Mark Kozelek, the principal singer, songwriter, and guitarist of Sun Kil Moon and Red House Painters, will be taking to the road in support of his latest release, April. Kozelek will begin with seven U.S. solo acoustic performances before heading overseas for thirteen European dates.

As of late, Kozelek’s stage persona during live performances has elicited a strong response from a number of concertgoers. Some perceive his introverted demeanor to be a sign of indifference, and fail to find fulfillment in Kozelek’s largely down tempo, minimally delivered songs. But for those looking to peacefully enjoy a master at work, read more to view the complete list of tour dates…
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Fresh Baked:
Lowry
Love is Dead
2008 | Engine Room Recordings
A-

In an era of the beloved 3½-minute indie rock song, Alex Lowry boldly writes epic-length songs that ambitiously and uniquely eschew traditional verse-chorus structure. This fact necessitates at least two listens to wrap your arms around the songs’ complexities. But unlike most bands attempting the epic rock song, Lowry’s long songs, with few over-indulgences, work beautifully.

The lyrics on Love is Dead are introspective, semi and pseudo biographical, simultaneously serious and amusing, poetic and conversational. The music is melodically creative, instrumentally strong, non-derivative, and produced (Lowry) and engineered (Aaron Nevezie) with enough professionalism and market awareness to attract hundreds of thousands of consumers. You’ll laugh at, sympathize with, and maybe even learn from Alex Lowry’s journeys of self-discovery and disillusionment. And through subtle sarcasm, sometimes masked in Midwestern twang, Lowry actually concludes that love is not dead, unless you’re an idealist.

The record’s opener, “Whiskey,” sets the stage of the author’s personal journey and that of the listener. Organ chords captivatingly and quickly introduce the drum beat, one that represents driving on a real and metaphorical road, to which Alex sings: “Streets lead to tunnels, tunnels lead to New Jersey, New Jersey leads to the states, states lead to the ocean and I’m standing in a field.” As a Kansas native, Alex is establishing the viewpoint of his journey from the Midwest to NYC. He continues with the words “Roadside love, midwestern hearts have come undone.” The rest of the record describes this journey of coming undone. In “Whiskey”, and throughout the whole album, multi-layered rhythms and melodies keep the listener fully engaged within a rollercoaster of rock orchestration that maintains a beautiful acoustic sensibility.
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With a series of live shows dubbed the “Last Happy Night of Your Life,” there might appear to be some ominous clouds on the horizon for the Mountain Goats. But not to fear: the trio is about to release a four-song, limited edition EP. A new website will be released in about a month from which the EP can be downloaded in Radiohead, pay-what-you-will fashion.

In the meantime, physical copies can be purchased at Mountain Goats performances. Read more to see the full tour dates…
More on Mountain Goats Tour & New EP

With a series of live shows dubbed the “Last Happy Night of Your Life,” there might appear to be some ominous clouds on the horizon for the Mountain Goats. But not to fear: the trio is about to release a four-song, limited edition EP. A new website will be released in about a month from which the EP can be downloaded in Radiohead, pay-what-you-will fashion.

In the meantime, physical copies can be purchased at Mountain Goats performances. Read more to see the full tour dates…
More on Mountain Goats Tour & New EP

Hidden Gem:
Grant Hart
Intolerance
1989 | SST

Husker Du broke up in 1987, amidst a wash of poor sales, bad feelings and tour burnout. Its main songwriter, Bob Mould, has spent the following decades maintaining a respectable profile with solo albums and a stint as script consultant for the World Wrestling Federation. The Huskers’ other, largely uncelebrated songsmith was drummer Grant Hart, who hasn’t orbited quite so near the spotlight as Mould, keeping sort of quiet and releasing a couple of albums with his new group, Nova Mob. And also releasing Intolerance, a searing, soaring collection of songs about addiction and affliction.

