Everybody Was In The French Resistance - Fixin' The Charts

Everybody Was In The French Resistance, a side project of Art Brut's Eddie Argos and the Blood Arm's Dyan Valdés, revives the long tradition of answer songs. They seemingly chose a random assortment of pop songs to respond to from Michael Jackson to Bob Dylan to Kanye West. I'm not sure these will ever reach the heights of Etta James' "Wallflower" or Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama", but it's surprising how consistently good and cohesive the album is. The songs are all entertaining and clever even if you don't know the original songs, although listening to each song back to back with its inspiration is a lot of fun. In particular I like "GIRLFREN (You Know I Got A)", a response to Avril Lavigne' s "Girlfriend", and "Superglue", a response to Elastica's "Vasaline". All the songs are loaded with pop culture observation and undeniably Argos, especially "Walk Alone", which is just as good on its own.

Birds Fled From Me & John Houx @ The Crepe Place

As John Houx sat on the floor of The Crepe Place in Santa Cruz, CA, playing his song "Born in 1984", a painting of a grinning Bob Dylan circa 1969 looked down on him. The uncanny resemblance between the two went further than looks, and to Houx's credit, he doesn't shy away from a songwriting style that owes a lot to the august folk singer. That is good because his songwriting is strong enough to carry past comparisons, and his easygoing presence kept any hokeyness at bay. He ran through a strong set of songs that were witty and sharp, personal but not overtly political. Houx was opening for Birds Fled From Me, solo project of local artist Rachel Williams, who performed admirably with an impromptu band and a case of jet lag. But it was the first songs in her set, performed solo using a tape delay, that were most captivating. Her lilting, alluring voice accompanying itself on songs about love lost or found. She has a endearing skittishness onstage, seemingly unable to stop herself from telling her audience how nervous she is in between songs, or declaring "I'm a really self-conscious person. Seriously." In front of an enthusiastic crowd in her hometown, she seemed at ease in her awkwardness.

Steve Earle - Townes (2009)

When you hear people like Steve Earle talk about Townes Van Zandt, the story comes across as more of one belonging to a cowboy legend or folk hero rather than a flesh and blood, songwriting man. His documentary, Be Here to Love Me: A Film about Townes Van Zandt, is both an amazing portrait of a poetic songwriter and a haunting look inside the life of an awkwardly talented man who seems determined to destroy himself. Although people may be familiar with Van Zandt's songs covered by some of the biggest names in country and folk, less people recognize Townes playing his own songs. On Townes, Earle offers up his own renditions of van Zandt's gems mixed in with near-impersonations, and, for the most part, does a really good job. With a consolidation nod to Bob Dylan, Earle has been quoted as deeming Van Zandt the world's greatest songwriter, in addition to being his mentor and good friend. The respect and admiration shines through on the album, and people who are fans of Earle and Van Zandt should find the familiarity of Earle's sound and Van Zandt's songs a good blend. I guess the questions is: Did Earle bring anything new to the table, as far as Van Zandt's songs go? I would say that he brings enough to make this album worth checking out, especially if you are interested in hearing some cleaner version of Van Zandt's later songs.

Hayden - The Place Where We Lived (2009)

Jeremy's review: Hayden's new album, The Place Where We Lived, is very good but still feels to me sort of like a b-side to his previous album, In Field and Town. It checks in at only 30 minutes and lacks enough of the moments with a sharper edge (jangly guitar solos or bursts of distortion) which his previous albums have often deftly used to counter the more dominant dour and quiet strain. The laid back groove on a few tracks is reminiscent of a country-folk Bob Dylan in his Nashville years, and these toe-tappers do balance out the slower acoustic turns. Typical of Hayden's wistful lyrics, though, the most upbeat sounding song is titled "Let's Break Up." But it's the familiar warmth and depth of his voice, both playful and sad, that brings me back every time. Check out the title track as well as "Message from London," “Dilapidated Heart,” and “Never Lonely.”

Elvis Perkins In Dearland - Elvis Perkins In Dearland (2009)

Perkins deserves all the praise and lofty comparisons that he receives. For his sophomore release, Perkins assembled a talented backing band to fill-out his folky, singer-songwriter approach, and the rounded-out sound could not be better crafted. From start to finish, Elvis Perkins In Dearland's diverse, acoustic rock and folk influences meld into catchy—sometimes touching, sometimes uplifting—musical story pieces. Perkins' voice is both melodically endearing, like on the slow and sentimental "Hours Last Stand," and enthusiastically jumpy, like on the upbeat "I Heard Your Voice In Dresden." The assorted instrumentation stays in step with the tone of the vocals, and the poetic lyrics exemplify why Perkins is one of the more well regarded song writers over the past few years. Elvis Perkins In Dearland is worth both a purchase and a listen. He is currently on tour now, so plan accordingly.

For a taste of my favorite song off the album, watch this studio video for "Shampoo."

Joe Purdy - Take My Blanket and Go (2007)

Holy shit this album is good. I kid you not, there were a few moments when waves of goosebumps passed over me... or maybe that was just an open window. Either way, I felt moments of exhilaration while enjoying Take My Blanket and Go. I obviously have no scruples making artist comparisons, so I'll throw a couple out there for Purdy— Ryan Adams and Bob Dylan. Now, Purdy has been diligently putting out albums for awhile (9 albums over 7 years) and in his own right has an established, personal, identifiable, soulful sound, but the Adams comparison for this particular album is too accurate to avoid. Despite the workman like production, Purdy has managed to fly under the radar—well, more accurately, my radar (since his music has been featured in a Kia commercial and Grey's Anatomy & Lost episodes)—but like Iron & Wine's sudden leap into mainstream popularity with the clean, crisp studio depth of The Shepherd's Dog, Take My Blanket has passionate song-writing, production, and fully developed sound that elevates it above his previous (also stellar) releases. This is easily one of those albums I could over-listen, but not grow sick of.

Massive props to Purdy for allowing fans to stream his catalog on his website.

Listen to: "San Jose" (An uplifting start that rolls smoothly with organ, piano and harmonica); "Sinkin' Low" (Very nice); "White Picket Fence" (Sauntering epic with a spike-driving rhythm); "Good Days" (Slow starting piano bit that builds and builds); "You should" (Upbeat Dylan-esque piece).