Singers and Songwriters – INDIE ROCK CAFE

Three new singles from singer/songwriters

Posted on 06/24/202106/27/2021 by EarsToTheGround

Leonard Herron – “Turquoise”
-The first time I heard this song from Leonard Herron, I could immediately connect with the mood. It’s subtle, personable, and calm. Herron’s vocal is approachable, accessible, familiar even. The guitar work feels like a jovial brand of folk rock when you get to the chorus. The whole composition feels like an old friend you haven’t talked to since high school. You’re just so glad to see them again. That’s how I feel listening to this one.

Darryl Rahn – “Lauren”
-If you’ve been around my coverage of singer songwriters for any length of time, you’ll know the name of Darryl Rahn. In a field where we “don’t pick favorites,” Rahn is one of my favorite songwriters. The easy going storytelling style here is evident. Inspired by inflections of Dylan’s storytelling and maybe some early 90s production tidbits, Rahn brings something fresh to every song, including this one “Lauren.” It’s always interesting hearing someone give voice to a main character that is so relatable for listeners. Why is she still awake? What’s going on? Does it even matter? I hope Lauren is okay and I just met her a few minutes ago. This is empathy in song and I love it.

Jenna and the Janes – “When spring comes”
-The acoustic energy in the opening of the track is really endearing. The vocal style feels comfortable, ushering the listener from a good solo vocal to a gorgeous vocal blending with the harmonies. The melody and overall composition defies genre in the best way. Sometimes it feels folk and other times pop country, but no matter what you call it the sound is enjoyable. As we move out of the spring season and into summer, the song will have you thinking about a hopeful time of year.

Singer/Songwriter Spotlight: Swedish Musician Jonas Carping

Posted on 02/14/202003/25/2020 by Max Hammer

The debut album, All The Time In The World, by the Swedish musician Jonas Carping, garnered some critical acclaim a few years back in the underground music world followed by his second album, Cocktails & Gasoline.

Carping in the process of releasing a new album to be titled Into the Ocean, a seven-track album which Carping says was recorded over a three to four-year period.

“The recording is a live session, something I always been wanting to do,” he says. “It’s just me, the acoustic guitar and my pedalboard. It’s bare naked; honest and raw.”

Anguished vocals and buzzing guitars set the mood on Carping’s booming track, “The Last Approval,” which has a strong, almost throbbing, melodic vibe, that cannot possibly overshadow Carping’s prominent vocals. The chorus is a nice touch as well.

A bluesy/folksy atmosphere and ambling instrumentation mark the track, “Damn Old World,” featuring stark and painful vocals that altogether make for a beautifully tragic song.

“Peace of Mind” is introspective and powerful track despite its mellow singer/songwriter vibe and folk-inspired lyrics. The power, as with many of his songs, comes from Carping’s pained and mournful vocals.

The acoustic and folksy song, “You Move in a Different Way,” sounds much like an Irish/Scottish folk song. That is not surprising since, like many indie/DIY singer/songwriters, Carping pulls from many influences and styles.

If you’re in a gloomy mood on a dark, rainy day, and you want to lean into it, that may be the best time to listen to Carping’s songs. Melancholic music has its time and place, but it is not often accomplished at the skill level that Carping employs.

His style and sound are moody, contemplative, melancholic and generally dark. Other tracks are more aggressive and theatrical, such as “Sleepless Night Blues” and the similar-sounding, “Fragrance of the Past.”

On track after track, Carping displays the songwriting, vocal, and musical talents that have attracted support on his Bandcamp page and elsewhere. It’s also notable that these songs were recorded in a cabin in the Swedish wilderness.

“The aim was to preserve the essence in music-making when there are no distractions,” Carping writes.

“And to capture the vibe of the wilderness. But also to do so with the very best studio equipment. We came back with eleven new songs.”

Last summer he dropped a three-track single for a chilling cover of “Killer” with ringing guitars, smashing drums and Carping’s ominous and perfectly-matched vocals. The single is a cover of the original 1989 single from Seal and Adamski.

