If you’re a long time reader of Timber and Steel you’ll know we’ve developed something of an obsession with Sydney based nu-folk/indie six piece Tigertown. If you haven’t heard these guys yet your window of being able to say “I was into them before they hit the big time” is very quickly closing – you need to do something about that.
Tigertown have a new EP titled Before The Morning set for release on the 21st September. Their new single, “Morning Has Finally Come” is available from today and we have a stream to share with you. Listen to it, go out and buy it and relish in the lush sounds of Tigertown:
The breakthrough success of The Avett Brothers’ sixth album I and Love and You firmly cemented them as major players on the US nu-folk scene, combining an old-time sensibility and instrumentation with sharp indie-pop music. Three years on and the band have finally announced a follow up in the form of The Carpenter, due for release on the 11th September. The Carpenter sees The Avett Brothers team up again with I and Love and You producer Rick Rubin.
The first track to hit the webs from the new album is “Live and Die” which is featured as part of NPR’s Summer Music Preview. Take a listen here.
New York four piece Grizzly Bear have announced they will be releasing a brand new album this September the 18th. The as-yet untitled album is the band’s first since 2009′s massively successful Veckatimist and we have the full track listing and first single “Sleeping Ute” below:
1. Sleeping Ute
2. Speak in Rounds
3. Adelma
4. Yet Again
5. The Hunt
6. A Simple Answer
7. What’s Wrong
8. gun-shy
9. Half Gate
10. Sun in Your Eyes
Grizzly Bear have also announced a world tour at the same time which doesn’t include any Australian dates but does have two shows in New Zealand (20th November in Wellington and 21st November in Auckland). With a couple of big Aussie festivals around that time that would suit Grizzly Bear down to the ground (*cough* Harvest *cough*) we’re guessing that the boys are just waiting to get the green light before revealing any Aussie dates.
The original nu-folkers Calexico have just announced they will be releasing their brand new album Algiers on the 11th September. That’s the album art above and the track listing is as follows:
1. Epic
2. Splitter
3. Sinner in the Sea
4. Fortune Teller
5. Para
6. Algiers
7. Maybe on Monday
8 Puerto
9. Better and Better
10. No Te Vayas
11. Hush
12 Solstice of a Vanishing Mind
The first single from Algiers is “Para” which already has a video. Check it out here:
Sydney nu-folkers Tin Sparrow have definitely seen their profile lifted recently with spots supporting Husky and Matt Corby as well as with Boy & Bear for their upcoming national tour. They’ve also got a brand new EP titled Fair & Verdant Woods, a new single “My Own” and a mini tour to support both.
We’ve embedded Fair & Verdant Woods below and you can also download “My Own” for free from their Unearthed or Bandcamp pages. Their EP Tour kicks off tonight at the GoodGod Small Club in Sydney and winds its way through Wollongong, Melbourne, Brisbane and Byron Bay. The full list of dates are below:
Thursday 19th April – GoodGod Small Club, Sydney, NSW
Friday 20th April – Yours & Owls, Wollongong, NSW
Saturday 21st April – Grace Darling Hotel, Melbourne , VIC *SOLD OUT*
Sunday 22nd April – Grace Darling Hotel, Melbourne, VIC
Friday 27th April – Ric’s Bar, Brisbane, QLD *FREE*
Saturday 28th April – Railway Friendly Bar, Byron Bay, NSW *FREE*
We’re lovers of folk music in all its various forms here at Timber and Steel but when it comes down to it there’s not much that beats a sing-songwriter with nothing but their guitar, their voice and their songs. Patrick James is one such singer-songwriter and boy are we glad we stumbled across him.
Originally from Port Macquarie but now calling Sydney his home Patrick James is all of 19 years old. His songs are toe-tappingly catchy with lyrics that are both intelligent and mature while still being accessible. Reminiscent of Passenger, Georgia Fair or perhaps a stripped back Boy & Bear, James has that unique ability to hook audiences in with his upbeat, hummable melodies and then keep them engrossed with his lyrics.
Patrick James can regularly be seen busking around Sydney but recently managed to score a support slot on Old Man River’s 1000 Cranes tour. He also has a pretty stellar 3 track EP out which is available for download free via his triple j Unearthed Pageor his Facebook Band Page.
If you’re a fan of beautifully executed folk songs that get you smiling and tapping your feet then you should be sure to seek Patrick James out. With only 19 years under his belt we have a feeling there’s a lot more to come from this singer-songwriter.
