Entries Tagged 'Pop' ↓

Ezra Furman and Paul Baribeau

Ezra Furman’s recommendation: “Paul Baribeau is probably my favorite songwriter currently working. He’s wild, he’s amazing, he’s passionate and bare and stark and moving. He’s a minimalist, just an acoustic guitar, and yet he thrashes away on it like his life depends on it. I have to describe his songs as painfully real. There is not a shred of artifice, and also he pretty much never courts success or even plays at venues besides houses of his friends and fans, so knowing his music feels secret and wild and wonderful. He’s a great artist, that’s all there is to it. Oh boy…I’m getting carried away.”

New to Paul Baribeau? Ezra recommends you start here: “You should start with Paul’s first album, called Paul Baribeau. It’s fourteen songs and it’s done in twenty-five minutes. Songs like Strawberry and Never Get to Know are earth-shattering events to me as a songwriter. I Miss That Band and Boys Like Me break my heart every time. What can I say? I’m in love.”

Paul Baribeau – Chelsea Hotel No. 2 from If You Make It on Vimeo.

About our guest author, Ezra Furman: Ezra Furman and The Harpoons were formed at Tufts University in 2006 and play very catchy, very funny, very bouncy pop music. You can hear hints of Jonathan Richman and The Violent Femmes, but we also sense a healthy dose of Lou Reed’s freewheeling storytelling style in Ezra’s lyrics. Their 2008 release, Inside the Human Body was produced by Modest Mouse producer, Brian Deck and their joyous live show caught the attention of Spin Magazine who singled them out as one of the hot bands to catch at SXSW. The band was also cool enough to drop by and play a session for our good friends over at Donewaiting.com (video below). Support this great indie band, play ‘em loud and prepare to smile.

MP3: Take Off Your Sunglasses Ezra Furman and The Harpoons

Kathryn Calder and The Shins

Kathryn Calder’s recommendation: “I love the Shins. I think James Mercer has an amazing melodic sense – so sophisticated. I love melodies that weave in and out of one another, songs that have layers upon layers of melodies and The Shins have that in spades. He also has a great, emotive voice. He writes incredible songs, and it’s a sound that I just can’t seem to get tired of. It’s hard to really convey in words why I love them so much, it’s just a feeling I get… a kind of bittersweet happiness.”

New to The Shins? Kathryn recommends you start here: “I love all three records. If I was absolutely forced to choose, I’d pick Chutes Too Narrow.”

About the guest author, Kathryn Calder: Kathryn has been making albums since she was a teenager and may be most recognizable as a member of both Immaculate Machine and The New Pornographers (for whom she plays keyboards for and handles lead vocals when Neko Case is away). Her recent release, Are You My Mother includes all-star contributions from Neko Case and Todd Fancey of The New Pornographers and captures the time that Kathryn was caring for her ailing mother. Here’s a sample track from that album:

MP3: Slip Away by Kathryn Calder