3 Albums with West Texas Roots That You Should Be Listening To

Amanda Shires - Carrying Lightning

Amanda Shires' music career up to this point exemplifies the concept of "paying your dues." That is, she has worked tirelessly to establish herself as not only an outstanding musician, but also as one of the more promising songwriters on the Americana touring circuit. Simply put, her time to receive wider notoriety is now. Shires' musical background is widely available online, so I'll skip the recap, as her current album is really the element of interest here. Texas Music magazine recently referred to Carrying Lightning as the Car Wheels on a Gravel Road of Shires' career, a Lucinda Williams reference that carries some serious weight. The album has received additional praise from the likes of SPIN, The Wall Street Journal, and Texas Monthly, because, well, it is that good. Lightning finds Shires defining her voice as a songwriter and provides us with a first look at the great potential her musical career holds.

"Ghostbird" (feat. Neal Casal)



Explosions in the Sky - Take Care, Take Care, Take Care

Explosions in the Sky is a band comprised of 3/4 West Texans, although in actuality the band itself hails from Austin. Nonetheless, the influence of the West Texas landscape in EITS' music is hard to ignore. Take Care, Take Care, Take Care finds the band in top form for their sixth studio release, and as an overall composition, is among the band's best work to-date. The single "Trembling Hands" finds the band introducing vocal loops into a song, a rarity in EITS' work, although they appear not as lyrics but as an additional layer of instrumentation. Another rarity for the band is playing shows in West Texas, yet the band is crossing that boundary as well, with a show booked in Marfa for September.

"Trembling Hands"



Estelline - Estelline

Among Lubbock's newest up-and-comers, Estelline have been establishing their name in the local scene for a few years now. This spring found the band releasing their first album, a self-titled effort that suggests that the legacy of great original music in Lubbock continues to grow. At 15 songs, the band lays everything out on the table, and by-and-large, they deliver with a very strong record. Among the strongest are "William Jones" and "Jaylynn," which perhaps best showcase the talent of the band and suggest the emergence of a sound that is their own. Future work will no doubt be the ultimate test of the band, but for a first album, Estelline has an excellent start.

"Jaylynn" (acoustic on the Todd Klein show, AM 580)

3 albums I wish you were listening to

Ha Ha Tonka - Death of a Decade
























I've been interested in Ha Ha Tonka for a while, and have generally liked their stuff, but I have not owned a full album of theirs until Death of a Decade. This album brings it all around for me. Further proof that Bloodshot Records still knows what they are doing.

Songs of note: "Made Example of" and "Lonely Fortunes"



Dolorean - The Unfazed
























For one reason or another, Dolorean fell off my radar the past few years. They are back. Al James is simply brilliant. Partisan made a great decision putting this record out.

Songs of note: "Thinskinned" and "Hard Working Dogs"



Middle Brother - Middle Brother
























I approached the record as a big fan of Dawes & Deer Tick, but not a lot of familiarity with Delta Spirit. Thus, while the odds were in the record's favor, I still had reservations about how well they could pull off an entire record without drifting off into some John McCauley-led debauchery halfway through.

That said, I gave the record a couple of listens on the way down to SXSW, and while I liked a number of tracks, I didn't completely connect with the record as a whole. Enter the Partisan Party at SXSW, where Middle Brother & Johnny Corndawg brought the house down in one of the better performances of the festival, and I grabbed a spot on the Middle Brother bandwagon. This album is strong all the way through.

Songs of note: "Mom and Dad," "Blood and Guts," and "Someday" (and basically every other song)

3 albums I should have reviewed last year

As I note from time to time, the usual music listener doesn't exactly get to listen to new albums right away, and sometimes it takes a while to get around to everything you want to listen to. Not everyone gets advance copies of the album and then has the time and ability to write a snide review about it after two listens (you know to whom I refer).















Hayes Carll - Trouble in Mind

Hayes Carll's new material came back onto my radar about a year and a half ago when I had the opportunity to see him at a free show in Austin. I had seen him perform solo before, and loved his stage presence, but had lost interest as some of his more recent material I had heard sounded very "roadhouse," I guess you could say. But to be honest, I didn't exactly give it much of a chance. However, that all changed at this live show when I heard him play "Beaumont" off of his new album. This track is an amazing standout among great songs, and on its strength alone I was drawn back to giving Carll another listen. Suffice to say, I'm glad I did. Trouble is a fantastic collection of 15 songs, with a number of gems that include "Drunken Poet's Dream" and "Bad Liver and a Broken Heart." Another great moment on the album is the cover of Tom Waits' "I Don't Wanna Grow Up," and true to form, Hayes shows his comedic writing abilities on "She Left Me for Jesus." This album may be one of the best Americana albums released in the last 5 years or so.















DeVotchKa - A Mad and Faithful Telling

As is standard practice, DeVotchKa never ceases to show me how much more they know about music than I do. My first few listens of AMAFT left me wondering exactly what it was they were doing rather than wanting to hear more. As with most any album that I am not immediately drawn to, I put it aside for a time. I think some of my initial distaste was from my dislike of the first single "Transliterator," which I'm still not a huge fan of. However, I've come to recognize that the album has many strengths. It took listening to the songs toward the end to hook me on the album, as I consider "New World" and "Undone" to be the strongest tracks by far. Additionally, "Head Honcho," a remake from Super Melodrama, "Along the Way," and "A Clockwise Witness" are standout tracks that make this a work that shows DeVotchKa's strengths as a band and firmly hold AMAFT in place along with their best work to date.














Rodney Parker & 50 Peso Reward - The Lonesome Dirge

If you have found the common theme among these albums yet, then you get the award. Yes, they are mostly albums that just didn't take for me right away, and the latest from Rodney Parker is no different. The more I listened to this album, however, the more irresistible it became. One can hardly have any difficulty rocking along with the band's cover of Springsteen's "Atlantic City," or playing train beat air drums along with "Firefight," but the rest of the album takes a bit longer to sink in. At times, I found myself trying to figure out exactly what was up with the guitar shredding on "Brother," but now I generally accept that it just rocks a little country and a little bit of 1983 at the same time. No one ever said there was anything wrong with that. The Lonesome Dirge is extremely well produced, but not overly so, and the rhythms on the album make it a strong listen that sets it apart from other Americana records. This album is a great record to drive to, so what more do you need to know?

3 reviews (sort of)

I’ve been meaning to get to some album reviews the past few months, but I always seem to put it off because album reviews aren’t really my strong point, as evidenced by my past generic attempts at describing musical styles. I once tried writing reviews for an online site that was fairly popular in Texas for a time, and even had a couple of things published by them (kind of embarrassing stuff, but what's done is done). However, when they sent me CD’s to review, it became quite clear to me that reviewing music that I wasn’t terribly interested in wasn’t my strong point. I think I waffled for a few weeks and made one attempt at writing a review, but nothing came out, so I wrote the editor back with my tail between my legs and said I couldn’t do it. Nonetheless, that whole experience gives me a certain skepticism that people who review CD’s after a listen or two are really getting at much of anything. Rather, I think one has to sit with an album for some time and let the feel of it seep in slowly, and until then, it’s really hard to say much about it. However, given that model, I guess there’s not much hope for bad music getting any review at all, so maybe they can keep their model and I’ll keep mine. But I digress…













Amanda Shires – West Cross Timbers

On Amanda Shires' follow up to her 2005 release Being Brave, one is most taken by the clear progression that she has made in terms of her songwriting and in her confidence to branch out in a number of musical directions. West Cross Timbers moves away from the traditional tint of Shires’ debut, and gravitates from intensely personal and soft ballads to uptempo songs that drive the album forward. The variety on the album is likely to lead listeners to pick almost any of the eleven tracks as a favorite, as each is strong in its own right. “Mariann Leola” and “Mineral Wells” are clear standouts, each with a somber tone, but they are nicely complimented by more upbeat tracks such as “Upon Hearing Violins” and “Angels and Acrobats,” the latter being a cover from the songbook of Shires’ collaborator Rod Picott. Timbers showcases the musical experience Shires has gained over the past few years in touring solo and in collaboration with Rod Picott and Thrift Store Cowboys, most notably in her willingness to take chances with a wider vocal range. Appropriately, the album closes with homage to Shires’ roots, with the Western swing number “Whispering” - a fitting coda to an album that showcases a broad spectrum of influences that range from traditional fiddle music of the 30s & 40s all the way up to music of today.













Justin Townes Earle – Midnight at the Movies

I honestly have to report that about 2 months ago, I had no more than a fleeting interest in Justin Earle. I had heard a few live performances, and thought the music was decent, but it really didn’t get me interested enough to buy his music. Fast forward to today and now I seem to have copies of all three of his albums, so a definite transition has happened for me as of late. Compared to his past recordings, Midnight sounds decidedly more “alt country” in the sense that many of the songs move away from the stripped down low-fi feel of his past LP, The Good Life, and are well produced without going too far overboard. “Mama’s Eyes” remains my favorite track on the album, and is largely responsible for my increase in interest in JTE. I almost never quote lyrics, but the line “Sure it hurts but it should hurt sometimes” basically sold me on Earle’s music and songwriting. Other standout tracks on the album include the title track and Earle’s cover of the Replacements’ “Can’t Hardly Wait.” However, continued listens for me have brought out the strength of other tracks, most notably “Someday I’ll be Forgiven for This.” Overall this album is well done with some tracks that I think will have long term listening value, but more importantly, I think they are a indicator of great things to come from JTE.













Monahans – Dim the Aurora

Austin based Monahans truly provides a case in point when it comes to my philosophy of album reviews. I had to spend multiple listens with their debut release Low Pining before I really felt like I “got it” to any extent. Dim the Aurora follows suit by providing a complex soundscape that likely will not be instantly accessible to listeners given the intricacies woven into the musical framework. The first track, “It’s Enough to Leave You,” is among the most listener friendly songs on the album, and the songs that follow don’t necessarily branch out in any single direction, exhibiting the bands' diverse musical tastes. The instrumental tracks and the more traditionally structured songs (i.e. with verses and choruses and such) don’t exactly chart the same path. Songs such as the title track and “The Low Light” exhibit strong songwriting and will have an immediate appeal to most listeners. Alternatively, the instrumentals move in more adventurous directions at times, most notably with the sparse 21 minute "Terrene," seemingly Monahans' statement that this is most definitely not your father's rock and roll anymore. Overall, the album is cohesive and a great listen to those willing to take the time to listen to the entire project in its entirety.

Oddly, there's a common link between these

Great moments in songwriting history

I saw a black branch with blood that kept drippin',
I saw a room full of men with their hammers a-bleedin',
I saw a white ladder all covered with water,
I saw ten thousand talkers whose tongues were all broken,
I saw guns and sharp swords in the hands of young children,

Bob Dylan - "A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall"


Some folks are born made to wave the flag,
Ooh, theyre red, white and blue.
And when the band plays hail to the chief,
Ooh, they point the cannon at you, lord,

John Fogerty - "Fortunate Son"


Love ain't what this song's about
It's about beer and whiskey and drinkin'
It's about playin the fool and actin without thinkin'

Roger Creager - "Love"

A few things

First off, I still can't understand how there are people in this country who approach a self serve drink machine as though it is a TI-82 graphing calculator.

Secondly, Monahans is coming out with a new album, titled Dim the Aurora. One new track from the album is available here. However, I'm not sure that is going to do you a ton of good, since their albums seem to need to be listened to all together. Nonetheless, I'm definitely looking forward to this one.


Monahans Sandhills State Park (no relation to the band)

Thirdly, I just read here that festival promoters are allowing fans to put tickets on layaway, paying for part now and the rest at a later date. Sounds to me like a situation where the rich keep getting rich on the people who are hoping they can scrape together the $250 to see Dylan at Rothbury this July.

