My favorite song on the new Josh Ritter album: “Lantern”

This song made me cry in the car on the drive up to our listening party, the first time I’d really sat down and listened:

STREAM: Lantern – Josh Ritter

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Be the light in my lantern, be the light
I need light in my lantern, light in my lantern tonight

It’s a hungry world out there, even the wind will take a bite
I can feel the world circling, sniffing round me in the night
and the lost sheep grow teeth
forsake the lambs and lie with the lions

Where the living is desperate, precarious and mean
and getting by is so hard that even the rocks are picked clean
and the bones of small contention
are the only food the hungry find

I need light in my lantern, light for my lantern tonight

Where the thistles eat the thorns and the roses have no chance
and it ain’t no wonder that the babies come out crying in advance
and the children look for shelter
in the hollow of some lonesome cheek

And the sky’s so cold and clear, stars might stick you where you stand
and you’re only glad it’s dark cuz you might see the Master’s hand
and you might cast around forever
and never find the peace you seek

I need light in my lantern, light for my lantern tonight

For every cry in the night, somebody says, “Have faith!”
“Be content inside your questions,”
“Minotaurs inside the maze.”
Tell me what’s the point of light
that you have to strike a match to find?

So throw away those Lamentations, we both know them all too well
If there’s a Book of Jubilations we’ll have to write it for ourselves
So come and lie beside me darling
let’s write it while we still got time

So if you got a light (hold it high for me)
I need it bad tonight (hold it high for me)
cause I’m face to face (hold it high for me)
in a lonesome place (hold it high for me)
With all the hurt that I’ve done (hold it high for me)
that can’t be undone (hold it high for me)
light and guide me though (hold it high for me)
I’ll do the same for you (hold it high for me)

I’ll hold it high for you, cuz I know you’ve got
I’ll hold it high for you, your own Valley to walk
I’ll hold it high for you, though it’s dark as death
I’ll hold it high for you, and then gets darker yet
I’ll hold it high for you, though your path is blocked
I’ll hold it high for you, through the thieves and the rocks
I’ll hold it high for you, keep you safe from harm
Hold it high for you ’til you’re back in my arms

After hearing the new record, I’ve decided to go see Josh at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival in June (with Mumford and Sons, Dave Rawlings, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes, among others).

Come.

[PS – “The Curse” is also an astounding song; I wrote some thoughts here. I’m laid out by it. Listen here.]

We are the men you’ll grow to love soon (yes, you are)

I’ve always been a sucker for cocky Brit-rock, so it’s a natural for me to finally fall for Let’s Wrestle. This trio from London makes me want to pogo around in the springtime sun, drink G&Ts, and possibly drive fast (to better sing along with the ba ba baaaaas). But not all at the same time.

We Are The Men You’ll Grow To Love Soon – Let’s Wrestle

See? They even predicted my affinities in the song title. American girls are so simple.

I first heard this song streaming at work today while I listened to the free Urban Outfitters Sampler #9. Let’s Wrestle’s In The Court of The Wrestling is out now on Merge Records in the States, and you can can stream the whole record on their site. They just got off tour with Titus Andronicus, and have a few more dates with Quasi this week.

I also highly enjoyed reading this “self-interview” they did.

singing stories on a wrecking ball

I have heard buzz about Australia’s The Temper Trap from my friends who caught them at Coachella and SXSW, but an email from a good friend tonight about how he couldn’t stop listening to their music finally put me over the edge — and now I am also stuck in their songs, happily.

This track skitters and twists over a persistently effervescent beat. The chorus (“and I want it, I want it, I want it…all”) reminds me terrifically of something else I love, but suffice it to say that this is a fantastic slow-building song – here the honesty of Bon Iver’s falsetto meets the shimmering, dancing guitar chords of Joshua Tree-era U2? Maybe.

Fools – The Temper Trap

Their album Conditions is out now in the U.S. on Glassnote Records (Mumford & Sons, Two Door Cinema Club), and if you want to see them live, holy crap you have many many options because it looks like they are everywhere this summer, and selling venues out left and right.

EDIT: This (!!) may be the song that “Fools” has been trying to summon up all day from the depths of my memory, also a freaking fantastic song. Something in the haunting vocals?

Never Ends – Vijay Kishore

Jónsi, sticks and stones, and flying on the backs of night-black dragons

Last weekend, my charming British friend Paul and I donned those uber-stylish 3D glasses and went to see How To Train Your Dragon, unaccompanied by children of any sort — just two adults at the matinee Sunday showing of an animated 3D film about Vikings (one named “Stoic The Vast,” among other delights), misunderstood youth, and whimsical technicolor dragons that soar and wheel in the sky.

