Groundhog Day

Only one month into 2010 and already there are a handful of great new albums. Here are some of my favorites to watch out for in the beginning of the year:

July Flame by Laura Veirs [January 12]

Sleeper In The Valley [MP3]

July Flame [Video]

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Transference by Spoon [January 19]

Written In Reverse [MP3]

Live on KCRW [Video]

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Downtown Church by Patty Griffin [January 26]

If I Had My Way (Feat. Regina McCrary And Ann McCrary) [MP3]

Little Fire [Video]

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Courage of Others by Midlake [February 2]

Acts Of Man [MP3]

Trailer [Video]

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Tomorrow, In A Year by The Knife [February 2]

Ebb Tide Explorer (In Collaboration with Mt. Sims and Planningtorock) [MP3]

Colouring of Pigeons [Video]

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We Are At War

Brilliant clip from The Colbert Report with Philip Glass helping Stephen show President Obama how to give a speech that is both "repetitious and groundbreaking."



Get free sampler from Philip Glass or buy music here:

Hi and Ho, We Plant Trees

Peppermill Records is a non-profit netlabel that creates collaborative albums for free download. Many of their projects center around musical art and nature, such as these folk and bluegrass tunes about treeplanting:



Of particular note in this collection is one of the first ever recorded songs from The Be Good Tanyas. Read about their days playing campfire classics in the Canadian planting scene.

The Be Good Tanyas feat. Jolie Holland - Cabin in the Woods

Get free music from The Be Good Tanyas and Jolie Holland or buy more here:

Magpie To The Morning

One of my favorite albums of 2009 is the stormy Middle Cyclone by songbird Neko Case. This track in particular highlights her lyrical craft:

Magpie To The Morning

Magpie comes a calling
Drops a marble from the sky
Tin roof sounds alarming
"Wake up child"
"Let this be a warning"
Says the Magpie to the morning
Don't let this fading summer pass you by

Black hands held so high
The vulture wheels and dives
Something on the thermals yanked his chain
He smelled your boring apex
Rotting on the train tracks
He laughed under his breath
Because you thought that you could outrun sorrow
Take your own advice
This thundering and lightning gets you rain
You run an airtight mission
A Cousteau expedition
To find a diamond at the bottom of the drain

Mockingbird sings
In the middle of the night
All his songs are stolen so he hides
He stole them out from Whippoorwills
And screaming car alarms
He sings them for you special
He knows you're afraid of the dark

Come on sorrow
Take your own advice
Hide under the bed
Turn out the light
The stars this night in the sky are ringing out
You can almost hear them saying
"Close your eyes now kid"
"Close your eyes now kid"
"Mornings teeth are lit"
They are waiting

Get free music from Neko Case or buy more here: