Category: News

The Decemberists: “Down by the Water”

The Decemberists’ new album – The King is Dead – will be out in mid-January, and here’s the first track: “Down by the Water!”  The track features some excellent guitar work from R.E.M’s Peter Buck and Gillian Welch, and is a remarkable return to form after the sometime-excellent, oft-bewildering Hazards of Love.  Have a listen, and then go grab the track in exchange for your soul e-mail address.

[audio:https://www.shh-listen.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/The-Decemberists-Down-By-The-Water.mp3|titles=The Decemberists – Down By The Water]

So, that happened…

Behold!  The Mark of the Beast!  Well, not really.  But it is the reason that I’ve been away from you for so long… What you’re looking at is the printer’s mark of England’s first printer – William Caxton.  Caxton has been the focus of my doctoral thesis for the last four years… and, so, it’s really his fault when I don’t update.

But no more!  As of Friday, the thesis is out of my hands.  And while I wait for my exam, I can finally get back to business here.  First of all, let me say that I’m terribly sorry for not responding to all of the lovely people who have come to inquire about the site.  I will definitely get in touch, but I wanted to say that it was nothing personal.  The dissertation has been consuming my life all Summer long, and has left me scant room for anything good or fun.

Well, that’s all about to change.  In the next day or two, updates will begin anew.  Woo!

Mailbag: Caleb Coy – Wild Desert Rose

The good folks over at Yer Bird Records sent me a copy of Caleb Coy‘s Wild Desert Rose, and I’m so glad that they did.  This gem of a country record positively crackles with an old-time earnestness that simply cannot be ignored.  It’s just a man, a guitar, and a life slowly unwound through his unfussy, soulful tunes.  Here’s how the folks at Yer Bird describe it:

Texas born and southern bred, Caleb Coy writes songs woven from the backwoods tapestry of his drifting ways. Channeling the eloquence and magic of such legendary songwriters as Townes Van Zandt, Blaze Foley and Kris Kristofferson, his songs paint pictures of the open road.

If you close your eyes you can almost see the redtail circling high above and smell the campfire and whiskey amidst the pines. From an old airstream in the high desert of far West Texas and the ancient cliff dwellings of the Gila Wilderness to the south fork of the Yuba River, the American countryside has been his muse and true love for the last five years.

Though the heyday of the hard living troubadour has come and gone, Caleb Coy reminds us that the outlaw spirit is alive and well… and still on the run.

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