Since my favorite dream will always be the one where I rediscover my latent ability to fly untethered, I was not ashamed to giddily enjoy all the 3D flying sequences on the backs of dragons in this film, over crashing ocean waves and fertile canyons. Speechless at the end, Paul just said it was one of the best movies he’s seen in a long time, and I agreed.

As the credits rolled, my heart flew up and away with the unexpected (but flawlessly placed) music of Sigur Ros frontman Jónsi. It’s a new song called “Sticks and Stones,” and it couldn’t fit the feeling of the film any better.

Sticks and Stones – Jónsi

shadows and sand / cool air and clean

The other day my friend Dainon urged me to listen to this when it was live on the internet airwaves, I was instantly tangled in tightly. Jay Henderson fronts the Salt Lake City group Band of Annuals, who I’ve written about and loved before.

This song immediately reminded of another fabulous band that he introduced me to, Blind Pilot – especially songs like this, and some of the ache of fellow SLCer Joshua James.

Of the three new songs Jay performed this week at the independent radio station KRCL, this one struck me as particularly fine-grained and intricate. There’s a feeling that it’s been steeped in sadness.

The song is untitled, but if it were mine I’d be inclined to name it something after evocative lyrics like, “…low whispered to me / shadows and sand, cool air and clean / and the moon will calm you down, said I…”

Untitled (Said I) – Jay Henderson of Band of Annuals

Fuel/Friends Listening Party: new Josh Ritter (4/27, Denver)

Fuel/Friends is excited to be hosting an advance listening party of the new Josh Ritter album next Tuesday for happy hour at the Meadowlark in Denver!

So Runs The World Away won’t be out until May 4th, but I’m teaming up with the fine gentlemen at Gigbot host this opportunity for you to listen early, and enjoy some drink specials ‘n stuff while you’re at it. Come and hotly debate with me if Ritter is one of the most important songwriters of our generation, as I once postulated. I do love him so.

The Curse (live on Daytrotter) – Josh Ritter
[from their session released two weeks ago. I love how Ritter keeps tying together the idea of love with the vast unpredictability of the sea.]

Listen to another one of the new songs here, and the earlier version here.

FUEL/FRIENDS AND GIGBOT PRESENT:
Josh Ritter Listening Party
So Runs The World Away
(out May 4 on their own label, Pytheas Records)
6-8pm on Tuesday, April 27th
The Meadowlark – 2701 Larimer St, Denver
$1 PBR $2 Wells $2 Domestics

Other nationwide Josh Ritter listening parties can be viewed here.

Also, there’s an open stage that night at The Meadowlark starting at 8:30 with Tyler Despres and Maria Kohler, if you feel like hanging around for even more good music. We won’t kick you out.

[photo credit Gigbot’s own Todd Roeth]

My favorite purchase on Record Store Day

Easily:

Come Talk To Me (Peter Gabriel) – Bon Iver

In the swirling curling storm of desire
unuttered words hold fast
with reptile tongue the lightning lashes
towers built to last
Darkness creeps in like a thief
and offers no relief
why are you shaking like a leaf?
come on, come talk to me

I got the split 7″ of Peter Gabriel and Bon Iver covering each other, and it’s been repeatedly blowing my mind ever since. For something so small with only 2 songs on it, it is astounding the amount of enjoyment I am getting from this pressing. Where Peter Gabriel’s original is sweeping and epic like a rippling African grassland and a thousand drums, Bon Iver’s version builds slow and haunting, and the plucking banjo sounds for all the world to me like rain on a roof. As the rain howls outside tonight and patters against my skylight, I’m reminded how that has always been one of my favorite sounds.

(n.b.: this song shouldn’t be confused with this, which is now stuck in my head)

I also picked up an armful of other vinyl treats that made me all giddy:

• a John Lennon Singles Bag (limited edition, 1765 of 7000) pack of three 45s with original artwork (Mother b/w Yoko Ono – Why, Imagine b/w It’s So Hard, and Watching The Wheels b/w Yoko Ono – Yes, I’m Your Angel), a 24×36 poster, 3 postcards and a custom plastic adaptor hub. Yeah. Rad.
• Fanfarlo Record Store Day exclusive 7″, You Are One b/w What Makes You Think You Are The One
• Whiskeytown 7″ San Antone b/w The Great Divide

That and the Bon Iver/Peter Gabriel split, and I’m $45 lighter and 145% happier. Oh, and free Great Divide beer too? The mood in the store was jovial and festive; a music-lover’s Christmas, Halloween, birthday and Hanukkah all in one. Saturday was one of the best days of my year – and I’m not the only one who thought so. Record Store Day 2010 underscored an increasing and surprising revitalization of the independent record store and the niche it plays in our lives. Paul, the owner of Denver’s famed Twist & Shout Records on Colfax wrote the following musings about Record Store Day. They make me very, very happy.

