Entertainment For The Braindead – Roadkill

EFTB - Roadkill album artLet’s see, how can I describe this? Post-Bluegrass? Hillbilly ambient? Plain old banjo weirdness? Whatever genre you want to try and pigeon-hole this in (ok ok, I’ll go with Experimental), it’s extremely awesome music. Haunting, pulsing rhythms. Bowed instruments. And a banjo. Far away, ethereal vocals. It’s hard to believe she is from the city of Cologne, Germany, and not some sort of Appalachian free spirit stepping out of the mountains, barefoot with banjo slung across her back, singing an eerie melody that echoes off the surround mountainside. This is a definite must listen.

Entertainment For The Braindead – Roadkill

Xavier Rudd Live at Winstons Beach Club on 2004-09-15

Xavier Rudd is an Australian folk artist. He plays many instruments, and he shines on the Didgeridoo. Here is a live concert from 2004, a perfect showcase of Xavier’s talent. My particular favorite is his song Let Me Be, a tune I’ve had stuck in my head for years now.

Xavier Rudd Live at Winstons Beach Club on 2004-09-15

In Chains – Dead Heart Bloom

I guess you would call this folk, but it has a dreamy, ethereal quality about it that transcends genres. It’s just good, relaxing music that will make you fell a bit better about the world. The third track, Halfway Gone, really reminds me of a song by the Beatles, but I can’t put my finger on which song. They’ve somehow invented what can only be called ‘ambient funk’. At any rate, all five tracks on the EP rock. This is definitely one of the best finds so far this year (even though we’re only one month in).

In Chains – Dead Heart Bloom.

Jitney – 86-300

Mix up The Mars Volta, Beck, and throw in a little White Album from The Beatles and you’ll have a close approximation of the Folk Rock that Jitney delivers. A set of eleven tracks full of emotion; it is absolutely astounding the way he seems to channel George Harrison at certain points. Don’t miss this one.

Jitney – 86-300