Music Making A Difference

New Releases - Feb. 17, 2009

If you need a reason to listen to M. Ward, you may be missing the point. He can make a difference in your mood and your attitude towards your daily interactions. M. Ward has been praised highly by critics for his dazzling guitar-strumming and singer-songwriter style. His latest effort, Hold Time, continues the earthy, acoustic love fest with which he has reeled so many admirers in. The riff heavy love song "Never Had Nobody Like You" features Zooey Deschanel (his She & Him counterpart). "To Save Me" is more upbeat than some of the other tracks on the new album, but still reflects the introspective nature M. Ward dishes out in his music. "Fisher of Men" is a rockabilly, alt-country diddy that sits heavy on the soul much like the guitar licks and lyrics of "Oh Lonesome Me" featuring Lucinda Williams.

After signing with Merge Records, M. Ward released Transfiguration of Vincent in 2003, Transistor Radio in 2005 and Post-War in 2006. His fourth Merge album is out this Tuesday.

Overall Rating: 7 out of 10

In saving the world, one song at a time news:

Ready to make a difference just by enjoying some good indie music? Red Hot Organization, an international charity focused on HIV/AIDS related awareness and fundraising, will release Dark Was The Night on 4AD Records this Tuesday. The compilation was produced by Aaron and Bryce Dessner from Brooklyn indie rockers The National and John Carlin, founder of the Red Hot Organization. This album is not only well worth the cause it supports, but the artists and bands alone are stellar! Some of my personal favorites are Fiest and Ben Gibbard's cover duet of Vashti Bunyan's "Train Song", the brief, but beautiful, "Die" by Iron & Wine, and Spoon's bouncy tune, "Well-Alright". Here's the complete track list:

Disc One:
1. Dirty Projectors and David Byrne, "Knotty Pine"
2. The Books featuring José González, "Cello Song"
3. Feist and Ben Gibbard, "Train Song"
4. Grizzly Bear, "Deep Blue Sea"
5. The National, "So Far Around the Bend"
6. Yeasayer, "Tightrope"
7. My Brightest Diamond, "Feeling Good"
8. The Kronos Quartet, "Dark Was the Night"
9. Antony and Bryce Dessner, "I Was Young When I Left Home"
10. Bon Iver and Aaron Dessner, "Big Red Machine"
11. The Decemberists, "Sleepless"
12. Iron and Wine, "Die"
13. Grizzly Bear and Feist, "Service Bell"
14. Sufjan Stevens, "Blood"

Disc Two:
1. Spoon, "Well-Alright"
2. The Arcade Fire, "Lenin"
3. Beirut, "Mimizan"
4. My Morning Jacket, "El Caporal"
5. Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, "Inspiration Information"
6. Dave Sitek, "With a Girl Like You"
7. Buck 65 remix featuring Sufjan Stevens and Serengeti, "Blood Pt. 2"
8. The New Pornographers, "Hey, Snow White"
9. Yo La Tengo, "Gentle Hour"
10. Stuart Murdoch, "Another Saturday"
11. Riceboy Sleeps, "Happiness"
12. Cat Power, "Amazing Grace"
13. Andrew Bird, "The Giant of Illinois"
14. Conor Oberst and Gillian Welch, "Lua"
15. Blonde Redhead and the Devastations, "When the Road Runs Out"
16. Kevin Drew, "Love vs. Porn"

Please go purchase this benefit album to support the cause of the Red Hot Organization. Your ears will thank you!

Overall Rating: 9.5 out of 10 (for all the talent!)

Folk Over Your Ears to Canada!

Today's indie music galaxy includes a brand of folk music ranging the likes of Jenny Lewis to M. Ward to Fleet Foxes. Canada represents nicely with The Acorn, who play an "experimental" sect of this kind of folksy acoustic indie pop. The Acorn hails from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The evolving project of a band currently consists of Rolf Klausener, Jeff Debutte, T. Jeffrey Malecki, Pat Johnson, and Howie Tsui. They first made a name for themselves in a mostly instrumental tribute to the Outaouais region of Canada with an album called The Pink Ghosts in July 2004.

After moving over to a Canadian indie stronghold label in Paper Bag Records, The Acorn first released the Tin Fist EP in November 2006 ("Dents" is spectacular) then Glory Hope Mountain in October 2007, which they say is “part biographical narrative, part surreal fairy tale", in hopes of reaching a wider range of listeners. The album stands as a primarily acoustic piece of indie flavored folk music aimed at honoring Klausener's mother. "Flood Pt. 1" and "Crooked Legs" are excellent tracks to gauge your level of interest in the band. The flavor entering your ears will cause you to bob your head along or reflect openly on the movement you feel within your being. This is what good indie folk is supposed to do.

Newly out this Tuesday (February 17th) is an all-live compilation featuring "hard-to-find" tracks, older demos of LP songs, and a couple of blog radio, in-studio performances. Heron Act is for fans of The Acorn who have not had the opportunity to hear them live, but want to experience the folksy goodness any way they can. Keep an ear out for their live shows coming back to the States after they complete a winter UK tour.