We have loved The Antlers since their inception. Their album Hospice remains one of our all-time favorites. Last year the band released a phenomenal second album, Burst Apart, and this year have released another gem, an EP entitled Undersea. Courtesy of Chart Attack, check out a mix of interview with band leader Peter Silberman and a beautiful performance of Drift Dive from Undersea.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73_h5RV9Cj0&feature=player_embedded

We don’t often go in for this sort of thing with all the “more serious” music out there to be sifted and assembled, but with the sunny weather and similar disposition we can’t resist posting the video below of two Irish lads one-upping Rihanna (who?) and all others on her song We Found Love.  As we said last week, when in doubt, don’t count out Irish entertainers.  Too good.

We’ve been rollin’ on a river Hansard ever since his Hardly Strictly Bluegrass set a few weeks ago.  Check out below Hansard and a string section in Munich by the Islar River as they performed Song of Good Hope and Hansard covered Nick Drake’s Place To Be.  After watch Hansard and the lovely Lisa Hannigan perform Once’s Falling Slowly in Paris this past Tuesday.  And last but not least, check Hansard with Napoleon Maddux covering Prince’s Sign O’ The Times.  All great, and examples of the range of Mr. Hansard.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nN-75hvPEJk&feature=youtu.be

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-xE-qnpxk8&feature=channel&list=UL

Britain’s Daughter (4AD) has built a big buzz and are headed through the States as we write, alighting in Seattle tomorrow night, San Francisco on Monday and LA on Tuesday (Halloween Eve) at the Bootleg Theater.  The buzz has been further emboldened following their recent appearance on the Letterman Show (see below) and their performance of captivating soul-burner Youth, one of the better coming-of-age songs we’ve heard in quite some time.  They have to date only released two EPs in The Wild Youth and His Young Heart and, most recently, the single Smother (listen below), but have already outgrown those strictures.  Having only listened to their songs for a week or so, we are completely hooked on the harrow.

The band is fronted by Elena Tonra and bears some sonic resemblance to the likes of Florence and a Brit-lilted Sharon Van Etten, but with more restraint than the former and much added to the melange by the spectral, layered guitar-play of Igor Haefel and drummer Remi Aguilella’s perfect percussive effects.  Their songs are tastefully opulent and often dulcet musically, but the lyrics tell tales of a tested heart and are delivered with a tenebrous timbre.  The combination takes us over.

Check out the Letterman Show performance of Youth (the lyrics of which follow the videos), followed by studio tracks of Run, Home, and the particularly affecting Smother (lyrics at very bottom), and then a black & white live capture of Youth and a vignette of Tonra’s beginnings on solo acoustic.

Youth on Letterman:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZy_vVAUej8

Run:

Home:

Smother:

Youth at St. Giles Church:

Solo acoustic on In the Shallows:

Youth:

“Shadows settle on the place, that you left
Our minds are troubled by the emptiness
Destroy the middle, it’s a waste of time
From the perfect start to the finish line

And if you’re still breathing, you’re the lucky ones
‘Cause most of us are heaving through corrupted lungs
Setting fire to our insides for fun
Collecting names of the lovers that went wrong
The lovers that went wrong

We are the reckless
We are the wild youth
Chasing visions of our futures
One day we’ll reveal the truth
That one will die before he gets there
And if you’re still bleeding, you’re the lucky ones
‘Cause most of our feelings, they are dead and they are gone
We’re setting fire to our insides for fun
Collecting pictures from the flood that wrecked our home
It was a flood that wrecked this

And you caused it
And you caused it
And you caused it

Well I’ve lost it all, I’m just a silouhette
A lifeless face that you’ll soon forget
My eyes ae damp from the words you left
Ringing in my head, when you broke my chest
Ringing in my head, when you broke my chest

And if you’re in love, then you are the lucky one
‘Cause most of us are bitter over someone
Setting fire to our insides for fun
To distract our hearts from ever missing them
But I’m forever missing him

And you caused it
And you caused it
And you caused it”

