The White Buffalo - Once Upon a Time in the West (2012)

There was a time when I considered The White Buffalo my "new" favorite artist. Three LPs, three EPs, hundreds of live shows, and seven and a half years later we can hardly refer to The White Buffalo as being "new," but he still remains one of my favorite recording artists and his tunes remain fresh.

I've always enjoyed The White Buffalo's lone, guitar-slinging musical bandito routine. I prefer his one-man performances for the freedom it allows him to jam through multi-song country medleys and the emotion that hovers in the room when it is just his exceptional baritone and the guitar keeping time. "Once Upon a Time in the West" adds additional musical layers to The White Buffalo's previous releases, namely in the consistent backing of a near-full band, and pulls it off without losing the authentic Americana feel of the solo White Buffalo. A few tracks are downright rollicking with up-tempo drums, howls, and "Hey"s. Despite the quality of the full-band tracks, I still find myself gravitating toward the thoughtfulness and simplicity of slower tracks such as "Sleepy Little Town," "Wish It Was True," and "One Lone Night." They are alluring, if not haunting, songs that remind me (if not the collective us) of how captivating good songwriting and vocals can be. Have a gander at the video below and tell me I'm wrong. Enjoy this album and support this artist. His music is as good as his personality. Worth buying; worth sharing.

Aqueduct - "Take Me Back To Tulsa" (Sampling "Big Pimpin")

Oh hell yeah! It's been way too long (3 years) since the piano smashing Aqueduct released Or Give Me Death. I saw he's back out on tour and went to go see if/when he would make his way out to Portland and was greeted by the the instrumental hook to Jay-Z's "Big Pimpin" behind Bob Wills' lyrics. Wow. Aqueduct is giving away the mp3 along with "Past The Point" from his as yet untitled upcoming album due out in 2011. The song starts out quiet before picking up the pace into gleeful indie pop. It's not the chaos his live shows promise, but it has me excited nonetheless.

The Acid House Kings - "Are We Lovers Or Are We Friends?"

Pure pop fans rejoice, the Acid House Kings are coming out with a new album, Music Sounds Better with You. Apparently the band describes the new album as "sharper, catchier and livelier". That's hard to believe since their music is already extremely catchy and lively. They also claim that “it’s got castanets on every single song.” Judging from "Are We Lovers Or Are We Friends?" (mp3), that seems to be a good thing.

Young The Giant - "I Got" Video

Young The Giant just released their digital self-titled debut album and the initial impressions are all positivo. This is more summer jammy-jam than Halloweekend material, but with the sun out it seemed appropriate. Nice location for a music video.

James Vincent McMorrow - Early In The Morning (2010)

Remember when people went bonkers for everything Bon Iver? I do, because for a stretch there I was one of those people. James Vincent McMorrow may not revive the exact same feeling of "I hope it rains today so I can stay inside under a blanket and listen to For Emma, Forever Ago on repeat" to the full extent as Bon Iver,  but he takes a damn good stab at it. Perhaps more musically clean, complex and upbeat than his Wisconsin counterpart's record, the similarities certainly hold water, in no small part of the diverse use of acoustic instruments and falsetto vocals. Additionally, Early In the Morning was allegedly recorded under similar isolationist, introspective circumstances as For Emma, Forever Ago -- but this is far from a "copycat" effort. Tracks like "Breaking Hearts," "If I Had A Boat" and "Sparrow & The Wolf" all exemplify the exceptional talent rooted in McMorrow's musicianship and songwriting independent of references to Justin Vernon. So far this album has only been released in the UK (that I know of) so keep your eyes open for when it heads west. For now you can stream (legally) the full album here. Enjoy, I know I have.

The Kissaway Trail - "SDP" Video

Some new tunes out of Denmark. With an album supposedly coming out this month entitled Sleep Mountain it seems as if the band is ready to make some waves after three quiet years since their self-titled release. The video is artistic and the music sounds great... Something to keep an eye on.

OONA - "Tore My Heart"

Full disclosure: Oona Garthwaite is my sister. More full disclosure: she is a total rock star.

If you don't watch So You Think You Can Dance (it's okay, I don't either), you might have missed this song being introduced to the world via the magic that is television. "Tore My Heart" features Oona's powerful and sexy (is it kind of weird to say that about your sister?) voice over rhythm that sounds like tango or some other sultry music. Can't wait to hear what she will do on a full length album.

Here's a video of the song. Didn't want to post the one from SYTYCD, as I imagine Fox will be taking them down soon. So instead you can be treated to a picture of Oona whilst you listen.

Magic & Fur - "Us" and "Pillow Talk"

I have officially become fascinated by the way Magic & Fur have decided to not leak, but periodically present, their unreleased tracks from their forthcoming album to the public. As someone who follows the law and business of the music industry rather closely, I am curious if this tactic will enhance or deflate the eventual distribution of their album. Regardless, I appreciate their willingness to share their progress with us fans. Every track has been excellent and the collection appears promising, and in the same manner that I eagerly anticipated the release of Alberta Cross' album during 2009, I now await the release of Magic & Fur's debut in 2010. To use their words: "A release early next year beckons..." Indeed.

Surfer Blood - "Swim" [Single] (2009)

Looking ahead to 2010, Surfer Blood's album Astro Coast is set for a January 19th release date and if advance blog chatter is an indication of an albums potential success, consider Surfer Blood soon to be platinum artists. We all know, however, that hype can be misleading, so I prefer to turn to cold, hard evidence. Exhibit A: Their first single "Swim (To Reach The End)" is the kind of anthemic catchy pop rock that is worth looking forward to. Soaring vocals hover above power pop chords with intermingled riffs that are reminiscent of Vampire Weekend, although the bands shouldn't be directly compared. If "Swim" is representative of what the rest of the album will offer, save a slot on your "summer short list" because I have a feeling the album will be packed with summer jammy-jams. Just think, you could be the first kid on your block rocking these tunes at your late January barbecue. Ultimately, there is good stuff here and if the nine other tracks follow the "Swim" direction, I think that Astro Coast will be one to tap into come 2010.