Category: Things I Should’ve Mentioned

First Listen: Bon Iver, Marissa Nadler

Thanks to NPR, we’ve got two great albums this week!  First up is one of the most highly-anticipated releases of the year: Bon Iver’s Bon Iver.  It’s certainly a change in tone from 2008’s For Emma, Forever Ago, featuring a more complicated, textured set of musical arrangements.  I’ve been looking forward to this all year, and I encourage you to join me in visiting NPR to hear Bon Iver.

Also, this week, we get to hear another eponymous album: Marissa Nadler’s kickstarter-funder Marissa Nadler.  Marissa is definitely one of the most exciting artists to come out of Boston in a while – drawing comparisons to Pink Floyd, Leonard Cohen, and Kate Bush (how’s that for a mix?) – I encourage you to have a listen here.

First Listen: Eddie Vedder – Ukulele Songs

Eddie Vedder, the Pearl Jam singer, and man-you’d-have-least-expected-to-release-a-ukulele-album-in-1993, has, in fact, released a new album called Ukulele Songs – and now you can hear the whole thing on NPR’s First Listen series. The album marks Vedder’s second solo effort after the exquisite soundtrack to the film Into the Wild, and features guests from Glen Hansard (The Frames, Swell Season) to Chan Marshall (Cat Power), and has a decidedly warm, intimate feel.  Vedder has observed that the ukulele is particularly good at bringing people together, and that its simplicity allowed for a more immediate and personal writing process.  Ukulele Songs is dedicated to Eddie’s wife and children, and is considerably warmer in mood than you’d expect.

So, head on over to NPR to listen to Ukulele Songs, and also consider reading the Rolling Stone interview.  There are videos below… enjoy!

Continue reading “First Listen: Eddie Vedder – Ukulele Songs”

First Listen: New Death Cab For Cutie, Joseph Arthur

It’s Monday, and that means those loveable scamps over at NPR have some fresh delights for us!  As part of their First Listen series, you can hear new albums by Death Cab For Cutie, Joseph Arthur, and Thurston Moore.  So, why wait?  Head on over, and have a listen!

First Listen: Okkervil River – I Am Very Far

Okkervil River‘s I Am Very Far is one of those albums that I’ve been looking forward to, this year, and now I’m happy to report that NPR has it up for listening.  The album is available through their First Listen series, and can be enjoyed until its release on May 10th.  So, head on over, and check it out.  Enjoy!

It’s Record Store Day! (Rex Manning Day Rescheduled…)

Hey, Everyone!  As you may already know, it’s Record Store Day!  Today’s the day where your favorite local record store is going to be even more chock full of fun and events:  This year, there are rare releases by Nirvana, Fleet Foxes, R.E.M., and literally hundreds more!  If you want to check out the full list of releases, and get a list of participating stores, click here.  And if you’d like to see Bull Moose‘s own Chris Brown – creator of Record Store Day – describe the releases in video form, follow me:

Continue reading “It’s Record Store Day! (Rex Manning Day Rescheduled…)”