playlist Episode #32

1. I Was A King – Clouds (Slow Century, Coastal Town Records, 2019)
2. Logan Ledger – Imagining Raindrops (single, Rounder Records, 2019)
3. Clara Baker – Six Days of Rain (Things To Burn, 2019)
4. Townes Van Zandt – Sky Blue (Sky Blue, TVZ Records / Fat Possum Records, 2019)
5. Christian Lee Hutson – Northsiders (single, 2019)
6. The Wild Reeds – Run and Hide (Cheers, Dualtone, 2019)
7. Rosie Tucker – Shadow of a Doubt (Never Not Never Not Never Not, New Professor Music, 2019)
8. Caleb Elliot – Get Me Out Of Here (Forever to Fade, Single Lock Records, 2019)
9. The Boys With The Perpetual Nervousness – Sparkle (Dead Calm, Pretty Olivia Records, 2019)
10. Bart – Don’t Push (single, Idee Fixe Records, 2019)
11. Jacob Miller – Cut My Teeth (single, 2019)
12. Howe Gelb (feat. M Ward) – A Thousand Kisses Deep (Gathered, Fire Records, 2019)
13. Joybird – Lean In (Landing, Jirdboy Records, 2019)
14. Ryan Tanner – A Hymn For Me and You (These Eletric Streets, Lake City Records, 2019)
15. Bedouine – When You’re Gone (single, Spacebomb Records, 2019)
16. Rachel Toups – Foxes (Sundog, Peconic, 2019)
17. Caroline Spence – Who’s Gonna Make My Mistakes (single, Rounder Records, 2019)
18. Son Volt – The Reason (single, Transmit Sound, 2019)
19. Bill and the Belles – That’ll Be Just Fine (single, 2019)
20. Nick Waterhouse – By Heart (Nick Waterhouse, Innovative Leisure, 2019)
21. Black Pumas – Fire (single, ATO Records, 2019)
22. Strand of Oaks – Keys (single, Dead Oceans, 2019)
23. Sun June – Monster Moon (single, Keeled Scales, 2019)
24. Angie McMahon – Pasta (single, 2019
25. Stella Donnelly – Allergies (Beware of the Dog, Secretly Canadian, 2019)
26. Roseanne Reid – Amy (single, Last Man Music, 2019)
27. Helado Negro – Imagining What to Do (This Is How You Smile, RVNG, 2019)
28. Calming River – Portrait of a Shadow (single, 2019)
29. Antti Autio – Mustaa (single, Soit Se Silti, 2019)
30. Katie Spencer – Hello Sun (Weather Beaten, KRS Music, 2019)
31. Laura Stevenson – Value Inn (single, Don Giovanni Records, 2019)
32. Andrew Bird – Manifest (single, Wegawam Music, 2019)
33. Charley Crockett – How Low Can You Go (single, Son of Davy, 2019)
34. Lucero – ’84 300zx (with T-Tops) (single, Libery & Lament Records, 2019)
35. SASAMI – Not The Time (SASAMI, Domino Recording Co, 2019)
36. Arre! Arre! – His-Story Moves In Circles (single, PNKSLM, 2019)
37. Field Medic – Used 2 Be a Romantic (single, Run For Cover Records, 2019)
38. Danny Schmidt – Newport ’65 (Standard Deviation, Live Once Records, 2019)
39. The Felice Brothers – Poor Blind Birds (single, Yep Roc, 2019)
40. The Fire Harvest – Human (Open Water, Snowstar Records, 2019)

Playlist link

Oh and do buy the vinyl/cd/download. Spotify and other streaming services are perfect for these introductory purposes, but try to buy at least the music that matter the most to you

If you are looking this after a week has gone, the embedded Spotify will show the latest playlist. I’ll just update the same playlist because a) if someone wants to follow it, they can just follow that one list and will get a new set of songs each Sunday b) so that I don’t have a trillion of different playlists on my Spotify account.

Continue Reading

Katie Spencer, Clara Baker and Tiny Ruins

Another quick round-up post of songs/releases that I love. Starting with my current favorite album Weather Beaten by Katie Spencer. She is a folk singer-songwriter from Hull, UK and this magnificent debut full-length came out on the 1st of March. This album is such a beautiful folk treasure. It’s so easy to get lost in her magnificent guitar playing and well-crafted poetic songs. This is also a very refreshing and different listen for someone like yours truly who spends most of his days in the arms of americana. Here’s the brilliant title track, but you really need to hear the whole album. Extremely highly recommended.

