Carl Sandburg Visits Me In A Dream

Swedish pop collective Sambassadeur exudes innocent fun, and what’s more fitting for the summer than some more Sambassadeur? It’s a rhetorical question, but the answer is not much.

Their third LP European is due out July 7th on Labrador (respect!), and they’ve released the single “I Can Try” for all to hear.

And here it is.

And you shall enjoy it.

Listen to “I Can Try”

Get started with Sambassadeur here.

I don’t know much about Charlotte collective Campbell the Band, but I know I love their sound. And when it all boils down, isn’t that the most important thing?

I’m reminded of the Art of Fighting when I listen to Campbell the Band: the delicate vocals, the nostalgic content, and the sweet-as-honey guitars that wash over you.

They’ve been kind of enough to stream 6 tracks from the their new album Bear With Us (see below), and I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised. My personal favorites are “Quickly Growing Old” and “Through Your Veins”, and I love the dark ivory and ebony at the end of “We Are Free”.

Buy Bear With Us (iTunes link)

Bear With Us by Campbell the Band

Yes. This is old news by now.

No. It doesn’t matter.

Yes. You can still thoroughly enjoy this sleepy, swaying, delicate track in all its reverb glory.

Sufjan Stevens – “The Sleeping Red Wolves“

Toronto native and Broken Social Scene contributor (but honestly, who isn’t in BSS?) Jason Collett has struck gold again with his junior LP Rat a Tat Tat. Collett effectively mixes a rugged machismo with an introspective sensitivity that seemingly can only be found up north. Building on the critical acclaim of his sophomore release Here’s to Being Here, Collett throws all the deliciously catchy hooks and head-bopping riffs he’s got into Rat a Tat Tat.

He starts off innocently enough with “Rave on Sad Songs,” a modernized western ballad that evokes the likeness of Josh Ritter. But as the testosterone charged “Lake Superior” rings in, you get the feeling that this album is going to cover quite a bit of musical ground. The album highlight “Love is a Dirty Word” features a trippy bassline that conjures up the sound of Of Montreal, exploding out into a summery chirp of synths and guitars underneath Collett’s best imitation of Bob Dylan. “Bitch City” tones it down a bit with a funky-as-funk guitar laying down the foundation for a soulful easy-listening track. “High Summer” is an AM radio homage, leading into the sparkling intro that begins the straightforward folk ditty “Cold Blue Halo”. But the respite is short, as Collett fires right into the folk-disco (folsco?) throwback “Love is a Chain”. The yearning of “Long May You Love” blends perfectly with the brimming optimism of “The Slowest Dance”, which eventually relents to the resolution that is “Winnipeg Winds” and “Vanderpool Vanderpool”.

Best line: “From the ugly Madam’s gilded room/ The ivories tinkle out a merry tune / While out in the street the Reverend’s gloom / Ain’t saving nobody” (From “Vanderpool Vanderpool”)

Grab a copy of Rat a Tat Tat.

Listen to “Love is a Dirty Word”

Listen to “The Slowest Dance“

Ah, June 14. In the US, this is (not popularly) known as Flag Day. Created by Prez Woodrow Wilson in 1916, Flag Day honors the adoption of the American Flag in 1777. Nevertheless, Flag Day was not officially established until 1949 via an Act of Congress. But it’s all good. We still love ya Woodrow.It’s the thought that counts.

Fun facts:

1. Pennsylvania is the only state in which Flag Day is a state holiday.

2. The longest-running Flag Day parade is held in Quincy, Massachusetts. The first parade was held in 1952.

3. But don’t worry Troy, New York. I haven’t forgotten you. Indeed, Troy,  New York is home to the largest Flag Day parade.

Fun tracks:

1. “Capture the Flag” by Dosh.

2. “White Flag” by Dido.

3. “Ashes of American Flags” by Wilco.

Enjoy!