Other musicians contributing to the recording include: Martin Karlsson – Bass, Percussion, Guitar; Johan Norlund – Drums; Micke Petersson – Guitar; Sigrid “Snäckan” Nilsson – Vocals; Marika Dahlbäck – Cello, and produced by Amir Aly and Martin Karlsson and mastered by Björn Engelmann

facebook.com/JonasCarpingOfficial

Singer/Songwriter Spotlight Series, Vol. VII – The Sweet Acoustic Sounds of Steve Marino, aka, Moor Hound

Posted on 03/07/201302/19/2020 by Max Hammer

Growing up in the country’s playground town of Orlando, Florida, musician and singer/songwriter Steve Marino, now a resident of Bloomington, Indiana, writes and records introspective songs under the moniker, Moor Hound.

In 2008, with just an acoustic guitar and some new recording equipment, Marino set out to create strictly folk songs – anything but, he told IRC, “the saccharin, lovesick songs” he was accustomed to hearing as a teen. But it didn’t take long for Marino to find himself drifting back towards the very format and sound that he had previously committed to avoiding.

In fact, once Marino discovered the self-indulgent thrill of the melancholy love song, he eventually produced two full-length albums filled with organic, heartfelt indie folk music, as songs like “Holiday” and “Low Season” clearly demonstrated.

“Holiday” – Moor Hound from Stifled Spirit – Jan. 29th

“Low Season” – Moor Hound from Stifled Spirit

Last year, a few of Marino’s musician friends located many hundreds of miles north of central Florida coaxed him into moving to Indiana to join their band. Soon after he arrived, they were performing as a back-up band on some of his song.

“Moor Hound is ultimately a solo project,” he said, adding, “I do have friends play on my records…but it’s a solo thing at the core.” Other musical genres, such as alt. country rock, occasionally seeped into his recordings, as evidenced by the twang of the electric slide guitar on songs like “You’re Still Around.”

“You’re Still Around” – Moor Hound from Stifled Spirit

While Marino is signed with a small indie label, Rhed Rholl Recordings, the original, limited edition cassette of Stifled Spirit was released this past January via Viva La Records, a small indie label founded by Alexander Charos of the band Alexander & The Grapes.

Moor Hound’s Earlier Acoustic Releases

We decided to include one song from each of Moor Hound’s previous releases to give listeners an idea of his earlier work and his progression as a songwriter and musician over the past half decade. In February 2010, Marino released an LP titled Land/Sea with Australian friend and fellow musician Will Farina. Since we could not decide which of two songs from Land/Sea we liked the most, the decision was made to include both. In November of 2010, Marino released his debut solo LP, Love in My Jaws, from which the standout track, “Through The Fence,” is taken.

“Bolton Valley” – Moor Hound & Will Farina from Land/Sea – Feb. 26th, 2010

“Before and Between” – Moor Hound & Will Farina from Land/Sea

“Through The Fence” – Moor Hound from Love In My Jaws – Nov. 2nd, 2010

From “Before and Between” is the following stanza, which just about anyone who has ever experienced young love in the splendor and solitude of nature can relate to: In this place there is no strife or bitterness/Only the sound of the wind in our ears/Why pray for heaven/When we have it right here?

In September of 2008, Marino released his first recording, an EP titled Enduring World, which, like his other releases is available via Moor Hound’s Bandcamp page.

“Enduring World” – Moor Hound from Enduring World EP – Sept. 25th, 2008

Marino listed among his major musical influences artists such as J. Tillman, Iron & Wine and Sufjan Stevens. Marino, in response to a question we ask all featured artists, wrote that “indie rock, with its many forms and interpretations, is music that is genuine in its creation, and finds its impact in the character and personality of the creator. It’s not a genre as much as it is an approach to songwriting.”

Visit Moor Hound’s Facebook page.

Singer-Songwriter Spotlight Series, Vol. VI: Washington Musician Blake Cowan, aka, Wickerbird

Posted on 02/26/201312/18/2019 by Max Hammer

After returning to Mt. Rainier, Washington from New York City, where he earned a biology degree at Columbia University, dream-folk musician, singer-songwriter Blake Cowan retreated to the wooded hills at the foot of Mt. Rainier to record a new LP, and this week’s release of a new EP, in a borrowed trailer where “he commenced a pivotal expedition into his own mortality and ephemerality” to form the musical project, Wickerbird, which is “composed of mountainside reveries rendered forth in bare guitar, cavernous harmonies, Gregorian drones and bird song.” The title track, “The Westering,” is an experimentation in acoustic, natural sounds, feedback and chants, followed by the similarly sounding track, “Hollow.”