Here are the terms (found here) :

"Weekend Ticket - Layaway
ROTHBURY's Layaway Ticket Program allows you to pay for your ROTHBURY Weekend Ticket in three (3) installments. You pay $99.50 (plus ticket fees and shipping and 100% of Ticket for GOOD donations or RV Pass costs if applicable) at the time of purchase. Then, $75.00 will be automatically be charged to your card on 5/7/2009 and another $75.00 on 5/28/09.

Ticket fees are $26.00 per ticket, and include a $2.00 contribution to the Grant Township Land Improvement Fund, $5.00 facility fee and service fees.

There are no refunds. If you default on any of the payments you will lose any deposits and your order will be canceled."

So in these uncertain times, the promoters are using the failing economy to their advantage. Let's assume you make the first payment of 99.50 (plus I'm sure you pay the fees up front too), and maybe even pay the second payment of $75. But oops, your personal financial situation takes a turn for the worse, and you can't pay the last payment. Now they have at least $200 of your money, and don't even have to accommodate for you, and they can open that ticket up to sell to someone else for $300 or more after you default.

Dear Big Money Music Industry:

Please die now so we can try and live decent lives again.

Thanks
wf


There was some other junk I was going to post about the Fleet Foxes, but I'll do that later. This layaway business has me all worked up.

3 More Hard-to-Find Albums You'll Wish You Had Someday

Colin Gilmore - 4 of No Kind

This first EP from Austin singer/rocker/songwriter/son-of-a-flatlander Colin Gilmore is an incredible collection of 4 songs that probably best reflect Gilmore's west Texas roots. Colin has recently made this album available on itunes, so it's not super rare, but I don't know that the hard copies are still being produced. I may be wrong on that, but I haven't seen any site selling new copies of the CD for some time. Whether he meant for them to or not, "Sunset" and "Winds of Heaven" sound like they were written by Jimmie Dale's son - trust me, you'll think the same when you hear them. Probably not that rare really, but for Colin and/or even Flatlanders fans, this EP is an essential.

Availability: A few used hard copies left on Amazon, and otherwise, widely available for download.

No River City - This is Our North Dakota

This first album from the (apparently) now defunct No River City is yet another casualty of the downfall of Miles of Music. That is, MoM has been the place to buy NRC's CD's for some time, and was additionally a strong champion of the band's music. Thus, given that No River City seems to be generally done as a band, their CD's are likely to become increasingly hard to find. I think a number of the guys from the band still play live shows together, but at least from the last announcement I heard, I think NRC is no longer in existence. That said, their two CD's are full of amazing songs, great vocals, and harmonies that fit the music perfectly. This first release is a great listen all the way through. I guess it falls in the vein of what you would call straight up alt country. I don't mean that in a bad way, by any means, but it's just a great collection of songs that don't need any fancy business to cover up various weaknesses that bands are wont to cover up with novelty sounds and the like. The entire album is a great listen, but "Corrinne" and "Last Thing I Remember" are a great place to start. You can download Corrinne here, and I've also found that various other blogs seem to have other songs of theirs for download if you look hard enough. Honestly, I don't know if there is an actual way to buy the music from them anymore so that they actually get the money for it, given that MoM was, as best I can tell, their exclusive seller (and who knows when the last time they got money from Miles of Music was). None of their stuff is available as itunes or amazon DL's either. My hope is that this album and their second album Wolves and Fishes, will not be the last we hear from the folks from NRC, whether it is under that name or another, as they have shown a great consistency for putting out great songs, and deserve wider listenership than they have.

Availability: Moderate - a few used copies up on Amazon, but haven't seen many others.

