My Favorite Daytrotter Sessions of 2011 (so far)

Posted: April 27th, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: Articles About Music | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | 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.

11. Junip – Without You

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

10. Pete Yorn – Stronger Than

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

5. Rosi Golan – Come Around

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]

3. Rooney – Holdin’ On

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

2. Best Coast – In My Room

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

1. Sarah Jaffe – Clementine

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

ACL Preview – The Low Anthem

Posted: May 29th, 2009 | Author: | Filed under: Articles About Music, Limited Series | Tags: , , | 1 Comment »

The Low Anthem - Oh My God, Charlie DarwinFor my first artist recommendation for your ACL festival trip this coming fall, I have chosen a band called The Low Anthem. I first discovered this band from a Paste Sampler late last year. The name of the song was “Charlie Darwin” and I absolutely loved it.  It is a hauntingly gorgeous song.  It’s the title track for their second album, originally released late last year.  Oh My God, Charlie Darwin has been re-mastered and is being reissued on Nonesuch records June 9th with an updated tracklisting and new packaging.

The Low Anthem reigns from Rhode Island and consists of Ben Miller on vocals and guitar, Jocie Adams on clarinet, and Jeffrey Prystowsky on bass.  But each of them play an array of other instruments on the album and during their live shows.  They have garnered a lot of praise  from the indie music critics.  Paste Magazine called them “time-honored and astonishingly innovative.”  And they have gotten many comparisons to both Bob Dylan and Tom Waits.  That is in part due to the rough singing on some of the latter tracks on the album, or the Waits song that they cover on the new album.  But I think it’s mostly due to the sincerity found in their songwriting.  So listen to this great song and add The Low Anthem to your list of bands to see at Austin City Limits this fall.

The Low Anthem – Charlie Darwin

If you need more convincing you can stream their first album here.