Katie Spencer Website

Another big new find for me has been the music of Clara Baker. Her album Things To Burn will be released on the 8th of March. The first two outtakes Doubt and title track Things To Burn have been outstanding and therefore this is shaping up to be something really exciting. She is an excellent songwriter and additional plus is that this was produced by Shane Leonard who usually has the ability to make a set of songs shine as brightly as they possible can. The real shining star here is still of course Clara Baker and the powerful songs she has written. This is the excellent first single Doubt.

Clara Baker Website

Let’s wrap tonight’s little blog entry with a song from the amazing new Tiny Ruins album Olympic Girls. I’m not sure does Tiny Ruins from New Zealand and the songwriter Hollie Fullbrook need an introduction, because at least in the blissful bubble that I live in, they are world famous and everyone loves them. Maybe that’s not in fact completely true, but please don’t destroy this dreamworld. I like it here. Olympic Girls came out on Marathon on the 1st of February. I love the whole album, but if I have to choose one song, I think my personal favorite has to be School of Design.

Tiny Ruins Website

Continue Reading

OCTA Weekly Playlist Episode #31

Another week, another weekly playlist.

Here I am again with the new songs that matter to me. Such a strong week of new singles and albums. I had over 50 songs to begin with and then brutally cut it down to 40. This time I wasn’t able to revisit any of the albums from a week ago. Maybe I return them later, if there are less busy weeks. There probably aren’t until summer though.

The new albums from Durand Jones & Indications, Robert Forster and Hand Habits were the ones that I expected the most and I really like all of them. The albums from UK folk songwriter Katie Spencer and Netherlands-based band The Fire Harvest are maybe the most interesting ones for me at the moment, because there’s nothing like finding new artists to love. I’ve been really addicted to The Fire Harvest song Spring. It reminds me of Songs:Ohia. The song of the week for me together with new Damien Jurado song. It’s been just a few days so I’ve only listened to a little bit of the other intriguing album releases of the week. There are lots of them and the list includes a song from a new album by Mary Bragg, KiDD, Dee White, Lomelda, The Honey Dewdrops, Andrew Leahey & The Homestead, Steve Poltz, The Limboos, Quaker City Night Hawks, The Cactus Blossoms and Lonesome Shack. The BA Johnston album is a week or two old, but I missed it then and as a sport freak I have to include a song that’s called Our Love is Like the Cleveland Browns. On the EP front, there’s new ones from Wild Pink and Della Mae.

The Finnish part isn’t big, but quality over quantity. The playlist contains a song from the gorgeous new albums by Lanai and Jani Matti Juhani and the new singles from The Lieblings and Swan/Koistinen.

Next up is the new singles. There was a new outtake from the forthcoming Damien Jurado album and it’s obviously brilliant. The big news of the week was that Ian Noe’s debut album is on the horizon. The first single Irene (Ravin’ Bomb) is a song that already appeared on his great EP, but hey this song demands a new spin. I can’t wait to hear the album. Some big ones were the new singles from Hiss Golden Messenger, Anna Burch, Big Thief, Rosie Tucker, She Keeps Bees, Todd Snider and Brad Armstrong. I missed the Carl Schilde single and the second single from the forthcoming Charlotte Cornfield album a week ago, so I made amends and included them this time around. As usual, I could just as well namedrop all of these in this text. These are all on the playlist, because I really like them. And like I said, this time this could have easily been at least 50 songs long. I left out some excellent higher profile singles (Kevin Morby, Sebadoh etc), some albums that are objectively amazing but maybe not exactly my cup of tea (Yves Jarvis etc), some awesome covers (Rue Snider etc) and so forth. If you actually listen to this, feel free to drop hints how long this should be each week. Oh and all things are not available on Finnish Spotify (Motherhood, Bunny Boy etc). But that’s enough of pointless rambling. Here’s the playlist of the week.