Husker Du was renowned for their loud fast rules, breakneck hardcore records. It’s telling that their first album is titled Land Speed Record. I’m not familiar at all with their later, major label records, but even in the Zen Arcade and New Day Rising-era the band was still cooking along at a foundation-rattling pace. Given what I’d expected by reputation and experience, Intolerance boggles the mind with opener “All of My Senses,” sounding like a cross between The Verve and The Seeds of Love-era Tears for Fears. Elements of the Black Crowes creep in later on “Now That You Know Me,” and “Fanfare in D Major (Come, Come).” Even though Husker Du had been defunct for two years (Intolerance was released in 1989), that band’s dissolution was obviously still sharp in the mind, as is made apparent on “lead single” “2541” (the house number of the Huskers’ office/rehearsal space). A charming, Beatle-esque song centered around a thankfully unadorned acoustic guitar (this is the 1980s, where everything is glazed in reverb and chorus, and it seems to me like no one knew how to record an acoustic guitar) and a clean, lively bassline.

I have never been bowled over by the majority of Husker Du’s catalog-they’re actually largely too fast and unintelligible for my taste. Grant Hart’s Intolerance, while not necessarily warranting a slot between Damaged and Double Nickels on the Dime, is a strong, brisk record that sounds like a time capsule from the last days of the American indie rock 80s.

by Brook Pridemore

http://granthart.com/index.htm

Hidden Gem:
Mike Moreno
Between the Lines
2007 | World Culture Music

All too frequently, even the most accomplished and well-received of living jazz artists remain esoteric to the non-jazz aficionado public, save individuals such as Wynton Marsalis, who has emerged as a pop culture figure in his own right. Instead, Musak-styling murderers Kenny G. and Michael Bolton manage to overshadow and poison many a music listener’s perception of current jazz. Fortunately, the presence of New York Times-lauded guitarist Mike Moreno and his contemporaries, many of whom play on Between the Lines, may help rekindle the interest from the general public that jazz once commanded and still deserves. When I contacted Moreno recently regarding this recording, in addition to citing jazz musicians, he noted the influences of a multitude from different genres, including Maurice Ravel, Nick Drake, Joni Mitchell (who, incidentally, at one juncture in her career heavily sourced jazz leitmotifs,) and Radiohead. Perhaps this explains the variegated nature of the compositions. “Forward and Back” starts with virtuosic guitar playing percolating softly through a crackling texture, suggestive of reminiscence, then switches to the seamless fidelity associated with new experience, rendering it nearly hyperreal. “Gondola” shimmers with an ethereal wistfulness. “Road Song” has a lilting, somewhat dizzying quality, evocative of traveling. These and the rest of the songs blossom fully to the credit of the supporting musicians in addition to Moreno’s serious chops. The other bona fides include Marcus Strickland, Aaron Parks, John Ellis, Doug Weiss, Kendrick Scott, and Tyshawn Sorey, all excellent and independently renown. Pianist Aaron Parks especially stands out on “Still Here,” where the piano and the guitar meld together into a braided candle. That can also be said for the album as a whole: the tinkering sophistication of the melodies and the ample dexterity of the musicians produce the intertwined flame of true art. For any listener, regardless of level of jazz expertise, Between the Lines will sound great and engage.

by Alicia Dreilinger

http://www.myspace.com/m_moreno

In the mood to be subdued? Jose Gonzales and his classical six-string are on their way to England, The Netherlands, Belgium, Tokyo, Brooklyn, California, Texas, and the Middle East. Read more to view the full dates.
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Hidden Gem:
Masters at Work
“I Can’t Get No Sleep” (featuring India)
The Essential KenLou House Mixes
1993 | Harmless

If you spent most of the 90s and early 2000s trying so hard to be a true and die-hard hip hop fan, like I did, you probably missed a lot of excellent music from other genres. If you’re making an effort to play catch-up, like I am, you might find that house music is one genre worth investigating. I recently stumbled upon a 12” vinyl single of the song “I Can’t Get No Sleep” by Masters at Work and bought it up with a quickness. This is a track that I’ve been aware of for quite some time, and even had a digital version of, but needed to own the physical copy, despite living in a digital age. The guilt of having passed this song up so many times in years past wouldn’t let me do it again; it’s an absolutely amazing track – a classic in every sense of the word. The beat is infectious and addictive with layered drums and a horn sample that make you start dancing almost no matter where you are. The production changes and builds intensity throughout, enhanced by the vocals of frequent MAW collaborator India, whose singing is so soulful and intense that you really feel what she’s feeling. And the remixes on the 12” are pretty good as well. To top it off, India talks about licking it like a lollipop way before Lil Wayne’s time.

by Chris Barker