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Iron and Wine – Big Burned Hand

If you, the reader, and I were in my dorm room listening to The Creek Drank the Cradle seven years ago and you said “Someday Iron & Wine is going to use a wah-wah pedal and have a horn section,” I’d have called you a gosh-darn liar.

The new Iron and Wine album reminds me of Steve Miller Band and Steely Dan — in a good way. It still has the beautiful hushed Sam Beam vocals, but with some more funky and jammy instrumentation. This track is a great example of some of the more funky elements.

Pre-order Kiss Each Other Clean here. It comes out January 25th.

Iron and Wine – Big Burned Hand

 Iron and Wine - Big Burned Hand: Download

Spokes – We Can Make It Out (Yppah Remix)

I don’t know about you, but when the seasons begin to change, I find that my musical tastes are often conflicted and hard to transition. Cue the euphoric sounds of English band Spokes, add a bit of Yppah’s Texas flavor to the mix and you’ve got yourself a tune to gently drumroll you into the jacket-wearing season. I just got the sudden urge to drink a pumpkin spice latte …

The ‘We can Make It Out’ single is out on November 15th. Pre-order it here

Spokes – We Can Make It Out (Yppah-Remix)

 Spokes - We Can Make it Out (Yppah Remix): Download

Buke and Gass – Sleep Gets Your Ghost

This band makes freak folk sound like you’re not sick of freak folk already. The song is kind of weird, cluttered, intricate, weird, and amazing. Though aggressive, it’s also rootsy, sprialing in and out of repetitive hooks that almost have nothing to do with each other, but tie together in an incredibly fun package. Buke and Gass, a fairly loud duo, have that knack for making strange form seem accessible.

Get them at their site. Make sure to check out “Bundletuck”.

Buke and Gass – Sleep Gets Your Ghost

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In Tall Buildings – The Way to a Monster’s Lair

It’s always like finding treasure when you hear a singer/songwriter like Erik Hall writing singer/songwriter stuff that won’t sell in a coffee shop. The Way to a Monster’s Lair has that great yearn you hear in Mark Linkous, or Carter Tanton, or Neil Young, or any other man you imagine leaning over his guitar and bleeding songs out onto his scuffy basement carpet.

Buy the debut.

In Tall Buldings – Monsters Lair

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Josh Mease – Neon Ghost

This is one of those bright and haunting songs that remind you a little of Arcade Fire or Elliot Smith, but more so an eerie carousel or a park riddled with cicada chirps.

Get Wilderness here, it’s worth it.

Josh Mease – Neon Ghost

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Brett Saiia – Unsad

Remember that short story about the girl whose classmates locked her in a closet on the only day of the century that the sun was going to come out of the rain? I wish she had this song to listen to after all that.

Check out more Brett Saiia here

Brett Saiia – Unsad

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Cotton Jones – Blood Red Sentimental Blues

While morning rain on a Tuesday can prevent all creativity, it can also make a single song strum in that cavernous “on-the-way-to-work” head of mine. I discovered Cotton Jones some months ago, and this song is perfect for waking to ugly rainfall or peachy sunshine, and nothing in between.

Cotton Jones – Blood Red Sentimental Blues

 Cotton Jones - Blood Red Sentimental Blues [4:36m]: Download