Cowan wrote that “Indie rock is a strangely inviting umbrella term that has, at least for me, managed to become one intrinsic to, and rapturously embracing of, all things eclectic, experimental and liberating in music. The term provides a haven for the innovators and the quirky, expanding and transcending their musical mode of expression, unyoked from a need to be defined or derivative.”

“The Westering” – Wickerbird from The Westering – March 1st

“Hollow” – Wickerbird from The Westering

Listen to more Wickerbird via Spotify, including this September 2012 debut. A new message on his Facebook page says that his songs have had more than 60,000 plays on Spotify, which is completely believable.

Singer and Songwriter Spotlight Series Vol. V – Iceland’s Lay Low and California’s Noel Carlon

Posted on 03/05/201012/18/2019 by Max Hammer

If you haven’t heard of Lay Low, it’s not because this talented artist’s moniker matches her status within the world of music. Icelandic singer-songwriter Lovísa Elísabet Sigrúnardóttir, with her unusual moniker and all, has a voice of gold. Since being discovered nearly four years ago, she has done anything but “lay low,” garnering international critical acclaim for her folk meets blues meets pop signature sound. It is simply impossible to ignore one of the most terrific female vocalists – and songwriters – to come out of Iceland in recent years.

In 2006, Lovísa was contacted by a local label that showed interest in a raw demo she had placed on her MySpace page. Just a few short months after being discovered, she had recorded and released her debut album, Please Don’t Hate Me, which topped the Icelandic charts, and became the best-selling original album in the country that year, as well as being nominated for four Icelandic Music Awards (and winning three of them) in the process. Her latest album, Farewell Good Night’s Sleep, was released last year to positive reviews, and her MySpace views have top 350,000.

“By and By” – Lay Low from Farewell Good Night’s Sleep (2009)

“I Forget It’s There” – Lay Low from Farewell Good Night’s Sleep (2009)

Lay Low on MySpace

Los Angeles musician Noel Carlon was born in Tijuana and grew up in southern California where he played his uncle’s guitar and wore out his father’s records. As a child in a “strange land,” Carlon found himself isolated, spending countless hours in the local library reading the poems of Edgar Allan Poe, Federico Garcia Lorca, and William Shakespeare. During college, he honed his songwriting skills and formed a band called Delarosa. Today, he is continuing his work using the moniker, Noel Carlon and the Dead Poets.

With help from guest musicians, Carlon brought his compositions to life and released his debut album, Insecure, last year. His musical influences include the Beatles, the Smiths, Soda Stereo, Jeff Buckley, Elliott Smith, Tom Waits, and Chet Baker.

“Runaway” – Noel Carlon and the Dead Poets from Insecure (2009)

“Lady Kiss Me” – Noel Carlon and the Dead Poets from Insecure (2009)

Noel Carlon on MySpace

Singer-Songwriter Spotlight Series, Vol IV: Nashville’s Award-Winning Andrew Belle and Chris Volpe

Posted on 02/17/201012/18/2019 by Max Hammer

In the on-going Singer-Songwriter Spotlight Series, we have a backlog of musicians to present to you in the coming weeks, with more new talent coming in all of the time. Most of the artists we feature are those who have sent their music in hoping to strike a chord, and more often than not, they do. With that in mind, we are expanding this particular feature to include more singer-songwriters into each installment just to keep up with them all.

Nashville recording artist Andrew Belle, a native of Chicago, has made quite a name for himself in the past year or so, especially within the Nashville scene. In December, Belle was part of the Ten Out of Tenn tour, a collective of Tennessee musicians who hit the road to entertain concert goers across the midwest and west, performing a range of classic and modern-day Christmas songs as well as rare indie songs. Watch a promo video of the TOT rehearsals for their Christmas 2009 tour.

In addition to Belle, the collective included Trent Dabbs, Butterfly Boucher, Katie Herzig, Andy Davis, K.S. Rhoads, Tyler James, Jeremy Lister, Matthew Perryman Jones, Erin McCarley and Will Sayles.

Due in part to the success of the TOT holiday tour, Belle is now on the road again, performing a series of solo shows in Washington state, mostly at colleges and universities. In March, he will launch another tour of colleges and universities throughout the Midwest in support of the release of his first LP, The Ladder, which will drop on February 23rd. The LP is a self-release, and was mixed by Grammy award-winning engineer Vance Powell (The Raconteurs).