Rhett Miller - Mythologies

I'm just kidding about this one really. You are unlikely to find it anywhere except ebay, and even I cannot advocate anyone spending the kind of money this album goes for, no matter how big of a fan you are. This pre-Old 97s release from Rhett is more a novelty than anything. The songs are pretty good, but probably not worth paying $15 a song for. Only 1,000 copies were made, and apparently they are all signed and numbered, at least from Rhett Miller folklore that I've heard. Given how rough the economy has been, I think more than one of these may pop up on ebay, but you'll probably pay $150 or more for it if you really decide you want it. This is one on the list of albums that people like me dream of finding in a used CD store for $3.99, but the odds are heavily stacked against it now, given that most used sellers check their stuff on ebay now. Good luck, but this one has been essentially unavailable since shortly after Rhett became a 97.

Availability if you don't want to pay $200 for it: 1 in a million chance of finding it somewhere other than ebay.

In other news regarding hard-to-find music:

• The Avett Brothers have recently re-released their early Country Was album for download on itunes.
  
• I have been on a diligent search for an mp3 copy of the version of the Old 97s song "The Other Shoe" with Waylon Jennings singing the vocals. Apparently this recording dates back to 1997, in their days on Elektra, and was available for a short while on the Hit By a Train site as a real audio file (your grandkids will ask you about why anyone used real audio someday). Apparently the Waylon estate has not agreed to release this song yet, but from what I hear the band still hopes to make it an official release some day. Write your congressman about this one, because it will be more than worth it, 10 years plus after the fact, when it finally sees the light of day.

3 Hard-to-Find Albums You'll Wish You Had Someday

The Lonelies - The Lonelies EP

This album is one of the early releases from songwriter extraordinaire Doug Burr. Doug has a couple of solo albums under his belt currently that are absolute pure gold in terms of quality, musicianship and substance. (I hope to provide a write-up of his upcoming release, The Shawl, in the next few months after I've had the chance to listen to it.
But back to the Lonelies, this EP exhibits some of Burr's older work, demonstrating that he has trouble touching/writing a song that doesn't turn to gold. "Carolina" may be the standout from this EP that I always come back to, although "Curse the Weatherman" runs a close second, and is sure to get stuck in your head. This EP was not widely distributed and is so rare it is not even available online. In fact, I even had some difficulty finding a picture of the cover. Probably a DFW area used record store is about your only hope for finding it these days. And while you're at it, keep an eye out for Doug's even more obscure pre-Lonelies solo release, Pokerface and for the Lonelies sophomore EP Democracy, Whiskey, & Sexy!

Obscurity Level: High
Obscurity Level for Pokerface: I'd like to shake your hand if you can find a copy of this album.

Eleven Hundred Springs - A Straighter Line

This acoustic album from another DFW area artist stands in mind as maybe the most fulfilling listen in the entire EHS discography. I don't know how many of these songs remain a part of the playlist on their live shows, but the album itself never really has a misstep. The lineup for the band has changed a good bit since this album, and thus, this may be the reason it is not still in print or available for digital download. Nonetheless, this album has a number of amazing songs including "Sad and Lonesome Song," "See You in the Next Life," and my personal favorite "Good Times, Hard Livin." Only "See You in the Next Life" has appeared on any subsequent EHS release, and thus, A Straighter Line remains the only way to hear the other two. This album sticks strongly to the band's country sound, but it is not strictly a honky-tonk record by any measure. This album also stands as the band's best lyrical quality in their catalogue.

Obscurity Level: Moderate

The V-Roys - All About Town

Looking back on the glory days of 90s alt country, the V-Roys have largely been forgotten. The band's frontman Scott Miller has continued with his solo career since the demise of the V-Roys, and in that time, his former band has largely fallen off the map. The mid to late 90s were a golden period of sorts for alt country, as it was gaining momentum, and was still composed of a relatively small scene. All About Town contains possibly some of the best songs from that era, including "Fade Away," "Testify," and "Hold on to Me." Luckily, the popularity of this band in the 90s led to a fairly wide distribution of the album, although I the CD is out of print and I don't believe it has been made available for digital download. Used copies are not too difficult to obtain at this point, although 5 years from now this may no longer be the case.

Obscurity Level: Low to Moderate