Smother:

“I’m wasted, losing time
I’m a foolish, fragile spine
I want all that is not mine
I want him but we’re not right
In the darkness I will meet my creators
And they will all agree, that I’m a suffocator

I should go now quietly
For my bones have found a place to lie down and sleep
Where all my layers can become reeds
All my limbs can become trees
All my children can become me
What a mess I leave
To follow (x4)

In the darkness I will meet my creators
They will all agree, I’m a suffocator
Suffocator (x2)

Oh no
I’m sorry if I smothered you (x2)
I sometimes wish I’d stayed inside
My mother
Never to come out”

Today La Blogotheque and A.V. Club have graced us with us a superb 15 minutes of A.C. Newman, Neko Case and crafty cohorts performing three songs off of Newman’s latest songcraft masterpiece, Shut Down The Streets (featuring Ms. Case). The video is dubbed The Hudson River Session and was shot at Old Soul Studios in the woods of Catskill, New York (near Newman’s current abode).  While Nick Kinsey, Zach Tonorio-Miller and Geoff Countryman add much to the performances, its the subtly-complex songs and the vocal meshing of Newman and Case that provide the true magic here.  These two were simply born to sing together. Go over to A.V. Club HERE to read Newman’s expliques of the featured songs I’m Not Talking, Encyclopedia of Classic Takedowns, and There’s Money In New Wave.  And do yourselves a favor and support this great artist by going HERE to buy this great new recording.  Below the videos are Newman’s current tour dates. We’ll see you at the Echoplex.

Tour:

October

Thursday 25 – Philadelphia, PA – First Unitarian Church
Friday 26 – Washington, DC – Black Cat Backstage
Saturday 27 – Durham, NC – Motorco Music Hall
Monday 29 – St Louis, MO – Duck Room
Tuesday 30 – Chicago, IL – Empty Bottle

November

Thursday 01 – St. Paul, MN – Turf Club
Friday 02 – Winnipef, MB – West End Cultural Center
Saturday 03 – Saskatoon, SK – Amigo’s
Monday 05 – Edmonton, AB – Starlite Room
Tuesday 06 – Calgary, AB – The Republik
Thursday 08 – Vancouver, BC – The Biltmore Cabaret
Friday 09 – Seattle, WA – The Crocodile
Saturday 10 – Portland, OR – Doug Fir Lounge
Monday 12 – San Francisco, CA – The Independent
Tuesday 13 – Los Angeles, CA – The Echoplex
Wednesday 14 – San Diego, CA – The Casbah

As we wrote on Monday, Sufjan Stevens is streaming a couple of songs from the “second coming” of his Christmas song collections, Silver & Gold.  Now comes the official video for Mr. Frost Snowman off the impending box-set.  Works well with the impending “other Christmas” (as Halloween is known around these parts).  Blessings and blood.

Neil Young & Crazy Horse are currently streaming their new album Psychedelic Pill on their website.  The new album contains only eight songs (though several are sixteen+ minutes long).  The album hits on Halloween Eve.  Head over to the their website HERE to hear it.  Sounds great as usual to these ears.  While you’re at their site, make sure to check out the 66-year old Young’s Tweet-Fest from today.

It was a great night for music on the talk shows.  Check out Prince’s performance of Rock ‘N Roll Love Affair on Jimmy Kimmel Live followed by the great Aimee Mann’s performance of Labrador on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon (the latter via the Audio Perv).

After being blown away at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass by Glen Hansard and his 11-piece band (including members of his band The Frames, and the late Levon Helms’ horn section), we have been infatuated with the man and his music, including his most recent album Rhythm and Repose.  While you can find many examples of Hansard playing solo (at NPR, QTV and Kink Radio-Bing Lounge), only the KCRW episode below from June features a full backing band (since they were all in LA for their one concert in Cali in June).  Check out the whole episode immediately below or, if you don’t have the time, check out a few songs from the episode further below.  We can’t wait to catch him when he returns with a full band to California.