After you hear the magnificent live cover of Bright Eyes‘, “First Day of My Life,” and the wonderfully memorable, “Static Waves,” you’ll probably not forgot Andrew Belle anytime soon. Remarkably, Belle’s voice reminds us both of Johnny Legend and Chris Martin, especially on “Static Waves.” Some of you may recognize Belle’s voice from his debut 2008 EP, All Those Pretty Lights, from which a couple of songs were featured on 90210 and MTV’s The Real World. Last August, Belle won MTV’s ‘Chicago Break Out Artist’ VMA award for the song, “I’ll Be Your Breeze.”

Amazingly, his superb debut EP is available as a free download from Bandcamp.

“Static Waves” – Andrew Belle from The Ladder (2010)

“I’ll Be Your Breeze” – Andrew Belle from All Those Pretty Lights EP (2009)

“All Those Pretty Lights” – Andrew Belle from All Those Pretty Lights EP (2009)

“First Day of My Life” (Bright Eyes) – Andrew Belle, live (2009)

Andrew Belle on MySpace

Americana singer-songwriter Chris Volpe is a self-taught guitar virtuoso who executes complex finger-picking styles akin to Leo Kottke and Paul Simon. Volpe taught himself to play piano, banjo, bass and drums, among other instruments and honed his skills for songwriting. After listening to half of a dozen of his songs from different releases, it becomes ever more apparent why Volpe has received as many music awards as he has in the span of five years.

“Don’t Go” – Chris Volpe from Shipwrecked (2009)

In 2008, Volpe was picked to represent Nashville at the Forecastle Festival; earlier that year, Volpe won the international Lyric Writer Award for the song “Dusty Bibles,” plus the Independent Music Award for the “Singer/Songwriter Album of the Year” category in 2006 for the LP, Refugee Blues. In fact, all 15 songs on the LP were recorded live in one take – a stellar recording feat. He won the studio time to record Refugee Blues as a prize for taking the “best song of the year” at the West Coast Songwriting Association‘s annual contest in 2004. Volpe’s music is sometimes politically charged, as well as evidenced in “Dusty Bibles,” which ruminates about Saddam Hussein, Osama Bin Laden and David Koresh, and sounds a bit like a Tom Waits song.

Volpe’s top-quality songwriting and performing has also garnered him honorable mentions in the prestigious John Lennon Songwriting Contest and Billboard Worldwide Song Contest. The following lyrics from the song “1849 Revisited” are one example of Volpe’s songwriting abilities: For all along the river banks there lives/A residue collected in the weeds/It smells of tasteless regret: a faint glimpse/Of hearts that sold the life they own to lease.

With the help of Grammy award-winning producer Phil Harris, Volpe recorded songs that range in style from folk-jazz to Americana and country noir for his 2009 release, Shipwrecked. His band comprises some of Nashville’s finest musicians, including Jeff Coffin (Flecktones, Dave Matthews Band), Bryn Davies (Tony Rice, Patti Griffin), Donnie Herron (Bob Dylan, BR549) and Kenny Malone (Cat Stevens, Johnny Cash).

“Dusty Bibles” – Chris Volpe from Shipwrecked (2009)

Chris Volpe official website

Chris Volpe on MySpace

Check out previous installments from IRC’s Singer-Songwriter Spotlight Series.

If you or your band wish to submit music for our review, please read and follow carefully the submission guidelines on our About page.

Artist of the Week: DIY Singer/Songwriter Brent Nettles

Posted on 02/08/201012/18/2019 by Max Hammer

What happens to a young, talented musician when he breaks from a major record label contract after being in a semi-famous band? Well, in the case of San Diego area singer/songwriter Brent Nettles, he went completely DIY, and in the process, created a collection of mesmerizing, heartfelt solo recordings that we are grateful to be the first major blog to review.

After leaving Warner Brothers two years ago while a member of the band The Finalist, Nettles returned Houston from California, began putting his song lyrics to music. The results are nothing short of remarkable.

While in Houston, Nettles found himself in an unplanned, three-day confinement in a makeshift studio with producer and friend Tyler Halford, recording a handful of songs that he had been working on for many months. Another friend, Jay Snider, later added drum tracks to some of the songs, and Taylor Johnson sat in on one track to play electric guitar.

