I have faith in all you do

On the heels of Sun Kil Moon's latest album, Admiral Fell Promises, comes a 4-track EP called I'll Be There. The Jackson Five's I'll Be There is already a great song, and this is just a guy and a guitar, but Mark Kozelek is able to channel the essence of the song in a way that not many others can. Also, check out the Stereolab and Casiotone for the Painfully Alone covers on the EP, they're equally excellent. I picked this one because I'm hoping Madcat Joe writes about the Stereolab one.

Sun Kil Moon > I'll Be There

Keep the Dog Bookish

I've been keeping a pretty low profile around here these days, partly because I'm busy rewiring my brain for Finnish, partly because the glory of the Finnish summer itself argues against spending much time with the old laptop.

But I did want to stop by and register enthusiasm for Owen Pallett's extraordinary album Heartland, a dazzling chamber pop gem in the vein of Van Dyke Parks' 1968 Song Cycle or Simon Bookish's more recent masterpiece Everything/Everything. Indeed it is the Simon Bookish remix of "Keep the Dog Quiet" I want to draw attention to right now. Bookish and Pallett, both classically trained performers and composers with a flare for wicked and highly literate pop, are a natural fit for each other. One wonders if they'd collaborate well together on an album, or if each of their songwriting personae are too stubbornly eccentric to play well with others. All the same this remix is pretty thrilling.

Owen Pallett - Keep the Dog Quiet (Simon Bookish Remix)

Wear your inside out

Fever Ray have covered Mercy Street, which is one of my all-time favorite Peter Gabriel songs. Apparently, Fever Ray have been playing it live from time to time, but I sadly did not get to witness it when I saw them in San Francisco last year. In any case, we have the tune now. I love it and it's going to drop on 7" before the end of the year.

Fever Ray > Mercy Street

Just One Wish

Well, hello! It's been a while. We're still here, just not...here. Well, not as much. In any case, I've been meaning to post this but I've been deathly ill due to excessive drinking and carousing. You know how it goes.

This band is Still Corners and this song, Wish, will drop in about a week. All I can say is, wow. This song is so perfect, short and sweet. It's like a hazy memory of a summer you dreamt about in the future. And if you want more like I do, you can listen here.


Wish from Still Corners on Vimeo.