We say it every time but we should really be writing more about San Francisco based nu-folkers Vetiver. With a brand new album (The Errant Charm) due for release on the 14th June the band have just released their new single “Wonder Why”, the video of which features some awesome stop motion goodness:
The result is the two or three (depending which version you buy) disc album The Flowerpot Sessions bursting with awesome folky goodness. The copy I managed to get my hot little hands was the standard, two CD edition but I’m not complaining – that’s over two hours of music from some of my favourtie up and coming bands.
Beginning with Kill it Kid and The Joker and the Thief collaborating on the awesome blues number “Something Funny”, you know that The Flowerpot Sessions is going to be something special. For a live recording I’m surprised at how crystal clear the production is on the album and how little audience noise has been captured. The skills of the performers combined with the outstanding mixing/production means a very polished album that could well have been put together in a studio.
It’s almost impossible to do justice to just how many standout tracks there are on The Flowerpot Sessions. Almost every single song is a masterpiece but a few do need a special mention:
The Treetop Flyers, a group that hasn’t been featured on Timber and Steel yet but really should be, contribute their track “It’s About Time” to the first CD and it’s an absolute gem. The opening guitar riff is almost Celtic in the way it dances over the guitar but Reid Morrison’s lead vocals drag the song straight into the twenty first century with a sense of pain and longing.
The two contributions from Angus and Julia Stone, “To Let Go” performed with Sarah Blasko and the Grease cover “You’re The One That I Want” performed with Damien Rice, are at the standard you’d expect from the brother/sister duo. I’ve heard “You’re The One That I Want” so many times from the Stones so this version is almost passe (even with the inclusion of Rice) but “To Let go”, which was written for the performance, is just mesmerising.
Probably my favourite track off the entire compilation is the brand new Passenger song “Patient Love”. Mike Rosenberg’s ability to craft a seemingly simple song with the lyrical depth and maturity of “Patient Love” is a true gift – I really hope this one makes his next album.
Overall a stunning album from start to finish – and I’ve only heard two of the possible three discs. If this is an example of the talent that Communion is able to muster it’s no wonder that they’re one of the hottest labels in the UK right now.
The Flowerpot Sessions currently has no Australian release date (despite the inclusion of the Stones and Sarah Blasko). If you’re keen to have a listen to tracks from The Treetop Flyers, Kyla La Grange, Passenger and Matthew and the Atlas head over to this I-D Magazine article and scroll down to the end for a link to some free downloads. Other than that you have to scour the interwebs for a download or hard copy site that delivers to Australia. If we hear anything about a local release you’ll be the first to know.
Watch the “trailer” to The Flowerpot Sessions below:
American indie-folk artist Beirut (AKA Zachary Francis Condon and friends) are releasing their new single “East Harlem” today. The song is a beautiful exploration of the nu-folk sound with some gorgeous instrumentation and melodies. Listen to “East Harlem” in all its Soundcloud glory below:
If you’re a live music junkie then you’ll know that you often pay the price for your obsession. I can’t count the amount of times I’ve turned up to a tiny bar somewhere to catch a gig from an up and coming singer-songwriter or acoustic band only to find they should have stuck to playing Bob Dylan covers in their lounge room and not unleash themselves on the general public. But what makes it worth while is every now and then you stumble across someone who just blows your mind and makes you thank your lucky stars you’ve managed to catch them before they start playing stadium venues and demanding gold plated puppies.
A couple of months ago I attended the regular Sydney folk night Shut The Folk Up! without really any idea about the artists that were playing. Cj, who runs the night, does his best each month to combine old-time folk greats with up and comers presenting one of the most diverse and interesting folk nights around. So it probably shouldn’t be any surprise that it was here I became transfixed with the wonderful Jess Locke.
My first thoughts upon hearing hearing Jess Locke perform was “wow, she’s like an Aussie Laura Marling“. The tone of her voice and the depth of her lyrics are both reminiscent of Marling’s style but to assume Locke is a mere imitator would not do her justice. Jess Locke is definitely an amazing artist in her own right. Her shy stage presence is offset by her confidence as a singer and the way she loses herself in her words. Her lyrics show a depth and maturity that take the listener on a journey into Locke’s consciousness and beyond. This is not idle pop-music – this is music that requires attention, that makes you think.
Late last year Jess Locke released a split album with fellow musician N. Martin through independent label Less Talk Records called The (temperamental) Locket that includes four originals each plus one cover of each others songs. The album can be purchased via the Less Talk Records Bandcamp, with options to order the CD or cassette versions for those not as technologically inclined. Locke seems to play regularly around Sydney with her Myspace seemingly the best place to keep up to date with her comings and goings – but seriously do yourself a favour and track her down.
Country of Origin: Australia (Sydney) File Under: Nu-folk Sounds Like: The Australian Laura Marling Myspace:www.myspace.com/jesslockemusic
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