“I stayed on the floor the entire day and I did not hear one cross word. I didn’t hear one complaint or demand. As the customers clustered around the bins I would hear people call out ‘Here’s the Black Keys 12” – who needs it?’ They were actually helping each other. I saw at least 20 ex-employees. Nothing makes me happier than that. I was also gratified by the number of customers just wishing the store well in a general sense; long time customers, first-timers, a surprising number of out-of-staters who traveled for the event, people of all types just happy to be there and happy to see a real record store still in existence.

What can I say? It was the biggest day we’ve have ever had. Last year in the depths of despair I remember saying to Jill, ‘We will never say those words – ‘best day ever’ ever again.’ I believed the business was on the big downhill slide that would never be reversed. I’m not sure it will be reversed, but we can still do some honkin’ big numbers when the conditions are right. As I mentioned before, it was that same old demographic that always bought records still showing up. This is the generation that was supposed to be lost for good. And yet, there they were buying with gusto. Not just the RSD stuff – they were staying and shopping for everything. We sold so much new and used vinyl it was shocking. I don’t know what the future holds, but I for one, am going to wait for the fat lady to sing before I say ‘never’ ever again.”

Some fools rush in, some fools just wait

When facing work on Monday mornings after dazzling weekends, everyone can use a concentrated burst of effusive sunshine in a song, especially one perforated all through the middle with rapid-fire percussion and handclaps. A summer song while we wait for it to actually begin:

Heart To Tell – The Love Language

The Love Language are from North Carolina, and are set to release their debut album Libraries on Merge Records July 13th.

Like their song “Lalita” from their 2009 self-titled record on Portland’s Bladen County Records, the new record promises more of those “Spector-esque walls of reckless sound, cavernous drums, middle-school percussion, and moody swells of stringed instruments.” Hear more free tunes from them over at HearYa, who adores them.

I know what you did last night

I threw together some of my favorite danceable tracks of the moment to DJ at the Mix & Assemble party in Denver, whilst wearing this glitter-glue combination on my eyelids that looks awesome but still won’t come off, 24 hours and two washings later. I figure it better somehow wear off before my 10am staff meeting tomorrow, lest my colleagues think I’ve become a weekend showgirl.

Here is the mp3 of the good times set from last night! Whee, that was fun.

Mix and Assemble DJ set – Heather Browne (April 17, 2010)

VCR (Matthew Dear remix) – The xx [about]
Tonight – Big Pink [about]
When You Walk In The Room – Fyfe Dangerfield [about]
Playing In The Distance – Grand National
16th and Valencia Roxy Music – Devendra Banhart [about]
Electricity + Drums – The Apparitions [about]
Help I’m Alive (Immuzikation remix) – Metric
Go Do – Jónsi [about]
Rumors (Off Broadway mix by Jackdrag) – Josh Ritter [about]
Moth’s Wings – Passion Pit
Y Control (Faint remix) – Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Nighttiming – Coconut Records [about]
Cudderisback (feat. Vampire Weekend) – KiD CuDi [about]
Blow It Out – The Features [about]
Your Easy Lovin’ Ain’t Pleasin’ Nothing – Mayer Hawthorne [about]
We Used To Be Friends – The Dandy Warhols
Lasso – Phoenix [about]
The Love You Save (Knocks remix) – The Jackson 5 [about]

Also: The last set I did is still live over here.

Record Store Day is here!

Get up! Wake up and go. Today is Record Store Day, the stuff music nerds dream about — when your favorite local independent retailers the world over will be offering a cornucopia of rare vinyl, re-releases, and special musical treats only available today.

Sub Pop Records has eversokindly posted streaming mp3s of a handful of vinyl-only songs, off the seven different limited edition RSD Sub Pop releases coming out in limited quantities. See? This is why you need to get up, and go.

(Streaming songs no longer available after April 19th, but you can investigate the release information here)

Find good stuff on the website for Record Store Day, or your local independent music store. I need a special endless cash money supply for all the delights I want.