Five Songs I'm Loving This Week

FDR "FDR Drive and Pawns"

Wow. This is one of the strangest, yet most interesting songs I've heard in awhile. I like some really odd, idiosyncratic music, and this is right up there with the oddest. Their conceit is that they've recorded 50 songs in 50 days, much like another musician I've posted about before, Boy Name Thor. They've released those songs on a 3 disc set. Anyway, the song's one step over from alt-country (he says "darlin'), with a hint of Neil Diamond. Yes, I said Neil Diamond. His voice reminds me a little of the singer's voice from Rusted Root. The song seems to morph into a different song, but this is how it plays in Myspace, so I guess it's the same one. The second part is where the Neil Diamond comparisons come in. The first part is my favorite; however. Some of the lyrics are gruesome; he talks about a woman getting in an accident and being pulled off her child. The music doesn't betray the seriousness of some of the lines, though. The quick rhythm reminds me of Soltero and I love the piano, guitar (and hand claps!) Their website and Myspace.


FDR, The New Deal album cover

The Big Sleep, "Murder"

This is not the usual freak-folk type of song I listen to, though it is definitely freaky. It's trippy, driving, and hopefully loud enough to drown out my co-workers. Their website.


The Big Sleep (I found this song because I was looking for a copy of one of my favorite Mazarin songs, "Louise". That songs also on this page; I highly recommend it).

River Detectives, "King Of The Ghost Town Ride"

Lola has veered off in another direction again. This song isn't a force like the previous song and it's not quirky like the first one. It's folk, folks. Lola likes the folk music and the alt-country and here's a very good example of alt-country. It has a lot in common with it's predessors, but there's a broadness not found in most standard country. It's country that's been to the city (or something). They're Scottish, too! Most alt-country is American; it's nice to see others appreciate it. The song's been available for over a year, but I just heard it recently. So I'm not always up on all the new music, but I'm completely on top of the newish music... newish to late. Their website. Their label (also home to another musician I like a lot: Ally Kerr).

Lisa Germano, "Too Much Space"

Though I absolutely adore her album Geek The Girl (I wore it out in the nineties), I lost track of her once the decade changed over. Part of it had to do with me not keeping up with her label 4AD after the founder Ivo Watts-Russell left. Part of it was that I just lost track of a lot of stuff in the early '00's. I'm slowly getting back on track and was happy to come across a new song from her. If you listen to her 90's music and think she sounds depressed and despairing, then you'd be right. Part of her appeal for me is the pure despair she puts into her songs. Her voice twists into mangled, almost psychotic phrasings; sometimes the only pure part of one of her songs is the violin, which she plays beautifully. This song, however, is much different from Geek The Girl. It's genuinely pretty, and instead of the violin her voice is accompanied by a piano. The lyrics are a little dire--someone's heart is made of metal or something, but she doesn't display the same psychosis in her vocals she did in the music I'm familiar with. From the album In The Maybe World.


Lisa Germano

Retro Song:

Badly Drawn Boy, "Magic In The Air"

I heard this song again a few months ago--the first time in years. I'd forgotten how much I love it. I know I love the song "The Shining" from the same album (The Hour of Bewilderbeast) 'cause I've played that a million times; however, I'd forgotten all about this lovely song. I've been wanting to post it, but I couldn't find a copy of it. Now I have and am very happy to have it up here. (Link will expire after seven days). His label's site.



Nice drawing of Damon Gough, the musician behind Badly Drawn Boy. It's from this website, but I'm not sure if the artwork is original to the site or if they got it from someone else; I can't read the language the site's in.