Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova

I'm a sucker for a good Dylan cover. Ditto that for a good Van Morrison one. Sucker for a good love story and a good underdog one too.

Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova starred as "Guy" and "Girl" in this year's little indie film that could, Once. Shot for around $160,000, the film, about two musicians falling in love, has gone on to earn its money back many times over. It has been showing up on almost every year end best of list I have come across. Not bad at all.

The movies two stars were both relative new comers to acting. Irglova was a true rookie, never having acted in her 19 years. For Hansard, this was only his second role ever, although it had been some time since he first appeared as Outspan Foster in 1991's The Committments. Glen's regular dayjob, as it has been since 1990, is the main man in Irish band, The Frames. Marketa, barely out of high school, met Glen through friends, leading the duo to record '06's The Swell Season. The album contains songs previously seen on some Frames records and that would later appear on the Once soundtrack.

I've really been falling in love with Glen and Marketa's covers as of late. A collector's edition of the Once OST, released in December features their take on Van Morrison's Into The Mystic. They also contributed their version of Dylan's You Ain't Going Nowhere on the I'm Not There soundtrack/compilation from earlier in the year. Both are fantastically compelling.

Both files are sendspace files. Follow the link.

Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova - Into The Mystic mp3
Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova - You Ain't Going Nowhere mp3

If you folks remember just before the break we started a new Thursday serial just before the holidays. Now that the break and end of the year posts are out of the way we can get back to that for you. The segment will be called I got them higher calling blues . As I said earlier it's a pretty open format that aims to cover some of our favourite songs in the gospel/religious tradition. By no means is this going to be a sunday service folks. We're talking rock and roll music concerned with some of those big questions.

RecentlyI've been listening to Bob Dylan's so-called gospel albums. Most people have either heard or heard of Slow Train Coming. That's the album that finally netted Bobby his first Grammy. The two albums that directly followed and completed his "religious phase" were 1980's Saved and '81's Shot of Love. Criticized by many during this time for buying into organized religion, the criticisms are probably rooted in the old guard of Dylan fans uncomfortable with Bob praising the same God he once seemingly forsaked. Religious themes were clearly not a new thing for him. His lyrics prior to this have often called on religious theme and symbolism and have often alluded to a spirituality of the Judeo/Christian type.


The album begins with the Red Hayes/Jack Rhodes composition A Satisfied Mind. All sparse piano keys and slow drawl as Dylan hums, "it's so hard to find/one rich man in ten with a satisfied mind." The title track is a funky number that echoes the chorus of "I've been saved/by the blood of the lamb/..And I just wanna thank you lord/I Just wanna thank you Lord." The last number for today is Pressing On. Situated midway through the album, the track is a burning ember of resilience. He offers no apologies for the wrongs he committed in the past, "Because He sinned I got no choice, it run in my vein." Really the centrepiece of the album and what Kurt Loder called "the melodic descendant of the Band's 'The Weight.'"

A Satisfied Mind
Saved
Pressing On


On an unrelated note, for those London area readers. The Weather Underground are releasing their new (and first) album tonight at The Salt Lounge. No doubt you'll be able to pick up Ontario the Chemical while you're there. A great group of guys I'm really proud of and excited to see the finished product. You can stream some tracks on their myspace here. We'll have a writeup next week about the band and new cd so stay tuned.

Year End Review part 4

Artist: The Grates
Song: 19-20-20
Album: Gravity Won't Get You High (2006)

Australian band The Grates exhibit a punk energy and like most punk records these days fail to stand up to repeated listens, assuming you can stand repeated listening. They may not re-invent the wheel here, but their contagious energy makes for decent pogo pop songs.

Artist: Jason Molina
Song: Everything Should Try Again
Album: Let Me Go, Let Me Go, Let Me Go (2006)

I'm not overly familiar with a lot of Molina's work. Be it his old Songs: Ohia moniker, Magnolia Electric Co., or simply as Jason Molina. Everything is a particularly biting critique of another's depression. "Ever been tired/Ever been a little sick/Ever tried working through it."

Artist: Daniel Johnston
Song: Ain't No Woman Gonna Make A George Jones Outta Me

If, like me, your knowledge of Daniel Johnston is limited, I suggest checking out the great documentary from last year The Devil and Daniel Johnston. Now available on DVD, it separates a lot fact from fiction without completely dispelling the myth. Intensely low-fi music as seen through the children's soul of this manic depressive. Check out his back catalogue, now easier to find than ever before (I saw some in a Sunrise records the other day for fuck sakes) and get on the D train.

