In a true Internets moment, I have become an instant fan of Modern Skirts. What a wonderful and joyful sound. And how unusual. I love their sweet child like voices. I love the old school storytelling approach. I love the looseness and the naturalness. I even love the way their voices fall out of tune here and there. It’s sweet. It’s real. It’s nice. It’s NOT AUTO-TUNED! and gawd, that in itself makes me happy in this age of saccharine-frosted ersatz musik. Yes. In short, I love this.

Modern Skirts
“Rebecca St. Claire” (mp3)
from “Happy 81 EP”
(athensmusic.net)

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Here’s another Stellar track from Paula Frazer and Tarnation. I don’t know of another artist who brings such a fresh take on American country roots music, making a contemporary sound while quoting freely from any period or region of their choosing. Singer Frazer also happens to be a superb lyricist, a modern urban poet with old school songwriting chops, making them a potent creative force. I recently posted “Sleeping Dreams”, also from this  record, which has this Superfan’s highest recommendation. “Now It’s Time” is the first full length from this beloved San Francisco band in a decade, and it is a major, beautiful work. Enjoy.

Paula Frazer and Tarnation
“Bitter Rose” (mp3)
from “Now It’s Time”
(Birdman Records)

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This song is oober moving.  Simple.  Sometimes less is more. This sounds like something you’d hear at a good open mic.  You know.  That girl who walks onstage in a long dress and seems quite shy.  Maybe too shy to introduce herself… and all of a sudden she’s got a killer voice, and a great story to tell. If you’re wondering where the gr8 contemporary Americana is hiding, here it is. From their new album on Birdman Records, San Francisco’s Paula Frazer and Tarnation, with their shimmering, breathtaking, and redemptive original, “Sleeping Dreams.”

Paula Frazer and Tarnation
“Sleeping Dreams” (mp3)
from “Now It’s Time”
(Birdman Records)

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Bring it back! Bishop Perry Tillis lays it down for all the preachers out there who may talk the talk but not so much walk the walk. Recorded at his church in Samson, Alabama in 1972, here is a lesser known American blues great, who played Chicago blues circuit in the 1940s alongside Muddy Waters and Furry Lewis. When a revelation convinced him it was the devil’s music, he went back home to preach the gospel. All I know is, wherever the inspiration came from, his music is gr8. This whole CD is a joy. You can read more about it or order a hard copy at the Birdman Records website, or click here to buy the mp3s. Good ol’ soulful music.

Bishop Perry Tillis
“God don’t like it” (mp3)
from “Too Close”
(Birdman Records)

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Starting the week off on a very sweet note, here’s an acoustic guitar duet performance of the Beatles’ classic “And I Love Her,” by New Zealand’s steel string virtuoso Graham Wardrop. Eschewing production gimmickry, Wardrop has long focused his efforts on (gasp!) actual playing. He plays entirely with his hands, preferring the tonal possibilities of fingers on steel strings over the more limited range offered by plectrums. Graham’s devotion to his craft is evidenced by the fact that he builds his own instruments to get exactly the sound he wants. And his playing is quite beautiful. So here, I give you, one of the world’s greatest love ballads, played on a guitar built by the performer himself. That’s a lot of love in one mp3! If you like this, click here to find the whole album he made of Beatles covers. Enjoy.

Graham Wardrop
“And I Love Her” (mp3)
from “Beatles Project – Solo and Duet Guitar”
(LOOP)

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Here is a luminous instrumental serenade from Canadian harp-guitarist Antoine Dufour. His instrumental mastery is matched by a child-like playfulness and wonder, that is such a refreshing contrast to today’s prevailing cynicism. It’s easy to hear when someone is really having fun playing, and that joy is instantly contagious. An all acoustic, no effects, str8 up the middle stringed instrument recording that is as vibrant as a Spring day.

Antoine Dufour
“Lost in Your Eyes” (mp3)
from “Convergences”
(Candy Rat Records)

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Among a touring band’s greatest fears is to wake up one morning and find their gear van stolen. This happened to San Francisco’s Luce, not long after band leader Tom Luce’s house burned down with most of his belongings. So he did the reasonable thing. He quit. But, as the Muse is relentless for some folks, he couldn’t quit for long. Beckoned by an admiring fan base, and warm receptions to their earlier recordings, Luce reassembled themselves from scratch, to emerge with this joyously defiant statement of optimism. The unexpected vocal harmonies are delicious, and the band’s live-in-studio performance is expert, honest and unpretentious. Truly fine lemonade made from life’s lemons.

Luce
“The Year We’ll Have” (mp3)
from “The Year We’ll Have”
(Ninth Street Opus)

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“American Spiritual” is the perfect name for this record. It’s a right swamp boogyin’ guitar twangin’ snake handlin’ freakout. And fun! Dirty Sweet from San Diego, CA conjures an original sound that draws hungrily from American musics North, South, East and West. On this tale of madness and impending fate, lead singer Ryan Koontz’ powerful tenor sails over a deliciously apocalyptic musical gumbo. Very tight band, gr8 singer, and they rock live. We’ve been warned.

Dirty Sweet
“You’ve Been Warned” (mp3)
from “American Spiritual”
(Acetate Records)

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Within minutes of dubya’s re-election in 2004, Dave Bianchi decided to leave the USA, soon landing in Barcelona. There he opened a recording studio called the Emergency Room, where he produced records with some brilliant area artists and released them on his own WHATABOUTMUSIC label. This Kurt Weil meets Radiohead sounding piece from his solo debut, “The Suburbs of Salt” finds our expatriate hero deep in the throes of an existential social networking crisis. The composition is elegant and comical, the performances inspired and precise, all matching a frightfully accurate poetic gaze into the digital abyss. Brilliant.

Dave Bianchi
“Nowhere” (mp3)
from “The Suburbs of Salt”
(Whatabout Music)

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Though created by a one man band, this lovely track by The Singleman Affair sounds every bit like a classic small band recording. Over a sexy, lazy swinging beat, laden with warm acoustic guitar and analog keyboard licks, singer-songwriter Dan Schneider weaves a tale of a good goodbye. Seeing Tim Buckley, Skip Spence and Nick Drake listed among his influences on myspace, I was curious, to say the least. I’m happy to report the mp3s there do not disappoint next to those considerable names. It’s all gr8 stuff, with haunting, beautiful vocals and relaxed, elegant accompaniment. Plus, the lyrics are sublime.

The Singleman Affair
“Good Goodbye” (mp3)
from “Racehorse – EP”
(Cardboard Sangria Records)

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