The result is an impressive two set EP of mostly acoustic, Americana songs about love, rivers, faith and soul-searching. Nettles’ music is completely original, which, for him, was key after being exposed to the corporate side of the music world.

“I write songs that are not all that polished, but are honest, and I want people to hear them…I’m not really ‘trying to make it,'” he told IRC, and referring to his former contract with Warner Brothers, “I don’t really want to tango with the devil again.”

“I’m not bitter or anything like that,” he added. “I was young – 17 when we signed the deal. We made a record that was never put out, and they kept us under a contract for a while until we asked to be released because they didn’t do anything for us.”

At just 22 years old, Nettles’ down-to-earth outlook demonstrates a maturity and self-awareness that much older, “established” singer/songwriters we come across all of the time simply lack. He is curiously humble, and low-key, about his musical talents.

“I have worked really hard, and been really honest with these tunes. I have never tried to do a big push, or done any marketing, not because I’m lazy, only because my music is so personal. I didn’t know if anyone besides my friends would care to hear it. I have been, and I still am, a bit insecure about my music. There is a lot of fear that comes with being honest.”

No reason to fear; we think people will love this music, and be happy that it made its way from relative obscurity to be shared with a wider audience.

The first song from Nettles that we heard was, “It Must Be Nice,” a mellow, beautiful song that progresses along smoothly, marked by a simple acoustic guitar strum, well timed drum beats, piano and keyboard infusions, and touching vocals.

“It Must be Nice” – Brent Nettles from Houston, Do You Read Me?

In addition to delivering songs about love, Nettles also has an astonishing talent for writing authentic American songs, as evidenced on songs like “In The Garden” and “Back to the River.”

“Back to the River” – Brent Nettles from Hot Shoe Shuffle

Remarkably, his first two DIY EPs – Houston, Do You Read Me? and Hot Shoe Shuffle – are available for free download via Bandcamp, and we strongly recommend downloading them, especially since there are great songs that we didn’t include here (because we didn’t think it was kosher to re-publish his entire existing discography).

“I am kind of considering the two EPs I have out now as demos. Pretty soon I am going to make a full length record, and spend more time on it. I may have to ask a small amount of money for those recordings, only so I can eat. But who knows…God may provide a way for me create a really good product for free. I am a firm believer that you should give freely as you have been given.”

“Leave the Ground Dry” – Brent Nettles from Hot Shoe Shuffle

Nettles has only performed a couple of shows as a solo artist at the E Street Cafe in San Diego, but said he would eventually like to go on a tour. “I would love to tour, ” Nettles said. “I’m not sure if I’ll be able to afford it in the near future. But I hope to one day. I love touring.”

Nettles lives with his wife in the San Diego suburb of Encinitas, and credits her with inspiring many of his songs. In our opinion, Brent Nettles is already well on his way – it’s just a matter of more people hearing his music, and the inevitable progression that will come as he grows as a songwriter, vocalist and musician.

Brent Nettles on MySpace

Singer/Songwriter Spotlight Series, Vol. III: In Memory of Vic Chesnutt, 1964 – 2009

Posted on 01/09/201012/18/2019 by Max Hammer

Vic Chesnutt: RIP (1964 – 2009) photo by Eric Lawson

In an on-going playlist series featuring fantastic singer and songwriters, we are honoring the memory of the great Athens, Georgia singer-songwriter, Vic Chesnutt, who passed away on two weeks ago on Christmas after lapsing into coma following a rumored suicide from an overdose of muscle relaxants.

Chesnutt was well known for his witty, dark songs and collaborations with members of various alternative and indie bands, such as Elf Power, Fugazi, Godspeed!, You Black Emperor, Silver Mt. Zion Orchestra,Widespread Panic, Cracker, Lambchop, Throwing Muses and M. Ward, to name just a few. Fellow Athens, Georgia resident and long-time friend, REM’s Michael Stipe, produced Chesnutt’s first two LPs.

In 1996, Chesnutt received national prominence after an album (Sweet Relief) of his songs were covered by Smashing Pumpkins, Madonna, REM and Garbage. Chesnutt was paralyzed at age 18 in a car accident, and he has required constant medical care ever since. Earlier last year, he told Spinner that he was terrified by the fact that he was being sued by the Athens Regional Medical Center in Georgia for up to $50,000 – even though he had health insurance. “Right now,” Chesnutt said, “I am in huge trouble in that the hospital is suing me for $35,000 for payment, which is terrifying – and the rub is that I have health insurance.”