OCTA Weekly Playlist Episode #31

1. Durand Jones & The Indications – Court of Love (American Love Call, 2019)
2. Robert Forster – I’ll Look After You (Inferno, Tapete Records, 2019)
3. The Fire Harvest – Spring (Open Water, Snowstar Records, 2019)
4. Katie Spencer – Weather Beaten (Weather Beaten, KRS Music, 2019)
5. Hand Habits – Jessica (Placeholder, Saddle Creek, 2019)
6. Damien Jurado – Lincoln (single, Mama Bird Recording Co / Loose Music, 2019)
7. Ian Noe – Irene (Ravin’ Bomb) (single, National Treasury Recordings, 2019)
8. Hiss Golden Messenger – Everybody Needs Somebody (single, Merge Records, 2019)
9. Mary Bragg – I Thought You Were Somebody Else (Violets as Camouflage, 2019)
10. She Keeps Bees – Coyote (single, BB*Island, 2019)
11. Big Thief – UFOF (single, 4AD, 2019)
12. Anna Burch – St. Adalbert (single, Heavenly Recordings, 2019)
13. The Smallgoods – Satellite (single, Lost and Lonesome, 2019)
14. The Lieblings – Girl on the Run (single, Stupido Records, 2019)
15. KiDD – A Picture I Don’t Want To Paint (Chance Weekend, Zenerino Records, 2019)
16. Starflyer 59 – Hey, Are You Listening? (single, Tooth & Nail Records, 2019)
17. Lomelda – Talk (M for Empathy, Double Double Whammy, 2019)
18. Charlotte Cornfield – Storm Clouds (single, Next Door Records, 2019)
19. Rosie Tucker – Lauren (single, New Professor Music, 2019)
20. Lanai – Joanna (Ship’s Bell, 2019)
21. C. Gibbs – Geraldine (single, 2019)
22. Dee White (feat. Ashley McBryde) – Road That Goes Both Ways (Southern Gentlemen, Warner Music Nashville)
23. The Honey Dewdrops – More Than You Could Say (Anyone Can See, 2019)
24. Andrew Leahey & The Homestead – Queen and King of Smaller (Airwaves, Skyline Music, 2019)
25. Steve Poltz – Shine On (Shine On, Red House Records, 2019)
26. Todd Snider – Talking Reality Television Blues (single, Aimless Records, 2019)
27. BA Johnston – Our Love Is Like the Cleveland Browns (The Skid is Hot Tonight, 2019)
28. The Limboos – Where Did She Go? (Baia, Penniman Records, 2019)
29. Quaker City Night Hawks – Pay to Play (QCNH, Ligthning Rod Records, 2019)
30. The Cactus Blossoms – Easy Way (Easy Way, Walkie Talkie Records, 2019)
31. Carl Schilde – Top 40 (single, 2019)
32. Sam Evian – Roses (single, Saddle Creek, 2019)
33. Swan/Koistinen – Diagnosis (single, Soliti, 2019)
34. Jani Matti Juhani – Sinä yönä (Piste, 2019)
35. Wild Pink – Coaches Who Cry (5 Songs EP, Tiny Engines, 2019)
36. Lola In Slacks – Postcript in Blue (single, Slacks Records, 2019)
37. Lonesome Shack – Past the Ditch (Desert Dreams, Alive Naturalsound, 2019)
38. Della Mae – Bourbon Hound (The Butcher Shoppe EP, Rounder Records, 2019)
39. Mike Ross – Young Man (single, Taller Records, 2019)
40. Brad Armstrong – Brother Ford (single, Cornelius Chapel Records, 2019)

Playlist link

Oh and do buy the vinyl/cd/download. Spotify and other streaming services are perfect for these introductory purposes, but try to buy at least the music that matter the most to you

If you are looking this after a week has gone, the embedded Spotify will show the latest playlist. I’ll just update the same playlist because a) if someone wants to follow it, they can just follow that one list and will get a new set of songs each Sunday b) so that I don’t have a trillion of different playlists on my Spotify account.

Continue Reading

Tiffany Williams, Charles Wesley Godwin, Abigail Lapell & Joshua Ray Walker

Another one of these short round-up posts of songs/albums that I’ve fallen in love with during the early parts of 2019. This time we shall visit a creek, a canyon and two mountains.

Tiffany Williams is a songwriter from eastern Kentucky who currently lives in Nashville, Tennessee. She released her timeless and beautiful debut EP When You Go on the 18th of January. Every song has become a friend, but the song that I hold really close to my chest is this one called Big Enough To Be A Mountain.

Tiffany Williams Website

Charles Wesley Godwin is an americana songwriter from West Virginia and his new album Seneca came out on the 15th of February. According to him it’s an autobiography of an Appalachian boy. It’s a damn impressive one too and full of fabulous songwriting. He really engaged me into this story Seneca Creek with the very first lines and then softly carried me through the captivating song. A great song from a great album.

Charles Wesley Godwin Website

Moving on Toronto, Canada for the new Abigail Lapell album Getaway that came out on the 1st of February on Coax Records. It’s quite comforting to get lost in the ethereal beauty of this mesmerizing folk album. A highly recommended activity after a tough day at the factory. This song Shape Of A Mountain is a perfect ending to this enchanting getaway from the everyday.

Abigail Lapell Website

And last station tonight is Dallas, Texas and Joshua Ray Walker’s brilliant debut album Wish You Were Here that came out on State Fair Records on the 25th of January. I posted a live version of Canyon late last year, but I still haven’t posted the official music video for this honest and powerful song. This is a crime against good music, so it’s time to make amends. Oh and even though I keep on raving about Canyon, this song is just one part of the JRW story. The whole new record is impressive from first note to last.

Joshua Ray Walker Website

Continue Reading