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DOWNLOAD: Chantal Claret - Bite Your Tongue
Chantal Claret was previously the frontwoman for New York rock band Morningwood, but now she's gone solo and will be releasing her debut solo EP, The Pleasure Seeker, in May with a full-length to follow in June on The End Records. “Bite Your Tongue,” a track from the EP, is a soulful, bluesy pop number that should be a hit with fans of singers like Adele and Lily Allen.
DOWNLOAD: Bhi Bhiman - Kimchee Line
Many decades ago, it seemed like the blues lost its way. Listen to Mississippi Fred McDowell or whoever and tell me that we're getting the real deal now. (I'll wait.) While Bhi Bhiman isn't an icon, he seems to get it, going for simplicity, rotating figures, aching vocal perfection and raw fingerpicking. Put a microphone in front of him and just capture away. His new album is called Bhiman, and you should definitely check it out if this is your thing.
DOWNLOAD: Rival Sons - Only One
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Los Angeles band Rival Sons found great success last year with its debut Pressure & Time – an invigorated blues-rock album that came out in June on Earache Records. But in case you missed it, here’s a track that shows the band’s more introspective side. “Only One,” a classic rock ballad, leans heavily on the blues. Its soulful, crooning lyrics just might help you bring in the new year with love – or at least intimacy – on your mind.
DOWNLOAD: Damien Jurado - Nothing Is The News
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Damien Jurado knows how to work a dirge. His new one, another in a line of collaborations with producer Richard Swift, is called Maraqopa, and the first single "Nothing Is The News" features a slowburn blues that quickly explodes into six-string theatrics. With its aggressive psychedelia, there's something refreshing about this track compared to most of the sterilized rock covering the indie landscape right now. Maybe 2012 will find us plunging ever deeper into darkness. Find out when the album hits stores February 21 on Secretly Canadian.
DOWNLOAD: Delicate Steve - Don't Get Stuck (Proud Elephants)
We readily admit that slide guitar can be a tough sell, but when it's practiced by New Jersey one-man band Delicate Steve (aka Steve Marion), its personal expression rings loud and clear. "Don't Get Stuck (Proud Elephants)" could be an updated version of backwoods blues with intricate fingerpicking, foot-stomp drums and that slide sound ringing like an emotional human voice. Find it and more on the instrumental album Wondervisions, which is out now on Luaka Bop.
DOWNLOAD: Pack A.D. - Sirens
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Hard-hitting garage isn't what we usually expect from our neighbors up north, but Canadian duo Pack A.D. has refused to let up. On their fourth album and as gritty and intoxicating as ever, Maya Miller and Becky Black pound punk and blues into a fuzzy pulp. "Sirens" lures you in with that feminine snarl and keeps you planted until the drums have burned solidly through your skull. Strap-in and grab Unpersons September 13 on Mint.
PREMIERE: White Denim - At The Farm (Live At The Ghost Room)
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White Denim may not look the part, but its live performances present a case study in hypnosis via shredding. Riding on multipart guitar harmonies, loose drumming and crisp bass lines that stay in the pocket, the Austin quartet has graced us with an exclusive live preview of a choice cut from its new record D recorded at its hometown venue The Ghost Room. Officially released yesterday (May 24) in studio form on Downtown Records, "At The Farm" finds the band teasing blues structure, unpredictably complex solos and ramped-up jammy passages into a unique blend of down-home Texan psychedelia.
PREMIERE: Dinah Washington - Slick Chick (Maximum Balloon Remix)
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Dinah Washington wasn't nicknamed the Queen of the Blues without reason. The Chicago legend who shared the stage with Fats Waller and Lionel Hampton among others had a voice that seemed to capture the sad soul that gave the genre its name. Taking Washington from blues to Big Sleep is Maximum Balloon, the solo effort of TV On The Radio's Dave Sitek, who very effectively translates "Slick Chick" into L.A. Noire-friendly terrain. Sitek allows each element of the original, from Washington's voice to sax to keys, to mix with his eerie pulse, bringing out the gritty underbelly lurking quietly in all three. The trill in particular showcases Sitek's success in doing so. Check out Rockstar Game's official soundtrack and remix album out on Verve.
Dinah Washington - Slick Chick (Maximum Balloon Remix)