In September, Chesnutt released the critically acclaimed LP, At The Cut, and was touring to sold out crowds. In honor of the prolific Chesnutt, here are a pair of songs from his own website – one from At the Cut, and another from his 2007 classic LP, North Star Deserter, and a couple of videos. The irony of the first song in this mix is heart-wrenching. Rest in Peace, Vic; we’ll miss you.

“Flirted With You All My Life” – Vic Chesnutt from At the Cut (2009)

“You Are Never Alone” – Vic Chesnutt from North Star Deserter (2007)

Download a free six-song sampler from Vic’s official website.

Vic Chesnutt on MySpace

Michael Stipe, Patti Smith and others talk about the passing of their friend.

See other posts in IRC’s Singer and Songwriter series.

Singer/Songwriter Spotlight: French Teenage Indie Musician Louis Aguilar

Posted on 01/08/201012/18/2019 by Max Hammer

Artwork for Old Man Poems by Agripine

Louis Aguilar, a 19-year-old French musician who composes mellow, minimalistic folk songs, has already made a name for himself by opening and performing with artists like Moriarty, Micah P. Hinson and Devendra Banhart, among others.

One of Aguilar’s newest songs, “Six Feet Under,” from his latest LP, Old Man Poems (released by Noize Maker Records), is a nearly eight minute long track that will get stuck in your head for a very long time. Aguilar also provided us with another song, “Sailor Jerry,” from his latest LP, available for purchase from Amazon.

Aguilar started playing music when he was merely seven years old, picked up the guitar at 11, and wrote, recorded and produced his first album, Hairly Tales, at the age of 16. He quickly gained an underground following throughout France, which paved the way for appearances with established artists.

While admittedly lofty comparisons, Aguilar’s music has been likened to Townes Van Zandt and Bob Dylan by the French music webzine La Blogotheque. We were immediately struck at how mature Aguilar’s voice sounds – far beyond his years – and couldn’t help but to hear a likeness to M. Ward in his singing, with a sensibility similar to singer-songwriters like Nick Drake and the late Vic Chesnutt (RIP; look out for a special dedication to Chesnutt in the next few days). Aguilar told IRC: “I was a big fan of Vic Chesnutt. I am still really upset by his death.”

Currently, Aguilar is majoring in Art at Missouri Valley College in Marshall, Missouri, with the goal of becoming a tattoo artist; however, we hope he does not abandon his career as a musician. Thankfully, he plans to return to France and go back on tour after completing his schooling in Missouri.

He has recently begun writing new music, he told IRC. In response to a question about how he approaches his writing, Aguilar said: “I don’t really have a songwriting process. It just kinda happens, you know. It sometimes comes from the melody, and most of the time from the story.”

Aguilar’s previous recordings before Old Man Poems were all released via Ohayo Records: Hairy Tales (2007), Green, Green is the Live (2008), Cloud Blowin’ Child (2008).

“Six Feet Under” – Louis Aguilar from Old Man Poems (2009)

“Sailor Jerry” – Louis Aguilar from Old Man Poems (2009)

Watch the YouTube video for “Short Stories”

Watch the Vimeo video for “Everlasting Sunshine and Queen Butterfly”

Louis Aguilar on MySpace
Aguilar’s Homeless Heroes blog
Bad Panda Website

Track is provided under Creative Commons licensing.

Singer-Songwriter Spotlight Series, Vol. II: The Musical Genius of Will Stratton

Posted on 11/12/200912/18/2019 by Max Hammer

If you haven’t heard of the young and brilliant singer and songwriter Will Stratton, here’s your chance. Stratton’s 2007 debut album, What the Night Said, was written and recorded while he was a teenager. Even popular indie artist Sufjan Stevens contributed to the record.

Stratton just released his new album, No Wonder, on November 3rd, via the indie label Stunning Models on Display. We are excited to share with you songs from the LP, which we strongly encourage purchasing, not just because it’s magnificent, almost magically splendid, from start to finish, but also to help encourage this prodigy to continue crafting his warm, heart-felt compositions.

In fact, NPR called Stratton’s music “disarmingly proficient”; PopMatters declared No Wonder “pretty damn close to a straight-up masterpiece” and the highly respected All Music dubbed the album, “stirring and hyper-personal yet universally beautiful.”

Stratton was born in California and grew up in New Jersey where he began composing songs on piano at three years old. Fans of Nick Drake and Mark Kozelek will likely hear why comparisons of Stratton’s music have been made to these prolific songwriters. In fact, Stratton’s favorite album of all-time, he said, is Drake’s classic Pink Moon.

If you enjoy Stratton’s breathtakingly beautiful, and deeply personal, music, please vote for him as Deli Magazine’s Artist of the Month. Last month, Stratton performed a set at New York’s CMJ supported by the blog Pop Tarts Suck Toasted. In addition, he has previously toured with Sam Moss and These United States. Stratton one of the most gifted musical geniuses of our time, and we hope to hear much more from him in the months and years to come.

“Your California Sky” – Will Stratton from No Wonder (2009)

“Who Will” – Will Stratton from No Wonder (2009)

Earlier this year, Stratton self-released a free EP, Vile Bodies; even more reason why we’ll be following Stratton’s career for a long time to come.

“Vile Bodies” – Will Stratton from Vile Bodies EP (2009)

“Lying in the Dark” – Will Stratton from Vile Bodies EP (2009)

Note: After downloading and unzipping the free MediaFire EP, make sure to add .mp3 extension to the song titles so you can listen to them in your preferred music player.

Finally, here are just a couple of the amazing tracks off Stratton’s stunning 2007 debut LP, plus a cover from his mentor, Nick Drake. Special thanks to catbirdseat.org and slowcoustic.com for the following tracks.

“I’d Hate To Leave You” – Will Stratton from What the Night Said (2007)

“Night Will Come” (Demo) – Will Stratton from What the Night Said (2007)

“Place To Be” (Nick Drake) – Will Stratton from Herohill.com

Will Stratton: Official Website
Will Stratton: MySpace
Download a free zip of Stratton’s demos, out-takes and B-sides.

Singer-Songwriter Spotlight Series, Vol. I: Chad VanGaalen Up for Polaris Music Prize; Releases Electronic Album as Black Mold

Posted on 09/02/200912/18/2019 by Max Hammer

Chad VanGaalen is a singer-songwriter who garnered all kinds of praise and interest for his 2008 album release Soft Airplane. The album was recently nominated for Canada’s 2009 Polaris Music Prize, sharing the list of nominees with Patrick Watson, Great Lake Swimmers and K’naan, among others.

The good news for VanGaalen, a Subpop recording artist, came just a couple of weeks ago, and coincided nicely with his newest music project. Using the moniker of his electronica alter-ego Black Mold, VanGaalen released his new album, Snow Blindness is Crystal Antz, August 11th on Flemish Eye Records.

VanGaalen spent the past couple of years experimenting with vintage analogue and hand-built modular synthesizers to create a new and electifying sound that has drawn parallels to the works of his previous recordings, including the albums Infiniheart and Skelliconnection. But VanGaalen’s latest work is an album of instrumental electronica that mixes some old-school techniques, dips and pitches, minialistic themes and touches of distortion in various forms.

On the song “Metal Spider Webs,” it’s almost as if you can hear a ‘metal spider’ building a web, which is quite surreal, but poignant. The track “Tetra Pack Heads” is laden with sound glitches that would be annoying to most people, and perhaps intriguing – or not – to fans of VanGaalen’s respectable catalog of songs as a singer-songwriter.

While Snow Blindness is Crystal Antz is unlikely to get nominated next year for a Polaris as Soft Airplane has been this year, it is a commendable side project with some impressive mixes. It’s always a good sign when artists break out of their known format to take a risk and try something new, most especially when it is driven by a true passion and executed with heart and soul.

“Willow Tree” – Chad VanGaalen from Soft Airplane (2008)

“Metal Spider Webs” – Black Mold from Snow Blindness is Crystal Antz (2009)

“Tetra Pack Heads” – Black Mold from Snow Blindness is Crystal Antz (2009)

Note: It’s no secret to regular readers of IRC that we have a deep fondness for Subpop Records, not just because they have an amazing lineup of artists and bands, but also because of their unique relationship building efforts with music fans, bloggers and the media. There are other labels that do this as well – Merge, Labrador, Matador and Saddle Creek, to name a few. Along with Subpop, they serve as models for the successful record company of the next decade.