Mike, my sisters partner, seems to have a inherent ability to direct me to music and musicians I have never heard of or are very very new. Every birthday or Xmas he surprises me with yet more sounds that become firm favourites.
This year I got from him :
Phil Campbell "After the Garden"
Phil is a Scottish singer songwriter and "After the Garden" is his second album. Oddly, or perhaps not, there is town called Phil Campbell in Franklin County, Alabama so don't get confused as the town has not written any music at all as far as I know, neither is he the lead 'tarist with Motiorhead. The single "Cold Engines" can be found here on YouTube. He is quite hard to categorise (although he does look like Hamish Macbeth) he was according to his Bio notes ".. Campbell soaked up the religious ether of this existence and then ignored it as best he could." you wouldn't know it from his singing that's for sure. If you are looking for something to chill to after the party at new year you can't go far wrong with this chap! 9/10
Sea Wolf "Leaves in the River"
Hmmm another defies categorization band, you can go and have a listen here to Winter Windows
I have Genre-ed them as "low-fi" on the iPlod but that doesn't really describe their sound, they are their with Midlake and Cowboy Junkies in the innovative new indie world. It took me two or three listens to get to grips with this LA Based band fronted by Alex Church who I can come across before in the band Irving. They are deserving of your ears :-) 8/10
Perry Keyes "The Last Ghost Train Home"
This Ozzie is prob best described as "folk rock" but not of the finger-in-ear-hey-nonny-noe variety. His are the observations of the minutae of life in the working class suburbs of Sydney.
Take a plonk over to here and have a listen to the "Joe Strummer". He reminds me a bit of Elvis Costello with a hint of Tom Petty or more accurately the Wandering Willburys .. 7/10
Josh Rouse "The best of the Rykodisc years"
Now Josh I have come across before one of the few people I know from Nebraska. He has been around since '92 and has never failed to deliver good tunes to his waiting fans. This collection of stuff from the last 15 years is well worth a listen if you haven't heard of him. Have a listen/watch here to London Bridges 8/10
