There’s also a new Wharfer album out, available and ready to claim a place in your heart. Scenes Of The Tourist came out on the 13th of January and it’s a really strong and captivating folk album. Wharfer aka Kyle Wall writes music that is quietly mesmerizing. Maybe not something that I listen to every day, but when the time is right it’s a magical companion to late night wondering. On the same ball park or close by as Bill Callahan, Little Wings or Finnish Lac Belot, if you want some kind of clue where this could fall. Better option is to just hit play button below and let it fall in to your heart. This is my current favourite Blue Lewis from the new Wharfer album Scenes of the Tourist.
Perry Brown is a songwriter from Troy, Alabama and the frontman of a great band called Fire Mountain. His new solo album Become My Blood came out on 13th of January on This Is American Music. It took him a long while to get it officially out and available, but it was worth the wait. Become My Blood is a beautiful album filled with sincere, warm and unashamedly romantic folk songs. The album is dedicated to his wife and son and his unconditional love for his family shines through in the songs. This is Closer Than I Appear from this new and highly recommended album.
17th of February will be a good day, because it’s the release date for the fifth Frontier Ruckus LP Enter The Kingdom. Another new song premiered over at Paste today, but I’m still behind and haven’t posted their latest video Our Flowers Are Still Burning. This is due to reasons that a) I’m lazy b) I’m not entirely sure what’s netiquette when someone has a premiere and therefore I rather wait a while before post it on my little blog. Anyway, I love the song and the video too. Bonus points to Matthew Milia for his T-shirt selection. Big Star rules the world. As does Frontier Ruckus and the new album will come out on Loose Music in just a few weeks. Here’s Our Flowers Are Still Burning.
Mark Eitzel released his tenth solo album Hey Mr Ferryman on the 27th of January and I’m really loving it. I can’t say that I’ve been the most dedicated follower during the past 10-15 years. Criminally bad to be honest. I have the American Music Club stuff sure, but I only have three of those earlier solo albums and the last one is Caught in a Trap and I Can’t Back Out ‘Cause I Love You Too Much, Baby all the way from 1998. I can’t exactly say why I lost track, because there sure was time in my life when I listened to a whole lot of American Music Club and Mark Eitzel. I have some work to do to catch up, because I’m sure this one was on me and the quality of Mark’s songwriting has remained strong through all these years. However, last night I listened to his new song An Answer and I felt like my heart and his music had never been apart.
Hey Mr Ferryman is now out and available on Merge Records / Decor Records. It’s early days and I’ve been listening to it less than 24 hours, but I’m already loving this album. Mark Eitzel is a great songwriter and Hey Mr Ferryman is filled with meaningful and powerful songs. Bernard Butler produced the album and together with Mark Eitzel he kept the quiet beauty and dramatic moments in good balance. The songs that I loved the most on first listening were Just Because and this one below called An Answer. It’s all great though. I would like to call it a masterpiece, but maybe that’s a bit too hasty after just a few spins.
