Sunday Six Pack

Six tasty ones for that Sunday night bender you've been planning.

1. Paul Duncan -- Country Witch from Above The Trees :: This guy is one ambient muthefucker, but I love that pedal steel guitar. It's akin to crack for me and luckily very prominent on this 2007 release.
[Buy Paul Duncan here]

Come on Duncan, how about a smile? You released a damn good record.

2. Mark Kozelek -- Around & Around from Take Me Home: A Tribute to John Denver :: I've talked about this guy before and he continues to hit me in the right spot. This John Denver cover is enhanced by the sweet harmonies of Rachel Goswell.
[Buy Mark Kozelek here]

3. Great Lake Swimmers -- I Am Part of A Large Family from Ongiara :: Another mellow one, I've talked about these Canadians before. This is probably my favorite from another 2007 release.
[Buy GLS here]

4. The National -- Mistaken For Strangers from The White Sessions :: This song is featured on their newest, Boxer, but this version is from a live performance in France in late May. This entire set is featured in various interweb spots. I recommend Google, perhaps you've heard of it?
[Buy The National here]

5. Blue Mountain -- Blue Canoe from Dog Days :: As I continue to explore the bands of "alt-country," I continue to find gems that I kick myself for not hearing before. File these guys under that category. Quissessential alt-country, Cary Hudson, Laurie Stirrat, and Frank Coutch are planning a summer reunion tour, although they're currently not planning to head my way. Check them out at myspace, brah.
[Buy Blue Mountain here]

6. Johnny Cash & Merle Haggard -- I'm Leaving Now from Hag: The Best of Merle Haggard :: I've seen Walk The Line about 5 times this week on Cinemax, so I've had Cash on my brain. Doesn't get much better than two country legends trading lines about leaving a no-good woman.
[Buy Cash & Haggard here and here]

Coolest. Picture. Ever.

I'm Leaving Now, Adiooooooooooos

BK

Saturday Six Pack IV

Music inspired or somewhat loosely tied to my recent trip to California:

Wilco -- Is That The Thanks I Get? :: This song was recorded for Sky Blue Sky but did not make the final cut. That's too bad really because it'd likely be my favorite song on an otherwise ho-hum album. Luckily, Wilco is always flexible with the tunes and were kind enough to release the studio take of the song.
[Buy Wilco here]

Merle Haggard -- The Bottle Let Me Down :: Listened to Merle on my ride from Indy on Monday night. Damn, wish I would've sung his entire catalogue when we went karoaking on Friday night.
[Buy Merle Haggard here]

Centro-matic -- Patience For The Ride :: This is a tribute to LA and the traffic. We experienced this in all its glory on Monday morning.
[Buy Centro-matic here]

Jay Farrar -- California :: Hey, why the fuck not include this song? It's better than that OC song.
[Buy Jay Farrar here]

Sly and The Family Stone -- If You Want Me To Stay :: I've posted about this song before but I'll post it again because it's just plain awesome. Awesome bass line, awesome funk, awesome voice, just awesome. I tried to get people to sing this with me on Friday night but no one knew it. Now you have no excuse.
[Buy Sly here]

Robbie Fulks -- Believe :: Chalk this up under the Weird Covers file. Robbie Fulks, a country crooner, covering Cher's hit song Believe. Believe this bitches, it's better than Cher's.
[Buy Robbie Fulks here]

Taking the dog to dog obedience school. Maybe I'll learn something too.

BK