new releases - september 25th

a few noteworthy releases to help you make 'til october:

the foo fighters have returned to rock your face off with their latest effort echoes, silence, patience and grace. definitely check this one out, as well as their sweet video for the pretender.



iron and wine has released a new album entitled the shepherd's dog. it is more upbeat music-wise than his previous efforts, drawing from his recent efforts with calexico, i believe, but this is not a bad thing. his voice is as soft and strong as ever, and there are some really good tunes here.

the last thing i picked up this past tuesday was the new one from a new favorite of mine, devendra banhart entitled smokey rolls down thunder canyon. this latest effort includes many songs that seem to call back to his hispanic heritage (he was raised in venezuela), and i swear even includes a gospel track. this is one weird cat, but he makes some really beautiful music that i love to sing along with.

new iron & wine single

iron & wine (singularly sam beam) has returned with a single from his forthcoming album 'the shepherd's dog', out on sub pop in september. the single is the kind that i used to get so excited about: the domestic single that does not cost $9.99 and above. i bought this one for four bucks at monster music and movies in charleston, sc. so that alone was a bonus for me (not to mention that i knew there was an excellent chance i would love the tunes as well).

the single features a new song, 'boy with a coin', from the album mentioned above. it also boasts 2 (yes, 2!) unreleased b-sides. the first of the b-sides is called 'carried home', and it is beautifully presented with a mix of acoustic guitar, banjo, piano, and bass guitar (among others, i'm sure). the vocal harmonies are lovely as well.

'boy with a coin' comes in as the second track. it has a faster pace than most of his songs, but it is a nice direction, i think. there are hand claps serving as percussion throughout. this adds a more constructed feel to the song. again, the vocal harmonies are lovely.

the final track is 'kingdom of the animals', a bouncy tune with a dance-y piano. nice sounds throughout this one. the bass guitar stands out in this recording, as it also does in the other two songs, making me wonder if the direction with this new album will have the feel of a band playing the music (sort of like what he did with calexico a while back), instead of the slow and quiet music of many of his past recordings.

this is a good cd for the money, and makes me anxious to hear the whole album when it is released. if you have been a fan of his past works, give this one a shot, too.