There’s been no shortage of great international acts featured on CSV over the years, but I thought I’d feature some favorite tracks of mine from around the world.

Hevia – “Busindre Reel“.  Jose Angel Hevia Velasco is a Spanish bagpiper, and his music is as deliciously odd as that previous phrase.

Nitin Sawhney – “Mausam“. Indian-British musician is as exemplary of fusion music as there is. And the results are absolutely stunning in their delicateness.

Barbatuques – “Baiao Destemperado“. Sao Paulo, Brazil is the home of this eclectic collective that explore the true rhythms of the body. Amazing.

Mosh Ben Ari – “Nargish“. Israeli Mosh Ben Ari brings his peaceful messages into delightful and playful contexts.

You know what I’m talking about. “Maggie May”. The classic track from the one and only Rod Stewart. The Renaissance riff to begin the song, the stroking of the nostalgic guitars, Stewart’s smooth rasp, and who can forget the amazing solo at the end that culminates in the achingly nectar-sweet bridge?

Point is, it’s an amazing song! And we’re going to beat it into the ground with this post.

Listen to “Maggie May” by Rod Stewart.

Listen to “Maggie May (Live)” by The Faces, Stewart’s former band. If you’re thinking that this led to some serious legal disputes, you’re right…but not the way you’d think. The mandolin bridge that defines this song was allegedly written and performed by Ray Jackson, who has stated he was improperly compensated for his contributions to the song. Crazy. Just crazy.

Listen to “Maggie May” by Simtec & Wylie; a funked-out, horn-rich cover.

Hey all. I’m a little sparse on information about this band, but I got a few great ditties drop in my inbox about The B-roads and I wanted to share them with you.

The B-roads is the nom de plume of one Paul O’Hara, and his album B-movies features some great weathered, folky sounds. Rich and ethereal, bluesy and moody, B-movies sounds like Dave Matthews bumped into Iron & Wine on the street.

The B-roads have two tracks available for free on last.fm (see links below).

Check out the B-roads.

Listen to “If I look through your eyes”

Listen to “Slow Suicide“

Don’t fool yourself: JJ n° 3 is actually Swedish collective JJ’s 2nd LP. I’ll be honest: I didn’t really see what the fuss was about their debut album JJ n° 2, which received all sorts of accolades and praise from everybody and their mother. I was skeptical coming into JJ n° 3, but I am impressed.

In stead of a full-out review, I’ll bullet-point the highlights:

“No Escapin’ This” — Imagine The Knife playing in an FAO Schwartz. Yeah.

“You Know” — Reminds me of The Cardigans in their heydey. Surpisingly poppy, insanely catchy.

“Voi Parlate, lo Gioco” — Harmonious, captivating, enchanting.

Get a copy of JJ n° 3

Listen to “Let Go”

Listen to “No Escapin’ This“

Because “Love 1″ wasn’t enough, I guess. French genre-creating, pioneering power duo Air released their 6th LP Love 2 back in October, but I realized I let this go by without a review. I’ll be succint.

Love 2 isn’t Moon Safari (if haven’t heard Moon Safari, stop everything and go and listen to it. Go. Now. I’ll wait for you.). But then again, it’s not about recreating the past but defiantly moving forward. Air has found ways to change the game, to constantly push their own sound into uncharted territory. “African Velvet” possesses perhaps the funkiest riff I’ve heard in some time, and the soft accent of a tenor sax adds some real color. The rocked-out, energetic “Eat My Beat” shines with twinkling ivory and dirty guitar riffs. “Love” has a strange quaintness to it, that dances around your ears and then takes a dive right in. “Sing Sang Sung” is classic Air, insanely infectious and downright joyful. See the video below for visual ecstasy. Actually, just watch the damn video–it’s too awesome.

Get a copy of Love 2.

Listen to “African Velvet”

Listen to “Eat My Beat”

And Now This (Remake of “La Femme D’Argent” from Moon Safari)