Artist: The Killers
Song: When You Were Young
Album: Sam's Town (2006)

Maybe you're like me and you have a love/hate relationship with the Killers. Image heavy and arrogant at times, Brandon Flowers didn't win any fans when he claimed prior to Sam's Town's release that it would be the best album of the past 20 years. That would fulfil the hate part. The love? Catchy songs like this one that are perfect examples on how to write a hit. I can't say the album failed to live up to my expectations. I never really put much stock in it. The Killers are bound to be around for awhile. My over/under for good songs per album is 2 and I think this is pretty bang on. Now taking bets on how long before Bruce Springsteen asks the band for his shtick back.

Artist: Beck
Song: Nausea
Album: The Information (2006)

Beck makes us white boys dance. It may look like bastardized versions of Michael Jackson; still, we dance.

Artist: Regina Spektor
Song: Fidelity
Album: Begin To Hope (2006)

'Cause it breaks you ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-heart.

Artist: Jenn Grant
Song: Dreamer

We talked about Jenn Grant in December. She's got an album coming out in a few months. Check the December archives for a full writeup.

Artist: Sleater Kinney
Song: Modern Girl
Album: The Woods (2005)

Never been a huge Sleater Kinney fan to be honest. they do mean a whole lot to a lot of people. they decided to call it quits this year. Aging riot grrrls wept. My old zine did too.

Artist: Neko Case
Song: Teenage Feeling
Album: Fox Confessor Brings the Flood (2006)

Expect a new New Pornographers album later in the year. When it does come out feel free to complain about how there is never enough Neko. Just a beautiful song about never settling for love.

Artist: Hilary & Haylie Duff
Song: Our Lips Are Sealed

We make no bones about this song about the Duff sisters. A cover of The Go-Go's original, the song is pretty much a note for note take on the original. Still, we love it. I had a habit of blaring this all summer sometime during my morning routine. My summer roommates would just walk by with shaking heads. The guilty pleasure is a bankrupt concept.

Artist: Holly Golightly w/ The Greenhornes
Song: There Is An End

This song comes from the soundtrack to Jim Jarmusch directed/Bill Murray starring film, Broken Flowers. Like many, I first came across Holly through her work with The White Stripes. The Greenhornes have a relationship with Jack and Meg that goes back a number of years, as tour mates, friends, and members of a mutual appreciation society. Currently, 2/3's of The Greenhornes are making up the rhythm section of The Raconteurs.

Artist: Sunset Rubdown
Song: They Took A Vote And Said No
Album: Shut Up I Am Dreaming (2006)

Although I initially hated this album I came back to revisit it after some time apart. Came to be one of my favourite releases of '06.

Artist: Bob Dylan
Song: Thunder on the Mountain & Can You Please Crawl Out Through Your Window
Album: Modern Times (2006)

Easily one of the most celebrated albums of the year. Bobby D is enjoying a resurgence in critical acclaim over the past few years. Chalk that up to the self-penned Chronicles bio, Scorsese's No Direction Home documentary, and Dylan still making vital recordings. Thunder on the Mountain finds Dylan in a playful mood, having a good chuckle as he lets us know Alicia Keys has been on his mind, as well as expounding on the state of the world in general. A great rollicking number that catches you in the chest and takes over your hips.


So that's it. That's the end of the look back on '06. Probably a bit over-reaching and unnecessary at this late stage but I felt I should get it off the books before I could start fresh in 2007. Looking forward to the year. Thanks for reading everybody.

Year End Review Part 1

Artist: Wilco
Song: I Got You (At the End of the Century)
Album: Being There (1996)

And

Song: Kicking Television
Album: Kicking Television (2005)
Although the band didn't release a studio proper in '06, they were very much on the scene. A succesful canadian tour, a solo Tweedy DVD, and the promise of a new album in '07. The year also marked my transformation from Wilco interested to super Wilco fan. For my money, Jeff Tweedy is the most important contemporary songwriter of our times. There are very few on the same level as he.

Artist: Bob Dylan
Album: 30th Anniversary Celebration
Song: My Back Pages
This is a great live song from "Bobfest." I watched the concert film earlier in the year and really got stuck on this song. Featuring Tom Petty, George Harrison, Eric Clapton, Neil Young, Roger McGuinn, and Bobby, the song takes its cue from the faster tempoed Byrds version. Each artist takes a verse, with Bob seemingly content to strum along in the background. When Dylan rambles up to the mike, the crowd loses their shit. A real thing of beauty.

Artist: The Replacements
Song: Androgynous
Album: Let It Be (1984)
I would never have considered myself a 'Mats fan. I picked up Tim a few years back real cheap from a Best Buy. Wholly impressed, I relegated the band to the back of my mind. Sometimes fate intervenes to give you a second chance, in this case, in the form of a bargain bin find I couldn't resist. I put Let It Be on and had one of those experiences you can only have the one time. That first listen to an album and almost instantly you just feel it's perfect. It's not flawless, but perfect in its own right. My favourite song would have to be this one. It slows the album down for a moment and to my knowledge the best song about cross dressing love. Also, the only song I know about cross dressing love.

