How the heck does this happen?  It happens rarely, but every once in a blue moon we will hear a few songs from a band that don’t pass muster, and we will erroneously toss the band into the damnation dustbin, never again to be bothered with.  And then years later, we will get smacked by a song or performance that rattles our resolve and causes us to realize the error of our eradication.

Officially joining that list is the band Spiritualized.  We were jolted recently by consistently rave critical reviews of the band’s new album Sweet Heart, Sweet Light.  And so we started to look around and listen a bit, and then Ann Powers tweeted her huzzahs about the band, and it didn’t take long before we got full-tilt, full-revival-tent religion on this band.  And now we’ve become hopelessly hooked and desperately plotting a way to get to LA next week to catch their show at the Wiltern.  Two months ago we wouldn’t have given the time of day to this British band that’s released seven studio albums and been around for over 20 years.  But we are willing to admit our mistakes and will write more about the band and its songs in the very near future.

To get a feel, you can watch the 39-minute segment above from their recent concert at the 9:30 Club in DC as captured by NPR. Or if you have less time, you can check out NPR’s just-released videos of three songs from the show. And you can go HERE to listen to the entire concert.  And please…get Spiritualized, would ya?

It was just over a year ago that The Baseball Project tore the roof off of the Goodland’s Mercury Lounge.  They continued to tour on and off most of last year, but have taken a deserved touring break.  To help you keep your eye on the band and the ball, check out The Baseball Project’s set captured at NYC’s Metropolitan Museum of Art as part of the celebration of the Met’s exhibition, Breaking the Color Barrier in Major League Baseball, and the Met’s (evidently) renowned permanent baseball card collection.  So that’s who bought our cards at Mom’s garage sale while we were away to college!  Check it out below.

We will never forget the night we caught Dexy’s Midnight Runners in LA in 1981.  The big band came out on stage, horns-a-blaring, and immediately set the joint ablaze with Kevin Rowland and crew nailing their early songs, Geno, Come On Eileen, Tell Me When My Light Turns Green and, of course, Burn It Down (Dance Stance).  Unfortunately, the band rarely returned to the States and disbanded in the mid-’80s.  Rowland and various band members reappeared in various permutations over the years, but never really captured that light in that bottle again.

The good news:  the Dexys are back together again, and have a new album coming out in early June entitled One Day I’m Going to Soar.  In advance of the new album’s release, the Dexys appeared on Later Live with Jools Holland.  Check out the reconstitution below performing their new song Free off the new album, and their mega-hit from ’81, Come On Eileen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYEj0y99PKo&feature=uploademail

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sj-mJDP80c&feature=relmfu

We were drawn to Daniel Martin Moore last year when his first Sub Pop album, In the Cool of the Day, was released.  We reveled in Moore’s choice of songs and uniquely subtle and restrained delivery.  And we retreated to his album when the world’s musical excesses exceeded our tolerance (which is admittedly high).

Moore has now released a new duet album with Joan Shelley entitled Farthest Field, on his own label Ol Kentuck.  For the full story of the album, as covered by the poet Marianne Worthington, you can go  HERE.   Below is a video of the first song from the record, First of Spring, recorded live at the Emery Theatre in Cincinnati, followed by another song (We Two) from the album performed in the same venue.  Below the two videos, you can also listen to the last song on the album, Would You Tell Me Your Dreams.  You can go HERE to stream and purchase the new album.  These are savory songs to soothe your soul.

We’ve written about Seattle’s Bryan John Appleby before, even including his song Glory at No. 44 in our Best Songs of 2011 list.  We think highly of his Bible-allusive songwriting, and pleasure in his plaintive voice.  Appleby recently performed on KEXP.  Check him out performing Noah’s Nameless Wife and Honey Jars below from last year’s fine Life on the Vine album.

Having spent some time this weekend at the beach in the breezy sunshine, we happened upon the perfect soundtrack on the drive home.  Check out young Newbury Park band, The Neighbourhood, and the official video for their Sweater Song.  Between the Cali vignettes, the trampolining and the song’s harmony-and-chime-a-thon from 2:36 on, it was love at first listen/viewing.  Check it out and then check out their video for another fine song, Female Robber.  They’ve got the hypno-jangle thing down.  We don’t know much about this band, but we love what we’re hearing so far.  We’re not alone here–they’re in heavy rotation on BBC’s Radio 1 and elsewhere. After the videos, you can download their first EP, I’m Sorry, for free at the widget way below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Idj5_PwRl1k

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfnzRarY6Jg

Check out Neil Young & Crazy Horse’s official new video for the ole chestnut, Jesus’ Chariot (She’ll Be Coming Round the Mountain) off their imminent new album Americana. Another stunner.  Pre-order the album at http://neilyoung.com

In recent days both the young (Django Django) and old (Tom Jones) have appeared on Later With Jools Holland. First check out young “it” band Django Django (performing their song WOR) again, and then Tom Jones.  What a pleasure to hear Jones singing a great song (Leonard Cohen’s Tower of Song) instead of his historical dreck (What’s New Pussycat?, She’s a Lady, etc.).  As an added bonus, at end check out Jones and Jools collaborating on the oft-covered Traveling Man.  Before he was a host, Holland was a hollerin’ musician.  The lad can simply play piano.

After disappearing from the scene for 15+ years, Jones kickstarted his career again in 2009 and has a forthcoming Ethan Jones-produced (his second in a row) album entitled Spirit in the Room, featuring such diverse songs as Tom Wait’s Bad As Me, a rendition of Odetta’s Hit Or Miss, and a reading of the disturbing Charlie Darwin by Low Anthem.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtJftl8no6g&feature=uploademail

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWnzSCo0mWs&feature=relmfu

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bW4fRw12AwA&feature=channel&list=UL

Following closely on the heels of their show last Saturday at the Santa Barbara Bowl (more on that later), Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros appeared last night on the Letterman Show to play their new song Man on Wire, the opening track of their impending new album, HERE. Check out the be-shrouded Alex “Charles Bojangles” Ebert as he attempts to incite the Edward Sullivan Theater crowd to “come dance with me.” The audience’s reaction appears similar to ours. And given its history (The Beatles, The Doors, etc.), the Theater itself wrote us to say: meh.

Via the Audio Perv.

The enigmatic Bonnie “Prince” Billie (Will Oldham) has been garnering praise and intermittent bewilderment in his and his various band permutations for 15+ years.  When he’s on, there’s not a better songwriter in America.  I See A Darkness is one of those songs. Check out the first video from a soon-to-be-released EP Now Here’s My Plan from BPB.  Check out BPB and band having some fun with I See a Darkness.  Between the jaunty step through the graveyards of Glasgow, Scotland, and the eye-full of effects, the video sheds nothing but light.