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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Out Now: Amiina – Puzzle

I’ve loved Amiina ever since I saw them years ago with Sigur Rós.  They manage to combine a brilliant, smoldering intensity with a child-like playfulness, and the results are magical and sublime.  I mean, come on, you’ve got to love a band that describes their current work like this:

[T]he songs on puzzle are more rhythmically rugged than amiina’s previous work and feature heavier use of electronics. amiina’s long-standing fondness for zero-g melodies and open-minded instrumentation, however, continues.

If you’re fond of Sigur Rós, The Album Leaf, or just feeling a bit twee and autumnal… I strongly encourage you to check them out.  You can hear a couple tracks off Puzzle, after the jump, and you can find out more on their website:

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First Listen: Sufjan Stevens, Neil Young, and more on NPR

If you’re finding Monday just a bit too much to deal with, then here’s a few things from our friends at NPR Music that will help you out.  Or, if, like me, you’re trying to dig out from moving back to America, finishing a dissertation, letting your beloved website slide, etc… well, here’s a little something to get you back in the swing of things.

Available until Oct. 12th, you can hear the new Sufjan Stevens album The Age of Adz here.

Or check out Neil Young’s Le Noise, available until Oct. 5th: here.

And while you’re at it, don’t forget Deerhunter’s Halcyon Digest (avail. until Sept. 28th), and The Corin Tucker Band’s 1,000 Years (avail. until Oct. 5th).

Check Out the New “Video” for Arcade Fire’s “We Used to Wait”

Arcade Fire’s new video for “We Used To Wait” is out, and it’s interactive. In fact, its website bills the project as an “Interactive Film” rather than a “music video.”  Whatever it is, it combines some clever HTML5, Google Street Maps, and your childhood to produce something that’s innovative, nostalgic, and fun.

You can check out the project at The Wilderness Downtown, but it only works with Chrome and Safari.  Also, be prepared for it to assault you with many different windows…seriously, though, just go with it.  And after that, stop by to check out this “Making of…” site.