selects! selects!! selects!!!
Two new bands join the ranks of eMusic Selects today, and we could not be more thrilled. Both of them are striking and unique — the work of true vision and individuality, just the kind of records we love to get behind at eMusic. And now for a word about both:
Man/Miracle, The Shape of Things: Oakland’s Man/Miracle specialize in spazzy unhinged indie pop that manages to somehow channel Talking Heads, The Cure and King Sunny Ade all at once. I have been playing this record non-stop for the last week — after a mood-settling opener, “Hot Sprawl” gets the party started and, from that moment on, it is a nonstop energetic floor-filler. Some of you may remember the song “Pushing and Shoving” from our Selected and Collected compilation — The Shape of Things delivers fully on the promise of that song — it’s a striking, thrilling rave-up that demands repeated listens. I know we put it out, but I have to say, this is going to end up one of this year’s strongest releases. You can take that to the bank! Free Track: “Hot Sprawl”
Read Jayson’s interview with Man/Miracle here
Hurray for the Riff Raff, Young Blood Blues: Words cannot express the level of awe and admiration I have for Hurray for the Riff Raff’s Alynda Lee. She has an ability like few others to pour herself into her songs, each one a reflection of her battered-but-still-beating heart. Her life story is the kind of thing that makes for liner notes in a Folkways collection: she ran away from her Bronx home at age 17 and rode boxcars across the United States, eventually ending up in New Orleans where she fell in with a group of travelling musicians called the Dead Man’s Street Orchestra. She more or less taught herself to play banjo, and began writing songs that fall squarely in line with the best of classic folk and blues. This record gets me to the core — the title track, “Young Blood Blues,” is easily one of my favorite songs of the year. Alynda writes like she can read my mind, and the songs and this magnificent collection are clear evidence of her talents. Free Track: “Slow Walk”
Read my interview with Alynda, where she talks about her fascinating life, here
And, yes, I do realize that we have done two ‘Hooray’/'Hurray’ bands in a row. But when the songs are this good…uh…hooray!
Selects dayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy
LOVE.
Man/Miracle’s Hot Sprawl is great. It sounds like a mash-up of My Morning Jacket and Dirty Projectors to me. Will have to check out the rest.
Hurray for the Riff Raff sounds nice too, yet more conventional.
I have to say, I’ve fallen hard for Hurray for the Riff Raff.