A girl and her guitar… le sigh. Emily Arin is a folk songstress whose voice and lyrics are on an entirely different plane than the one we know here in this world… and with each syllable and note your heart is reminded of your own humanity. She delicately moves through her new album, Patch of Land, with the grace of a barely earth-bound nymph: whimsical and evoking, lyrical beauty suspended against a wall for all to admire.

Once a solo project for Ari Picker, Lost in the Trees, has evolved into a full blown orchestra.  After he became a classically trained musician at the Berklee School of Music in Boston, Ari gathered up a handful or two of talented musicians in North Carolina to help him create the All Alone in an Empty House album that was released in 2008.  He still remains the key composer/songwriter of the band’s theatrical classical and modern day American folk masterpiece.  Lucky for us, this perfect array of genres has resulted in the dramatic, yet comforting sound that soothes the soul.

Grizzly Bear became a critical darling in 2009 with the release of its third studio album Veckatimest.  The Brooklyn-based indie folk rockers combine harmonious vocals with psychedelic waves that practically ask you to just chill out and relax, man.  The band found its way onto many a summer playlist last year with the release of “Two Weeks” that is right from the get go undeniably catchy with it’s peppy piano beat and spacious layered vocals.  Don’t let the seeming across the board praise turn you away.  Take a listen at the band’s Myspace.  Summer’s here after all.

Pregnant-One thing to be sure of

(Open post to download full albums)

Foxes in Fiction is the music/visual art project of Warren Hildebrand, who Resides in Toronto.  In 2010 he recorded a cassette based album, Foxes In Fiction- “Swung From The Branches” that is available for download HERE.  The album features 19 dreamy songs that were made using a cut and paste kind of method.

Foxes In Fiction on myspace

Foxes In Fiction’s website

Tommy Jay-Memories

(Open post to download full album)

Tommy Jay’s Tall Tales of Trauma,  was released on cassette in 1986. It is such a great album with its psychedelic folk energy mixed with influences from the the Violent Femmes, early Talking Heads and Lou Reed. The songs kind of rotate going from  beautiful folk pop songs to wierd 80’s synth pop with drum machines and then repeat that a few times and you have Tommy Jay’s Tall Tales of Trauma.

Today Imaad Wasif, hits the road to launch tour with Dead Meadow, to be followed by a few dates on his own, plus this summer a tour with The New Pornographers. If you haven’t had a chance to hear this road warrior yet, grab a free download of “Priestess” and catch him on one of the dates below…with more to come!

Jad Fair and Jason Willett-Or So Ive Been Told

[cincopa 10563863]

Check out the  interview with “These Little Nothings” here.