Artist: Rogue Wave
Song: Eyes
This song, featured on the Just Friends soundtrack, is in the spirit of Dylan's You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go. A man misses a failed relationship. He accepts this fact as a positive, but still misses these things about his lady. "I'm washing my hands of attachements/I will land on the ground/But one thing I'm missing is in your eyes". Definitely bittersweet. Rogue Wave had a tough year with drummer Pat Sturgeon requiring a costly kidney transplant. The band rallied with a benefit concert in September to raise funds. If you go to their site you can make a donation. You can also make sure you give serious thought to signing your donor card.

Artist: Munk feat. James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem
Song: Kick Out The Chairs
A remix by Munk of the original by Danish band WhomadeWho. This track is old school funk meets the dance electro we got accustomed to on Murphy's 2005 eponymous debut. While 2007 will bring the follow up, Sounds of Silver, the past year we were placated by this and Murphy's 45:33, a workout music collaboration with Nike. If working out to James Murphy (or working out in general) isn't your thing, then '07 shall be right up your alley. Kick out them chairs muthafucka.

Artist: Paul Simon
Song: Paranoia Blues
Album: Paul Simon
Sitting in a practically empty club in April and watching my favourite Deadly Snake, Andre Ethier, quietly paint the walls with quiet folk pop and earnest love (is there any other kind?) Andre plays a cover of this Paul Simon tune, which through his eyes is a lot more paranoid.
Crazy, eh? Four months later the Deadly Snakes break up and lovers of soulful rock and roll shed a quiet tear. But not before the Snakes send themselves off with one last legendary performance. Get yourself acquainted.

Artist: Desmond Dekker
Song: Israelites
Reasons you should love Desmond Dekker : He was the self-apointed King of Ska. Israelites was the first reggae song to go #1 in the Uk charts in 1968. He had an album named Black & Dekker. The original Rude Boy was the most prominent Jamaican artist prior to Bob Marley; laying the groundwork for future artists. Sadly, he passed away on May 25th at the age 0f 64.

Artist: The Decemberists
Song: 16 Military Wives
Album: Picaresque (2005)
A lot of Decemberists fans waited with bated breath for the band's major label debut in 2006. Thankfully, The Crane Wife , lived up to expectations and then some. It showed up in and around the top on many a year-end list. They also had an epic battle for rock supremacy with Stephen Colbert. This was the song that drew me off the fence and into the Decemberists camp. Check out the video for the song. Scathing and hilarious.

Artist: Fox Jaws
Song: Karmonica
Album: untitled '07 release
Fox Jaws are a Barrie-based band I'm expecting big things from in the future. A proper writeup soon. For now, just listen. Is that a harmonica you hear? No sir, sonny boy, that's a karmonica. Groovy

Artist: Devandra Banhart
Song: Fistful of Love
Off the covers record that accompanied the 2005 Music/Summer issue of Believer magazine. Devandra takes on the Antony and the Johnsons original. My roomate played this for me a while back and I didn't think much of it. To be fair, I only listened to a snippet and i wasn't really in the mood to listen anyways. Fast forward a year or two and I'm enjoying the quiet peace of 3am. I toss this on and bang, the planets align or something. Proper amounts of pain and anguish, longing and yelps. Completely destroys the original.

Artist: Apostle of Hustle
Song: My Sword Hand's Anger
The first track from the upcoming National Anthem of Nowhere. I felt that 2004's Folkloric Feel was a pretty uneven affair. If they restrain the tendency to noodle off and choke back those songs we could have something worthwile here. I really love this track right now, which makes me super excited for the release. They've got a month long weekly residency at the Rivoli starting January 24th. Might be time to take a trip.

Artist: Viva Voce
Song: From the Devil Himself
Album: Get Yr Blood Sucked Out (2006)
I profiled Pat & Anita Robinson earlier in the year. Incredibly tight, especially considering it's a two-piece. Double driving attack but not afraid to show their melodic side. One of my favourite records of the year. In a thin year for new discoveries for me, Viva Voce really stood out.

Artist: The Be Good Tanyas
Song: For The Turnstiles
Album: Hello Love (2006)
The Tanyas turn out another excellent roots record. Bound to be overlooked (and it was) as arguments of too many covers, not enough originals, reign. If every country music star listened to this record we'd have a unprecedented string of artists blowing their brains out. This is real country music and few have the talent the Tanyas do. Here they cover a Neil Young song off '74's On The Beach. They don't match Neil Young's mournful mood, which might be a good thing anyway. Leave it to the master. Faithful, yet fresh.