Great roots band

Check out River City Extension - great addition to any playlist featuring the word "brothers", like Felice or Avett.

30 Debut disc's you should own (according to WXRT) - thoughts?

The growing cult of Chicago's Willis Earl Beal

Spin just came out with their next 5 new artists. I always get excited when I see something like this though that excitement typically turns to disappointment. However, this guy sounds very cool and I look forward to checking him out:

WILLIS EARL BEAL

Who: An idiosyncratic, Chicago-based antifolk belter whose cassette-recorded debut, Acousmatic Sorcery, drops on March 20 via XL Recordings' new Hot Charity imprint. He's set to open some U.S. shows for new labelmate SBTRKT and is known for spreading flyers around town listing his phone number and singing a song for whoever calls.

File Next To: Abner Jay, Daniel Johnston, Mountain Goats, Jeffrey Lewis, Bright Eyes

Where to Start: Existential lo-fi head-clearing "Evening's Kiss," this fascinating Chicago Reader profile.

Spin's 5 Best New Artists for February

New solo Jack White

From Spin:

Well, it's not jazz fusion, but it's still surprising. This afternoon, "Love Interruption," the first single from Jack White's upcoming solo debut, Blunderbuss, was posted on jackwhiteiii.com and the song — built on a mellow, warm keyboard part and chunky acoustic guitar chording — is a nice departure from the thunderous rock that is Mr. White's trademark.

Love Interruption

Bloodshot Records discovers Athens OH and Southeast Engine

Southeast Engine is roots and Americana by way of Athens - but not Georgia. For fans of Brothers bands like Avett and Felice (though not Pernice). I likes, so do a lot of other folks:

All Music: ★★★★ “Canary is a true find from a band that’s quietly created one of the most powerful albums of the year.”
Paste Magazine: 8.4 “Especially when so many groups are mutating old-time American music into pedestrian pop, Southeast Engine distinguish themselves by gently updating these traditions for the 21st century.”
Pitchfork: 7.3 “its attention to detail and local focus make for a singular achievement.”
Onion AV Club: B+ “Part wilderness excursion, part history lesson and part revival meeting.”
Pop Matters: 8/10 “an album where Southeast Engine brought everything together, never lost control, and never backed off of a hard vision.”
NPR – World Cafe: Next: “a historical yet entirely contemporary work.”
No Depression: “sidesteps literary pretension, and is so dense with genuine sentiment and detailed prose throughout the set that it begs for another spin each time it ends.”
KEXP (Seattle): ”remarkable concept album.”
NPR: ”It’s one of the best roots-rock albums of 2011 so far.”

The Peach Kings

Stumbled across the Peach Kings. Got an old-fashioned vibe, some harmonies, female lead singer. From the LA Times:

The band: The Peach Kings, former San Franciscans seeking a SoCal throne.

The sound: The duo dubbed their debut EP “Trip Wop,” and the influence of sultry down-tempo acts such as Portishead and Zero 7 certainly leaves a mark on tracks such as “Little Things” and “By Your Side.” But the occasional drum machine runs second to the interplay of Steven “Dies” Trezevant’s salty guitar work and singer Paige Wood’s lightly toasted alto, which run deft melodic circles around each other. The result is 21st century blues, recorded with a 2011 budget.

The random: The band fulfilled their 2011 trippy quota with a promo clip for an October show, which found them pictured as purple-shaded candle-bearers, levitating over a golden railroad. Hey, where they’re going, they don’t need roads. Or electricity.

The details: The “Trip Wop” EP is available for free download now at ThePeachKings.com.

The music: Download “By Your Side” below.

The Peach Kings -- "By Your Side"

Spotify Apps

It's about time. Publications like Rolling Stone are now putting their lists into Spotify - things like Top Punk Songs according to Thurston Moore or top 100 guitarists of all-time (somehow they missed Jimmy Buffett). This would be especially good when a paid subscriber - you could download all at once and have them ready whenever. To find the apps, open Spotify and look in the left-hand menu. Not many now, but sure to grow.