My Favorite Daytrotter Sessions of 2011 (so far)
Posted: April 27th, 2011 | Author: Nathan | Filed under: Articles About Music | Tags: best coast, frontier ruckus, guster, hurricane bells, Junip, pete yorn, rooney, rosi golan, sarah jaffe, the belle brigade, the low anthem | 1 Comment »
I have been a fan of the site Daytrotter for several years now. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Daytrotter, it is a music site that has a little studio they call The Horseshack in downtown Rock Island, IL. They invite bands to stop by in between shows while they are on tour to record a short little session, which is then put up on the site for free download along with a cartoon drawing of the artist and a short essay on the band and their music. Often the sessions are nothing more than spontaneous re-workings of songs on their previous records. But every once and a while an artist will use this opportunity to unveil an unreleased song they’ve been working on or to give us a cover of somebody else’s tune. Either way, they are a fun way to get introduced to a new band or to gain some fresh and unique songs from an old favorite to add to your collection. Over the years they have become pretty popular and are now pumping out several sessions a week. So I decide to take the time to share with you some of my favorite sessions of the year (so far). You can listen to one song from each session that I chose to give you the feel for the artist, and if you like it, I encourage you to head over to Daytrotter so you can listen to and download the full session.
If you don’t recognize the name Junip, you may be more familiar with their frontman, Jose Gonzalez, as I have mentioned him on here in the past. This is a great session with two songs off of last year’s Fields and one from the Rope and Summit EP.
Listen: Junip’s Daytrotter Session
Purchase: Fields
Surprisingly this is Yorn’s first Daytrotter session and it is a great one, with four songs off of last year’s Pete Yorn. He is starting to reach veteran status in the music world, and his songs are really showing it. I really like the maturity in his sound and songwriting. It is showcased reallly well in this session.
Listen: Pete Yorn’s Daytrotter Session
On sale for $5.99: Pete Yorn
9. The Belle Brigade – Sweet Louise
I am falling more and more in love with this group the more I listen to them. I shared with you last week their excellent single, “Losers.” There is a great stripped down version of that song in this session. These guys remind me of Simon and Garfunkel in the best of ways. The whole session is four songs from their self-titled debut.
Listen: The Belle Brigade Daytrotter Session
Purchase: The Belle Brigade
8. Hurricane Bells – The Cold Has Killed Us
These guys came in and played a monster of a session with 8 songs from several different records. This is a great introduction these southern rockers if you are unfamiliar with their catalog.
Listen: Hurricane Bells Daytrotter Session
Purchase: Tonight Is The Ghost (Deluxe Edition)
7. Guster – That’s No Way To Get To Heaven
Here’s another indie mainstay that is just now getting around to recording their first session and it’s a great one with 5 songs from 3 different albums. My three favorites all coming from last year’s Easy Wonderful.
Listen: Guster’s Daytrotter Session
Purchase: Easy Wonderful
6. Frontier Ruckus – The Upper Room
These guys were actually back this year for their second Daytrotter session and I really wish I had taken the time to listen to them last year. I just recently found these guys via one of the last Paste Music Sampler CD’s. His voice is a little off-putting at first, but I have actually grown to love it and now find it very endearing.
Listen: Frontier Ruckus Daytrotter Session
On sale for $5.99: Deadmalls And Nightfalls
I wouldn’t know this girl from Eve if it weren’t for my lovely wife putting her on continuous rotation in our house. I would’ve written her off as just another throwaway female pop singer, but that would’ve been a mistake. This girl can really sing and this session shows off how great she is live. I can’t wait to hear the follow up to her 2008 debut, The Drifter and the Gypsy.
Listen: Rosi Golan’s Daytrotter Session
Purchase: The Drifter and the Gypsy
4. The Low Anthem – Dreams Can Chase You Down
If you haven’t gotten the chance to hear their new album, Smart Flesh, this is a great introduction to it. They play several songs from it, including the excellent “Dreams Can Chase You Down” which until now could only be heard on the deluxe edition of the album.
Listen: The Low Anthem’s Daytrotter Session
Purchase: Smart Flesh [+Digital Booklet]
I bought these California rockers’ debut album about 8 years ago now based solely on the cover. Boy was that a great decision. Well fortunately for you, you don’t have to buy their new one based on the cover, you can just listen to their recent Daytrotter session and decide with your ears rather than your eyes.
Listen: Rooney’s Daytrotter Session
Purchase: Eureka
These surf rockers actually recorded this session about a year and a half ago, before their debut album, Crazy For You, was even released. And for one reason or another it is just now being released for our listening pleasure. It is another large collection of songs, none of which ended up on Crazy For You, which makes this session even more fun.
Listen: Best Coast’s Daytrotter Session
On sale for $3.99: Crazy For You
I have already posted one song from this session as my second favorite song of the year (so far) and I’m wondering if I sold it short. I can’t say enough about how much I love this girl. The control she has over her voice is absolutely incredible. Her live show was completely enthralling. I can’t stop listening to Suburban Nature and am dying for her to give us something new. This session has definitely helped tide me over til that day.
Listen: Sarah Jaffe’s Daytrotter Session
Purchase: Suburban Nature
