Rodney Crowell decks the halls, Jeff Tweedy gets warmer, The Darcys fall, Sharon Van Etten creeps, Entrepreneurs party down and more in today’s Roundup. All aboard for funtime!
1 | Who is that masked man? It’s none other than Rodney Crowell, decked out like Zorro and banging the drum (quite literally) for his country-swinging ditty Christmas Everywhere, the title cut from his recent holiday disc. Also getting in on the act: Actor W. Earl Brown, The Mavericks‘ Eddie Perez, Crowell’s kids and singer-songwriter Lera Lynn, cleaned up quite nicely from her days as True Detective‘s junkie troubadour. SEZ THE PRESS RELEASE: “It was miraculously shot in his home garage, with Crowell’s wife Claudia Church overseeing set and production design.” Yule love it above.
2 | We all know what Wilco sounds like. So we all know what Jeff Tweedy‘s new solo album WARM is going to sound like when it comes out on Friday. But that won’t stop me from grabbing it soon as I can. Nor should it stop you from enjoying this video for the track I Know What It’s Like, starring Tweedy’s big giant head floating in a psychedelic setting. Like, far out. SEZ THE PRESS RELEASE: “WARM was produced and recorded entirely by Jeff at Chicago’s now legendary studio, The Loft (with help from some of his usual collaborators – Spencer Tweedy, Glenn Kotche and Tom Schick).” Heads up:
3 | A cheap motel room, a power-blue tux, Miss Universe in a stretch limo, an androgynous beautify queen, a Keytar, a suitcase full of money at the casino and a soggy sojourn to Niagara Falls. To paraphrase Slim Pickens in Dr. Strangelove: A fella could have himself a pretty good weekend with all that stuff. Especially if he were hanging with Toronto duo The Darcys, who put all of it into play on their new video for the song Chasing the Fall. SEZ THE PRESS RELEASE: “Chasing the Fall is about taking a tumble down the rabbit hole. It’s a night in your life that starts out strange and only continues into disarray.” Cut to the chase:
4 | Halloween is long gone. But Sharon Van Etten is still feeling a little creeped-out — if the haunting black-and-white video for her otherworldly song Jupiter 4 (from her upcoming album Remind Me Tomorrow) is anything to go by. SEZ THE PRESS RELEASE: “Jupiter 4 is one of the first songs recorded for the album, which helped Van Etten and producer John Congleton align ideas about a potential sonic landscape to explore. His eerie mix of drones, synths and theremin complement Van Etten’s evocative lyrics of finding love.” Boo:
5 | We’ve all been there: A dull party — you know, the kind of affair where bored people sit around wearing ironic leis around their necks and munching on popcorn and straight pretzels — breaks wide open into a primal, self-destructive dance party driven by propulsive drums and insistently buzzing guitars. Or at least the members of Danish noise-punks The Entrepreneurs have — and they filmed it for the video to their song Say So! SEZ THE PRESS RELEASE: “Say So! outputs an extreme energy from start to finish. It kicks off on a high note and ends even higher as Mathias Bertelsens‘ vocals are supported by all kinds of percussion as the track comes to an end. The music video accompanying the track underlines the songs energy with a seemingly gloomy social get-together ending in uncontrolled dancing.” And so on:
6 | Punk supergroup comeback alert! If you don’t know them by now, the long-running band Coercion features members of Good Riddance, The Lonely Kings, Death By Stereo, Fury 66 and Ghost Parade. So nobody should have to twist your arm to check out their video for the barnburning track The Reasoning, from their upcoming album Veritas. SEZ THE PRESS RELEASE: “When we started the band there was no social media. We didn’t feel the rush of the instant gratification. I felt compelled to write lyrics about the impulsive reaction to the constant barrage of other peoples thoughts, feelings and ideas. Everybody has a great reason to post about how awesome their lives are. Underneath it all we all suffer the same, everybody requires the same love and human connection.” Awwwww:
7 | Some bands are born great. Some bands achieve greatness. And some bands have greatness thrust upon them. I honestly don’t know which one applies to nêhiyawak. I just know the Indigenous Canadian trio from amiskwaciy in Treaty 6 Territory are doing great work. And making important art. Listen to their latest single open window, which references the horrors of The Sixites Scoop and residential schools — while boasting a hazy headnodding groove, a hummable melody and artsy atmospherics to boot. SEZ THE PRESS RELEASE: “Our parents begin the song with spoken word. We have them each speak their mother tongue and say what they felt like needed to be said. The lyrics reference The Sixties Scoop as well as the concepts portrayed in the model of the residential school system. The model used had very strong connections to the early boarding school models used in Ireland, India, and many early colonies of England. More than anything, this message is one of learning and acceptance. Something to help others feel connected by experience, but also encouraged toward personal growth and learning.” Can we just give them their Polaris Prize and Juno Awards now and save time?
8 | It’s been four long years since The Black Keys released their last album Turn Blue. Fortunately, those who miss Dan Auerbach‘s signature sound don’t have far to look — Texan Danny Lee Blackwell and his band Night Beats are just the latest in a long line of artists Auerbach has produced at his Nashville studio, and their new garage-rock nugget One Thing (from their next album Myth Of A Man) bears his unmistakable sonic stamp from the first guitar note to the final dusty vocal line. SEZ THE PRESS RELEASE: “Pride is a fickle thing and it’s usually misplaced. It’s about being rolled up and smoked.” Light it up:
