LISTEN: Brendan Codey

For fans of Nick Drake, Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, Elliott Smith, Bon Iver and cold winters.

"Recorded throughout January and February, deep into a recent Chicago winter, "a bottle house vernacular," was inspired by certain visionary and outsider artists.

Beneath the healthy smother of reverb, multiple-part lyric-less harmonies stack atop doubled and tripled gut string guitars, percussive implements, and the very occasional bass drum or xylophone.

This marks the first of several eps Brendan Codey plans to self-release on his label, blueeyed boy, as he parses a constantly growing backlog of songs and projects recorded while wood-shedding through different genres during recent years.

Brendan Codey is a foghorn trigger and rapscallion lover of dusk, five o'clock, and shadow. He was born onto the east coast sometime in the late seventies and is a multi-instrumentalist and vocalist. Currently, he abides in Philadelphia, PA, where he labors in labor."

via Brendan Codey (be sure to download the first track for free!) and Yvynyl

NEW DISCOVERY: Amen Dunes

 

I've just finished reading Thoreau's 'Walden: Or, Life in the Woods' and came across an mp3 in my iTunes by Amen Dunes that I don't remember downloading. It turned out to be 'By the Bridal', a wonky 5minute psychedlic acoustic-based track not to far from something off a Syd Barrett or Skip Spence album. 

"A lot of crazy shit can happen to a man when he goes solitary in a ramshackle Catskill Mountain home for an extended stretch of time-especially for a city kind of guy. But if Amen Dunes's 12 tracker Dia is one possible outcome of the guy alone-in-a-cabin- story, then a little tape saturated brain frying is something we should all live comfortably with because this is a batch of seriously raw & inspired loner psych grit that owes a debt to the diy soundz of the George Brigman s of the world.

That was 2006. These days the lone wolf behind Amen Dunes -Damon McMahon calls a small two room apartment overlooking the Temple of Earth in North-Central Beijing home, where he watches old men fly kites and sing opera every morning. Who knows what'll come out of that."   Locust Music

You've heard the story before, but there's just something about the idea of a lone man out there in the woods that never gets boring to me. Whether it's Thoreau, Dick Proenneke or Bon Iver, I always seem to be sucked into their world. I've managed to listen to a few other tracks off the album and from what reviews I've read the album is split in two halves. The first contains "reverb-drenched melting psychedelia," and on the second half "he breaks into some incredible acoustic gems that will have you convinced this is some long lost record from the late 60's." (ongakubaka).

Amen Dunes - By the Bridal

Amen Dunes - Amen Dunes

*MP3s courtesy of The Decibel Tolls

Gayngs - Relayted (2010)

I just came across these guys on RYM whilst looking through the top rated albums of 2010 so far. The album isn't due for release until the 17th May (Jagjagwar), but there are a few tracks on You Tube and I really liked what I was hearing. Oh, as I type this I've just come across a free preview stream over on Minnesota Public Radio, which I've never heard of before and it seems they're doing the same as NPR. :D It's just after midnight now and the perfect time to listen to this album if the rest of it sounds anything like the 10cc style 'The Gaudy Side of Town.' Whilst not exactly the same sound, this album sounds like it could be a perfect companion for Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti's upcoming 'Before Today,' with both albums seemingly drawing inspiration from similar sources.

The Guardian have also named it there top album of the year thus far. Read the review for more on this 'supergroup' that includes Justin Vernon aka on Iver.

"We just wanted to start playing some soft-rock music," Olson explained to Andrea Swensson, of the City Pages in Minneapolis. "I'd been listening to a shitload of 10cc and I was just like, yeah, I want to do something like this."

http://gayngs.net/ or http://www.myspace.com/gayngs

The Tallest Man on Earth

After listening to Frank Fairfield's album during the course of this afternoon, his sound reminded me of a Swedish folk guitarist who goes by the name The Tallest Man on Earth. Whilst not quite as traditional as Frank Fairfield, Kristian Matsson is a singer-songwriter in a Dylanesque way. He also kinda reminds me of A.A. Bondy and has toured with Bon Iver (a perfect companion/compliment for his music). What struck me most when I saw him on You Tube was his voice and at first I thought his voice was almost a little too powerful for his acoustic guitar. It was almost like when I first heard Dylan and found it hard to get into him due to his unusual singing voice. Anyway, I got hold of his debut album, 'Shallow Grave', and it became one of my favourites of 2008. And like with Dylan, his voice became one of his strongest qualities and gives the songs extra life. The album is full of great songs and I eagerly anticipate his follow-up! Check out this mini-documentary below:


Secret Garden Video Series: The Tallest Man on Earth from hoovesontheturf on Vimeo.