TRACKS OF THE WEEK 24/08/2014 - Tom The Lion, Jackson Browne, The New Basement Tapes, SBTRKT, Zero 7

Five Tracks to get you warm and dry again

Old Pa's Corner :-
Jackson Browne - The Birds of St Marks (2014)

 

The song is supposedly written about Nico (Velvet Underground) after a  relationship. Good old Nico did not to o bad in the affairs stakes and the songs written for or about her. Dylan's I'll keep it with Mine is in that category.

JB wrote the song in the sixties and an acoustic version appeared on the album Solo Acoustic Vol 1 (2005). However he always thought the song was taylor made for the Byrds with Roger McGuinn's signature guitar sound. Do you know what?. He was spot on there. Can't wait for the new album out in October. Standing in the Breach (2014)  

Shellhunter:-
Zero 7 - 'Simple Science' (2014)

Zero 7 went off my radar for a long time but I was heavily into their debut album Simple Things for their fantastic ambient trip hop. Seeing their name again on BBC6 recently played list sparked my interest and I'm pleasantly surprised with this latest offering. Although it's a different road altogether from their chill out electronica, I like the fact it makes me want to tap my feet. There's nothing wrong with dabbling in something more up tempo. Simple Science is one of 2 EPs released this year and a full album is due out later this year. Here's to a fresh new wave of Zero 7!

London Scouser:-

The New Basement Tapes - 'Nothing To It' (2014)

A few days ago I was randomly looking at some music websites where one page has a link to another and so on when I came across a page that mentioned a certain Mr B Dylan. Nevertheless I still gave it a read and decided to watch the video. As soon as the song started I thought wow, this is bloody good. It sounded familiar so my first thought was that it was a cover, but reading about it I see that the lyrics were written by Bob Dylan almost 50 years ago and found in a box along with a bunch more. Not being a BD aficionado I am not familiar with his 'Basement Tapes' phase but apparently these newly discovered songs were written at the same time. I still can't figure out what the song reminds me of but I'm happy because it means I get to listen to the song a few more times until I do. I really like the video too, it's a lyric video which are quite the rage nowadays but with a twist... The lyrics used are the actual handwritten ones that Bob wrote way back when.
The New Basement Tapes is a supergroup containing T-Bone Burnett, Jim James (My Morning Jacket), Elvis Costello, Marcus Mumford, Rhiannon Giddens (Carolina Chocolate Drops) & Taylor Goldsmith (Dawes). For more details, check out their website here

Flycasual:-
SBTRKT - 'New Dorp, New York' (feat Ezra Koenig)

I first heard this and thought "what's all this about?" but then a week or so later I was hooked. Caught up in the simmering minimalist bass and rhythm, synonymous with London's elusive and masked SBTRKT. With Ezra Koenig providing the distinctive vocals, 'New Dorp, New York' is the first single taken from SBTRKT's new album, Wonder When We Land, out in September. I Love the subtle references to my favourite city, particularly the 'Top of The Rock', where I ambushed my now wife and proposed an alliance of love. Gross eh? I never meant it to be akin to the scene in Sleepless in Seattle mind, I wanted to do it at the home of Hip Hop in the Bronx. Word!

Sfw:- 
Tom The Lion - 'Silent Partner' (2014)

I've been playing this all week and I'm still smitten with it.  It's by Tom The Lion, a Leamington-born indie-folk-pop artist who has recently released his debut album ‘Sleep’ is out now on Wrasse Records.  With more influences to fill a zoo, comparisons such as Snow Patrol's Gary Lightbody, Foals and The Maccabees are probably not too far off the mark, which for me, is a good thing.  Check out the album - he's one to watch!

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