stop everything and listen to karen dalton

old mp3
Although I've read Dylan's "Chronicles, Volume 1" and Karen Dalton is mentioned in it I'd never encountered her until very recently (meaning yesterday!). All I can say is that, apart from my daily Grizzly Bear/Department of Eagles listening, I've been listening to her debut album "It's So hard To You Who's Gonna Love You The Best" almost non-stop and it's, frankly, astonishing.

Dylan described her having "a voice like Billie Holiday and played guitar like Jimmy Reed".

It's one of those times, like the first time you 'get' Leonard Cohen or Joy Division or Nick Drake, where you think why didn't I know this earlier? Would my life have been more complete with this in it?

So here's the title track and (I never do this) a link to the full album. It's brilliant. Now I must be off as I've just got her second record "In My Own Time". I can't wait.

mp3:Karen Dalton - In The Evening (It's So Hard To Tell You Who's Gonna Love You The Best)

album:Karen Dalton - It's So Hard To Tell You Who's Gonna Love You The Best

Read more...

jon brion - here we go

old mp3

"If God exists then the pop music he makes sounds like Jon Brion"

To the best of my knowledge nobody has actually ever said that but believe me when I say that I have thought it on many an occasion!

You may not know the name Jon Brion but I guarantee that you have heard Jon Brion. If you've seen "Magnolia", "Punch-Drunk Love" or "I ♥ Huckabees" or listened to Kanye West's "Late Registration", Rufus Wainwright, Fiona Apple, Rhett Miller or Spoon then you're more than familiar with what he sounds like and how he does things.

His style is all very (early period) Beatles-y and melodic and poptastic but that doesn't stop him from writing some insightful and truly beautiful songs. This one is from a similarly insightful and beautiful (and quirky) movie, the aforementioned "Punch-Drunk Love".

Jon Brion - Here We Go

Read more...